New combustor...too hot!

[Watchingclouds]

Hi all,

I have VC encore and just installed a new combustor. Suddenly it seems the stove is burning too hot; much higher tells than with old combustor. This is not what I expected. What could be happening? How can I fix it?

 

[webby3650]

How hot is it? It's normal for a new cat to run hotter than normal for the first few fires. Or, maybe your old cat hasn't worked for a while and you just aren't used to the temperature? A 600 degree stovetop isn't uncommon.

 

[Watchingclouds]

How hot is it? It's normal for a new cat to run hotter than normal for the first few fires. Or, maybe your old cat hasn't worked for a while and you just aren't used to the temperature? A 600 degree stovetop isn't uncommon.

Much hotter, the temp on the griddle can go to 750-850; the magnetic thermometer on the pipe is 450-500.

 

[webby3650]

That's hot! Did anything else change besides the cat? Is this temp with the air on low?

 

[Watchingclouds]

That's hot! Did anything else change besides the cat? Is this temp with the air on low?

Yes, air is on low. Nothing else changed. I think this is 2+ yr. old wood. Turned the air down pretty early but maybe not early enough. With the prior combustor I was "trained" to not chose it off too early. Maybe I need to adjust when I start closing it down.

 

[Oldhippie]

High airflow due to something not seated properly in either the back firebrick or the bypass door. I'm guessing the combustor isn't the only path for air right now. It's a stinker getting all those parts to fit right going back together after the install. How confident are you of the reassembly?

 

[Watchingclouds]

I was worried about that too. I checked it again yesterday and to my novice eye, I think it was good; but I am not 100%. Thanks for the feedback, I'll take another look.
Chris

 

[Oldhippie]

I have a Resolute Acclaim, and prior to changing the combustor I had similar conditions as yours as my combustor package had deteriorated enough to not be putting up any resistance to air flow so it was like running wide open. After the new combustor, now I will run 600-650 on the griddle and ~300'F on the fluepipe, about 8 inches up.

 

[Excavator]

Same here, I installed new upper and lower fireback, new gaskets and new cat. Higher than expected temps!!
After that I installed the Condar Digital monitor in my encore and I was shocked that the cat temps would hit 1000 degrees and higher with the griddle temp only at 350-400. I use to wait till griddle hit 500 and then engage cat. Now I can not wait. I have to close the damper at 350 cat probe temp which is about same as griddle temp at that time. Then the cat temp quickly climbs to 1000 -1500 in a minute so I have to back down the air supply and griddle is still showing only 350 - 400. If I dont do this the temps will climb on griddle to 650 -750 and cat probe will hit 1800 which is not good. I highly suggest adding the cat probe to the encore. It just installs in minutes in back of stove after removing the plug. Look at my pic avatar and I was able to do the probe install with out moving the stove
(broken link removed to http://www.condar.com/digital_monitor_woodstoves.html)

 

[Charles1981]

yikes I hit 850 twice before when I forgot to close the bypass damper and my fireback was glowing slightly.... I'd make sure that doesn't keep happening. Try and close the bypass earlier? If that still isn't doing it....maybe there is a leak?

 

[Oldhippie]

Same here, I installed new upper and lower fireback, new gaskets and new cat. Higher than expected temps!!
After that I installed the Condar Digital monitor in my encore and I was shocked that the cat temps would hit 1000 degrees and higher with the griddle temp only at 350-400. I use to wait till griddle hit 500 and then engage cat. Now I can not wait. I have to close the damper at 350 cat probe temp which is about same as griddle temp at that time. Then the cat temp quickly climbs to 1000 -1500 in a minute so I have to back down the air supply and griddle is still showing only 350 - 400. If I dont do this the temps will climb on griddle to 650 -750 and cat probe will hit 1800 which is not good. I highly suggest adding the cat probe to the encore. It just installs in minutes in back of stove after removing the plug. Look at my pic avatar and I was able to do the probe install with out moving the stove
(broken link removed to http://www.condar.com/digital_monitor_woodstoves.html)

So maybe he doesn't have a problem then? Maybe what he is seeing is normal. Have you put a temp gauge on the fluepipe?

 

[Excavator]

Yes, I have a probe also in the top of my ss T and it will see 1000 when the griddle sees 350 - 400

 

[Watchingclouds]

Same here, I installed new upper and lower fireback, new gaskets and new cat. Higher than expected temps!!
After that I installed the Condar Digital monitor in my encore and I was shocked that the cat temps would hit 1000 degrees and higher with the griddle temp only at 350-400. I use to wait till griddle hit 500 and then engage cat. Now I can not wait. I have to close the damper at 350 cat probe temp which is about same as griddle temp at that time. Then the cat temp quickly climbs to 1000 -1500 in a minute so I have to back down the air supply and griddle is still showing only 350 - 400. If I dont do this the temps will climb on griddle to 650 -750 and cat probe will hit 1800 which is not good. I highly suggest adding the cat probe to the encore. It just installs in minutes in back of stove after removing the plug. Look at my pic avatar and I was able to do the probe install with out moving the stove
(broken link removed to http://www.condar.com/digital_monitor_woodstoves.html)

So where exactly is the plug? I have a heat shield in the back so I suspect I need to remove it to find the spot?

 

[Excavator]

This is a pic of my 1989 model 0028 VC Encore and cat probe I just installed last month

Here is a pic from member jharkin that he posted. The plug can be pried out with small screw driver
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/encore-2550-rebuild-start-to-finish.112149/page-8#post-1562113