New stove questions.

[mrd1995]

So we finally got our Hearthstone Manchester installed. I will add photos to my build thread later. So we did our break in fires and have been doing small fires the last two days. This morning I wanted to do a full load run to see what it would do. Mind you it is 36f and raining here. We have 23ft of 6" duratech with a cap down to a clean out the. Approximately a 3ft horizontal run including the thimble and double wall in the house. A 90, down 2ft with double wall to the stove. So far the primary air control seems to be working very well low kills the primary combustion and it steadily increases as you open it up. My full load this morning was a mix of Ash and Red oak everything smaller than my wrist. I did this a reload off of coals from last night. We let it get rolling on high until all the wood looked charred approx 15mins with the cat engaged the final five minutes. Then I cut the air down to low/medium. Once I did this I had very lazy primary flames but the secondaries were wall to wall for the better part of an hour and the cat indicator kept climbing. We let it hit the line for too hot and then decided to disengage the cat and open the door to cool things off. As I guessed the primary whipped to life but the cat kept stalled didn't really drop did this for about 10-15mins. The cat dropped just below the too hot line and then stayed. So I closed the side door shut the air back down and engaged the cat it dropped to the "c" in "catalyst active"

Three questions :
Am I probably being too paranoid, the stove is new so we are still getting smells as it hits new temps?

Should I have done differently in mitigating this?

Should I expect this with a new stove/cat?

The wood has only been C.S.S. since last February but I checked a fresh split face on the largest pieces and they where under 20%, also no steam or hissing when I added them. I took the forums word to heart and I have 4 years (guesstimate) of wood C.S.S. now.

Sorry for the long wind.

,Cheers Michael

 

[Rickb]

So first. New cats are very active. they can heat up much faster then an cat thats say been used 15-20 times.

Second you don't have to let all the wood char. once your cat is up to temp flip the bypass.

Then after you bypass is closed depending on the wood and you stove will determine how fast you shut it down. I have a tall chimney and decent wood so when I flip the bypass my stove is turned all the way down at the same time. If I do it as soon as the cat hits minimum temp it will rise about 1/2 way to too hot after.

 

[mrd1995]

So first. New cats are very active. they can heat up much faster then an cat thats say been used 15-20 times.

Second you don't have to let all the wood char. once your cat is up to temp flip the bypass.

Then after you bypass is closed depending on the wood and you stove will determine how fast you shut it down. I have a tall chimney and decent wood so when I flip the bypass my stove is turned all the way down at the same time. If I do it as soon as the cat hits minimum temp it will rise about 1/2 way to too hot after.

So your experience says that new cats may run hotter than recommended for the first couple dozen fires? I am planning on getting a auber thermometer shortly to air on the side of caution, I am scared to death of over firing or getting a run-away which is what it appeared like to me even though the primary combustion seemed was very controlled.

 

[Rickb]

I wouldnt try to run it hotter then recommended. But they tend to react very fast when new. Anotherwords they heat up faster. I think if you start flipping the bypass sooner and turning it down sooner you will see your fine.

Too me a runway stove is when you turn it down and it looks like the gates to hell in there still. If you are turning it down the and flames get really lazy or out then you have control. Just a lot of fuel for the cat to eat so it heats up.

Not sure if yours is hybrid or full cat, but hybrids can be a bit different as well because they have secondary tubes as well and seem like they tend to run hotter then full cats.

 

[mrd1995]

I wouldnt try to run it hotter then recommended. But they tend to react very fast when new. Anotherwords they heat up faster. I think if you start flipping the bypass sooner and turning it down sooner you will see your fine.

Too me a runway stove is when you turn it down and it looks like the gates to hell in there still. If you are turning it down the and flames get really lazy or out then you have control. Just a lot of fuel for the cat to eat so it heats up.

Not sure if yours is hybrid or full cat, but hybrids can be a bit different as well because they have secondary tubes as well and seem like they tend to run hotter then full cats.

Okay. Ours looked like the gates of hell but it was all secondary combustion coming off of the secondary burner plate. I will try to engage soon turn the air down as well. This what it looked like, but a little denser flames up top. It is a hybrid stove.

 

[Rickb]

looks good to me, but im no expert. Seems we get a lot of posts with people running too hot of cats on hybrid stoves.

 

[mrd1995]

looks good to me, but im no expert. Seems we get a lot of posts with people running too hot of cats on hybrid stoves.

Thank you for taking some time to give me your insight it is much appreciated. I have been around wood stoves and furnaces all my life but never around a catalytic or one with secondaries for that matter. As far as wood it was usually Fresh cut maybe 4-6 month C.S.S. dead standing wood. And being at my parents house I wasn't about to try changing their ways. Do seasoned wood is a different animal as well.

 

[Rickb]

Good dry wood produces a lot more heat then wet wood.

 

[begreen]

So far all sounds pretty normal. The fire looks fine, with a normal secondary burn. After the stove has been up to about 600º the baking-in paint smell should stop. As noted, new cats are lively. It should settle down with a few fires.