Princess Ultra combustor shield

[panderson03]

I suggest you purchase your next combustor from a dealer if you want OEM precious metals coatings.

You can try Midwest Hearth. Their combustors are supplied by Applied Ceramics.

i will do just that. Thanks for the tip

 

[BKVP]

here's a thought. We inspect the combustor monthly (removing the combustor shield, getting down on our knees with a flashlight). we find after 2 or 3 months of burning, half of the combustor's surface is covered with ash with many cells plugged. so we switch out the current combustor with another one. We clean up the original one by lightly dusting the surface with a soft brush. could our cleaning be shortening the life of the combusters?

Masking is a process where build up keeps smoke from "reaching" the precious metals coating.

Brushing with soft brush will remove fly ash without damaging the combustor...but it will not remove masking.

That is achieved with the distilled water/vinegar solution. Lots of discussions on the process on this site.

BKVP

 

[panderson03]

i've read about the water/vinegar process but didn't really believe it would work without damaging the combustor. has anyone used this process with success?

 

[BKVP]

i've read about the water/vinegar process but didn't really believe it would work without damaging the combustor. has anyone used this process with success?

Yes, many times. But do it outdoors...it stinks! And have gasket on hand.

BKVP

 

[Ashful]

We get our combustors from Condar

I'm not sure if they use a different construction for the BK cats, or if they've changed in recent years, but those Condar Steelcats used to literally fall apart in a year in my old Jotuls. I know the Jotul cat stoves left a lot to be desired, but ceramic cats never imploded the way those Condar Steelcats did, in those stoves.

I've been running a BK ceramic cat in one Ashford 30 and a firecatcombustors.com steelcat unit in the other, going onto my sixth season now. I'm leaning toward starting the season on these, and then changing to new combustors after I re-familiarize myself with their latest behavior, to see how big a difference they make.

 

[Ashful]

i've read about the water/vinegar process but didn't really believe it would work without damaging the combustor. has anyone used this process with success?

paging @Highbeam. He has done this more than once, I think.

 

[BKVP]

I've posted this before. There are combustor manufacturers and there are combustor resellers. There are two manufacturers is the USA, Applied Ceramics and Clariant that serve the hearth industry. A supplier to the combustor manufacturers makes the metal substrates. Early versions were diesel foil based, current metal monoliths are much improved. They are typically "canned" to reinforce brazed section. They come company in TX.

BKVP

 

[Highbeam]

paging @Highbeam. He has done this more than once, I think.

I posted a whole article/thread about a vinegar boil of a worn out steel cat. It’s been years though and I can’t remember if it was swept into one of the general BK threads.

Regardless, it did not harm the combustor at all. It revived the catalytic function to respectable levels for just a few months.

I concluded that it just wasn’t worth the cost of time, gasket, and vinegar. These cats aren’t very expensive when you get at least two years out of them as I have. Fresh cats work better.

On a one year old cat that you think is garbage, if it looks physically good, why not try the boil? Nothing to lose but some time, a few feet of gasket, and vinegar. At just one year I can’t imagine that it’s really worn out. Are you burning garbage? Nails? Paints? Some things can poison a catalyst.

Oh and I prefer ceramic. Midwest hearth has been my supplier for the last several cats. The latest is actually lasting longer than usual. Maybe it’s because of super dry shed wood.

 

[moresnow]

Ditto on Midwest hearth for your cat needs.
I put the steel cats behind me. Ceramic only here. Just my experience.

I’ve had good results with a cat bath using half distilled water and half vinegar. Very surprising how much gunk the cat will shed. Rather amazing rejuvenation imo.
No boiling

Rinse with distilled water and air dry

 

[begreen]

I posted a whole article/thread about a vinegar boil of a worn out steel cat. It’s been years though and I can’t remember if it was swept into one of the general BK threads.

Regardless, it did not harm the combustor at all. It revived the catalytic function to respectable levels for just a few months.

I concluded that it just wasn’t worth the cost of time, gasket, and vinegar. These cats aren’t very expensive when you get at least two years out of them as I have. Fresh cats work better.

Here ya go. It's in the main forum because it's not BK specific.

Cleaning a catalytic combustor with vinegar bath

So as mentioned above my 2 year old steel cat stopped working earlier this year. I tried to tell myself that the white smoke was just steam but 14%MC wood and the dripping tar on my chimney cap told me otherwise. So did the constant smoke, reduced burn times, stalling cat, and low output. My cat...

www.hearth.com

 

[panderson03]

interested to hear your experiences with the ceramic cats. the 2 ceramics we tried (one that came with the stove and another we purchased) after our 6 month heating season they were nothing but chunks and dust.

trying out the vinegar bath this weekend. really hoping it works!

 

[BKVP]

You have an air leak around a gasket. Either the loading door gasket or the glass gasket. Ceramic cats don't fail after 6 months.

Check gaskets. How long do you leave loading door open when starting and also when refueling. Do you load snow or ice laden fuel? The thermal shock you are experiencing is not common. Let's rule these out first.

BKVP

 

[Highbeam]

You have an air leak around a gasket. Either the loading door gasket or the glass gasket. Ceramic cats don't fail after 6 months.

Check gaskets. How long do you leave loading door open when starting and also when refueling. Do you load snow or ice laden fuel? The thermal shock you are experiencing is not common. Let's rule these out first.

BKVP

I agree. I wouldn't waste too much time with the details of cleaning a cat or whether ceramic or metal is better until you find out why you are destroying cats so fast. Even when my ceramic cats are worn out to heck and tar is dripping from the chimney cap, the physical appearance of the catalyst is like new.

Room temperature air leaking in past the door or glass gaskets is cold air and is like dunking a boiling hot dish into ice water. The ceramic will shatter. That same thermal shock will also do damage to the metal cats but it is less obvious. Too much time with the loading door ajar during warm up is the same thing, massive thermal shock.

 

[Ashful]

Ceramic cats don't fail after 6 months years.

Fixed your statement, at least with regard to the Ashford 30.

When I get around to pulling mine for cleaning in September, I'll take a photo of a 6 year old ceramic cat. Zero cracks, zero spalling. Other than a little discoloration and staining, it looks almost like the day it was mailed to me.

 

[BKVP]

Fixed your statement, at least with regard to the Ashford 30.

When I get around to pulling mine for cleaning in September, I'll take a photo of a 6 year old ceramic cat. Zero cracks, zero spalling. Other than a little discoloration and staining, it looks almost like the day it was mailed to me.

Funny but OP says they fail after 6 months...that deserves attention to find solution.

 

[panderson03]

Call my office on Monday and speak with Francisco. He can make a recommendation.

509-522-2730

I'm flying next week, so he'll help you.

Chris

Francisco was very helpful. Our dome guard has been ordered. thank you muchly

 

[panderson03]

We check the door gasket before each burning season and in the middle of the burning season. it's always been very tight (cannot pull the dollar bill out). Now it does seem like the door isn't closing as tightly as it used to. Will attempt to tighten the door before our first fire of the season.

 

[BKVP]

Check the glass too...

 

[panderson03]

The glass looks good. No chips, cracks or scratches. pristine

 

[panderson03]

Could it just be that our stove is under sized for our space and we just run it too hard for too long?

 

[BKVP]

No. But check the glass for fitment. Open door and put latch end between your knees.

Place one hand on each side of the glass. While pressing hands towards one another, see if the glass moves in and out and carefully up and down. Be careful not to raise the the door off the hinge pins.

BKVP

 

[panderson03]

the glass in the door does not move at all when performing the maneuver you describe above. I'm looking for instructions on how to tighten the door seal. will see if I can tighten it up to dollar bill standards.

 

[BKVP]

If the gasket is more than 5 years old and if you have kept it tight as you indicated, it may be time to replace it.

 

[panderson03]

this will be the 5th burning season with this gasket. We have supplies on hand to replace it, if that's what's needed

 

[panderson03]

Dome Guard is successfully replaced
working on replacing the door gasket now.
I appreciate all the help