Should my Cat be replaced ?

[fagan2425]

Should my CAT be replaced? This is a 4 + year old BK Ashford. Been burning 24/7 Oct - April. Theres a gap on the right side. I understand BK has a warranty for one replacement. Cant say ive noticed any major burn time loss, maybe some though.
Is ceramic the way to go ratehr than metal?

 

[Tron]

The lifetime of a cat is approximately 10k hours. So if you burn, say, 180 days a year 24/7 for four years, you're well above that.
It's not like a cat dies from one day to the next, it just gets less effective. But they are a consumable part.
But yes, BK gives you one cat for free in the first 10 years. The one they shipped to me was a metal cat, but consensus is that there's not much of a difference between metal and ceramic.

 

[stoveliker]

That gap has smoke leaking past the cat when you burn low and slow.
I would replace it yes.

 

[Highbeam]

Another shrunk/defective metal cat. Nope, ceramics are better.