So the shopping begins...

[BrotherBart]

Cat stove myths:

- They take too much effort.

- You can't see a fire.

- You have to replace the cat every two or three years and it is expensive.

Non-cat myths:

- You have to burn them really hot or they crud up your chimney and smoke. (Only if you burn wet wood like the stuff that will plug up a cat in a heartbeat)

- There has to be flame blasting out of the secondary air outlets. (Only if you live to post videos on hearth.com of you wasting wood and heat.)

- You can't burn clean in them at lower stove top temps.

- They give you acne.

 

[HotCoals]

Question BrotherBart if I may?

If secondary's are not burning in a tube stove is the emissions still at the rated grams/hour?

 

[BrotherBart]

The secondary air mixes with the gases that aren't burned in the flames and you see little flashes as they combust. I always laugh because the only place on the planet that I see people advised to blast away in non-cats is here on hearth.com. When the stoves are EPA tested and certified they have to be operated according to the manual. And I have never seen but one company that even mentions "secondary burn" and cutting the stove back. That company is PE. All the rest say start a fire, get the stove up to the temp you want with the primary air rod and leave it there.

Hundreds of thousands of non-cats are sold in this country every year and maybe a couple of hundred of the new owners pass by here. Yet all the rest of them seem to start a nice fire in their stove and heat their houses without trying to treat a non-cat like it is a cat stove and get up to temp and blast off. :lol: And they don't smoke up the hood.

 

[Osburning]

I guess the only thing I would add aside from all the details that I've read cat vs noncat is what is wood burning to you. Heat or Heat/Fire. I personally like seeing the fire like a traditional fireplace. The secondary burn is mesmerizing to just sit on the couch and enjoy.

Well if this is the case a cat stove would be more appropriate. A cat stove has all the flames you want until you decide to turn it down for a low burn, on a medium burn it will have some very nice natural looking flames with some light off around the cat happening. I was under the impression I would lose a view of the fire by switching to a cat stove but that's not the case. The tube stove I burned didn't resemble a fireplace fire in any way, it looked like a gas grill burning. I really thought I would miss the fire from a tube stove, I haven't missed it in the least, I usually load the stove burn it hot for 10-15 minutes and then turn it down to the point where the flames get lazy and let it burn until I decide to turn it down for the night.

I do think both stoves have their place though, I was totally against a cat stove until I decide I wanted to heat my house with the least amount of hassle.(and received some education on the benefits of a cat stove) If I had natural gas I would still be burning a tube stove and supplementing with the furnace where needed. I also think a non cat is best in a place that has a high heat demand since a cat stove really shines when it's turned down on a low burn.

In the end get the one the wife wants and you won't go wrong.

Well there you have it, cat stoves can do it all. I guess never seeing flames in any pictures or videos made me think they operated without them. As far as the burn flames with tube model, I can pull up any number of youtubes showing natural flames. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phnGENSMQTY&feature=related I guess to get the snaps and crackles you'd need the likes of a jotul with a screen door.

 

[HotCoals]

The secondary mair mixes with the gases that aren't burned in the flames and you see little flashes as they combust. I always laugh because the only place on the planet that I see people advised to blast away in non-cats is here on hearth.com. When the stoves are EPA tested and certified they have to be operated according to the manual. And I have never seen but one company that even mentions "secondary burn" and cutting the stove back. That company is PE. All the rest say start a fire, get the stove up to the temp you want with the primary air rod and leave it there.

Hundreds of thousands of non-cats are sold in this country every year and maybe a couple of hundred of the new owners pass by here. Yet all the rest of them seem to start a nice fire in their stove and heat their houses without trying to treat a non-cat like it is a cat stove and get up to temp and blast off. :lol: And they don't smoke up the hood.

Thank you sir!
Spoken like a true politician!

 

[Osburning]

I could not agree with this post more..you said it better then I could.
As if we could not watch a fire. ppffftt!
The gas grill statement had me laughing!

While I believe the comments about the cat stoves being able to burn with flames, I cant help but think the truth is being stretched just for this debate. Are you guys really operating with flames buring away normally or do you have the thermostat set and the cat is doing the work. When I burn my stove, low or high, the wood is producing flames till coals.

 

[BrotherBart]

I can pull up any number of youtubes showing natural flames. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phnGENSMQTY&feature=related I guess to get the snaps and crackles you'd need the likes of a jotul with a screen door.

Great video.

1, If one watches they can see an excellent example of the secondary air picking off the stray gases during the burn.

2. Mesmerized watching the burn.

3. That music is so mellow I nodded of.

 

[HotCoals]

I could not agree with this post more..you said it better then I could.
As if we could not watch a fire. ppffftt!
The gas grill statement had me laughing!

While I believe the comments about the cat stoves being able to burn with flames, I cant help but think the truth is being stretched just for this debate. Are you guys really operating with flames buring away normally or do you have the thermostat set and the cat is doing the work. When I burn my stove, low or high, the wood is producing flames till coals.

In the shoulder season I rarely have flames...don't like to overheat my house...anymore then 75 is to hot for me.
But sometimes the wife and I spend a nice night watching a movie eating popcorn and drinking wine..her,me Capt+Coke.
Then I like to see the fire and if it's to warm I just open the slider some..trust me this stove heats...but like I said I get hot easy.
I don't understand where you think I might be stretching the truth.
I can heat with no flame 24/7 down to at least 20f..and get a 12 hour burn easy in those temps..more like 16 hours if really filled up.

 

[HotCoals]

Flames!

 

[HotCoals]

Pretty crappy vid of me playing with the cat not much after I installed it.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uw6cdxgklFs&list=UULpv9f_28G-HBUmniU3GODg&index=2&feature=plcp[/youtube]

 

[Osburning]

I don't understand where you think I might be stretching the truth.
I can heat with no flame 24/7 down to at least 20f..and get a 12 hour burn easy in those temps..more like 16 hours if really filled up.

I believe the performance of the BK and what users can accomplish with them.

Its not you directly, more the argument of both- In a previous post where I said I went with a tube stove for the flames of a traditional fire and was responded to with cat stoves are also capable of flames of a traditional fire/ or better at it etc: I think thats misleading someone in the market for either. I'm operating my stove at a comfortable temperature any day of the winter while sitting down at any point to enjoy a fire. Same situation with a cat stove seems to be operating it at a level higher than what would be comfortable in order to produce flames, otherwise down to 20* it can be kept on low/no flames. Now if I bought a cat stove based off a recommendation that it can do what a tube stove does in the ambiance department I'd be a little ticked off because of that operating difference.

Think thats why I'm still leaning towards a future next stove Progress or something similar, as much as I am tempted by a Chinook and the BK performance.

 

[HotCoals]

I don't know what to tell you.
I have a 2500 sq.ft house and this stove is perfect for it imo..not that another cat stove would not be also.
In the shoulder seasons this stove shines.
Look..in the Lopi 1750 and The BK Princess comparison the stove are pretty close in all numbers..but yet the Lopi gives up it's heat load in 10 hours..Princess in 20.
Whould seem to me for shoulder seasons and warmer climates the Princess is the one.
And because the OP lives in a warmer state I brought that up.
Sure you can do once a day fires with the Lopi or burn it so the secondary's are not firing..that would work in warmer temps.


My old BKK non cat would heat me outa here in warmer temps..35f on up.
It seemed to always have flames no matter how low I turned it down..if no flames very little heat..as when I put in new gaskets.
It just works for me.
My house is way more even through the burn cycles with the cat over the non cat BKK.
From what I gather burn tubes only go for 3-5 hours after a reload..I dunno.

 

[BrotherBart]

This one ran off the rails and up the side of a mountain a long time ago.

If somebody wants to start a cat/non-cat thread. Get after it.