Anyone have one I'm thinking of getting one for the new burn season,I've cleaned the original ceramic one 3 times but I feel it's getting tired. Good or bad decision. Thanks
Steel catalytic combustor for a Blaze King Ultra.
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I have one. Burned with it near the end of last season. Based on first impressions it is way better than ceramic. Earlier light off and lower low. Unlike the other brand, the steel cat in the bk did not accumulate junk.
This is for a 2012 stove? Didn't like the OEM, or it wore out in 2 years? How much?
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Ok, I'll tackle this one....
1). Not knowing yet how old your ceramic combustor is from your post, you should only have to clean it while it is still in the stove. A light brushing with a soft bristled paint brush is best. A household vacuum can also be used. Be careful not to strike the face of the ceramic. If you have removed it from the stove to clean it, did it get wrapped in new gaskets before reinstalling? Also if you swept the chimney recently, how dirty or clean was it? You cat may still be perfectly fine. There is a major cleaning process that involves removal and using distiller water and vinegar. If you ar determined to do so, and we suggest this only as a last resort, you can clean it and the acidic vinegars will help to remove any deposits over plating the precious metals. The risk here is you could drop it or accidental rough handling could damage the combustor.
2) There are ONLY 2 manufacturers for cats here in the USA that are used in wood stoves.....that work. A major online retailer claims to be a manufacturer, which they are not, and still are peddling the very port diesel foil combustors onto the public. Stay clear!
3) all Blaze King dealers can order stainless steel substrate combustors from our company. They are durafoil, not diesel foil substrate and perform quite well.
4) Highbeam is correct. The thinner wall tolerances and smaller cells (means more surface area for the entire combustor) are quicker to light off. However, they are also more likely to go inactive sooner at the end of the burn cycle than the ceramic cats, which are much more dense and hold temps longer.
5) So long as your wood supply is nice and dry, you should see little if any difference in performance. Highbeam did see an immediate difference and was kind enough to send his old ceramic cat to me to have it analyzed. Those results are still pending.
6) The most important factor you can do to stave off early cat performance failure is to make certain the front door seal stays nice and tight. Any air leak can shorten the life span of the cat.
If you have any more specific questions, post or PM me and I will be happy to respond.
Chris
1). Not knowing yet how old your ceramic combustor is from your post, you should only have to clean it while it is still in the stove. A light brushing with a soft bristled paint brush is best. A household vacuum can also be used. Be careful not to strike the face of the ceramic. If you have removed it from the stove to clean it, did it get wrapped in new gaskets before reinstalling? Also if you swept the chimney recently, how dirty or clean was it? You cat may still be perfectly fine. There is a major cleaning process that involves removal and using distiller water and vinegar. If you ar determined to do so, and we suggest this only as a last resort, you can clean it and the acidic vinegars will help to remove any deposits over plating the precious metals. The risk here is you could drop it or accidental rough handling could damage the combustor.
2) There are ONLY 2 manufacturers for cats here in the USA that are used in wood stoves.....that work. A major online retailer claims to be a manufacturer, which they are not, and still are peddling the very port diesel foil combustors onto the public. Stay clear!
3) all Blaze King dealers can order stainless steel substrate combustors from our company. They are durafoil, not diesel foil substrate and perform quite well.
4) Highbeam is correct. The thinner wall tolerances and smaller cells (means more surface area for the entire combustor) are quicker to light off. However, they are also more likely to go inactive sooner at the end of the burn cycle than the ceramic cats, which are much more dense and hold temps longer.
5) So long as your wood supply is nice and dry, you should see little if any difference in performance. Highbeam did see an immediate difference and was kind enough to send his old ceramic cat to me to have it analyzed. Those results are still pending.
6) The most important factor you can do to stave off early cat performance failure is to make certain the front door seal stays nice and tight. Any air leak can shorten the life span of the cat.
If you have any more specific questions, post or PM me and I will be happy to respond.
Chris
After three full seasons running on low, I was getting blue smoke way too often. Switched to a new steel cat to get eliminate this.
Here's a thread I started when I made the switch to a steelcat. Talks about reasons and results. Also, the actual swap which is easy.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/swapping-to-a-steel-cat-in-the-blaze-king.143576/
The steelcat starts eating smoke sooner. These stoves smoke like freight trains until the cat is working. If, at the end of the burn, the cat drops off sooner I am not worried since at that point in the burn there is very little smoke being produced.
The steelcat is less likely or maybe even can't crack, break, or fall apart. Thermal shock won't cause steel to shatter like ceramic.
I expect that a leaky door gasket will still cause damage to the steelcat but I also expect that the steelcat is more durable than the ceramic. There is certainly much more surface area so more catalyst exposed to the smoke.
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Chris my BK combustor is four years old same as the stove,I did the vinegar thing last fall.I'm going to do it again,but I want to try a steel cat to have as a backup. Can you PM me and advise where I can buy one of your recommendation,Tony Ohio,we've spoken many times in the past. Thanks
Does anybody know anything about the Condor steel cat made in the great state of North Carolina,are these the real deal or the cheapos.
Does the catalytic combustor still look to be in good shape? If so maybe this is a failure of the catalyst and under warranty?
The catalyst looks brand new no cracks ,not plugged cleaned up great,but not performing like it used to. Four years old,I burn 24/7 from October till April,two ferocious winters here last two.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
I do not know of any such manufacturer. There is one on line retailer that claims to be a manufacturer but in fact, they are not. They resell product made by two other manufacturers.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I bought and quickly destroyed two Condar (not Condor) SteelCats. Talking with their tech support, they admitted most Jotul and VC cat stove owners had the same problem with their SteelCats failing inside one season.
Failure mode was warping, which pinches off the passages thru the corrugated foil. Not sure if Condar uses Diesel foil or Durafoil, but they definitely didn't work in my Jotuls.
My Ashfords both have steel cats, but don't have enough hours on them to have an opinion, there.
HarvestMan
Burning Hunk
Are you saying that you have never heard of Condar?
Or, is this your way of saying Condar is not really a manufacturer and sells products online as though they actually manufactured them?
What prevents you from naming this "on line retailer"?
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Bin
The diesel foil combustors are made by a company in Texas. No other source, period. The ceramic are either from off shore, or Applied Ceramics, which is also firecatcombustors.com, no other ceramic source, period.
The diesel foil combustors are made by a company in Texas. No other source, period. The ceramic are either from off shore, or Applied Ceramics, which is also firecatcombustors.com, no other ceramic source, period.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
Durafoil are from Mass...forgot that one. Sold by Clariant Corp...but not consumer direct.
Reticulated foam ceramic combustors are from Clear Skies. They look like a loofa sponge.
Condor purchases from these sources. They are in the business to sell combustors and other fine products.
Reticulated foam ceramic combustors are from Clear Skies. They look like a loofa sponge.
Condor purchases from these sources. They are in the business to sell combustors and other fine products.
So, a replacement steel catalytic converter is about $300?
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/blazeking.html
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/blazeking.html
NHcpa
Minister of Fire
![[Hearth.com] Steel catalytic combustor for a Blaze King Ultra.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/160/160984-168a07ac34616cf891011331dc617d6f.jpg?hash=nOIxx5D9Rh "[Hearth.com] Steel catalytic combustor for a Blaze King Ultra.")
Why all the secrecy about these combustors?All I want to do is buy a steel cat and try it out,and I want the durafoil variant end of story . Is Condar the only place to buy the steel cat?and are theirs durafoil?I heard the Blaze King dealer charges $536.00 for a steel cat,it's only hearsay at this point I'm checking further.
HarvestMan
Burning Hunk
+1
This thread reads like a parable from the bible; everyone reads it but it doesn't mean the same thing to any two people.
Let me give you my interpretation of this whole thing:
1) don't buy diesel foil from this Texas company that shall not be named
2) safest way is to buy from BK dealer
3) Condar fabricates combustors using components from either Clariant or Clear Skies, both of which are good manufacturers. You could get a steel cat from them.
BKVP
Minister of Fire
