steel catalytic combustors

[JA600L]

Do catalytic combustors get lazy? Mine glows as it should but the light off temperature has increased to 7-800 degrees.

Once it gets going it is fine. I'm concerned about it maybe dropping off sooner on the tail end of the burn. I have thoroughly cleaned it and that does wake it up a little bit.

I'm just curious if cats do this over time. Mine has gone through almost 2 heating seasons.

 

[zig]

I know 0,zilch, nada about cat stoves. On a car though, converters get plunged and fouled up from impurity's in the combustion. Seems a cat stove would be the same.

 

[Highbeam]

Do catalytic combustors get lazy? Mine glows as it should but the light off temperature has increased to 7-800 degrees.

Once it gets going it is fine. I'm concerned about it maybe dropping off sooner on the tail end of the burn. I have thoroughly cleaned it and that does wake it up a little bit.

I'm just curious if cats do this over time. Mine has gone through almost 2 heating seasons.

When you cleaned it did you do the full vinegar boil thing? Have you burned anything questionable?

 

[JA600L]

I've done some different cleaning methods. Like I said the thing takes off and can hit 12-1400 degrees glowing bright red. It just seems to take more temperature to get it lit. Maybe I'll try the vinegar bath again.

 

[JA600L]

When you cleaned it did you do the full vinegar boil thing? Have you burned anything questionable?

How often do you do the vinegar bath?

 

[Highbeam]

How often do you do the vinegar bath?

Never, and don't plan to but you said you cleaned it and I wondered if you "really" cleaned it. Might do more harm than good.

 

[tarzan]

It doesn't have to be glowing to be working.

Is it possible your wood has higher moisture content than before.

 

[JA600L]

I year dead standing pine. 3 year hardwoods. Nothing else.

 

[Woody Stover]

Performance will slowly drop over a period of years, how much I don't really know. There is a DieselFoil cat in the Fireview I sold to my BIL. It's in its fifth season and still working, but I don't run that stove so I'm not sure how much performance has dropped off. But not a lot, I don't think...

 

[JA600L]

I think it might be draft related to. It is in my basement. I cleaned some fly ash out of the cells and got it to light off around 600. That's not bad.

It can get confusing if the cat is lit or not with the secondaries cutting in and out. I think I'm in good shape. I occasionally prop the lid open and have a peek.

 

[freeburn]

Did you end up blowing compressed air through it to "re-clean" the cells or jus a vacuum?

 

[Woody Stover]

Did you end up blowing compressed air through it to "re-clean" the cells or jus a vacuum?

You have to be gentle if you use compressed air; You can blow the catalyst metals off the substrate if you aren't careful.