Strange cat behavior

[Diabel]

This evening I fired up the stove (it was idle for couple of
days due to warm weather) just like any other time. Nothing
different other that super clean firebox. I also want add
that this fall I put in a brand new ss cat. 45 min. into the
burn stovetop nice 650 cat probe 600, cat glowing nice
dull red. 2.5 hrs into the burn stovetop 650 cat probe 850
about 30 min ago stovetop 650 cat probe started to drop
quite fast to about 400 (stall I believe) I had a little bit of
flame going in the box very lazy but not that hot flame (very
orangy) I needed to go outside for a bit and noticed a bit
of smoke out the pipe! (what the......) I surely had a cat
stall....
10 min later I come back into the house, no flame in the box
just lots of orange glow (not cat) looked at the probe it is sitting
at 300. I go outside and see no smoke at all....
What happened?

 

[leeave96]

I don't have a cat probe, but I think your cat temps ought to be much higher - someone correct me if I am wrong.

I didn't know you could see the cat in a VC stove from the exterior.

Just some random thoughts.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[Diabel]

The 0028 encore does not have the hood in place like the
newer 2140 or 2550 so you can actually see the glow of the
cat not the actual cat glow but the same idea.

 

[Diabel]

Here is the cat or stainless steel plate around the cat glow

 

[Todd]

How old is the probe? I agree with Bill, seems like the cat temps should be much higher, maybe the probe is toast?

 

[Diabel]

Brand new from Condar

 

[Todd]

Try sticking your stove top thermometer on the back of the stove where the cat is and see what you get.

 

[Diabel]

Or I could just switch it with the flue probe. Both read 1600*
I hope some vc burners will chime in that have cat probes installed.
I never paid attention to it last year! Never saw any smoke!

 

[Trktrd]

Not a VC owner, but those cat temps are too low. Mine usually runs 12-1400 deg. cruising.

 

[jharkin]

Definitely something is off. Usually once it lights off you see it rapidly climb from 500 to 1000+ When its really chewing the smoke its usually between 1000 and 1700. I know its time to reload when it drops below 800.

My probe is the digital, doesn't read anything below 500.


I have had situations where I tried to engage too early, it gets to 600 and just sits there with visible smoke out of the stack. Then I know its smothered and stalled and I open up the damper to burn off some more moisture and try again.

Could well be your probe is bad... or you are burning so hot you have spontaneous secondary combustion in the main firebox burning off the smoke before the cat (can happen in an overfire, if the iron fireback is glowing could be the case) - but in that case I think you probe temps would still be very high.

 

[Diabel]

What I don't understand is why it stalled. The ss cat should light off at 400* (I think mine does even sooner since there is no smoke out of the stack) and once lit it should sustain itself until there is no more smoke to be consumed. But what happened here was odd, it reached 800* then it stalled. Even if the probe was bad & read too low..just by looking at the chimney I should know if the cat is working. So why in the first 2.5hrs there was absolutely zero smoke & then I had visible white smoke (not huge amount just a bit)

 

[Todd]

Sounds strange but maybe it was just one of those wierd things that happen. The load could of shifted and blocked the exhaust path or maybe the thermometer stuck? What about the refactory parts? I've heard of them crumbling and falling apart, is there any way a chunk could of fallen onto the top of the cat? How is she burning now?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Here is the cat or stainless steel plate around the cat glow

Holy crap, I got to check this out. I didn't think you could see the cat. Never tried getting low and looking up.

 

[Diabel]

Try sticking your stove top thermometer on the back of the stove where the cat is and see what you get.

It is possible the probe is bad. I placed a magnetic thermo
next to the cat and as the cat probe shows 600 the magnetic
shows 400
At 600 on the probe the back of the stove is HOT! I can not
imagine when if reaches 1400 the thing will melt!

 

[BrowningBAR]

Here is the cat or stainless steel plate around the cat glow

Holy crap, I got to check this out. I didn't think you could see the cat. Never tried getting low and looking up.

Yep, I can see the cat. Just got the stove going with a load just below the opening so I can see what's going on.

 

[Diabel]

Here is the cat or stainless steel plate around the cat glow

Holy crap, I got to check this out. I didn't think you could see the cat. Never tried getting low and looking up.

Yep, I can see the cat. Just got the stove going
with a load just below the opening so I can see what's going on.

Nice to see that glow, I think it is the stainless steel cover
by the cat that glows. Do you hear a low rumble from the back
of the stove while in the cat mode? Last year I was running a ceramic
cat and I don't believe I heard this rumble sound.