Why is my stove smoking after Cat replacement?

[clemsonfor]

I have posted here about replacing my cats due to old ones disintegrating and causing creosote in my chimney.

Anyway I called Stoll who makes high valley. They told me to call fire cat and order them directly. I think the old HV stoves used condar as the holder is the exact size as one o. The condar cats. But still uses fire at now so I ordered one not knowing the size difference.

So when I get the cat they are a sloppy fit length wise. I call them and they look and double check and say its the right one and I just need to double up gasket till it right. I did that and it was a tight fit putting them in the holder.

So anyway I have my fist fire now. I am use I g odd oak pieces that are very small and dry and some random hardwood that is probably 20ish % mc and some know pine around 20% and I closed bypass damper at 650 or so and it says to close @500. It climbed to 1100 pretty quick but I still have smoke easily visible out of the chimney. There is a tiny Red flow through the cat port and if I open the bypass and look there is about 2-3x the smoke but I would of thought brand new cats should be perfectly clear??

Any opinions?

 

[begreen]

Maybe there is leakage past the cat?

 

[clemsonfor]

I thought the same thing. They sit in a metal trough that bolts to the roof of the stove there is no gasket. I was going to call still tomorrow and see what they say. I think I can take door glass gasket and maybe tape It to the holder to seal it?? . But any gap I would think would be so small that the smoke would want to take the easiest path which would be through the cat and not some tiny 1/16 inch gap or so?

 

[clemsonfor]

(broken link removed to http://www.highvalleystoves.com/resources/HV_CatalystGuide.pdf)

Here is there guide to the cat removal. I put it here to show what the housing looks like.

(broken link removed to http://www.highvalleystoves.com/resources/HV2500-1500_OwnersManual.pdf)

And the owners manual for those who want to flip through it and see if it will answer any questions.



When I first got the stove it would burn without smoking?? I bought it used from a stove store. They said they out new cats in it but I did not check?? I burned them 3 seasons bit technique and questionable wood could of lead to the cats falling apart?? But just pointing that out.

 

[clemsonfor]

And here are pics of the housing and how they sit in there.

 

[HotCoals]

How can that work..doesn't look there is a way for the heat to pass through out the back.
Could be my old man eyes though!

 

[HotCoals]

Or does it go in one then out the other?

 

[clemsonfor]

The last pics are of the chimney side. They sit in a "C " channel if your looking at a cross section.

 

[HotCoals]

Oh..so the ends of the "trough" are open?

 

[clemsonfor]

Look at the pix where I posted no cats in the housing. See where the smoke enters through the side. The cats sit like an inch off the bottom plate. The smoke goes through he cat. Through the stove and up chimney.

 

[HotCoals]

Ok..just didn't look right to me..could not understand where the air was interring.

 

[HotCoals]

If it was me i would just use some cat gasket material to seal that whole deal up.
Just tape it on there and bolt it up.
That cat deal should really kick!
Looks almost twice what I have.

 

[clemsonfor]

That's what I think I'm gonna do. But I think k I will use that window tape the kind that's sticky on one aide and not the other. Just stick it on the flange and bolt. It up

 

[HotCoals]

Yep..the tape will just burn off anyways. I just used masking tape the other day to hold my gasket in place.

 

[HotCoals]

One more question if I may.
Do those cats line right up with the flue or is there a offset box above them then the flue?

 

[clemsonfor]

Oh yea I know. It just burns off on the glass. That's how u wrap gaskets for cats with tape they just burn off. But once the self sticky gasket is burned off it do sent matter as its a friction fit at that point.

 

[clemsonfor]

No, smoke leaves cats and then hits a tip plate internal in stove then runs horizontal for about 6 inches or 8 then it goes out. The top chimney hole.

 

[Woody Stover]

Did you check later, or only right after you closed the bypass? Right after I close the bypass on the Woodstocks, the cat can be glowing orange but if I go outside to look, there's still some smoke coming out of the stack. But once the stove heats up more, say a half hour later, there's no smoke to be seen.

 

[clemsonfor]

This was a half hour later. I'm goin to look now, stand by.

 

[HotCoals]

No, smoke leaves cats and then hits a tip plate internal in stove then runs horizontal for about 6 inches or 8 then it goes out. The top chimney hole.

Sounds good!

 

[clemsonfor]

No smoke now but there was only like 3 pieces left and there is mostly coals and not sure how much smoke it would be making at this point anyway?

 

[weatherguy]

No smoke now but there was only like 3 pieces left and there is mostly coals and not sure how much smoke it would be making at this point anyway?

I was going to say the same thing as Woody, my BK smokes for maybe 20 mins give or take til it's in cruise mode, then there's no smoke. Next load check a few times and see how long it lasts, if it's 20-30 mins I think you're ok.

 

[clemsonfor]

Well it may bee a few weeks till I have a fire for more than a bit. Its still to warm for fires that I can really teat it. But that's good to know about how long talks smoke. This smoked for I think 45-60 mins?? Till I quit paying attention.

 

[Todd]

I think I'd burn it a few more times and see what happens. Maybe the gasket didn't fully expand yet to seal the gaps? I don't think it's suppose to be super tight in there and your suppose to leave a little slack for gasket expansion.

 

[clemsonfor]

Its not super tight but snug. I filled gaps as directed to by applied ceramics, the maker of Firecat. I sent him pics of the fitment as it was way too loose with one wrap. See pic.