Woodstock Progress - cat & screen cleaning

[nhorzepa]

Did any one figure out their issues with the cat clogging and needing cleaning every few weeks?
It sounds like some people have this issue and other's don't.

If anyone figured out how to reduce the ash buildup on the cat it would be great.

This year I managed to go 1+ months before cleaning the cat, which is great for us. Last year it was every two/three weeks.
I brush the screen every once in a while using my chimney brush.
My wood is mostly ash with some beech and red oak thrown in, all seasoned.
rear venting into an interior, 1.5 story chimney w/ insulated liner

 

[toddnic]

I clean my cat about once each month. Do you still have the screen installed in the firebox that is above the front glass? I know that some people have removed that and I wonder if that is contributing to the cat getting clogged. Overall, the cat is quite easy to clean. It probably takes me less than 5 minutes. I blow it out with a can of air (what is used on computers) and brush it off. At the end of the season I do the 'deep clean' prescribed by Woodstock (vinegar bath).

 

[rideau]

My cat has clogged since I first got the stove. Removed the screen last April. The cat is, if anything, less of a problem. Certainly not more of one.

I'm convinced that a strong draft and no ashpan are the primary contributing factors to the clogging of the cat. I have ordered an ICC damper section, which should arrive this week. I'm hoping it will slow draft enough to keep more heat in the stove and the pipe temp down, and also alleviate the cat clogging. I have an ashpan on order, which Woodstock will install when they service my stove....next summer.

 

[fire_man]

I don't know what anybody is talking about - my cat never clogs look how clean it is.


Truthfully, I think the cat stopped lighting off and that led to a death spiral-clog.

 

[toddnic]

My cat has clogged since I first got the stove. Removed the screen last April. The cat is, if anything, less of a problem. Certainly not more of one.

I'm convinced that a strong draft and no ashpan are the primary contributing factors to the clogging of the cat. I have ordered an ICC damper section, which should arrive this week. I'm hoping it will slow draft enough to keep more heat in the stove and the pipe temp down, and also alleviate the cat clogging. I have an ashpan on order, which Woodstock will install when they service my stove....next summer.

Let me know how those changes work for you. I have the ashpan and a fairly strong draft but have never had a problem with the cat clogging. I can see where a very strong draft could definitely contribute to clogging the cat. My biggest problem is my wife starting the stove when I am traveling with loads of newspaper and lint .

 

[TheRambler]

I have a PH coming in early Jan, and cant wait. What kind of indicators let you know when to clean the cat? Also, how cold does the stove need to be to pull it and clean it? I understand its a fairly quick process.

 

[Highbeam]

Holy smokes. I've never had the slightest accumulation on my BK cat. Front or back. I'm amazed at this. Do you think it is because the PH/IS cats are so dang big?

 

[weatherguy]

Holy smokes. I've never had the slightest accumulation on my BK cat. Front or back. I'm amazed at this. Do you think it is because the PH/IS cats are so dang big?

I wonder, I never got anything on my BK cat either and have just had the PH a month, next warm spell I'm going to check it, I do have quite a strong draft and no ash pan.

 

[Badger]

Holy smokes. I've never had the slightest accumulation on my BK cat. Front or back. I'm amazed at this. Do you think it is because the PH/IS cats are so dang big?

I'm curious also. I have an older princess and once a year I clean it because I am supposed to and can't tell the difference. I'm thinking of upgrading to an IS but I don't want more maintenance.

 

[fire_man]

It's easier to tell when the screen clogs- you get more smoke out the door when reloading.
The clogged cat was hard to predict ahead of time. I figured it out because as soon as I engaged the bypass, it snuffed out the fire and smoke spilled from the stove. That only happened one time in three years - now I make it a point to clean it about once per month. Most times it is perfectly clean.

I usually wait for the stovetop temp to drop below 200F to remove the cat. Then I let the cat cool for an hour before I vacuum it.

 

[toddnic]

I have a PH coming in early Jan, and cant wait. What kind of indicators let you know when to clean the cat? Also, how cold does the stove need to be to pull it and clean it? I understand its a fairly quick process.

The easiest way to know if the cat is clogged is that it is not firing between 300 - 350 degrees. I normally engage my cat at 350 and the stovetop temp climbs almost immediately. You can also tell by if their is smoke coming out of the chimney after you engage the cat at the proper temp (300 - 350 degrees). If the cat is engaged at 350 degrees and there is still smoke coming out of the chimney, your cat is probably clogged.

 

[tarzan]

Pic no. 2 has me curious of how the bypass works on this stove. Does the smoke pass by the cat when it is bypassed?

 

[fire_man]

Here is a picture of the Progress internals. The red arrow shows the path when the cat is engaged. It looks to me like the bypass door should be shown in the down position to provide the red arrow path, but it's shown in the up position.

 

[Tenn Dave]

This is my second season using the Progress Hybrid and I have never had even the slightest clogging of the cat or the screen. I do have the ash pan and good draft. My stove is installed on an exterior wall and I use the rear vent straight out and then up 22 feet. I also never us paper to start a fire - I only use super cedars. I burn well season oak and hickory. I check the cat once a month but have never had to clean it.

 

[rideau]

BK owners: With a tall stack and top vented, this stove can develop a very strong draft. With the ashpan in place, ashes drop into the pan and are out of the firebox. No ashpan, some ashes are pulled up by the draft into the emissions path. The route to the cat is tortuous(no, no air goes through the cat when the cat is not engaged), so much ash is deposited before it reaches the cat. However, enough reaches the cat to surface clog it over the course of a month or so. Simple solution seems to be to add the optional ashpan if you have a tall stack/strong draft/top vent.

 

[fire_man]

I added the ashpan at the beginning of this season. I have checked the cat 3 times so far this year and each time it was really clean.

 

[tarzan]

It looks like the back side of the cat (toward the front of the stove) is susceptible to fly ash from running the stove in the bypass position?

BK owners: With a tall stack and top vented, this stove can develop a very strong draft. With the ashpan in place, ashes drop into the pan and are out of the firebox. No ashpan, some ashes are pulled up by the draft into the emissions path. The route to the cat is tortuous(no, no air goes through the cat when the cat is not engaged), so much ash is deposited before it reaches the cat. However, enough reaches the cat to surface clog it over the course of a month or so. Simple solution seems to be to add the optional ashpan if you have a tall stack/strong draft/top vent.

I wasn't asking if air went "through" the cat when bypassed. Just saying that it looks like ash build up while running the stove bypassed could be sucked into the cat when the bypass is shut since it appears the cat is outby the bypass door in the smoke path.

I am probably wrong about that though since it's hard to tell exactly what's going on from the pic witch is why I asked.

I appreciate fire-mans post but I honesly still can't see it good enough to tell exactly what's going on.

PS, I called to schedule an eye exam yesterday

 

[TheRambler]

Has the ash clogging the cat been an issue with anyone doing rear vent, or does it seem limited to those doing top vent?

 

[Tenn Dave]

Has the ash clogging the cat been an issue with anyone doing rear vent, or does it seem limited to those doing top vent?

Not at all....see my post above.

 

[Ashful]

Rideau, this does seem to be an issue unique to Woodstock, though. In my Jotuls, the cat is in updraft at rear of firebox, and the cross-section of the inlet chamber is about 4x the cross section of the cat element. This is a good design, as air velocity drops at this point, and any ash simply falls to the chamber floor, rather than being drawn up vertically into the cat. I leave my stoves with a constant 2" - 3" ash in the floor, and will find 1/4" - 1/2" fine ash in the floor of the cat chamber after 4 cords, but never any ash at all in the cat. Monthly cat removal and dusting is just insane! I don't want to deal with that until the end of the season.

 

[Tenn Dave]

Rideau, this does seem to be an issue unique to Woodstock, though. In my Jotuls, the cat is in updraft at rear of firebox, and the cross-section of the inlet chamber is about 4x the cross section of the cat element. This is a good design, as air velocity drops at this point, and any ash simply falls to the chamber floor, rather than being drawn up vertically into the cat. I leave my stoves with a constant 2" - 3" ash in the floor, and will find 1/4" - 1/2" fine ash in the floor of the cat chamber after 4 cords, but never any ash at all in the cat. Monthly cat removal and dusting is just insane! I don't want to deal with that until the end of the season.

The vast majority of Progress Hybrids do not have this problem.

 

[Wolf]

Wow! I haven't seen much build up on my cat at all yet and hope I never do. I have the ashpan and a very strong draft, but I just reduced my secondary draft. Hopefully this doesn't impact build up on the cat

 

[rideau]

Joful, Only is a specific and unusual situation does the cat clog: No ashpan and very strong draft in a top vent setting. Very easy solution: get the ashpan that is designed for the stove. It is very well designed for function and I have yet to hear from an owner who doesn't love it. I resisted getting it because I love the appearance of the stove without it. But function is more important that appearance, and I suspect I won't even see the ashpan after a few years.....The cat is really easy to clean. Prop the top of the stove up in it's rear channel, pull the rope gasket off, lift out the cat and clean it...takes all of about 5 minutes. I do it when the stove is about 200 degrees, still burning coals nicely, with no problem and no smoke in the house. Don't need to alter my burning at all, or have a period without heat....

Tarzan,, Actually, the cat clogs on the side toward the back of the stove, where the intake air is when the cat is engaged. If you lift the top and look at the cat in situ you would not know it is clogged. It is surface clogging only, easy to remove.

 

[fire_man]

I installed the Progress ashpan at the beginning of this year and wish I had ordered it with the stove. Wow now I have zero ash mess under the loading door, and the stove has more room for a full reload each time. Much less dust in the house, too.

I like the look without the ashpan, too but I got so used to the new look I forgot about the old look!

 

[Tenn Dave]

I installed the Progress ashpan at the beginning of this year and wish I had ordered it with the stove. Wow now I have zero ash mess under the loading door, and the stove has more room for a full reload each time. Much less dust in the house, too.

I like the look without the ashpan, too but I got so used to the new look I forgot about the old look!

Woodstock has one of the best engineered ash pans in the industry today. No silly plug to deal with. A total pleasure to use with NO downside. In my humble opinion.