wood stove acting strange

[badcars2]

i have an older catalyst earth stove insert that has been converted to a freestanding stove. it has served me well for years and usually the heat will run you out of my 1300 square ft. home.
This year the stove is acting very different, or maybe i am just seeing it different since i am monitoring the stove and my stove pipe at several different location with thermometers.
with the cat bypassed, the stove acts like her old self, i can move the draft and watch the temp change in the stove pipe.
but after the cat is engaged i lose almost 100 degrees of temp at the stove pipe. i removed the cat this morning, it had some blockage but wasnt terrible. cleaned it out, looks like new now. maybe i have already fixed it, but was just curious if anyone else has seen anything like this with a cat stove. thanks in advance.
badcars2

 

[ray benson]

Catalytic combusters should last 6- 10 years from what I have read. Cleaning involves removing the cat at least every two years and soak it in diluted (50/50) vinegar for 30 minutes, followed by two 15-minute rinses in boiling water (unless specified otherwise by the manufacturer). Replace the gasket after this cleaning operation. Check with catalyst manufacturer for more details.

 

[badcars2]

a little update

this wood i am burning now is locust, the weather went bad about a week ago and we have had alot of rain and snow. well my pile wasnt covered, just wondering, i am seeing a little steam drom the chimney, could this be cooing off the catalyst. i have some real dry oak out in the garage, am gonna try some of it now.
earlier this winter you could look throught the door of the stove and see the cat glowing red up in the top of the stove. maybe the steam from the wood is cooiing the cat just enough to keep it from proper operation.
thanks for the replies so far.
badcars

 

[hanko]

i have an older catalyst earth stove insert that has been converted to a freestanding stove. it has served me well for years and usually the heat will run you out of my 1300 square ft. home.
This year the stove is acting very different, or maybe i am just seeing it different since i am monitoring the stove and my stove pipe at several different location with thermometers.
with the cat bypassed, the stove acts like her old self, i can move the draft and watch the temp change in the stove pipe.
but after the cat is engaged i lose almost 100 degrees of temp at the stove pipe. i removed the cat this morning, it had some blockage but wasnt terrible. cleaned it out, looks like new now. maybe i have already fixed it, but was just curious if anyone else has seen anything like this with a cat stove. thanks in advance.
badcars2

tell that stove to straighten up and act right

 

[logbutcher]

Cats like our bodies, last a finite time. When the first EPA certified cat stoves came out in the late 1980's the lifetime of the cat was measured in 100's of hours of use; still is. It's dependent on species, temps burning, maintenance such as that vinegar bath ( SWMBO loves it), and burning the forbidden unknowns ( e.g. tires).
Corning no longer makes cats. Google Catalytic combustors online for sellers.
Heating 100% 24/7 our cat is replaced every 2 to 3 winters. Just good maintenance for clean burns and efficiency.
Try Sud-Chemie in Mass; I get our replacement cats from them.