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Wood stoves

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bczoom

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Didn't want to hijack the other thread.

There was a mention that Mrs. Member didn't care for the catalytic convertor and I wanted to question/comment.

My insert has the converters. I found I can get an extreme amount of heat out of a small amount of wood because of them.

If your stove has them, do you get it somewhat hot (approx. 550 degrees at the converter) then shut down the air supply completely? If you want heat, you shouldn't be seeing flames inside the stove. The converters use the smoke as fuel (and if you have flames, you have less smoke). The logs just smolder but my woodstove jumps to over 1000 degrees and stays that way for a few hours on just a couple logs.

At night, I load it up (and mine's pretty small) and it's still burning in the morning.
 
bczoom said:
Didn't want to hijack the other thread.

There was a mention that Mrs. Member didn't care for the catalytic convertor and I wanted to question/comment.

My insert has the converters. I found I can get an extreme amount of heat out of a small amount of wood because of them.

If your stove has them, do you get it somewhat hot (approx. 550 degrees at the converter) then shut down the air supply completely? If you want heat, you shouldn't be seeing flames inside the stove. The converters use the smoke as fuel (and if you have flames, you have less smoke). The logs just smolder but my woodstove jumps to over 1000 degrees and stays that way for a few hours on just a couple logs.

At night, I load it up (and mine's pretty small) and it's still burning in the morning.
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I always though smoldering logs where a bad thing in terms of creosolt build up.
 
OregonAlex said:
I always though smoldering logs where a bad thing in terms of creosolt build up.
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The type of wood has a big effect but the catalytic converters use the smoke (and everything in it) as their fuel. Without the CC's, it's a different ballgame and creosote is something that'll have to be watched.

When mine is running at normal temp (the CC's are running), there is absolutely nothing that's visible coming out of the chimney. Mine has been installed for 7 years (or so) and I have never had to clean/sweep the chimney.
 
My manual says to wait until about 700 degrees to get "light off". If I choke the air intake down too much, no matter how hot and roaring the fire is, it will go out. The converter takes up a good 5 or 6" of interior room at the top. That really sucks because I can't hardly get 2 split pieces of firewood high. We are constantly hitting wood on the damn converter and having it fall back out the front with fire already on the bottom of the log. :mad: This was a really high end stove and cost about $2600 or so in the off season (last summer). So far, I've really been let down with the whole catalytic converter thing.

Oh yeah, so far the only wood I've burned in it is red oak that has seasoned for 2 years. If fuel prices keep going up, and continue to drive up the prices of wood inserts, I sure will try to unload this thing next fall and go back to a stove that does not have the catalytic converter. I guess maybe I'll first try to see if I can take the darn thing out and make it into a regular stove first. It does look really nice and it weighs 714 pounds.
 
For some reason I was under the impression that stoves with CC where for residential areas where emmissions are controlled by the local government. Is this true?

I guess I am just a dumb hick from the sticks, that when I hear the term CC, I instantly try to avoid having one.

I have a Waterford "Ashling" cast iron stove without a CC.
 
Dargo,

I too am curious as to the brand.

It almost sounds as if your CC is mounted upside down. Mine is recessed up into the upper portion of the stove and the mount protects it from impacts. That mfgr really screwed up (and has caused safety problems) if you can hit the CC and it'll fall out. My insert is pretty small but I can stack wood 2-3 chunks tall.

You're running good wood. Seasoning on oak does take a long time. Do you hear any moisture burning out of it? I'm burning 2+ year old oak right now and I can still hear hissing coming out of some of them.

With mine, it's a good idea to leave an inch or 2 of ash in the bottom as it'll keep the coals hot.

Alex,

Some places require the use of the CC to keep emissions down. Elsewhere (like where I am), it's not required but I prefer it. I live in a valley and a lot of time, any smoke will stay near ground level. If I'm getting a lot of smoke (during startup or if the temp is down), it'll fill the valley with a layer of smoke.

Brian
 
My insert is a Country Flame BBF http://www.countryflame.com/units/wd-cat-b-bbf.html that has an additional heat transducing metal piece on top of the unit inside my fireplace that captures heat and routes it into the room. My fireplace is huge. The shroud you see that comes with it just barely covers my fireplace opening. I bought it for the looks, weight, and reputation. So far, I don't like the CC part. It is in the top, protected by a heavy stainless steel plate; in the way.
 
Dargo,

Using the installation/operations guide for your stove
http://www.countryflame.com/download/acrobat-files/CatalyticV2.0b.pdf

On page 59, steps 4 & 5 (if the fire goes out) it says to check the troubleshooting section or contact the dealer. Well... there's nothing in the troubleshooting section. Are you keeping an inch or so of ashes in the bottom to insulate the embers?

On page 68 I can see the stainless plate that's in the way but as pictured, it doesn't show it in the stove so I can see how it sticks down..
 
Dargo,

Been thinking about this...

I don't want to state the obvious, but just want to say their posted "rule/guideline" about not using the CC until/unless you're at 700 is BS. It doesn't work until that temp, but you can close the dampers or do whatever before that temp.

Personally, I find that if I get a good fire going that I can close at 300 and save the 1/2 hour waiting for 700 to come around. If I close up at 300, it only takes minutes to reach 700.

I run mine 24/7 and I'm not getting up every 3-4 hours to check/chock the stove to make sure it's at a temp the CC likes.
 
I have a VT casting resolute...no cc. I bought it spacifically because it didnt have a cc. I know several people with the VT castings defiant & one of these friends doesn't use there stove anymore because they say the cc is shot & needs replacement & untill they get to it, it just sit's there. I didnt ever want to have the problem of replacing it so I just bought one with out a cc & I must say I love it! I do burn a tand more wood per winter then one of my buddies who runs his as much as I run mine with more or less the same size house but it isnt a big enough amount of wood for me to sweat over. I think they both have their pro's & con's (cc stove & non cc) but I chose without cc for simplicity.
 
KK,

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. I've been meaning to note a couple things.

When I got mine, the CC was the best way to go. The non-CC versions were pretty much "get it hot and it'll throw heat". The new models have more options for efficiency by recirculating air and getting the heat out to the room. When I get a new one (probably next year), I'll be looking closely at the new non-CC models.

Dargo - On that 700 degree thing, do you wait until it gets to that temp before kicking it on? What about a few hours later when it dips back down?

Brian
 
bczoom said:
Dargo - On that 700 degree thing, do you wait until it gets to that temp before kicking it on? What about a few hours later when it dips back down?

Brian
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Sorry, I've missed out on this thread for a while; been busy keeping wood in my burner. :D But, no, I don't get up in the middle of the night to burn my fingers on the CC knob to pull it out when the wood burns out. My wife forgot to pull the CC lever out one time and not only filled the house with smoke, but nearly burned her eyebrows off. She has burned her hand twice trying to get logs into the darn thing. The CC hangs down and really screws with getting wood in. Since the one I have is one of the largest made, I can't imagine what it would be like with a smaller unit!

I'm still on the "don't like it" side of the CC. I do follow what the manual says for running the CC, but it doesn't make squat difference that I can tell. It really is a super PIA because it takes up so much room in the firebox. After half of a season, my wife is pretty vocal about her rather strong dislike of this burner. I was going to wait until the summer and then take the CC out, but I may pull it yet this first season of use. If it sucks this bad when it's new, I can't imagine how irritating it would be once it starts to go bad.

I've tried most every combination of air input with and without the CC. There is no difference in heat output or burn time. I agree with my wife at this point and feel fairly strongly that I got taken on the CC issue. I'm beginning to think that the entire CC part is only a tree hugger / environmentalist whacko thing. It costs a lot more money, has a very negative impact on the burner, and does absolutely nothing that I can tell.

Maybe I'm just bass ackwards, but I can't see me ever buying a CC unit again. I'm glad to see that it works for Brian, I don't doubt that they do reduce some particulate matter released into the air, but it simply makes it not worth having for me.
 
Dargo said:
I'm beginning to think that the entire CC part is only a tree hugger / environmentalist whacko thing.
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Don't forget the terms Democrat/homo-lovin/anti-gun/flag burnin'/mosquito lovin'/terrorist type. :poke: :stupid: :punch: :agree: :D :D

Not to argue :D , but I have a cc on my fireplace and we love it. My wife also sometimes forgets to pull out the knob before opening the fireplace. The house really fills up with smoke quickly!

Bonehead
 
Yes, that was a tongue in cheek comment. You'll be happy to know that I have not taken a torch to the CC yet. It is now engauged; doing nothing. ;)

I'm still feeling like I got taken with spending the extra money for the CC though. :(
 
I found this picture of our fireplace. It is an Xcalibar (sp?) brand. Absolutely love it!

Bonehead
 

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Is it possible that the CC is defective from the factory and that if you contact the manufacturer that they will offer you some assistance in getting a working model. I can't believe that you are the only one to have this problem if they were no good. It seems to me that if you do nothing to remedy the problem with the manufacturer you will have wasted the extra money on the CC. A telephone call to the manufacturer is the least that you can try...... Junk.....
 
Dargo,

If the CC is in the way and you don't like it, why not just pull the CC instead of the whole woodstove?
 
If you feel threatened by the cc, since it is your home, you can blow it away without facing legal repercussions (according to Bob). :2gunsfiri

Oops, wrong thread, sorry.
Bonehead :bsflag2:
 
BoneheadNW said:
If you feel threatened by the cc, since it is your home, you can blow it away without facing legal repercussions (according to Bob). :2gunsfiri
Click to expand...

No, I don't have any armor piercing rounds, and it is well protected. :whistle:

BC, yes, that is likely what I'll do. That stove was not a cheap one and is too heavy to pack around much.
 
Catalytic converters are a BIG pain in the ass and not worth the trouble in my opinion. They are very hard to find but in my opinion, Fisher made the best built wood stoves every built and if you can find one, BUY IT. They are VERY heavy (built out of 1/4" steel plate) and NO stinkin' CC! If you burn your stove properly, there is no need for a CC.
 
Dargo said:
BC, yes, that is likely what I'll do. That stove was not a cheap one and is too heavy to pack around much.
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Dargo,

Any updates?

If you've pulled it, have you noticed a difference in the amount of smoke coming out the chimney?
 
It's still there and I still don't like it. You ought to ask my wife, she really dislikes it. I'm glad it's been in the 60's lately.
 
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