Are Catalysts Supposed to Get This Hot

[bmikeb]

Hearth Stone GM60

Question.... Is this normal for a catalyst to glow white?

This winter I put in a larger than normal load for an overnight. Was a pretty cold night and had good draft.

I was getting the nice floating flames over the fire and was watching TV and then I started to hear a creaking and tinkling sound coming from the stove. I went back to check and the flames were gone which I wasn't too concerned about but there was a lot of light coming from the catalysts above the baffles.

Now I've seen the catalysts red and even orange but I have never seen them white hot. There were even what seemed like plasma columns reaching below the catalysts.

I got the best pics I could before I opened up the air intake to speed the air by the catalysts which calmed it down. The wood relit and I left the air intake open a bit more than before to avoid what looks to me like "too hot". Temp gauge was at 3/4 for anyone wondering.

Asking here is white hot like this bad. Sure did seem bad to me. That white light below the catalyst is super heated gas / smoke underneath it before it was even inside the cat.

Also, I have no idea why the left cat always seems to do more work than the right but I'm taking them out this spring to clean and inspect. I do vacuum them off several times during the season.

 

[bmikeb]

I also add that the people on this reddit post called the pictured linked below "normal". Doesn't seem as bright as mine but, cameras and stuff....

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=ht...bp&s=4879b4c0de39e270f599a365d80fa78ada9930ea

 

[stoveliker]

A catalyst creates its own heat by combusting gases. If you have a larger load than normal, it got going well, and then you turned it down, the large quantity of wood will off gas a lot, which means a lot of fuel for the cat. So the cat gets hotter.

I've had my cat white hot every now and then depending on fuel species and air settings. (More air makes for more primary combustion and thus often less fuel for the cat.)

I would not worry about what you saw.

I have a different cat stove tho.

 

[Turbo89]

I’ve seen my VC cat glow like that, then later inspected / cleaned the CAT with no signs of damage /over fire.

 

[bmikeb]

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I was worried about burning out the cats and / or getting the stove too hot at the cats.

I read the manual, I read in the forums and expected some glow, just not like that. I appreciate the feedback on this.

 

[begreen]

Is there a cat thermometer on the stove? If so, what was it reading?

 

[bmikeb]

Is there a cat thermometer on the stove? If so, what was it reading?

There are no temperature numbers on it. It was reading 3/4 however I don’t think it was running like that for very long. At least long enough for the probe to react. Seems to take a long time for the needle to move either way on the stove.

 

[begreen]

There are no temperature numbers on it. It was reading 3/4 however I don’t think it was running like that for very long. At least long enough for the probe to react. Seems to take a long time for the needle to move either way on the stove.

As long as it wasn't in the TOO HOT zone, it's ok.