Cat went to 900. Stovetop stayed up in the 500's.
just looked at it cat's at 700 STT 475
Burning over night
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just looked at it cat's at 700 STT 475
Is the 900F reading on a Catalyst temp probe?
I was to slow responding. No worries as stated on the cat temp. I see 1300 daily.
I know that. It has taken off over 1600 at times and did not want to come down had primary air off. The other day it took off and wouldn't come down with primary shut. Had a flashover in the firbox and puffed smoke then the cat started dropping. It was really glowing through the slot at the fireback.
it's not overfiring tonight but I haven't done a full reload nd tried engaging tonight. It's been warm the last couple of days so I hadn't lit it until tonight.
Yes 900 on the probe tonight and cruising at 700 with small load and 1/2 primary air. I don't get excited at 1300 but 1600 and rising with no control got my attention.
One load a day would not work for me...or the wife...I like a warm house 24/7 and I run this BK 24/7...2 loads a day like clock work...I set it and forget it...it is so efficient I have never considered running it any differently...its 26 out now with a windchill of 16 and the stove room is 78 and the bedrooms are 72-73...to warm for many but just right for us...if you are fine with cooler mornings I say go for it! You are cutting your wood consumption in half!
One possibility is that the primary air door is sticking occasionally. They can bind sometimes when old, especially if starting to get a bit crusty.
Checked and cleaned when replacing all the gaskets and installing the new cat. If I burn without the cat I can shut the fire down by closing the primary air. When the cat takes off it sounds like a chimney fire in the stove with the air shut down you can hear it trying to pull air.
The point is that if you shut the primary air, you are creating *more* fuel for the cat, and the cat temperature might in fact go up - primary air down means more smoldering, more smoke, and *that* is what makes a cat hot. I can have my cat at a lower temperature when the primary fire is raging (with secondary flames as well; i.e. burning all there is to burn), then I decrease the air on the primary fire, and the cat goes up in temperature because it gets more fuel (smoke) to chew through.
And almost invariably (on the BK forum), new cat owners come in with this question that it's getting too hot. That will settle down soon. It's normal.
From what I read, I'm not very worried that something is wrong. Cat temps are just not "heat output" temps, nor are they indicative of overfiring. And young, hyperactive cats are just that - too eager to heat up. They'll grow up and settle down soon enough. For me it was more than 2 weeks of burning (I can't burn a 4x8 stack of wood in two weeks), but after 1 face cord it should get better, and after a cord (3 face cord) it is generally "mature".
This was this morning at 11 am after last night's 9.20 pm or so reload.
Rereading your post, I call this flames, you may call this whispy flames. It's a bit hard to see, but there are multiple 6" tall flames, blueish, on the left. We may be consistent after all?
![[Hearth.com] Burning over night](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/304/304648-05cd78c879275b0643c5459044ad6ac4.jpg?hash=PYMUNM6sUj "[Hearth.com] Burning over night")
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