can I add wood with an active cat?

[jimehrhard]

Can I re-load my stove with a few logs when the CAT is already hot?

 

[Dieselhead]

Absolutely. Open the bypass and turn up the thermostat. Wait about 2 min. Open door and add your load. Close door and let char for a few min or as long as needed. Relatch the bypass. Continue on high burn for a few more min. Slowly start to dial back your thermostat to desired setting.

 

[Ashful]

Yes, I do this at least 2x per day. Open bypass damper several minutes before opening loading door, to give the cat every best chance to cool a bit before slamming cold air upon it.

 

[stoveliker]

What they said.
About 99% of my loads are done this way.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

Me too

 

[bikedennis]

FYI, the manual states to close the bypass immediately after reload.

 

[Ashful]

FYI, the manual states to close the bypass immediately after reload.

BKVP has said he does the same, although I thought the manual used to include a wait period. Maybe they've updated it?

I usually wait 5 minutes after reload, before closing bypass again. I figure it gives the cat a few minutes to warm back up, after filling the stove with cold wood from outside.

I'm also running ceramic cats in both stoves now, which in theory are more fragile, although they hold up pretty well in this house.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm also running ceramic cats in both stoves now, which in theory are more fragile, although they hold up pretty well in this house.

Seems like we're seeing a lot of the metal cats failing physically. Haven't seen a broken up ceramic in quite a while. My ceramic cats always look great, no cracks or anything.

 

[stoveliker]

My metal cat was taken out for the first time today after 6600 measured hours and a few hundred unmeasured ones from the first season I had the stove.
Looked perfect.

But, I think the important piece here is "wood from outside".
I keep the bypass open for a minute or so - by then the little space I have is full filled with flame, thus exhausted or heated the cold air. BUT my wood is right next to my stove in the basement. The wood is between 80 and 85 degrees when I load it.

 

[gthomas785]

Depends how hot the cat is, you don't want to thermally shock it with cold room air. But if it's on the lower end of the active range it should be ok.
Btw, I tried a metal cat for the first time, and it is the first one that has lasted more than 1.5 seasons without crumbling (VC Encore).

 

[Ashful]

Seems like we're seeing a lot of the metal cats failing physically. Haven't seen a broken up ceramic in quite a while. My ceramic cats always look great, no cracks or anything.

I ran two OEM steelcats for 3 years, then one steel with one of those special "beta.2" ceramics for something like 5 or 6 years, now onto two ceramics the last year or two. I'm definitely never going back to steel, as long as ceramic is available, I find it performs better and clogs less.

Honestly, if not for the clogging, the steel would be fine as well. But these 30.1 stoves seem to kick up a good bit of fly ash on any tall pipe, and that makes the narrower passages of the steelcats more problematic than ceramic.

...BUT my wood is right next to my stove in the basement. The wood is between 80 and 85 degrees when I load it.

I guess every little bit helps, but when thrown against a cat running 500F - 1000F, I'm really not convinced the difference between 30F wood and 80F wood really amounts to much. The flames rolling off my wood by the time I close that bypass damper, probably aren't any colder than someone who keeps their wood indoors.

 

[Tron]

I usually wait 5 minutes after reload, before closing bypass again.

I usually wait until the new splits have caught, but before the flue temp gets too high. But yes, that's about five minutes, give or take.

 

[Murray01]

This came from the Canadian BK representative, to minimize the chance of thermal shock and longevity of cat life its best to let the cat thermometer drop to about the 10:00 position before adding wood. That being said if it’s bitterly cold outside you will have to load sooner rather than wait for the cat temperature to drop and not to worry about it. The stove has to run on your schedule not the other way around.

 

[Ashful]

This came from the Canadian BK representative, to minimize the chance of thermal shock and longevity of cat life its best to let the cat thermometer drop to about the 10:00 position before adding wood. That being said if it’s bitterly cold outside you will have to load sooner rather than wait for the cat temperature to drop and not to worry about it. The stove has to run on your schedule not the other way around.

I'd guess most of us do that... waiting for the needle to drop below 10 o'clock.

The question was "active cat", which is down below 8 o'clock, and I do that daily. But I probably almost never load with the needle above 9 o'clock, as there's still plenty left on the prior load when the needle is up that high. My ahead-planning for reloads isn't perfect, but it's at least better than that!

 

[Tron]

But I probably almost never load with the needle above 9 o'clock, as there's still plenty left on the prior load when the needle is up that high.

My thoughts exactly.
I had to reload this morning with the needle at 9 and the firebox half full with coals because I had to leave the house, but that happens not that often. And after 3-4 splits the box was full 😔