cat and non-cat questions

[tarzan]

I'm honestly not familiar with how a cat burns on high burn. Do you open the air? Is that what you mean by WFO? (I know the acronym). I burn my tube stove the same way whether I'm going for a four hour burn or 12 hour burn. The only variable is the load size. The air setting (low) is the same once I'm at secondary burn operating temps.

Yes, by WFO I mean WFO the BK has a thermostatically controled draft and doesn't require the same amount of air to keep the cat active on a low burn as a tube stove would require to light off the secondaries.

The up side to the BK. Probably most cat stoves but I use BK as an example because that's the only one I have first hand knowledge of, is that it can be ran very low (30 hours on a full load in the 2.85cf Princess, and yes that is my experience) to any reasonable high temp a tube stove can be ran at and all points in between.

When shooting for tube stove heat I load as often as you would a tube stove but the long, even heat has sufficed the majority of the time here in WV.

 

[bobdog2o02]

i find my Princess makes more heat at 80% than 100%WFO. When you watch the thermostat at 100% it doesnt move, even when the stove gets way hot, the excess air i think cools the stove and is wasting fuel, at 80ish% i can find the thing going thermonuclear if i forget to come turn it down on on a reload.... Just my experience.

Yes, a cat stove can throw as much heat as a tube stove but you are missing out on the EFFICIENCY of the cat when you do this.

 

[Tenn Dave]

for me part of burning with wood is seeing the flames dancing in the box .cats are kind of like driving toyotas dependable but boring

All depends on the brand of stove. I always get beautiful fire views when burning my hybrid cat stove even on its lowest setting. Glass stays nice and clean. And long burn times to boot.

 

[begreen]

Not the brand, the design. There are several hybrid cat stoves now on the market that can make this claim. With the new EPA regs, I suspect there will be many more in the coming years.

 

[ian105]

Heat loss calc here is critical since you have no prior benchmarks. I heat 3k sf. 1500 up and 1500 daylight basement ( 2 exposed sides )with a 40k btu pellet stove from the basement. Newer construction but not super insulated. R50 attic. R 13 walls. And plenty of windows Carries the house Down to -10 by itself. Central staircase like you are talking. Less than 5 degree differential between floors. The outer bedrooms are probably not like. 7-10 different. You should have no problem going with. 1 stove. IMO
plan for 2. Install 1.....see how it goes

 

[Tenn Dave]

If Woodstock teamed up with Vermont Castings to design and cast an attractive jacket on the IS they could have a winner in the hybrid market.

they already have a winner........the IS is selling faster then they can make them.

 

[begreen]

But not everyone wants a soapstone stove. Wife is dead set against one here. Otherwise I might have put in a Mansfield several years back.

 

[BrotherBart]

Steel stoves in soapstone dresses, steel stoves in cast iron dresses. Heck I think I will send the as yet unfired 30-NC out and have it dressed in lava rock panels.

 

[Tenn Dave]

But not everyone wants a soapstone stove. Wife is dead set against one here. Otherwise I might have put in a Mansfield several years back.

Who knows what options they will offer in the future. Right now they have a lot of irons in the fire with the current IS and the next generation high efficiency hybrid nearing beta testing. I would like to see them go for a thermo controlled cat stove like BK. It wouldn't be for me, but I think there is a big market out there for that type application.

 

[brad wilton]

lava rock mmmm

 

[Tenn Dave]

But not everyone wants a soapstone stove. Wife is dead set against one here. Otherwise I might have put in a Mansfield several years back.

A happy wife is a happy home.

 

[fire_man]

for me part of burning with wood is seeing the flames dancing in the box .cats are kind of like driving toyotas dependable but boring

I'm not sure I understand this. I have run 2 pure cat stoves (Fireview and Palladian) and I spent hours mesmerized by the dancing flames. Must be that some cat stoves don't do flames.

 

[bobdog2o02]

I'm not sure I understand this. I have run 2 pure cat stoves (Fireview and Palladian) and I spent hours mesmerized by the dancing flames. Must be that some cat stoves don't do flames.

Most times mine is just half glowing coals.

 

[Highbeam]

A lot of posts with folks talking about efficiency in this thread. What we do know is that the cat bk stoves are not hybrids and are currently the most efficient on the market. What we do not know is how the efficiencies of any of the technologies vary with burn rate.

There is a big difference between high efficiency and low emissions. Some stoves combine them and some can only do one well..

 

[bobdog2o02]

A lot of posts with folks talking about efficiency in this thread. What we do know is that the cat bk stoves are not hybrids and are currently the most efficient on the market. What we do not know is how the efficiencies of any of the technologies vary with burn rate.

There is a big difference between high efficiency and low emissions. Some stoves combine them and some can only do one well..

My princess is a dirty girl and I know it.

 

[begreen]

A lot of posts with folks talking about efficiency in this thread. What we do know is that the cat bk stoves are not hybrids and are currently the most efficient on the market. What we do not know is how the efficiencies of any of the technologies vary with burn rate.

There is a big difference between high efficiency and low emissions. Some stoves combine them and some can only do one well..

The Progress Hybrid clocks in with the same 81% efficiency as the BK Princess. Travis Cape Cod is very close behind at 80.1%. And a whole lot of stoves have not been tested for CSA B415.1 efficiency so we don't know where they fall.

 

[tarzan]

The Progress Hybrid clocks in with the same 81% efficiency as the BK Princess. Travis Cape Cod is very close behind at 80.1%. And a whole lot of stoves have not been tested for CSA B415.1 efficiency so we don't know where they fall.

The Progress Hybrid clocks in with the same 81% efficiency as the BK Princess. Travis Cape Cod is very close behind at 80.1%. And a whole lot of stoves have not been tested for CSA B415.1 efficiency so we don't know where they fall.

The stoves you mention are all at or near the top of the heap. Do you think a lot of the untested stoves would compare?

 

[JA600L]

Efficiency and burning clean are very closely related. The less emissions going out the chimney means more is being burnt in the stove.

 

[Ashful]

for me part of burning with wood is seeing the flames dancing in the box .cats are kind of like driving toyotas dependable but boring

Sounds like a comment from someone who has never actually run one.

All depends on the brand of stove. I always get beautiful fire views when burning my hybrid cat stove even on its lowest setting. Glass stays nice and clean. And long burn times to boot.

No, it depends on how low you set the air control. Even BK's can run with flame. They can also run with none, thanks to an ability to run lower and slower than others.

Want flame? Just turn the air up a notch.
Want longer burn times than any non-cat can ever achieve? Just turn the air down.

Cat stoves have some disadvantages, but lack of flame show is not one of them.

 

[kennyp2339]

I've burned an epa tube stove for (3) seasons and I'm on my first season with a cat stove, at this point I will never go back to a tube stove as my main stove, ever. I will consider an epa tube stove only as a second stove if I ever need it. To me the cat stove has a lot more advantages then the epa and it literally was not much harder to operate. I was a little hesitant at first getting a cat stove, but I learned how to operate it over a weekend and honestly I haven't looked back. The only thing I can really say is find the best stove that you like, do your research and see if it has any mechanical defects or operates less than ideal from the manufacture spec.

 

[BrotherBart]

I pull the coals forward after 12 hours, load the stove and then take the cat out for the morning walk.

 

[velvetfoot]

 

[EmmyQT]

I do 2900 with a nice open floor plan keeping it at 70 degrees when it's 0 degrees no problem. Not even pushing the stove hard, light rolling flames. Fan is required. I do have a lot of glass in my house which is 2010 construction. Do realize 12-14 hrs is about what your going to get for burn time (keeping house at 70 without dropping off) before you have to reload.

i

I do 2900 with a nice open floor plan keeping it at 70 degrees when it's 0 degrees no problem. Not even pushing the stove hard, light rolling flames. Fan is required. I do have a lot of glass in my house which is 2010 construction. Do realize 12-14 hrs is about what your going to get for burn time (keeping house at 70 without dropping off) before you have to reload.

I can almost do this with osburn 2400, but for about 8 hours before needing to refuel. Do you have the BK King?

s

 

[brad wilton]

Sounds like a comment from someone who has never actually run one.

No, it depends on how low you set the air control. Even BK's can run with flame. They can also run with none, thanks to an ability to run lower and slower than others.

Want flame? Just turn the air up a notch.
Want longer burn times than any non-cat can ever achieve? Just turn the air down.

Cat stoves have some disadvantages, but lack of flame show is not one of them.

 

[brad wilton]

the ASSumption i made was everybody taking pictures of cat and never commenting on how nice the fire looks my bad