Catalyst Failure again?!

[WickedWood]

Hey all, so Dec last year got a replacement catalyst because it was pulling from the frame. Lo and behold it’s happening again! What is going on, did I get two poorly produced catalyst? If so, then I got one in a box cause I picked up a spare.

Ashford 25 insert

I’m burning good dry wood, maybe a cord into this year. I’m following directions when reloading wood and not shocking it. Catalyst is metal. I’m at a lost and very disappointed.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[stoveliker]

That is concerning.

A few questions that have likely been asked last year too...
1. how tall is your flue?
2. is the flame shield in place?

(And you do open the bypass before opening the door, load dry (no snow...) wood, and burn for 1-2 minutes or so with the bypass open and the door closed on a hot reload before closing the bypass?)

 

[Duds13]

That's a bummer. I had the same thing happen last and created a thread about it. I think a few others had the same issue as well which leads me to believe a bad batch of catalysts made it off the production line. If that's the case it shouldn't go against our one freebie under the warranty, imo.

 

[WickedWood]

That is concerning.

A few questions that have likely been asked last year too...
1. how tall is your flue?
2. is the flame shield in place?

(And you do open the bypass before opening the door, load dry (no snow...) wood, and burn for 1-2 minutes or so with the bypass open and the door closed on a hot reload before closing the bypass?)

All good, I welcome the questions!

Flue is around 20ft, I can get more accurate if needed.
Yes Flame Shield is in place

Bypass, yes. After losing my first one, I've been diligent on reloads and reviewed with the Mrs. on loading. Rewatched the videos online and followed the manual.
The door gasket passes the dollar bill test.

My burn cycle is typically 6-7 AM reload/initial start. Good till about 3pm, then again at 9pm. By morning I'm all ash. Burning oak/maple mostly. Split thin and seasoned for 1.5 years.

 

[stoveliker]

Sounds all good.
The only borderline issue I see would be the wood, especially the oak. 1.5 years is generally not enough to get below 20% - though "thin" helps, depending on how thin it is and how the wood is stored in those 1.5 years.

Yet, water (--> colder flue gases) will I believe generally delaminate the coating on the steel substrate, not ruin the mechanical integrity of the substrate as you show.

So - maybe the bad batch mentioned above is what is happening.
Contact the vendor (was that the BK dealer)? They should contact the cat mfg to ask if there are more complaints like this that suggest a bad batch - and if so, make it right (imo).
@BKVP ?

 

[Dieselhead]

Maybe excessive draft as well. 20’ isn’t far from mine. I have a bit more than that and can pull almost triple what the mfg recommends without a damper.

 

[WickedWood]

Maybe excessive draft as well. 20’ isn’t far from mine. I have a bit more than that and can pull almost triple what the mfg recommends without a damper.

It is an insert in a masonry fireplace. If that is the issue, not sure a damper could be installed.

 

[WickedWood]

For reference, this is what the old catalyst looked like in Sept 2023. Replaced Dec 2023. The last burn would have been in April 2024; started up again Oct 2024. At the most, maybe 2 cords total in that time period.

Unless that separation is normal, but I was led to believe it wasn't last time around.

 

[stoveliker]

It is not normal.

 

[Duds13]

@BKVP any input?

 

[shoot-straight]

ALL of my metal cats wind up looking like that. Relatively short life spans as well. No leaks, no thermal shock, flame shield in place, etc. Just rickety overall. Not to mention the ash plug issue.

Finally said screw it and bought a ceramic. A few weeks in. Hoping for the best

 

[stoveliker]

at 8000 hrs mine looks perfectly fine, and it's never been clogged.

That (ash clogging and the same cat look) suggests overdrafting may indeed be (part of) the cause.

 

[WickedWood]

at 8000 hrs mine looks perfectly fine, and it's never been clogged.

That (ash clogging and the same cat look) suggests overdrafting may indeed be (part of) the cause.

Forgive what feels like an obvious question: could a bad door gasket cause an overdraft? My assumption is yes. I was looking to replace it, it does pass a dollar bill test, but the corner by the logo always looked off to me compared to the other corners.

Following up on that, I should use a BK OEM one, correct? My local dealer was telling me they are all the same. That goes against what I've read on the forums.

 

[bholler]

Forgive what feels like an obvious question: could a bad door gasket cause an overdraft? My assumption is yes. I was looking to replace it, it does pass a dollar bill test, but the corner by the logo always looked off to me compared to the other corners.

Following up on that, I should use a BK OEM one, correct? My local dealer was telling me they are all the same. That goes against what I've read on the forums.

An over draft? No. Running to hot absolutely

 

[WickedWood]

An over draft? No. Running to hot absolutely

So much for that idea, no issues that I'm aware of running too hot.

 

[Highbeam]

Forgive what feels like an obvious question: could a bad door gasket cause an overdraft? My assumption is yes. I was looking to replace it, it does pass a dollar bill test, but the corner by the logo always looked off to me compared to the other corners.

Following up on that, I should use a BK OEM one, correct? My local dealer was telling me they are all the same. That goes against what I've read on the forums.

Definitely use the bk oem gasket. It’s different and such an important seal. Plus it’s not too expensive.

 

[Murray01]

Were the 2 cats OEM or does that even matter?

 

[WickedWood]

Were the 2 cats OEM or does that even matter?

Yes, both OEM.