Hearthstone Heritage IV - how to determine if cat gasket needs replacing

[DetroitReds]

Hello,
Gearing up for our fourth burning season with this stove. I don't have much experience with other models, catalytic or not. I do believe last season I've had recurring issues with cats becoming regularly clogged and subpar operation (low heat, smoldering, definitely not combusting all the smoke). Although I tried to be vigilant, we may have burned some less than optimal firewood, especially towards the end of the season. FWIW - this is an old, definitely not airtight house, ~35' chimney so I understand we should be haven't drafting issues.

Getting ready for our first lights this week, this is condition I found:


Vacuuming didn't seem to get all the ash, so this is after rinsing in warm water. It appears warped but the overall dimensions are square and in line with the manual's recommendations:


My main question is regarding gasket material- it was stuck in place, though I could remove and re-wrap with masking tape:


And re-installed:

Should I just replace this material? I'm not sure how well it's supposed to 'seal', and if that could be a contributing factor for subpar performance. How does one know if/when the actual cats should be replaced, as opposed to just the gasket material. Any and all insights are appreciated.

Also, related -if anyone can share a picture of the position of the FRONT baffle for a IV Heritage, that would be great. I've taken my out multiple times, but it seems like it's not quite seated in the right location, and I don't remember how it should look.

Thanks in advance!

 

[begreen]

If the Interam gasket stayed intact then it should be ok to reuse. It's not a bad idea to have a spare on hand.
Have you run the stove since?

 

[whatyousmokin]

Also, related -if anyone can share a picture of the position of the FRONT baffle for a IV Heritage, that would be great. I've taken my out multiple times, but it seems like it's not quite seated in the right location, and I don't remember how it should look.

We had a broken baffle on our Heritage 8024 so took a photo of it before I removed it. The first photo shows it in place over the tubes before removal. The second photo shows the removed baffle broken in two pieces. The slit in the baffle faces to the front of the stove. The third photo shows the plate that rests on top of the baffle. That lip fits into the slit of the baffle. The cotter pin goes through the front hole on the tube and then through the lip of the plate that is resting on top of the baffle. The position of the front baffle will be correct with the plate above in place, and the cotter pin through the hole on the tube and on the lip of the plate.
I think the cats tend to plug with ash way too easily. I have to vacuum the cats every couple of weeks during winter. I only remove the front baffle and vacuum the cats in place. I avoid removing the cats. (I have the chimney sweeps remove and inspect on yearly cleaning)

 

[DetroitReds]

Thanks, both.
The gasket material stayed in place but I couldn't wiggle the cats back in place so I gentely removed and rewrapped with masking tape. It fit back in place but I still wasn't certain how much of a seal it's supposed to create. I plan my first few seasonal break in fires this week, but probably won't be engaging the cat for another week or two. I guess the larger question is how does one ultimately determine whether a catalyst (or just the gasket) needs replacing or not, based on performance?

 

[kborndale]

You used masking tape on the gasket?

 

[DetroitReds]

I did use tape- my understanding is that’s common practice. The manual shows them fully wrapped with tape when replacing and it burns off in first fire. Would be nice not to have to vacuum every few weeks- i prob vacuumed 3x/season. Perhaps I should vacuum more to improve functioning.

 

[kborndale]

I did use tape- my understanding is that’s common practice. The manual shows them fully wrapped with tape when replacing and it burns off in first fire. Would be nice not to have to vacuum every few weeks- i prob vacuumed 3x/season. Perhaps I should vacuum more to improve functioning.

I don't know, never had a cat stove. Just seems strange to me to put tape in the stove.

 

[begreen]

I don't know, never had a cat stove. Just seems strange to me to put tape in the stove.

It burns off the first time the cat gets up to temp.

 

[wetwood4life]

We have a 2021 Castleton with the same cat arrangement. After our first chimney sweep, the gaskets were missing. Not sure if he tossed them, or more likely the dealer cut corners and never installed originally.

It was a huge PITA to install new gaskets due to the geometry of our stove. I'd say you're lucky your gaskets are "pre-crushed". Installing would have been impossible without the manufacturer-recommended masking/painters tape.

Unless your gaskets seem damaged, I'd guess they're fine. I think their main purpose is to thermally isolate the hot catalyst from the cooler stove body. Even crusty gaskets (new username idea? 🤔) will block almost all air slippage around the outside of the cat.