As mentioned, as long as it's not falling apart, keep using it. As long as you aren't getting smoke out of the stack, it is working. Does it still burn well (can you see it glowing sometimes if you look up at it through the glass?)I am just finishing my 5th season with the fireview and original cat it has finally started showing some cracks so I was thinking about replacing it before next season.
+2. . .Leave it be!
Woodstock said:http://store.woodstove.com/product.php?productid=16202&cat=265&page=1
The EPA warranty on catalytic combustors covers free replacement for the first three years from date of stove shipment. Years 4-6 are pro-rated. Call us at 1-800-866-4344 to order if your stove is less than 6 years old.
Mine, from the really early batch, is too small. Needs to be double wrapped with gasket material, or it rattles around in the frame. Not hysteria. . .not me just thinking I perceived something about the performance, which was also an issue, due to exhaust leaking around the cat/gasket instead of being burned in the cat.My steelie is working well in its second season....and it's from the early batch that others were reporting problems with. Mass hysteria?
Yes., It is obvious.Can you tell by looking at it to determine if it is steel or ceramic?
I think there are advantages to both. Ceramic burns hotter for longer in my experience but steel resists thermal shock and lights off quicker. I have ceramic in my Keystone and its doing just fine on year 3 with no cracks.
Recall in the not-so-fine-print in the cat warranty that it is "prorated" for 6 years with a 2 or 3 year 'free' replacement. Like tires.
And, the noble metal coatings , platinum or paladium, that do the "reburning" of the incomplete wood gases do have a life expectancy, ~ 12,000 hours.
The design and engineering of wood catalytic combustors is similar to those in vehicles, but with a longer life ( you Engineers and Physicists can explain the why better ).
Our cat from Sud Chemie is metal. It is cleaned and bathed in vinegar each year--with windows open in June. Past ceramic cats have mechanically deteriorated within 3 years or +/- 12,000 hours of use.
The first Sud Chemie steel cat was defective. Their service was exceptional, sending a new replacement even before receiving their original steel cat. Thanks.
Our experience with two wood stoves burning 24/7 here in Downeast northern Maine with no central heating, is that the cat stove, a 2001 VC Encore, burns around 1/3 to 1/2 LESS wood than the Jotul Oslo non cat.
Both stoves heat approximately the same space, use the same splits, and are tended by the same owners.
The Bungalow Effect of John G. in in effect here for non-cat stoves. The Encore primary air can be lowered to near nil for much longer with clean burns and same BTUs as the Oslo.
BTW this has been a chilled Spring so far: 26 F @ 0615 this morning. For youse thinking about committing full bore to wood heat, it is the Logbutchers' whine in early Spring: "I'm sick of wood!"
Close to 7.5 cords used. Next winter's butts have been cut and piled ready for the split and stack routine later this Spring. I'm tired.
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