New cat for fireview steelcat vs ceramic ?

[rideau]

You should be able to tell looking at the honeycomb cells. If they look silver colored, they are steel.

 

[rideau]

You should be able to tell looking a tthe honeycomb cells. If they are steel colored, it is steel. The ceramic is sort of yello whitish, as I recall.

I would be somewhat concerned if my cat were rattling. If it is loose enough in the housing to be moving around, then some air likely is getting through the cat without going through the honeycomb cells. Are you seeing smoke out your chimney? Next time you have the cat out of the stove, you might take a picture, or video if you can show the movement or rattling, and send it to woodstock, asking them about the rattle.

 

[downeast]

That would indicate if you switched to two cat stoves you'd be burning 5 to 6 cords instead of 7.5. If you'd save processing and carrying 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cords a year, I'm surprised you haven't replaced the Oslo with a cat Stove.

Bon Msr.
We enjoy the Oslo for the same reason that makers went for non-cats: ease of use. No 'second' timed steps to get the cat 'lit', then a lowing of primary air. We use a timer in case of C.R.S. episode.
Wood savings is not critical since I am Msr. Logbutcher

 

[ddddddden]

Bon Msr. . .

*cough* Mme *cough*

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yes when i lift the cat out of the stove it rattles in it's frame.No idea if it's steel.

Bub, call Woodstock about this. I'm sure you will find your cat is steel.

 

[Bub381]

It is steel Dennis,really paper thin and you can tell by the tone of the rattle.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bub, I'm betting you need to call Woodstock and have them send you new gasket material. They will send enough for a wrap of about 1 1/2 times and that should take care of any rattles. Otherwise, it probably expands enough when in use that it doesn't bother much but I'd want to make sure. Gasket material is super cheap and it does not take long to change it either.

 

[Ashful]

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.

Ceramic also suffers cracking from rapid temperature changes, such as when throwing too-wet wood into a stove with an active cat (or re-engaging too soon), and crumbling from direct flame impingement. If I recall, this is a big issue with some of the Woodstock stoves, having the cat located above the firebox.

Some of the steel cats have had problems with sagging and in-raveling, but manufacturers have been improving on this. No word on which suffers more from catalyst-to-substrate delamination.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For sure there have been improvements made with the steel cats and there is still more being done.

 

[Bub381]

Thanks guys