dispatcher101 said:
For a more technical explanation search cat vs non-cat.
A catalytic stove uses a catalytic converter to help burn off particulate matter not completely burned during the initial burning process. These stoves can provide good performance and burn times; but are notorious for sometimes being difficult to operate correctly. The catalytic device also needs to be replaced at regular intervals which is an added cost and requires time for maintenance.
Modern non-cat stoves operate using "secondary burn" technology. When temperatures in the Fire box reach a high enough temp the particulate gases not burned during the initial burn are burned off resulting in added heat output and a cleaner burning stove. This results in a really cool light show. These stoves offer solid performance and good ease of use.
Sounds like yall have experience burning in your old stove. I have operated both flavors and prefer the non-cat. However both styles have strong following. There are also quite a few people operating the summers heat and englander stoves on here with great advice and insight.
Whoa
! Notorious for being difficult?
! Not so at all. Maybe years ago they were a bit of a problem but not today.
When we purchased our last new stove we too had heard some horror stories about the cat stoves. It made us shy away. Long story short though, we ended up buying a cat stove. So, is this stove difficult to operate correctly? And what about that time and cost for maintenance?
The stove is amazingly simple to operate. Can you count to two? If so, you can operate this Fireview cat stove of ours. Every stove has a draft control so you can regulate the fire. With our cat stove there is also a bypass lever. There are the two controls. And they are both easy to use.
Before opening the door of the firebox we all turn our draft controls to full open. This way the flue temperature goes up a bit and stops the fumes or smoke from coming into the room. Well, with a cat stove, when you open the draft full, you also move this little lever from the up position to the down position. Okay, maybe that is complicated?! Well, for most folks it is not.
Now we've put new wood into the stove and we leave the draft full open to get the fire established. This usually takes maybe 10-15 minutes but sometimes longer (a lot depends upon the fuel). We have a stove thermometer on the top of the stove and another on the flue. Those are a big help. Most times when it is time to start dialing down the draft control, that is when we move that little lever from the down position to the up position. This is all there is to controlling a cat stove. Is that too complicated? Maybe for some... ;-)
Now we get to maintenance. First, one must understand there is maintenance with any stove and not just the cat stove. It is usually recommended to clean the cat after a cord of wood has been burned. This, however, can be adjusted and it depends upon the wood you are burning. Like with all stoves, you need good dry wood. But to the cleaning. We let the coals burn down a bit before opening the top lid. Then, with welder's gloves on, we simply reach in and lift out the cat. We then take it outside and using an old paint brush we simply brush off the white fly ash. Place the cat back in the stove and shut the lid. Total time taken is usually 2-3 minutes but I can do it much faster if I wanted. Well, the maintenance maybe is not too complicated.
Now for the cost. Is it costly to replace the cat? Not really. They are not costly at all. Furthermore, right on this forum we read over and over about folks having to replace baffles in the non-cat stoves. Gaskets are in both type of stoves. There is always some cost involved. However, let's compare some costs:
With our previous stove (non-cat, non EPA), we burned an average of 6 cords of wood per winter (we heat 100% with wood). With our present stove (cat stove, EPA certified) we now burn 3 cords per winter and stay a whole lot warmer too.
Let's assume the cost of a cord of wood to be $150. Some higher and some lower depending on location.
Six cords @ $150 = $900.00
Three cords @ $150 = $450.00
Cost of cat = $100.
If we replace the cat in, say only 5 years, that is $20.00 per year cost. So, if we save $450 in fuel and pay $20 for cat cost, we are still saving $430.00 per year. You be the judge. Have we saved any dollars or has this cat stove been expensive to maintain. Is this cat stove complicated with its 2 levers (draft and bypass)? We don't think it is complicated at all. We rather enjoy our stove that keeps us nice and warm.
Here is another big factor with our stove. We used to clean our chimney 2-4 times per winter. We have had our Fireview for 3 full winters now and have cleaned it one time. There was no creosote and very little soot (about a cup of soot). So there is another big savings on the maintenance.
So I say to all, do not shy away from a cat stove as they have much to offer. I will not put down the non-cat stoves because there are some really good ones out there but when someone puts down a cat stove I really have to wonder why.
I do recall that we were a bit shy about them when we purchased but now we are very glad that we bought this cat stove.