With all these different sized cats now showing up, I hope the market has enough volume to sustain sales 10 and 20 years from now.
Sizing a Blaze King for my space.
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I have had the thought of buying 4 or 5 just to have them on the shelf as my stove company is smaller. But maybe its like old tractor parts where it doesn't take a ton of demand to keep them going and there will always be some sort of source for aftermarket catalysts.
I don't know (or, better, did not search; though you can in the upper right corner) of a clear place where this is discussed.
Many threads mention this. So I'll do so here too.
You can buy for $30 or so a moisture meter. I have the MMD4E - many others are of similar quality.
They have 2 pins, and they measure electrical resistance that they convert with a table loaded in the meter to a moisture content value.
For that to work properly, you have to do the following, in this order:
-get a split that has been drying in your stacks up to room temperature (i.e. keep it in your home for 24 hrs or so)
-take an axe and split it in half; don't get an outside sliver off, split it in half.
-switch on the meter, and push the pins as deep as you can without bending them into the freshly exposed surface from the inside of the split. The pins should be parallel to the grain (i.e. on the same growth ring). Do this in the middle and at 1/3 and 2/3 of the length of the split. Don't do it in a place where you have a sliver hanging off; do it in solid wood, and away from a knot. You want the grain to be uniform and the electrical current to run parallel with the fibers of the wood. Average the readings.
The more water is in the wood, the higher the electrical conductance (the lower the resistance). Therefore the pins should be as deep as possible, because "just touching the wood" will lead to a high electrical resistance (poor contact) - and thus lead to an incorrectly low moisture content reading.
The temperature matters too; if the water is frozen, it won't conduct very well, so the wood will measure to be drier than it actually is. 50 F wood will also read drier than 70 F wood. I'd be fine with 60 F wood, and not believe 35 F wood readings.
The calibration table (electrical resistance --> moisture content) is therefore done at 70 F, it's done parallel to the fiber of the wood. Moreover it's done I believe on doug fir. (Unless you have a meter that is more fancy and can select wood species).
So all these things (pin depth into the wood, misalignment of the pins, temperature, wood species) will affect the reading. So it's not a reading that is scientifically meaningful. Instead it's a guideline. And I'd not necessarily compare your reading with mine. Instead, use it to see when you get to a value where you see the wood burn well. How long of a drying time you need and what the reading then is.
Plus or minus a few percent is not likely a major problem.
A reading below 20% is ideal. 20-25% can work, but I'd be careful (to burn hot the first 20 minutes or so, in order to boil off all the water brefore you turn down the stove and the flue cools). Above 25% surely will not be pleasant for the stove operator or the cleanliness of your flue.
I hope this helps.
I don't have a crystal ball but with supply chain issues not so long ago I have a little concern. There were some Woodstock owners on hold for a long period IIRC.
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That (relatively short term supply chain issues) is why I think it's advisable to have a spare cat on the shelf at home. There's no expiration date.
That does not address a "5 year down the road no longer available" issue - though I have not seen that. (I could still buy a cat for my 1982 DutchWest in 2017...)
That does not address a "5 year down the road no longer available" issue - though I have not seen that. (I could still buy a cat for my 1982 DutchWest in 2017...)
Yes, standard sized cats are still available for old stoves. It's the fits-one-sized-only stove that is the concern. Might be a nothing burger, but for some Woodstock owners it meant sitting out part of the season without a working cat. I think this was for the Progress Hybrid. Not sure if this got resolved. They are on back-order according to the website. Same for the Absolute Steel. This may be due to a custom sized cat frame? Keeping a spare is a good idea.
I just got back from the dealer. I have to laugh at the answer to what MB means. "Matt Black" finish. BTW, I did purchase this stove + installation. I did not add the blower or fresh air kit. Maybe later on for those accessories
Depending on your home, it may make sense. I wish I could install one, but my stove is not on an outside wall and we have a concrete basepad.
Whenever I run the stove and turn on the bathroom fan or the kitchen vent, especially when it's rather warm outside, I really need to make sure to crack a window. Otherwise it has happened that draft reversed and smoke started spilling out of the intake.
