What exactly is the difference between Cat & Non-Cat

[jscs.moore]

When I opened this thread yesterday begreen, Highbeam and begreen again had already posted in it. I figured the OP had a good thorough answer without actually reading the content of their replies and moved on. Now that I have been tagged...

We upgraded from an Ovation Country Flame (c. 2000) non cat stove to a Blaze King Ashford 30 in May of 2014.

Before I carry on, I readily agree the more modern non-cat stoves are "better" or "more controllable" than my 14 year old non-cat model was. However, from reading here about current production non cat stoves I suspect the differences are incremental compared to my old stove. If I was shopping for a non-cat I would look at the NC-30 (Englander I think) first, and look it over hard before I looked at anything else.

Caveat out of the way, I run 7-9 cords per year in 1200 sqft of suburban ranch, 9 month burn season, central Alaska, 5 star plus rated insulation envelope. I ran the BK wide open full throttle for about six weeks in the depth of winter last year, but also enjoyed 24 and 30 hour burns at the tips of the shoulders in May and August.

When I switched stoves I kept the telescoping flue pipe with the same thermometer on it, same hearth, same chimney. But, my youngest daughter also moved out, taking two bushel baskets of hair products with her. I do use an oil burning furnace as backup heat for when the stove is cold, but the same furnace also makes domestic hot water.

I can say, without reservation the BK runs a cooler flue temp than my old non cat did, in all operating conditions. Wide open full throttle maximum heat output on the BK flue temp is ~roughly~ equal to the lowest flue temp I could readily achieve with the non cat running as low as it would go.

Roughly the same heating degree days over the burn season, higher average indoor temperature range on the BK/cat, confounded by the daughter moving out, I burned about 25% less wood in the BK than I did in the older/ obsolete non-cat. Clear advantage BK/ cat.

Second, with the BK I can keep the interior of the house in a +/- 3 dF window for weeks at a time (+79 to +85dF). With the non-cat I was looking at +/- 10 degrees F daily swings, +70dF and +90dF twice a day, every day. Clear advantage BK/cat. I am sure the new non-cat stoves can do better at this than my old one did, but I doubt the technology can do as good as a well managed cat stove no matter how skilled the operator.

I did have to forget everything my grandpa taught me about running smoke dragon stoves. He would have the door open every half hour or so to wiggle the splits around with a poker to keep the burn going just right. With the BK, load it, shut the door and DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR AGAIN until the end of the burn. Just keep your cotton picking hands off the loading door, twiddle the TStat all you want, you'll be fine.

My stove/ my envelope I run a 12 hour burn cycle from about +10 or +15dF down to -30dF or so. Colder than -30dF I do run a hot/fast load of spruce when I get home from work, with full loads of birch on the overnight and workday cycles. Colder than -40dF, full loads of birch at workday and bedtime cycles, with a hot fast load of spruce when I get home from work in the afternoon, and when I get up in the middle of the night to pee. Only had to do that twice last year.

M2c

 

[jscs.moore]

I'm the original poster and I have read every other post on this thread thoroughly and appreciate much of the expertise on the topic. As a newbie I try and keep my mouth shut and learn when possible. I have certainly learned via this thread that there are many benefits to cat stoves, albeit some of the discussion is technically over my head. But I have never posted on this site and just move on without reading all the posts carefully to consider what I deem to be very thoughtful and helpful feedback for the most part...thanks!

 

[Squisher]

Why would you say that? Sounds like an opinion based on? I did it again today, twice.

Well in my stove if I went through a load in three hours I can only imagine how hot this stove would have to be to accomplish that. I don't think I could do a three hour reload unless I had a really small fire and burned it really hot.

 

[Woody Stover]

if I went through a load in three hours I can only imagine how hot this stove would have to be

3 hr. burn, he's trying to heat up a workshop with secondaries going full-bore, not cruising an appropriately-sized stove to keep a house at a more or less even temp...

 

[Squisher]

3cubes through my stove in three hrs would be over fired the whole time whether heating my house or a shop. And I do have a shop that I heat 30x40 detached so I know all about pushing a stove for heat but my shop stove is a old smoke dragon so not really relevant to this discussion.

 

[Squisher]

I guess an unknown here would be wood. I burn mainly fir and silver maple.

 

[Poindexter]

I'm the original poster and I have read every other post on this thread thoroughly and appreciate much of the expertise on the topic. As a newbie I try and keep my mouth shut and learn when possible. I have certainly learned via this thread that there are many benefits to cat stoves, albeit some of the discussion is technically over my head. But I have never posted on this site and just move on without reading all the posts carefully to consider what I deem to be very thoughtful and helpful feedback for the most part...thanks!

No worries. In general the subject is a dead horse once someone has read enough about it and operated both.. begreen and Highbeam both are very very knowledgeable folks. I just let it be knowing you had good info from those two without having to read what they had to say this time around.

It's not a slam on you at all, i just knew you had good info already from them and didn't spend any more time on it. Until one of them tagged me later.

Merry Christmas.

BTW: You can replace my A30 with a NC-30 when you pry my cold dead fingers from my bypass lever.

 

[Highbeam]

I guess an unknown here would be wood. I burn mainly fir and silver maple.

My stove load in three hours is Doug fir mixed with cedar. Typical pnw woods. I run the stove up to 700, engage the blower, and fiddle with the intake to maintain 700 as long as possible. There are still coals for reload and as you know, fir and cedar don't create ash to hide the coals. The stove is not maintaining a house at 70, it's trying to heat an 1800 sf shop from 50 to 70.

 

[begreen]

Pretty much pedal to the metal burning. Swap the Princess out to the shop and see how long the burn times are under the same circumstances.

 

[jscs.moore]

No worries. In general the subject is a dead horse once someone has read enough about it and operated both.. begreen and Highbeam both are very very knowledgeable folks. I just let it be knowing you had good info from those two without having to read what they had to say this time around.

It's not a slam on you at all, i just knew you had good info already from them and didn't spend any more time on it. Until one of them tagged me later.

Merry Christmas.

BTW: You can replace my A30 with a NC-30 when you pry my cold dead fingers from my bypass lever.

Thanks! Yes..no worries, I love this site and the very knowledgeable folks who take the time to explain the wood burning world to us newbies