What happens if a cat stove bypass is left open?
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I know if I leave the bypass open on my Vermont Castings Dutchwest, that it runs away and gets so hot that the bypass will no longer close. Had a couple of VERY scary nights sitting in front of the thing forcing the primary air intake closed to try to get the temperature down so the bypass would close.
Mod Edit: Moved the Mansfield discussion to its own thread here:
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Running the new Mansfield 8013
Mod Edit: Discussion moved to new thread Mansfield II 8012 model had a measured emissions rate of 2.8g/h and 68% HHV efficiency Mansfield III 8013 model with the Hybrid combustion measures 0.54g/h and 78% HHV efficiency When wood gases and oxygen are burned in a cat, that is an exothermic...
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They’re smart enough guys, would think they are capable of making a good cat stove. Especially in their non stone models. They look good.
Yes, I hate this stove. It has always been a problem. Never worked right from new. Constantly fiddling and fighting with it to keep a fire going. Eats $160 catalysts like tic-tacs. Completely unpredictable and uncontrollable.Yikes.
The place Dad bought it from just shrugs their shoulders. All they care about is selling you the most expensive stove on the showroom floor. Oh those old stoves were never any good. Here buy this fancy new model to the tune of $4500.
I like the green mountain/ manchester stoves. They really streamlined it by making the smaller stoves use the same firebox as the green mountain line. The cats sitting directly under the flue are becoming a maintenance issue for us. It’s easy enough for many to clean out themselves, but we have a lot of folks that can’t/won’t. At best it’s at least one return trip to show them once again how to clean the cats out.
They were pretty solid stoves. Unless it’s a non-cat. If your bypass won’t close, something is warped, not a common problem. How old is it? You could start a new conversation asking for suggestions to make it work properly.
The public seems solidly split on whether this is a good stove or a bad stove. I hear just as many "Those Vermont Castings stoves were all junk." as I do "Those were pretty solid stoves."
It is a catalytic stove. I put a new cat in it in September 2021. The cat is completely shot 1-1/2 heating seasons later.
No idea how old it is. 20+ years maybe?
I've started two conversations, and gotten little in the way of help. Only suggestion I've gotten was to rebuild the stove. We rebuilt the stove 2 years ago, and it took three of us to hold all the pieces together until we got enough of it assembled that it would stand on its own. There's no way I can do it by myself, and I wouldn't even try right now with the cold weather returning.
I was just hoping for some suggestions on a way to patch things up to get through until I can find someone honest to sell me a new stove. The wood stove shops around here are only interested in selling you the most expensive stove they have in the store.
Those cat stoves were not complete junk but also not at all what I would call a solid stove. If you start a new thread about stove recommendations here and give us the info many can help you decide what would be a good fit
I said “pretty solid.”Compared to some other cat stoves that were out at the time. I see quit a few of them around, the people don’t hate them.
Well unfortunately that’s where we are, $4500 is not uncommon these days.
I've been puzzling over this comment. How are they different from other Catalyst or Hybrid stoves? Thanks.
The difference is that they are hybrids, but then again so are the successful Woodstock Progress Hybrid and Ideal Steel, Kuma and some Regency stoves. Jotul F500v3? The question is how much more heat is gained off of volatiles combustion in the cat? Some do this better than others. Note that Buck still makes some pure cat stoves too.
Cat placement and orientation make a difference. The poorest for heat gained are those that have the cat directly under or in the flue outlet. In this case the heat heads directly up the flue with little heating of the stovetop.
Cat placement and orientation make a difference. The poorest for heat gained are those that have the cat directly under or in the flue outlet. In this case the heat heads directly up the flue with little heating of the stovetop.
Sounds like someone with an ax to grind against Hearthstone or someone with lots of loyalty pride kind of like a Ford owner telling a Chevy owner that's not a real truck...
In the end we purchased a Hearthstone Manchester and have been very satisfied with it.
It's good to hear that the new Manchester is working well. It's a handsome stove. There's are some big differences in Hearthstone's approach to hybridizing depending on the stove model. The Manchester is more sophisticated. It has turbulators and a what appears to be a better smoke flow path than the GMs. Theoretically, this should equate to more heat extracted.
It produces all the heat we want.
The top of the stove has those radiator fins with the false top above that and vents around the sides and front so it really cranks out some heat.
And just for the record, the secondaries burn fine with the bypass open. I think someone in this thread had mentioned that it couldn't do that, but it does.
everytime i try to light the cat he keeps running around screaming
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