Burnt out cataltic converter.

[LeeB]

Anybody ever replace one or did you just keep going with out it? Seems the stove was a lot more efficient with it.

[tyb525]

What kind of stove do you have? I believe you can get replacements..

[stonebroke]

Mine lasted one year and that was back in the 70's. been doing fine ever since

Stonebroke

[Larry]

I burnt out one on our Vermont Castings stove after a couple of years.  Warranty replaced it at no charge...it burnt out after a few more years.  After I found out how much that sucker cost I got hold of an engineer at Vermont Castings.  It seems the converter is only in place to pacify the EPA...since I don’t know any EPA I have been running without one for maybe 12 years and can tell no difference.

BTW, I’m thinking about buying a second stove just like the first.  I was in to the dealer a few weeks ago and they sell the stove with or without the converter.  The one without the converter is lined with firebrick...possibly to reduce the size of the firebox to limit emissions.  For the benefit of EPA of course.

[Ironwood]

Our Vermont Defiant is 12 years old (demo unit before that), and still on the original

 Ironwood

[Larry]

Reed, I think my stove is about 18 and the converter was made by Owens Corning.  The dealer said there has been a lot of improvement over the years.  And than again your converter could be burnt out and you don't know it...I think the only sure way to tell is remove the cover for a look see.

[Ironwood]

OR, if the honeycombs glow red when you engage it, mine do. It definitely seems to function as intended.

 Ironwood

[Hoss]

The non-catalytic fireboxes are brick lined and are not very tall. In the top of the fireboxes are insulating boards, or blankets , or bricks (called baffles) along with secondary tubes to inject oxygen. The idea is to concentrate heat under the baffle and inject oxygen to get the smoke that comes off the wood to burn before it goes up chimney. This is how the non- cats burn clean enough to pass EPA standards.
Hoss

[Larry]

I was thinking a non-catalytic was the perfect solution, but it looks like they really keep the fireboxes on the small side.  The dealer was telling me the smaller the firebox, the smaller the fire, and less pollution.  So maybe that ain't the perfect solution...or maybe he was blowing smoke.

[downeast]

Catalytic combustors ("converters") for wood stoves have a speced life of +/- 12,000 burn time. It is then that the palladium or platinum coating that recycles or burns the wood gases loses its power. Our VC Encore cat does 2-3 years before it needs replacing.

BTW: they work, and work well compared to non-cat stoves. If you're not sure if it is performing, get it up to temp ( "lit off" ), allow the temp then to go back up, drop the primary air down as far as it goes, then run outside. The smoke should be close to clear or a pale blue.

It's been posted before many times: cat stoves when used correctly easily use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of wood as a similar sized non-cat stove heating a similar sized/insulated space.
We know since we have an Encore and an Oslo both heating same spaces here in Downeast northern Maine.

Cat stoves demand some extra steps and simple technique to burn. Remember that in cat stoves the primary air can be shut down near completely and there will Stihl be a clean burn.

Non-cat stoves control the burn by allowing the primary air to go only so far open and closed....we call them mommie stoves. They do the job. The burn tubes and top insulation do need replacing after a few years of hard burning such as we do 24/7, 99% wood heat....no backup for the whole house.

So get that cat replaced. We use SUD CHEMIE in Norwood, Massachusetts. They now use non ceramic metal cats that don't deform with overfiring.

Long windy here.

[mr T]

I just replaced the one in my sears heater after 10 yrs It really didnt need it  I could of just cleaned it  If you go to google youl find steel ones avaliable also supposed to be better

[downeast]

I just replaced the one in my sears heater after 10 yrs It really didnt need it  I could of just cleaned it  If you go to google youl find steel ones avaliable also supposed to be better

Hey neighbor, cats work just fine IF they're used the right way. Like any tool they require maintenance AND periodic replacement. The specs on wood stove cats are about 12,000 hours burn time whether or not you clean them correctly.
Besides, the cat engineered stove save me close to 1/3 the wood that my non-cat burns; same space, same BTU rating, same firebox size.
The SUD CHEMIE cat got last fall is steel base.
Glad to show you....and we use the stoves full time, hard.