Got a package on the porch last night. A brand new ceramic cat for the princess and I'm giddy with excitement. Ready to stop wasting so much wood, gunking up the flue, and smoking out the neighbors! Got an honest 12000 to 14000 hours out of the current ceramic cat which is exactly what I expect and have experienced repeatedly for the last 3 dead cats. I know the new one will last me another 12000+ burning evergreens mostly on low settings. I'm sure hoping this new one slides in nicely. It appears to be a little more than 4 inches tall but the gasket fluff might be the reason. Sort of wish I had an extra cat gasket just in case this one tears on insertion. I might just run the sooteater up the flue as part of the cat swap since it will be so easy to vacuum out the sweepings through the cat hole.
Even noncat stove dealers? We really don't have many stove shops but if it's that common then I might just stop by a shop. I know I can order it online by the foot too.
We carry it, but I’m betting a lot of shops don’t. Be sure it’s 1/16”, 1/8” is most common and it will not work.
Good news, the new one slid right in. No problem and no need for extra gasket. The old cat had some peeling on the back but no clogging. It’s a bit warm tonight but I’ll be lighting a fire for sure.
Isn't Harry like 6th or 7th in line for heir to the throne and pretty much his prospects will always be a Duke and Meagan a Duchess ? I need a family tree map once I get past first cousins - of my own family.
every time I replace a dead cat I am surprised at how well a cat stove can work. New cats are especially active but then there is a long and gradual decline before a rather abrupt failure period. You get used to the medium level performance so the new cat seems super good. Almost like the first time you put on glasses. i run low and slow 95% of the time and as the cat gets old it is less and less able to burn as low until at the end where you really need a hot fire to keep the cat “active”. So with a new hyperactive cat I wanted to be sure not to get it too hot so kept the temperature down low and the dang cat was at 1300-1400 right away and stayed active for a solid 22 hours on 5 splits of Doug fir. I’ve got that awesome low end back which is the real benefit of a cat stove.
How big physically is the princess cat? I just swapped out cats in my IS over the weekend, and while I enjoy low light off and longer burns. I dont think I'll be getting 22 hours of active cat temp out if 5 splits of softwood. I do burn smaller splits of pine we have here on the Delmarva peninsula mainly for shoulder season or to burn down coals, but I'm kinda jealous of 22 hours of active cat temps!
The IS is an excellent performer. It’s probably #2 if your primary objective is long burn times. My splits are pretty large and dry softwood. 1 on each side, 4 pieces of kindling, 2 more splits on the kindling, and then a final split on top to the roof. Brand new cat could really keep that load simmering. A full load is only about 7-8 splits so let’s just say 2/3 full! Seriously, if not for the bk I would probably have a Woodstock, you’ve got a good one. Unfortunately the hearth requirements for the IS are high. Not just ember protection like other modern stoves.
That's not much different than the IS My splits are much much smaller though. I got behind the 8 ball with wood gathering so I split everything up super small to promote faster drying
