New SS combustor installed last night.

Old combustor was the original stainless that came with the stove 5 years ago.
I did put a ceramic in 3 years ago. it lasted 2 years, the center section fell forward.
it worked ok like that but when I took it out for cleaning, it cracked & fell apart in pieces.

I had to put the old stainless one back in. It worked ok.
Took it out this Fall, for cleaning. cleaned & put it back in.

I ordered a new one, it came yesterday.


It lights off fast, glows like when the stove was new.
Had a great burn last night (20° f here ) still glowing & in the active range this AM.
Going on 14 hours for the burn cycle with good heat output.
This AM pic after 14 hours:


Not sure when the efficiency drops off , but I notice a significant improvement
in the burn already.

It's recommended to replace every 2 years, (that's about 12 months of burning for me , ± 9,000 hours)
Original one had about 3 years on it.
I figure that to be a good time to replace.

Sure brought the heat output, long burn times back to my setup.
Cat temp is running in the active range on the low setting again.

If a combustor cost $325, & you gain in efficiency & save a cord or so of wood
+ have more heat & longer heat cycles.
In 2 years that's 2 cord of wood, (A net savings for me at $250 per cord here)

Yea,
I don't have $250 in a cord, about $50, but as the cost of NG goes up, the savings,
of not burning NG , does too.

 

What's this about changing every 2 years? My BK cat, ceramic, is warrantied at 100% for ten years.

 

Who recommended you change it out every two years? Blaze King has a 10 year warrantee on their cats now but I think it only went into effect a couple years ago so you prolly missed out on that.

My ceramic cat is going on year 3 and still going strong. I am tempted to buy a steely just to have on hand for a spare.

 

Yes
I think they last 10 years
but what's the the efficiency drop off over time ?
25% loss of efficiency is 1 cord out of 4

What's the drop off after 5 years ?

 

My old original cat was still glowing, but nothing like the new one is.
not even close to how this one is glowing on low.

I'm not a catalytic combustor guru,
just a woodburner who can feel & see the difference between
a new cat & the old one. For me , there's a significant difference .

Maybe the ceramics last longer, mine fell apart on a routine removal cleaning attempt.
Not going there again.
I see a big difference after a cleaning, & now
a huge difference with a new one.

Not blowing smoke, actually can notice a difference in the stack smoke too.
Blowing less smoke now. LOL

 

The latest generation 'diesel' combustors are a real improvement even over the earlier stainless steel versions. And none of the metal versions crumble like the ceramic types so all are a big improvement IMO.

Combustor life is not a good / no longer good situation but one of decline, as you mention. The first 100 hours of its life, the combustor is very reactive and can usually be 'lit off' with two or three small pieces of cardboard. Unfortunately, that initial sensitivity does not last and the combustor then works well but declines pretty steadily over its lifespan. That 12,000 hour lifespan is for older types through and there is some evidence that the newer types may last longer. One problem though is the fact that as they decline in performance, they require higher and higher input temps. to work efficiently; this means that while an older combustor 'works', it will no longer work at the lower end of the stove settings which is where they are needed the most.

I agree completely with your ideas about maintaining a clean, well functioning combustor and not waiting until it really is not working to replace it. My last stove really benefited from a new combustor every two years. Which, by the way, was a major consideration when shopping for my current stove; the cost, size and ease of maintenance of the combustor itself. Not to poke anyone in the eye but I absolutely avoided several stoves due to the high cost of the combustor and often the difficulty in just getting to the combustor to vacuum it or actually remove it.

I love the way catalytic stoves run and find their efficiency to be a big attraction. That said, it IS a maintenance item that requires a little effort on the users' part to determine when it has seen its best days.

Brian

 

Same exact thing with an Ideal Stove- lift the cover and there it sits, no fasteners used, just gravity (which so far has not failed even once that I know of ). And a new combustor for an I.S. is $125.

Brian

 

You using Steel or ceramic now ?
I remember you changed to a ceramic a while back, still using it?

 

How many years on the steel catalytic now ?

 

Applied Ceramics says my Firecat combustor should last 6 years but with proper maintenance could last 10. I couldn't find anything on how much it degrades like Condar says but they say one of the biggest problems is saturation of potassium from the wood, I also remember Tom at Woodstock telling me about this and this was one of the reasons they went to the s/s screen scoop which reduces ash build up on the cat and extends its life.

 

The screen certainly filters some ash. Didn't you use the old style expanded metal air scoop? Does the new screen air scoop keep the cat cleaner?

 

I went back and forth testing them and found the screen did keep the cat cleaner.

 

OK, according to Applied Ceramics they consider 6 years to be 10,000-12,000 hours. Seems like those hours wouldn't last me 6 years if I burn 24/7 for pretty much 4 months straight.

 

I agree with Dave's findings, if I had kept my Princess I would have replaced the cat every 2-3 years, I always had a spare one. I was hoping to get an SS cat if they made one for the princess but I sold it so didn't really look into it any further. I noticed a huge difference in cat performance from the time it was new to 2 years after, sure it worked fine but not as long a burn as when it was new. The cost to me would have been worth it. I'm anxious to see how the PH cat holds up over time.

 

Yea
A more real world, honest warrantee should be written in burning hours.

The honest test might be the one that shows 25% reduction of catalytic function after 12,000 hour.
25% loss of efficiency is significant.

I burn ± 7 months, 24/5
± 5,000 hours per year.

Over 3 years on the old one. Noticed it wasn't burning as hot.
Got a new one.
I notice a significant improvement in burn times, heat output, faster to light off, & cleaner smoke stack.
No advertising , no warranty gimmicks, no promises,
Just an honest opinion.

If I save 25% on wood usage, by replacing it after 3 years, then I have to CSS less wood .
Bummer !
I need to think this thru more.
I may have to go back to the old one. LOL

 

Sounds like I may be pushing it with the original Cat.- 5 yrs. and still thought it was going strong, but you're saying it's not? I'm all for the best efficiency, so lay out a direction I need to take. My ceramic doesn't have any cracks or visible degradation. Should I go with that as a replacement, or are the SS ones that much better?
Serious question, now that it's been brought up. JB

 

I would install a new one. SS or Ceramic
After 5 years & your long burn season.
Over double the hours of what's recommended , gotta be time .

I never noticed a fall off of performance, it's a real slow one over time.
But this year, real noticeable drop in heat output & slow to light off.
New cat, I'm back to running hotter & longer burn times.

My opinion is the SS cats are better.
But I had problems with the ceramic.

I liked the performance of the ceramic, the bigger holes pass ash better & I never had any issues of it plugging up.
but after it broke, I'd be leery of taking it out for cleaning.

I had more fine fly ash when burning spruce, I was vacuuming the original SS one often.
No problems with spruce ash plugging the ceramic one .

If you are having good luck with the ceramic, no need to go with the more expensive SS ones. IMO.
But for a few ext buck, you could try one. Backwood & I like the SS ones.
Finer screen though, & you burn lodge pole, might have more ash.

I believe they wear out. The 12,000 test seems logical, nothing lasts forever.
That baby is glowing red hot for thousands of hours. gotta take a toll over time.

For install, need some of the high temp tape to wrap around it.

 

Had a little left over from last nights load.
Long burn times are back.

20°s, to be around 15°. Clear, no wind.
Tonights load: