How do you cat guys clean your cat?

I remember reading about some of you spraying your cats with a mixture of vinegar and distilled water, is that just an in season thing? I'm debating whether to give it the full monty, boil vinegar water and dunk it then dunk in rinse a couple times or just spraying it, am I wasting my time and one of my wife's pots by doing the whole nine yards or should I do the spray thing?

 

At the end of the day all your doing is cleaning ash and dirt off it. I use a brush and shop vac.

Yes the vinegar bath gives it a deep clean, but even then it might only stay that clean for one or two fires.

 

I throw mine in the tub of water and watch as they go completely nuts. Yeah I also record it for possible YouTube posts.

 

Man I wanted to say that but am a new guy around here and probably still on some kinda probation

 

The vinegar is supposed to remove chemicals, by-products of combustion, that build up over time and mask the catalyst.

I would. I'm doing 'em every two years....don't really know how much difference it's making but I figure it's got to be helping.
This particular article doesn't mention the chemical masking but I've seen it described elsewhere.
http://www.condar.com/combustorcleaningmanual.pdf

 

In that pic, looks like he's about to say "Get that friggin' camera outta my face, before I shred you and your goofy pooch."

 

That's ricochet he is a great cat I think only 1 I ever had

 

Like below?


Here's an easy to follow video of "How to clean your cat"

 

You have a PH, right? Looks like it in your pic. If so it is way to long to get in any pot. So you need to just spray it with the vinegar/water mixture with a spray bottle (pick one up at HD for $2).

I do that once or twice a season, it makes a BIG difference. I remove it and clean it off with a brush and blow thru it about once a month during season, or as needed. But about 1/2 way thru season I will give it the full monty, brush it off, then blow thru it to get all loose stuff out, then rinse with DISTILLED water, the spray with vinegar / distilled water and let stand for 15 minutes, then re-rinse with distilled water. Lastly let dry and re-install. I notice it gets "re-activated" after the bath and seems to put out a noticeably higher amount of heat following it, so it definitely works. It does something chemically with the catalyst particles on the surface....

Oh, I do this in a bath tub, otherwise it makes a mess.....

Hope that helps...

 

I'd like to add, I wish Woodstock would split the PH cat into two pieces! That would make the bath a lot easier, just make two CATS that fit side by side instead of one big long one. I wonder if they ever thought of that?

 

is there a different process fro ceramic vs steel cats? I gt a new steel one to start out with but am considering cleaning up the old ceramic one to keep as a backup.

 

I don't think so since the bath instruction on woodstocks site doe not specify one or the other. But I'd check with them to be sure first.....

 

Thanks guys, I think I'll take your advice machria, I was thinking of buying a second cat so in season I can swap one out and clean the dirty one. Anyone ever but a cat for a PH? I didn't see it in their site so was going to give them a call.

 

Aluminum roasting pan ( the disposable ones such as you would use for a turkey), a gallon of vinegar and a gallon of water. Put the cat. in the container, put the whole mess on the grill outside and boil it for a while. Rinse it in water and let it dry- it will re-invigorate the cat. as others have said.

As far as cleaning the other type of cat (the breathing types), that is really tough and I suggest wearing welding gloves. That said, my daughter- in- law has two cats that she takes in the shower and washes..... one actually likes it (she insists on sitting in the tub with anyone who happens to be taking a shower !!!) while the other one howls but stays put and does not try to claw her way to freedom. Amazing if you ask me but I have seen it.... and taken showers with the first cat, who likes to slap at the shower stream while it is running.

Brian

 

I cleaned the one in my bk this year by boiling it in a 50/50 mix for 30 minutes then two 15 minute rinse cycles in distilled water. It is on it's 5th season and this is it's first "deep" cleaning. I've always thought this was a last ditch effort type of thing. I can't understand why this would be done on a regular basis. Do you even have a full season on the stove yet?

 

The old school car guys use lacquer thinner to clean automotive cats.

 

My cat cleans his self

 

Not enough coffee yet, knee jerk response was toss in well. Not a cat person

 

Just 1 year but I thought doing it is supposed to make it last longer and perform better and was part a maitenance. I don't think it's supposed to be a last ditch effort to get more life out of the cat. I'm going to do the spray thing Machria suggested this year.