I finally broke down and bought one of these. I'm tired of the inaccurate Condar probes and this is night and day better. It reacts so much faster and is much easier to read from across the room. I ordered the 10" high temp probe so it installs in the back of the WS Keystone and got it right in between the cat and heat shield about 1/4" away from the cat. It has 4 alarm mode settings on the box but I'm only using one for a high temp (1700). So far I've seen as high as 1450 but I haven't pushed the stove hard with the warmer outside temps.
I may set a low temp alarm at around 400. So far it seems like it's down to 500 with a 200-250 stove top and a good bed of coals for reload. Once I bypass she drops quickly into the 300's and takes 5-10 min to get back up into the 500-600 range before I engage the cat on a fresh reload.
Looks good Todd! I am looking at getting one of those for my flue temp probe. Might just have to after seeing yours
$80 including shipping. I bet some people say it's not needed or worth it but I like to know what's going on with the cat and it's just a neat toy to play with.
This morning after a 12 hour burn cat temp was down to 480. Bypassed the cat, stirred up the coals, reloaded and temp fell down to 350. I let her rip wide open for about 7 min and engaged the cat at 600 with the air set at 1.5. Cat temp rapidly rose up over 1000 in a few minutes and went as high as 1400 before I settled her in for another long burn. 2 hours later cat temp cruising at 1100, STT 570.
Wonder why WS never incorporated a cat temp probe on their stoves.. To me this like driving a car without gauges.. How would you how fast you were going, the RPM, water temp, or any issues with the car? I work in industrial electrical field and $80.00 is cheap for a temp controller.. We generally pay much more than that so I consider the Auber a bargain.. So much easier and accurate to see and read the temp from a distance compared to the typical bimetal temp probe.. Ray
I'd like to have that for my Progress Hybrid..There's a rear bolt that can be removed to snake the cable in to get the probe to the cat... I'd loved to see what's going on with my cat as well... Is there enough shielded cable that I can bring a foot of it inside the stove or will it not hold up to the heat?
I would recommend keeping the cable out of the stove. Get a long enough thermocouple to reach the cat and you'll be good to go..
No way to do it then... I have to come in the back of the stove and have about a 12-14 in run to get to the back side of the cat , which is where the probe would have to go...when you open the stove top, your looking at the exhaust side of the cat...
I wondering if one could drill straight down from the top of the stove for a cat probe.. biggest thing would be to drill through the shield below which is running at an angle.. I have to pull the cat out and measure back inside to get a location on the top.. There seems to be plenty of surface room next the the flue outlet along the whole back top of the stove, as the cat is wide... I'm wondering why Woodstock didn't just drill a simple hole in that area and just drop a probe in?
If I do anything , I think I would drill for a simple drop in mechanical probe...after looking things over... I'll consult with Woodstock as I know they had mentioned a future cat probe...
If you decide to go with a thermocouple you need to look for a long enough probe that can handle over 2000 degrees F (probably type K). I think the sheath material determines how much heat the TC can handle.. Good Luck! Ray
Absolutely would consult with them first... Placement would be critical,,, time for the dial caliper step gauge and a straight edge to measure to the back of where the cat sits to get a top placement hole and also to make sure your are between a heat exchanger fin as well... That would be a very nice way to add a probe.. and it would be right on top for easy viewing....
Someone did install a thermocouple in the PH but I forgot who it was. I remember he went through that rear access hole and he did leave some exposed wire inside. Maybe there's some kind of insulation wrap you can use? It would be interesting to see those cat temps in the PH and how the secondaries effect them. I've noticed my temps can jump around quite a bit the first couple hours depending on flame or no flame in the box.