Auber Thermocouple Installed

I'm banned so I can't even try to find a post about their install..

 

I don't know if it's allowed to copy and paste that thread from hearth.com? I would if they don't ban me.

 

You are 'bad to the bone'

 

I just googled PH cat probe install... It brings up the hearth.com, Chipsoflying post... So I open it up and there's all the info I need... cool.. Next I go to click on Chipsoflying's personal info to see if there's an outside contact info... It says Error, you must be logged in.. So I click to log in and it says error... I figured that... So I close everything up and google it again and see another post about the PH cat probe, and now all I get is error... I can't even go on the site from a google post.. I just get the ole' Error .. Funny when I first opened the post up on google I could get on.. So anyways I found a post on You Tube about the PH running a cat probe and posted for the guy to contact me or I get a hold of him...

 

Found this pic of where a possible entry point is:

 

Thanks... Jamie had mentioned that area..

 

Now that I've had about a week with the thermocouple thought I'd share some observations.

I've seen temps as high as 1470 with the cat barely glowing right at the beginning of a fresh load. I find this kinda strange, you'd think the cat would be beet red at that temp. There can also be smoke out the chimney with that temp but it doesn't last long. After a few minutes the flame builds up, temps drop and the smoke dispears.

Low burns with a air setting around .5 settle in around 1000-1200 for a couple hours then drop off slowly. Hotter burns up around #1 settle in around 1200-1300.

I usually engage the cat at 1.5 and adjust down from there but if I just leave it there for say an hour temps will be 1300-1500.

This probe is very fast to react, you can see the temps change instantly as the slow lazy flames come and go.

Usually the cat is down to 400-500 when the fire box is down to coals and time for reload. STT is around 200-250 or about half the cat temp. When I open the bypass the cat cools down fast into the 300's. The STT lags way behind on reloads and I have no problem engaging at 200 STT and 600 CT.

 

When the CAT is 1470, touch it with your fingers and let me know if it feels hot to the touch!

 

I'd sure like to have something for my PH.. be nice to know just how low you can go and still have the cat doing it's job..

 

It seems to me from observation, as long as you get the stove good and hot to start it (start the cat), once it's going you can go as low as you can and it stays active until the very very end of the burn. That is also backed up by Woodstocks documentation including the manual, their website, their blog, and lastly on the youtube video/test that Tom does with the PH burning green wood low and slow and still getting very low emissions. He makes a statement in it stating something like: the CAT continues to be active even toward the end of the burn cycle. [not exact quote or wording, but you get point]

 

So what is the CT when it is cherry red, less than 1470?

 

You first! Easy for you to say with that easy access top lid.

 

I think it depends more on air flow or air settings than the color of the cat but there are times I see spikes over 1400 at low settings as the flame disapears and the cat starts to gorge itself on the ecsess smoke.

 

Todd,
I've been looking around and am thinking you have bought a good unit... I see they make a ceramic coated cable probe that I can slide inside my PH... that I think will be my ticket to probing the cat on the PH.. No batteries either, 110 adapter... How long to receive your unit after you ordered? It's driving me nuts not knowing what my cats doing...

 

I think it took 3 or 4 days to receive mine after I ordered it. I'm pretty happy with it, very fast to react and accurate.

 

Cable was the weak point , finding something that could take the heat inside the stove... I plan on laying the probe on the stove surface about an inch away from the cat. Other wise I would have to come up with a stainless steel holder for the probe to keep it mid air in front of the cat..

 

I see that smoke for a while after closing the bypass too. The smoke smells like creo so I'm thinking that it's creo from the previous burn that's getting burned off when I'm ramping up the temp on a fresh load. I don't think the cat can burn up all the creo smoke, but maybe if you've got a decent amount of flame in the box, that will burn it better. Once the temp in the box drops, the creo quits burning off and you see clean exhaust.

 

I see what I think is steam for the first ~30 min after cat engagement, flame or no flame. It is "clear" and disippates quickly. I don't think I get any smoke but I'll double check.

 

Todd, my initial observations with the probe: This morning I engaged the cat at 600F CP (cat probe), 275F STT (stove top temp). The CP gained 100F every three min until I left for work at 1200F CP. How does this compare to your probe and/or thermocouple observations?

 

So nice that you guys are now getting to see what your cats are doing.. I really think that allows you to run a more fine tuned stove... I'd really like to be able to monitor when my cat is on it's way out before you find out you have a big build up in your chimney.. Not having a cat probe is like driving a car with no coolant temp alert...