Hey guys, well it's that time of year again and I decided to give my combustor a white vinegar and distilled water bath and get it ready for the burning season. I noticed the edges of the combustor seem to be falling apart a bit. I will upload some pictures, let me know what you think? This is just over 4 years old now, not sure what the life expectancy is? I burn nothing but seasoned wood through this and I clean it about every 4 weeks or so during the burning season. Just with a paint brush and vacuum, this is the first vinegar bath I gave it.
Doesn't look like you took it out of the frame, and you are seeing the deteriorated interam gasket. Those crumble and fall apart real easy, once they have been in a hot stove. You could try taking the frame apart and rinsing it out again. Then re-wrap new interam gasket around the sides of the cat, securing the end with masking tape for a tight fit, which holds it in place for re-assembly, and re-installing it in the frame. At 4 yrs. old, though, you might consider just getting a new cat...either a ceramic which uses the frame and an interam gasket, or the Dura-Foil stainless, which doesn't use the cast-iron frame. It just has a couple of tab ears, and you bolt it down into the shipping-bolt holes...no interam gasket needed.
For good efficiency , it's said, replace after 12,000 hour Search "life of a catalytic combustor" One ref: When to Replace Your Catalytic Combustor - Woodstove Combustors by Condar
Thanks for the replies guys, I think I'm just going to buy a new one. Looks like I can get a replacement at a pro rated price because it's within 6 years. If I had looked more closely last year I could have gotten a new one for free. Oh well, just want this stove running at peak performance when the cold hits.
How was that cat working, last time you used it? Did you notice it was harder to light off, didn't burn as hot for as long into the burn cycle? I know it's hard to have a definitive answer unless you are keeping detailed records...and how many of us do that?
Reading this thread stoked my "old school" desires. I called WS today to see if I could still order the cast iron frame and ceramic combustor; turns out the frame is still available (~ $50 shipped to MI ) but they do not have any ceramic combustors. Penny suggested Applied Ceramics would still produce them. Checking online I found the ceramic available from firecatcombustors.com for $200 (free shipping) and from condar.com for $201 (plus shipping). I have read all the pro's for steel cats, but I have also read many people getting much longer life out of the ceramics (if used properly). I am tempted to buy the frame and ceramic ... just because I'm curious. Would be curious to read what others think about this idea.
Not real thrilled about the AC cat I got for the Buck a few years back. To quote the Three Stooges, looks like the catalyst "walked through there on stilts." Heh-heh.
It still light off pretty well but didn't seem to burn as hot for long. Seems to take longer to light off now but still gets cherry red. I could probably go the season with this one but I'm going to get the new one soon. I'm getting a 28% discount so might as well cash in now and save some money!
Their website says they have a 5 year pro-rated warranty on the ceramics. Could not find the details of how the proration worked. Looks to be in decent shape except for those cells that looked like they were bumped by something. What are you not thrilled about? Performance or those damaged cells? Seems like the big issue with ceramics is thermal shock and flame impingement. Not worried about flame impingement with the Fireview and having sufficiently dry wood and letting it come up to temp before re-engaging should eliminate the possibility of thermal shock. Just my nature I guess ... I still wish cars had hand crank windows . Any old school ceramic fans still left in the world?
I myself could not be happier with the customer service I got from Applied Ceramics. I ordered a new cat and it came but I did not think it looked 100% as the corner was chipped. I e-mailed them and explained I would be happy to send a picture but there was no question, keep that one for a back up and we will send another.
I didn't really care about the damaged cells...didn't seem like a big deal. What I didn't like was in the second pic where they didn't even cover the entire surface. Is that all I get for my $275 ? Sheesh...c'mon! That said, the cat seems to be lighting off OK but I have to crank it up to about 1100 before it really takes off and glows. That might just be a characteristic of the Buck. Seems like the Woodstocks light off a lot easier (I am running a ceramic in the Keystone right now,) but again, totally different stoves. I had the Buck AC cat out the other day, no cracking but there was a small amount of peeling of the catalyst on a small number of cells. Nothing I was too worried about, and there's 3 yrs. on that cat now, and it went high (1800) a few times. Over all, I'm happy with it but I wish I could get a steel cat for the Buck....especially a Dura-Foil that was only $175, like the Woodstock.
I didn't realize that picture was taken when it was new; looking at it closely, the shiny metal is clear. I too would have been upset if I had received a new cat in that condition. Since I can't see my cat unless I get down on the floor and look up through the glass, seeing it glow is a low priority for me ... just want it to work ... in fact I would prefer it to work at lower temps and not glow. That looks like a pretty big cat compared to any of the WS models; would likely be a bit more. I have an email out to AC with a few questions. While I would like to have both a ceramic cat and a steel cat just to compare them for fun, the economics of getting the ceramic don't really make sense.
I have no experience with the ceramic cats, but I'm sure there is way more surface area in the SS cats. And being such a thin metal will light off much faster and at a lower temp.
6" x 10.625" x 2". At firecatcombustors.com, I see it is now $323...ouch! That's almost as much as a BK cat, fer cryin' out loud!
