Finally pulled the trigger...

Oh I full on left the ash door open! It definitely helped get things rolling. I can’t see myself using that trick any other way. Open the door and sit right there in front of the stove until that door gets closed. If I use the latch to just crack the door I don’t trust myself to not forget it.

 

If the conditions are right when i open the ash door the fire becomes violent so yea becoming one with the stove at that time is a good thing.

 

Alright so here’s the coals around 12 hours later. House is 75 and I’m reloading with a small/medium load

I did get a longer burn time. But…. There’s always a but stinking the joint up it seems. The caveat is there wasn’t nearly the heat load last night. I think the observed low was 20 here. That’s not all that cold.

So I was able to run the air intake down around 1/4 open. I’d call it verdict out on burn time. I’ll try it again this week when the bottom falls out of the temps… I’m still hopeful for a bit longer burn times loading that way.

On a side note it certainly was easier to load that way, and I don’t think the coals built up in there any more than before. Heck I’ll probably switch to loading it that way for overnighters just because of that fact if for nothing else.

The mod really has made all the difference. Now I can control the stove properly and really enjoy the process of learning how to get the very best out of it for the conditions ahead. So again Thank you to all you Woodstock heads who chimed in and helped out!

 

Yeah if I leave mine open usually within a couple minutes it sounds like the stove is prepping for lift off! Definitely let’s you know the door is open. Now when I fiddled it so the door was cracked it was much more subtle without the sound but still went nuclear in there. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if I forgot and left it unattended like that for any period of time. Good time to say using the ash door should be treated like a loaded gun… It’s a tool I’ll use, but ALWAYS with the utmost respect folks.

 

Yeah, I like to call that situation 'Vulcan's Forge' and it is not all that far off either- it is exactly what a century- old, small forge looks like. I can certainly see why mfg's specify to never, EVER open the ash pan door under any circumstances and even put that on a label on the door. It is a useful method, IMO but it is not forgiving of carelessness or foolishness.

I know someone who used to feed a Jotul and the standard method was to load the stove full with fresh splits, open the ash pan door about 2" (it hinged from the side) and.... wait for it.... go take a shower to get ready for work! She said the stove was always 'going good' when she came back and I am sure it was. I <gently> cautioned her against doing that but she said it worked well and was not dangerous. That went on for almost all or all of one winter and the house is still standing but still it was a very unusual and slow attempt at suicide IMO.

 

Yeah eerie blue/purple blacksmith’s forge flame and then after a bit roaring, vibrating, Jupiter class missile launch sounds… leaving that unattended would be the height of foolishness! I get that every house and stove presents a unique set of variables but sheesh what a dumb move taking a shower with something like that as a possibility.

 

I hear ya. I do the same thing. It only takes a minute or two. After that it sounds like a helicopter starting up.

I sit in front of the stove any time I'm messing with it. Whether i have the AP latch loose or the air turned up.
I get distracted way to easy. Adult ADHD.

 

Yeah same here. Helicopter that’s exactly it… or maybe blown manual transmission gears grinding

there’s nothing “adult” about my ADHD that’s been a lifetime thing for me! Thanks again for your help Tim.

 

I think I had the stt go above 700 into that 800 range once pretty early on. It’s easy to do when that cat is new and hypersensitive, but the testers proved you’d have to go well beyond that to hurt this stove. Usually though 500 is about the hottest I see. It cruises in that 450-500 range for quite awhile on a good load.

 

So... when you have a new and "hypersensitive" cat, what can you do to keep that from happening? Turn the air down more, or sooner? Or both?

 

A new catalyst is just super pumped and ready to rock.
You might just have to fine-tune how much wood you're putting in there. Part of the paradox of turning down the air is that it seems to allow the cat to get every last bit of the off gasses to burn so with my stove I've had the temp rise fairly significantly when the air gets cut low.
I haven't found myself in the danger zone or anything, but I certainly was squeezing every last BTU available.

 

Yeah like RGrant said turning the air down lower is kind of a double edged blade. I had to not load it so full with wood for a few weeks. Once the cat broke in it got really cold and I started having the coaling issues, so really this past several days is the first that this stove is behaving like a normal stove for me. I’m loving it!

 

I'm still acquiring the pieces and parts to install my AS...but trying to understand theories and concepts. Not having burned before, and trying to wrap my brain around a cat stove....some of this is a bit mind twisting.

I honestly am nervous about getting the stove right and figuring it out. So I doubt I'll be loading it up anytime soon anyway. But that too seems counter other information, cause some have said it doesn't matter how much wood is in it. Perhaps I misunderstood a piece of that puzzle.

So if you have a cat (new cat) stove loaded, cat engaged and air turned down, and it starts getting too hot.....what do you attemp first? Turn the air up?

 

D. None of the above. Turn the air up.

 

In the morning?... a cup of coffee.
After noon or evening?...an iced tea.

800° is just one small spot in front of the cat. And nothing to worry about.
The cat can get to 1500° on a perfect (cat only) burn. So hitting 700-800 is rare but not impossible.

(Last time i hit those temps i knew there was an air leak, but it took me a day or 2 to figure it out. The glass gasket had come loose on the bottom left of the door.)

 

Make sure u have a change of underwear handy. . Still trying to figure mine out, i have lowered my flue temps in cat mode by reducing the air intake but giving more air to send it back into secondary burn makes sense. Cant trust the cat probe so going by flue and STT.
At times im very frustrated as the drolet was a lot different to run.

 

Yep seems counter intuitive but turn the air up. Best thing to do is jump in feet first and get to burning. It seems complicated but once you start your going to find how easy it is. Start a thread on here and ask questions when you have them. You’ll get help just like I did

 

Eckie feel free to drop a link here to your thread. I’ll stop in and say hi and I’m sure it will help get you some extra views.

 

Its kinda like riding a bike...you can read all about it, and gain lots of head knowledge, but in the end you will never really "learn how" until you jump on and try to ride (once you get all the rest of your parts and get it installed of course)