Time for cat #5!

Since the beginning I have been tracking each cat’s lifespan and this latest one was one of the longest at 20 burning months, or about 12000 hours at low 95% of the time burning softwoods. I believe that burning on low is actually harder on a cat because the cat is doing all the work with no primary flame. The cat meter is always quite high though stove output stays low.

I am impressed with how easy it is to swap these cats. The new ones are cheap at 230$ and come with a new gasket. My old cats look perfect, no physical damage, but just stop working rather suddenly. This last one would stall at medium thermostat settings.

I also decided to trash my collection of used cats.

Yes, they’re cheap. I just sold a 5 cords of firewood 1/3 cord at a time for 200$ each. Just pop a new cat in to keep it running efficiently, minimum pollution, and maximum burn times. You’ll quickly save enough wood to pay for the new cat.

The Midwest Hearth cat warranty expires after 12000 hours of use which is coincidentally the average I’ve gotten per cat over the last decade.

 

Looks almost like the one for my Buck Stove and it is getting a new one soon.

 

Well you have a great attitude about it that’s for sure. I hear many people would never want a cat stove because somewhere down the line they’d have to spend extra money on it.
Judging by the condition you’re doing a great job at running your stove.
Can you get a steel cat replacement?
Have you ever washed your old cats?

 

Oh they know.

 

This is so true.
My uncle has fisher grandma burns 8 cord year
My house twice the size I burn four cord
Paid $800 to refurb fisher after 45 years not bad longevity But Woodstock soapstone is 25 miles from his house

he worried about $185 cat! even if change it every year, mine die in middle of year 3
If I could add another cat and use 1/2 wood I do know I would do that!!!

 

You can see in one photo that there is a dead steel cat in there. It was a BK brand cat and worked just fine but didn’t last very long at all. I do not recommend steel cats. They clog, they cost more, they don’t last as long, and offer no advantage unless you’re clumsy enough to drop cats since they don’t break like ceramic!

I did do a full vinegar boil on one cat and it helped get me a few more months of life so I keep that knowledge as an emergency tool. Remember though cats are cheap, and the time and materials for that cat boil was not financially positive. Waste of money. The BK design requires that you replace a gasket every time you remove the catalyst so I don’t remove the catalyst until it’s time for replacement.

Some people only replace tires after the steel belts are sticking out and scratching the fender. Don’t be that guy. The drop in efficiency from a used up cat costs you so much wood that you’re just throwing money away to prove some sort of point.

I immediately ordered my next cat to have on hand for the next replacement. It wasn’t that long ago that supply chain issues could have been a problem.

 

Two is one and one is none. I have a spare waiting when the one I have needs replaced.

 

What did he get for 850$? There isn’t much to refurb, a few bricks and a rattle can paint job?

 

Replaced worn steel parts to proper thickness.
Stove came back same as left factory..

 

Do you happen to know what parts? Just curious.

 

No; 45 years, guesstimate, it’s been heating his home that my great uncle helped him build 70s..
I know he is very frugal. His first car sits in basement next to woodstove.

his work bench and re loading on other side

 

It’s 81 in my house. The new cat just stays hot and no smoke. Black box mode. Every dang time I replace the catalyst I kick myself for waiting so long.

We’re going to get a weather warmup the next few days so the stove can hopefully cool off soon.

 

The messing with the Cat does give me pause... my new stove has a cat so we'll see how it goes. I had a Jotul 500 which I could operate blindfolded. Hoping to get a more comfortable heat with the cat stove.

 

Either the shop vac or small leaf blower method every so often to get the ash off the catalyst, and sometime in the middle of the winter on a warm day I'll do the vinegar/distilled water bath and I'm back in business.

I pull the catalyst out, take it to the garage to use the blower. The whole ordeal takes 2 minutes.
Doing the vinegar bath might be more like 20 min, then I let it dry.

It's hardly a chore. This time next year you'll probably be advising non-cat guys how easy it is and that you wish you hadn't waited. Seems to be the way for many of us.

 

RGrant I feel same, changing cats on Woodstock stoves is easy. I know Blaze king on ones I’ve seen need a cold stove to remove it. I haven’t seen Jotuls set up yet. Agree it easy to learn, and if using dry wood, every one I know uses half as much wood.

 

Oh no, you don't need a cold stove but you do need a replacement gasket every time you remove the cat. 20-30$. That's a major reason that you won't see BK people regularly cleaning their cats on the bench.

 

Same deal with my Lopi Rockport. Pulling the cat is easy, but destroys the gasket. Forget how much the gasket material costs, but $20-$30 sounds right. Often thought about running it without, usually in spring during shoulder season.

 

I had a steel cat fail in my Fireview a few years back, in December 2018 it failed. So Woodstock didn't have any available. (I think they make their own now.) So I found another vendor that sold ceramic cats for the Fv. I had previous experience with a Consolidated Dutchwest and it had a ceramic. It had a really long life with the ceramic and just brush them off on occasion.

So I went with the ceramic in 2018. It cost $205 dollars. includes the gasket material. I'm still using it. I really like the way it performs, minimal maintenance and this will be year 6. Maybe the last year, I'm not sure. In the meantime, I didn't cancel my Woodstock order, so I put that one on a shelf so I'm not worried about it. But I do like the ceramics and don't see any downside to them. I think they last longer and they are definitely easier to maintain.

 

I just started burning the Absolute Steel middle.of last January. Checked the cat a few times, didn't see much on it, think I blew it off once just because... Any problem/ issue using an air compressor to blow off (vs. shop vac /leaf blower like mentioned)?

I have thought about going on and ordering some gaskets and a cat to have on hand for when the day comes. So, should I get it from WS, which will be steel, unless they're offering something else now...or get a ceramic from someone else?

 

Only reason I use my leaf blower is bc its 18v battery and at arms reach in the basement. I have a compressor but its a beast and not worth the time for the job. Only word of caution would be to be sure to avoid damaging the cat, obviously.

Been using the original cat for 4 or 5 years, and I have a backup steel cat. I could be pursued to going ceramic, just don't know enough about them. Looks like I've got some reading to do.