Absolute Steel Owners, Please Help Me Learn How To Run This damm Thing!

See what I mean?!?! I was not aware of that. Doesn’t seem possible, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around that, but I guess it is possible. Learn something from these guys all the time.

 

I second this. Even when people here probably don't think they are passing on information and knowledge (because whatever it is is so simple or common knowledge by now to them), I am often learning something new, or perhaps understanding something more or differently.

 

X2!
I guess that means a cat type probe thermometer is almost a must for a newb!

 

Yes, and as I have suspected a CAT probe and a pipe probe are critical tools to learning how to run a CAT stove.

I have enough burning experience that I maybe could get away without those tools, but at best I would be guessing. Why guess when CAT’s are expensive replacement items. Seems to me there would be a lot of going on without them and this thread is an example of that. However, it has been a learning experience for more than just the user...me included.

If you need the heat by all means use the stove, but don’t expect much until you have those two tools, at least the stove probe, in place so that you can “know” ... and know for sure, with proof, of what is going on.

I think the user may see a difference once he has the propers tools in place. If not, the stove has issues, or still some sort of operator error that he needs help with.

Takes a lot of courage for a person to sort of throw themselves out there like in this thread. It can often be intimidating, but many of us have been there. I was there 3 years ago when learning how to burn anthracite coal. When anthracite coal burners tell you to forget everything you knew about burning wood, trust me, they were correct. Far different learning process. I basically had to learn a stove all over again. It was intimidating to put it all out there on a forum thread, but I did. A lot of good people stepped up to help. I needed a lot of help and asked many questions. I was even confused until I started burning and getting directions. As time went on and I got more experience...and I stuck with the forum...I began to see success.

Hang in there.

 

Guess I should go on and order a cat probe. I intend on putting in double wall stovepipe...I assume you can put a pipe probe in that? Or only single?

This has been a learning thread for me as well. I hope when I get my AS in and running that it is a bit easier than what Troutbum is going through. But I know how my luck usually goes...

 

Probe type can be used on single or doublewall (although you have to have a probe that is made for SW or DW) magnetic type gauges can only be used on SW pipe...

 

Have you ever heard of: “If it weren’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all”? Well, that describes me.

Two days in a row now our laundry washer has overflowed into the floor. Got me once, twice, ...but three times? Naw!! I unplugged and unhooked that thing until I can have it looked at. Wifey isn’t happy but I’m not cleaning up another mess in the floor.

 

This morning I got a good medium burn with secondaries that were not racing. With key damper open. I think what I’ve been doing is trying to get the temps up too high before engaging the cat, then I have a ripping fire that is hard to control. This time I engaged the cat a little earlier. After I gently brought the temps of the stove up. So maybe it’s operator error. Time will tell. If you don’t ask, you don’t learn. I’m smart with some things and dumb with burning wood.
Bad luck? I sometimes say I have the opposite of the Midas touch. Everything I touch breaks. I got a new mini wood lathe. Turning my second pen, the circuit board blew. Was out back in the wood yard this morning and noticed a shingle blew off the roof.

 

My CAT probe is supposed to come tomorrow.

 

Troutbum, what was the temp when you engaged the cat this am?

I believe I'm gonna have to have a pen and notepad close by when I get to burning my AS....

 

This morning, pipe temp just short of 300 and STT 300. This pm pipe temp 250 and STT about 320.

 

Good move. Take out the guess work. Entirely.

 

I got my Condar probe tonight and installed it. Cold start. Tried to engage CAT at 600, didn’t climb after a few minutes. Tried to engage at 700, didn’t climb after a couple minutes. Engaged at 800 and steady climb to 1000. Then I set the air control. Don’t know exactly what the stove temps were but I think pipe around 250 and STT around 325.
I’d recommend one of these for anyone. Can really see what the CAT is doing.

 

Condar probe

 

Seems to me if the probe was in the active range, then the cat should light off anywhere in that range. Anyone have an explanation?

Are you able to control the stove by the stove air adjustments to where you want it now?

 

I think it may be because my CAT is older and because of that may need higher temp to ignite it? I think I’ve heard guys in here talk about that. Once I engaged it and I saw the temps on the probe rise within the first few minutes, I seemed to be able to set the air control and control the fire. Like I said, when I engaged the CAT at 800 the pipe was 250 and SST like 325.

 

If I understand correctly, "engaging the cat" on the AS is "throwing" a lever. So does this mean you threw the lever to engage the cat, the temps didn't rise so you threw it the other way ("off" I guess?)? And then repeated this a time or two, till you threw it the last time and the temps on the cat probe rose, so that meant the cat was "engaged", or working? That all seems so wordy and wrong but I'm not sure how else to explain it.....

What is supposed to be the "active range"? I assume it is obvious on the temp probe, but I can't tell from the pic.

 

Yes Eckie. I attempted to engage the CAT twice by closing the bypass flap/closing that lever. The directions on the probe say that if the temps don’t climb steady within 2-5 minutes open the bypass and try again. Then, when the temp rises, you can set the air to what you want for the desired output.

 

The active range is about 700 to 1700

 

The temp that I find on the Condar that consistently ignites the CAT may be dependent on the distance the probe sits from the CAT too. I think mine sits around a half inch away.