Morning folks: I picked up a new CAT for the Ideal Steel and it's first use was 10/2024. The stove has been used heavily since then and the wood is exceptionally dry white ash and red oak. Over the past month or so it seemed that the stove wasn't cranking heat like it used to. Yesterday I cleaned the CAT as follows: -Vacuumed with brush attachment -Spray bottle application of vinegar and distilled water -Rinsed with distilled water -Put CAT in 200 degree oven for one hour to dry it out Yowsa, I've loaded the stove twice since CAT cleaning and both CAT and stove top temps are way up. This is somewhat strange as there was no evidence of sludge/buildup when the CAT was rinsed. Regardless, cleaning it has noticeably improved performance. Your mileage may vary.
