Well, I won't even say how long it's been since I got this stove, and how long it's taken... Some of you know. Thanks for all the help in the open forums and pm's... Finally got the pipe finished this am.
If any AS owners stumble by....where does the cat probe go? I don't see a hole for it anywhere.... I'm not at the house right now to look in the book. And I don't remember seeing that in there when I read it (totally could have missed it though...).
The probe goes in on your left side (opposite the loading door) about 2 inches down from the top plate. There is most likely a bolt there now that you need to take out in order to insert the probe. Then it goes through a small hole in the "hood scoop". to be in front and slightly above the cat output. The probe should have an 8-inch shaft from the rear of the gauge. There is a magnet with a hole in the center that you use on the outside of the stove to pull the gauge tight against the hole. When you lift the top plate to see the hood scoop it will become obvious. I hope this helps. Steve aka oldhippie. I have an AS and hope you enjoy it. Let us know with any questions, there is a learning curve. Congrats on a beautiful stove and installation.
I only did the one fire today..it was a bit more than a break in.. Let that do its thing, will have a other tonight. Got the stt to about 300. It held that for quite a while after it was down to coals. Still trying to get comfortable, and obviously learn the stove and what I'm doing. At least it's hooked up to use it when we want/need to.
All you really want to do for the first couple fires is get it going so it is hot enough to stay lit and get up in the 350 range on the top of the stove, even if you don't engage the cat. You might already be past any paint smell? Once you get there you'll be fine to make bigger fires. Probably the real learning is starting the stove, and when to close the door. I usually keep the door open about an inch until the fire is going strong enough to choke out the fire when I close it. Then, secondly, when to engage the cat. I usually let the stove top temp get to 400'F before I engage the cat, and then still leave the draft control wide open until I start to see the temp increasing on a STT magnetic gauge near the outlet to the flue, and the second magnet gauge about 14-18 inches up your flue should start to decrease. At this point, I drop the draft down to one, but every install is different and you will need to experiment to find the best settings for you. All of this (for me) is with well-aged, 2 or 3-year-old, cut/split/stacked wood. If the wood isn't well-aged, your mileage may vary. Another annoying issue some folks have initially is dirty glass. Usually caused during start-up with wood that still has quite a bit of moisture in it. Or, also engaging the cat a bit too soon. before you've got a really hot fire going. The outside temps can also play a big part here. If it isn't below freezing the draft isn't that strong and it might fog the glass until the fire heats up and burned it off. As for cleaning the glass. I find a solution of 75% isopropyl alcohol and 25%distilled water, is great for my glass and also good for the glass. I just use it in a spray bottle on the glass and then newspaper to get it all off and clean. I'll even use a razor windshield scraper like mechanics use for inspection stickers on the inside glass for any hard-to-clean sections. Speaking of that, it's really easy to just take the andirons right out of the stove (they just lift out) in order to make it easy to clean the glass. I hope this all helps, the good info here comes from smarter guys that I here in the forum. The incorrect info here is all my fault.
Look what's behind the sheild..... No hole in the shield... So, I'm supposed to drill it? Surprised they didn't make the hole.
Oldhippie, thanks for the info. I've read most of your AS posts... The paint smell os definitely not gone yet. Could be worse I guess, but it's right tight..... I've got to figure out how much wood for these smaller fires and the air. Not messing with cat yet. Wood is good and dry, most of it is 7+ years old...
Ah, the other issue there, beyond drilling the shield, is the length of the probe. I think that there are 10 inch probes. So the current probe might not be the right length. Did you buy the probe through Woodstock? I'm thinking they send you a new shield with a hole for the probe and the right size probe. At least we got to the bottom of this head-scratcher.
They will make it right. What I have found is the two magnetic thermometers, one on the top plate and one about 16 inches up the flue, together give me excellent input to know that the cat is working, how to set the draft, and so forth.
I've got double wall stovepipe, so I've got the magnetic one they sent right beside the stove collar, on the door side.
I'd say doing a break in fire, putting in no more than 4 or 5 splits, and making sure there are air gaps here and there between them. I sometimes put them in at a bit of an angle so they don't lay flat on each other but give the fire room to breathe. Once it gets up to 450 on the temp gauge, the wood should be charred and burning well by that point, then bring the draft down to the 2 setting. That will keep the air down enough so it doesn't burn too quickly but may settle into a 400' burn for a bit before slowly dropping as it gasses off. Then wait for a cold day and have somewhat bigger fires where you do engage the cat. Try not to get frustrated as it did take me time to get the feel for the AS and I've been burning here on the NH line since 1980. My first Cat stove was in 85, so even with all of that it took a while to start getting consistent results. How cold are the days down there in Virginia these days? Are you getting hit hard with any of these storms and heavy rain or flooding? It really is a beauty, I'm a bit jealous of the nice looks it has. The double brick platform it's on is very nice too. Having nice aged wood is going to be very helpful for you. Once you start building bigger fires you will get lots of nice light shows to go with a warm cozy home.
I keep having to open the door a bit, or not have it latched good, to keep the fire going like "I think" it should. It keeps dying down, almost to black box. And I've got the air on 4. Not sure if it's something I'm doing/not doing, or if somethings going on...or if it's my expectations.... I know I'll get it, but as many have said on here before, it's a bit aggravating....
