I picked up a used Fireview and put it in my shop. It is the newer model with a cat. This is my first catalytic stove and I am trying to get a technique on how to operate. I get the stove top up to 250 and close the bypass to engage the cat and shut the dampener to about 2 on the scale. I still see smoke from the chimney with a 300 degree stovetop. Is that an indication that the cat is not working? I am burning really dry softwood (fir) or is the stovetop temp of 300 and indication the cat is lit? I have a new cat but didn't want to put it in if the old one is working. I don't have the temp probe that plugs in the back so all I have to go on is the smoke and the stovetop temps, unless I am missing something. The flu is 12' of class A and 6 feet of stovepipe. And yes I have read the instructions. Also interested in learning more about slow cooking on the stove top if you have any pointers.
Backwoods Savage .... I think this is the same that he has... and let me tell you it does a wonderful job of heating his house...
Id try running up just a bit higher. Maybe 300 degree. And when you close the bypass leave the damper alone for a couple of minutes to get the cat lit
Congratulations on the Fireview. You will very soon really enjoy that stove and the way it heats. And thanks Chvymn99 for the tip about this post and telling how good it is for us. First it depends if it has a steel cat or cast. With the cast we did always take the stovetop to 250 and the turn it down to 1 or 1 1/4. Then most times we turn it down to about 3/4 of the way to 1. I will say though that when we added another 3' of chimney then most of the time we turn it down to 1 and leave it. If the smoke does not stop within 2-4 minutes chances are the cat is not working. Even better is to watch the stovetop. Once you engage the cat the temperature should start climbing. Of course this also depends on how much wood you put in and at this time of year you probably are not loading it up else you for sure will get roasted. But before you shell out some dollars for a new cat, I suggest you give the old cat a bath. The way we do this is to use a quart (or about that size) squirt bottle. Get yourself some white vinegar and some distilled water. Be sure to use distilled water. Mix the vinegar and water at 50/60. I also heat the water but not to the boiling point; remember you will be hanging onto that bottle so don't burn yourself. I'd guess we heat it to maybe 120 maximum. I doubt hotter would do no harm but also doubt it would help that much and this way has worked for us. Some don't even heat the water. Now you have the 50/50 mix, spray that cat. I take it outdoors and spray half from one side and the flip the cat. Then I rinse the bottle and fill it with room temperature distilled water. Spray it the same way and then let it dry good before using it. This may or may not clean the cat good enough. If not then replace it. it the cat starts working you've saved a few dollars. Also I'd recommend cleaning the cat every year when you do the annual summer stove cleaning. After you engage the cat, after several minutes you can look up through the glass and see a red glow. Naturally a new cat will begin glowing quicker than an older cat so don't get too discouraged too quickly. Also it seems some cats will glow a bit different than others. We had one that would only glow dead center but sometimes none on the ends. Still, it worked nicely. Keep in mind you can get a kit from Woodstock with all the gaskets and cement at a good price. I might be able to help a bit more as you begin using it more. As for the cat probe, we have never had one. I do have a stovetop thermometer and set it center top. Another gauge is on the flue. Using both makes it easier to run the stove. On the chimney, you know 15' is recommended. Also for every bend in the pipe, subtract 2-3' from what you have. For example, an elbow has a bend,so if the chimney is 15', you in effect have only 12-13' rather than 15'. Of course there are other factors that come into play. Yet when we installed our Fireview, we had a short chimney and it still worked. I thought we might gain something so later added 3' but it proved a waste of money as we gained nothing. Also, our install comes straight out the back and runs 2' and through the wall then up. We did make a rise of 1/2", which exceeds code but works very nicely. As for cooking, do as you would normally do. We also have some soapstone blocks setting on the stove so when heating something or cooking we set things on these rather than direct on the stove. Some will bake potatoes in the firebox but we have not done this. Just use your imagination when it comes to cooking. Good luck.
Hey, good information here! Thanks Backwoods Savage! I ordered the gasket kits and a new cat from Woodstock a while back. After I got it set in place I checked the door gasket and the bypass gasket with the dollar bill test and that was all good. I am not sure what the cat is made of but it appears to be in good shape cosmetically. I haven't disturbed it yet but will see what I can see from the window. I don't think it is working very well but the temps do climb a bit after I close the bypass. I got a new top thermometer also with my order. I have a T instead of a 90 on the back of the stove. I wonder if the T might not be sealed up good... hhhmmm. Thought that T might make cleaning easier. After the T there is 2-3' double wall stove pipes, then 5-3' class A chimney sections. I stated earlier 12' of class a but I forgot about adding a section to get over the peak of the roof, so I have 15' of class A and 6' of stove pipe. We have a cold front coming thru tonight and its supposed to get in the mid 20's. After that passes I will take out the cat and try your vinegar and distilled water trick. If that doesn't work I will install the new cat. I think this stove must have been in storage for a good while. I have no idea what storing a stove dirty with a cat in it will do to the cat. It doesn't appear to be used a lot but it has had some rough handling because some of the soapstone has scratches and a gouge or two. What I have seen so far is it sips not gulps the firewood. I put this thing in my new shop/man cave. Figured it could save the marriage this winter in the mountains. I just retired a few months ago.
The temperature would climb some when you engage the cat even if it did not light off. That is because all the heat would be passing through that area and that is why a few have continued to run without a cat at least until the cold of winter sets in. Mid 20's is not all that cold so you should be okay for that. However, be aware that your fires won't last as long nor be as hot until the cat is right. Here is a picture of a steel cat. The cast cat has larger an square holes. Definitely check to make sure you did seal the tee when you put it in. Remember too that lots of folks never took the time to learn how to run a cat stove. Shoot I know many never even looked at a manual and probably never moved that little lever to engage or clos the cat. As for the rough treatment, get some super fine steel wool to go over the scratches. Get the finest you can get (It skips me right now but I think that is a #4.) You can always call Woodstock to double check that. Tell them Dennis' memory has gone on strike. Also if you don't have a manual, I could copy the important stuff for you.
Solid advise from Backwoods as usual. Easy to tell if it is a old cat since they were mounted in 2 piece cast cast enclosure. New steel ones are one piece like the picture from Dennis. We are running the steel cat and while it works well, I like the old cast unit. We did install a probe to monitor the cat. Woodstock provides a hole in the back of the stove for this purpose. While this is not necessary, I like watching the temps rapidly climp as the cat fires up. Not uncommon to see 900+ degrees behind the cat with a stove top temp of 500 or so. All in all, the Fireview is simple to operate and very efficient. Enjoy yours!
Are you sure it’s smoke and not steam you’re seeing? Even dry wood has moisture that steams off at the beginning of the burn. Give it several minutes and see if it clears up. Also, steam (white) dissipates more quickly than smoke (dark). Worth a try. Good luck.
I let the fire die out this afternoon and took the two piece cat out. It was full of ash. I went ahead and put the new cat in and fired it up after I cleaned up that area real good. The difference was like daylight and dark. The stovetop temps went up a lot faster and set up around 350 degrees and set there. Not much visible flames but a lot of heat. No smoke coming out the flu. I have the manual off the Woodstock website, thank you. My wife is going to town tomorrow to get the distilled water and I will get the old one cleaned up and back on the shelf. I figured now was a good time to get familiar with the stove before old man winter shows up. I appreciate the tips, help, and advice from everyone. I think I have got this until something else comes along. Thanks everyone!
Thanks wildwest for looking out for me. I have the rear shield and did maintain the minimum clearance requirements.
Before you give it a bath you can also lightly tap it to get some of that ash off and brush it too (a small paint brush will work if the bristles aren't too soft.
Just wondering how satisfied you are with the stove now that you have ran it a few times. Might be too soon to ask since the cold weather has not hit yet. We have not put a match to ours yet this season. Might have a fire this weekend though. Supposed to be low 30s by weekend.
I love this thing. We had a cold spell where it got in the teens, so I have a pretty good idea it is going to perform well. The specs from Woodstock as far as burn times are very conservative in my case.
About the burn times. You probably already know that with most stoves it depends on a number of things your fuel being the most important. There are many other brands including some Woodstock models that have much longer burn times. The Fireview has a smaller firebox, but it is just right for our 1200sf ranch.
