We have an Encore Castings stove. We are new to wood burning stoves (this one came with the house and the old owners said they used it all the time in the winter). Covering the catalyst piece is a ceramic cover than, a white piece of ceramic on top of that that sits propped up on two small things. We replaced it when we got the stove as it was cracked. It cracked again after a month. Can you run the catalytic part with that piece cracked? I have searched high and low on the internet and cannot find the answer. For now, I am not running it and just using small fires and reloading more than I would want too). We only have this stove for 1 more month and then it is being replaced with a Napoleon 1400PL. If anyone has any reviews for this stove I would appreciate it. Everything I found on line seems to approve of it and the people at the store where we purchased it said it was one of the best out there.
The Napoleon 1400PL should produce close to the same amount of heat. The usable firebox is probably a little smaller than the Encore since the firebox includes the baffle and tube area. The Encore, when burning correctly will give you 8-12 hours of temps at or above 300 degrees. The Napoleon will give you, probably 5-8 hours. The Napoleon is a steel stove. It will be simple to use with very little maintenance. Far easier to work with than the Encore. If it is properly sized for your home, it should work very well for you.
Yes, cracked in half. It's propped up currently, still in the stove. I am not wanting to replace it with the new stove coming in a month. r
