Outside air intake

[ultrarunner]

Always learning from the TBN brain trust...

The glass has not been cleaned in 3 firings... really surprised at how clean it remains compared to my brother that has a small pedestal stove... the glass always has soot... which I always clean! His stove has no CAT... and he runs it much colder as the family room isn't that large...

The Thermometer in my picture has a long shaft that sits about the CAT... it can be pulled out when the stove is cold... not so when at temp...

Maybe I need to work on technique regarding the trace of smoke in the air... it does linger a bit inside when doing a cold start as the flue is about 20' to daylight...

Have not noticed any difference with outside air or not...

The house across the way has the same stove and also the same Thermometer...

 

[Egon]

Always learning from the TBN brain trust...

The glass has not been cleaned in 3 firings... really surprised at how clean it remains compared to my brother that has a small pedestal stove... the glass always has soot... which I always clean! His stove has no CAT... and he runs it much colder as the family room isn't that large...

The Thermometer in my picture has a long shaft that sits about the CAT... it can be pulled out when the stove is cold... not so when at temp...

Maybe I need to work on technique regarding the trace of smoke in the air... it does linger a bit inside when doing a cold start as the flue is about 20' to daylight...

Have not noticed any difference with outside air or not...

The house across the way has the same stove and also the same Thermometer...

If you have the proper amount of air for proper combustion ( burns hot ) the glass stays clear. Insufficient combustion air and there is soot on the glass and creosote in the chimney. Too much air and the burn is cooler making soot on glass and creosote in the chimney.

 

[goeduck]

Always learning from the TBN brain trust...

The glass has not been cleaned in 3 firings... really surprised at how clean it remains compared to my brother that has a small pedestal stove... the glass always has soot... which I always clean! His stove has no CAT... and he runs it much colder as the family room isn't that large...

The Thermometer in my picture has a long shaft that sits about the CAT... it can be pulled out when the stove is cold... not so when at temp...

Maybe I need to work on technique regarding the trace of smoke in the air... it does linger a bit inside when doing a cold start as the flue is about 20' to daylight...

Have not noticed any difference with outside air or not...

The house across the way has the same stove and also the same Thermometer...

On my CAT stove when the bypass is closed the flames and heat off of the fire get directed straight towards the door at the front of the stove and turn up through a baffle and reverse themselves and head back towards the flue stack. So that thermometer is in just about the hottest spot there is short of the fire itself. But it cannot be that much hotter than the flue gasses. I did not install my thermometer since it is a big ugly digital version. CAT stoves need to run HOT to be efficient. The trouble in that is they run you out of the house. Not that I want to, but my stove in moderate temperatures outside is running without the CAT being active. Or at least without it glowing (waffle looking glowing grid in attached picture behind baffle). Personally I would rather not have a CAT stove but you cannot legally install a regular stove where I live. The CAT is removeable and I do run it that way at times. It has secondary burn (gas burner looking tube in the picture below the glowing grid) so I think it would still qualify as an EPA stove. If smoke from the stack is any indication as long as I burn dry, dry wood and keep it hot you cannot tell I have a fire going CAT or no CAT operating. But I am sure the CAT does take out some nasty stuff.

 

[MossRoad]

Lighting my stove.

 

[MossRoad]

26 minutes later, throttling it down.

 

[MossRoad]

2 hours later.

 

[ultrarunner]

If you have the proper amount of air for proper combustion ( burns hot ) the glass stays clear. Insufficient combustion air and there is soot on the glass and creosote in the chimney. Too much air and the burn is cooler making soot on glass and creosote in the chimney.

Looks like the proof is in the glass... only used if a few times and surprised just how quickly the temp drops depending of the speed of the room fan... off, low, medium, high...

 

[ultrarunner]

On my CAT stove when the bypass is closed the flames and heat off of the fire get directed straight towards the door at the front of the stove and turn up through a baffle and reverse themselves and head back towards the flue stack. So that thermometer is in just about the hottest spot there is short of the fire itself. But it cannot be that much hotter than the flue gasses. I did not install my thermometer since it is a big ugly digital version. CAT stoves need to run HOT to be efficient. The trouble in that is they run you out of the house. Not that I want to, but my stove in moderate temperatures outside is running without the CAT being active. Or at least without it glowing (waffle looking glowing grid in attached picture behind baffle). Personally I would rather not have a CAT stove but you cannot legally install a regular stove where I live. The CAT is removeable and I do run it that way at times. It has secondary burn (gas burner looking tube in the picture below the glowing grid) so I think it would still qualify as an EPA stove. If smoke from the stack is any indication as long as I burn dry, dry wood and keep it hot you cannot tell I have a fire going CAT or no CAT operating. But I am sure the CAT does take out some nasty stuff.

View attachment 628816

The rod on the front is to engage or position the CAT once minimum temp is achieved...

You are right... I have never experienced a stove like this in terms of the heat it puts out... still learning.

The living/dining room has a high vaulted ceiling but I noticed there is a nice ceiling fan... with the fan on the warmed air really circulates and of course the blower moves a lot of air... not too loud on low... wish it was silent but not bad.

In Olympia I have a very nice old tile pedestal stove... been told if I take it out it could not go back in as code has changed... it is off the kitchen in the breakfast area and enjoy if very much... plus I have acres of woods so no problem there if I want fir.

In Oakland the wood from the family acreage is Oak... no surprise there... plenty of really old stuff where at least one goes down each winter... from of the trunks are nearly 5' diameter which is really more than I want to fool with but the limbs are awesome.

 

[ultrarunner]

Lighting my stove.

That's a lot of wood... never had even a third as much in mine... but a cold day here is still in the 40's...

Is it OK to fill any wood stove like that... basically fill as much as easily goes in?

As a side note... grew up in a home with fireplace... all day stoking the fire and the stone would get nice and warm and stay warm over overnight... but boy could that fireplace gobble wood!!! And, it would seem to be the only warm place in the house as the far end where the bedrooms always got colder!

 

[goeduck]

In Oakland the wood from the family acreage is Oak... no surprise there... plenty of really old stuff where at least one goes down each winter... from of the trunks are nearly 5' diameter which is really more than I want to fool with but the limbs are awesome.

I can deal with 5 foot diameter just fine but never have oak up here. That must be a treat. :thumbsup: