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3. CATALYST TROUBLESHOOTING
The operation of any wood stove can create problems.
While the use of a catalyst equipped wood stove will
substantially lessen some of these problems, such as
creosote formation, other traditional wood stove
problems may remain. These problems are invariable
related to such conditions as draft, aging or failure of
stove components, flue installation, wood supply and
others.
Here are a few clues that may be of some assistance in
discerning problems:
A sluggish stove performance may be attributed to: a
poor chimney draft; an obstruction in the chimney; the
chimney damper being closed; closing the bypass
damper too soon; burning wet or unseasoned wood; the
combustor being plugged or obstructed, or a
combination of the above.
A drop in overall fuel efficiency may be attributed to:
having cold, windy weather; burning wet, pithy or
spongy wood; the combustor not in operational mode
(200-300 plus degrees); or the combustor being broken
or dislodged.
A high fuel consumption may be attributed to: burning
the wrong type of wood for the desired heat output;
improper regulation of draft or inlet air (close damper
after proper light off, install barometric damper set to
.06 inches of water, or close inlet air as much as
possible); cold, windy weather; or the combustor not
engaged or functioning properly.
Backpuffing may be attibuted to: gusts of wind; a hot
combustor (above 1400 degrees F); or opening doors in
a tightly constructed house.
Smoke rollout when the door is opened may be
attributed to: the manual flue being closed; wind gusts
blowing down the chimney; the combustor not at
operational temperature, or the stove door being opened
too quickly.
Glowing stove parts may be attributed to: running the
stove too hot (excessive amounts of wood); a high draft
(reduce when temperatures become too excessive); a
glowing combustor (this is normal during first 1/3 of
burn cycle), or a chimney fire (close inlet air and outlet
dampers completely - if this does not help, vacate home
and call the fire department immediately).
Creosote accumulation may be caused by one or more of
the following: a poorly insulated chimney; a non-
functioning combustor; types and amounts of wood
burned, or a leaking damper plate.
Creosote leakage from metal flue joints may be caused
by one or more of the following: no chimney cap; metal
flue assembled improperly, or a normal increase in the
moisture due to a higher efficiency of catalytic burning
(condensation on cool chimney walls).
A heavy concentration of smoke leaving the chimney
may be attributed to one or more of the following:
improper wood being burned; the damper being open,
or water vapor (on cold, still days, water vapor is often
mistaken for smoke. Water vapor appears to be white
and tends to rise vertically and dissipate rapidly while
smoke is usually bluish brown and drifts down and
settles in low areas before dissipating).
A poor draft may be attributed to these factors: an
improper chimney height; wrong size flue being used;
cooler temperatures caused by external chimney, or a
massive stone or masonry chimney.
An unhealthy combustor can be attributed to plugging,
catalyst peeling, catalyst deactivation, masking, substrate
cracking (thermal and mechanical), substrate crumbling,
color variations (does not affect performance), or
catalyst abrasion. An excellent guide to pinpointing and
correcting these problems can be found by consulting
the catalyst warranty.
