THERMAL SHOCK – OCCURS WHEN REFUELING WITH WOOD CONTAINING MOISTURE EITHER ON IT OR IN IT. MOIST SMOKE IS SENT TO THE COMBUSTOR WHEN THE BY-PASS IS CLOSED AND THE RESULTS ARE THERMAL SHOCK AND  CRACKING OF THE SUBSTRATE. A CONTINUAL PRACTICE OF THIS WILL CAUSE THE COMBUSTOR TO DETERIORATE. 

    FATIGUE – THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR HAS A SIX-YEAR (6) LIFE EXPECTANCY WHEN USED ACCORDING TO THE STOVE OWNER’S MANUAL. ALTHOUGH, SOME COMBUSTORS HAVE OPERATED WITH EFFICIENCY FOR AS HIGH AS TEN YEARS, THE COMBUSTOR’S LIFE IS BASED ON THE STOVE OPERATOR, MAINTENANCE, FUELS USED, AND THE STOVE MANUFACTURER’S DESIGN. 

    MISHANDLING – OR ABUSE TO THE COMBUSTOR. A FEW EXAMPLES WOULD  BE … DROPPING IT, USING ABRASIVE TOOLS FOR CLEANING IT, USING HIGH PRESSURE AIR TO BLOW THE CELL FREE OF ANY FLY-ASH BUILD-UP, USING  CLEANING SOLVENTS TO CLEAN IT OR PERHAPS BEATING ON IT TO REMOVE IT FROM IT’S HOLDING DEVICE. 

    DIRECT FLAME IMPINGEMENT – FLAMES BURNING FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME DIRECTLY INTO THE COMBUSTOR WITH THE BY-PASS OR DAMPER CLOSED WILL CAUSE THIS. ALLOWING THIS TO HAPPEN WILL CHANGE THE CHEMICAL MAKE-UP OF THE CATALYST AND CHANGE IT’S REACTION AS WELL. 

    FLAME IMPINGEMENT ON A CONTINUAL BASIS WILL CAUSE THE SUBSTRATE TO BREAK DOWN. SOME OF THE REASONS FLAME IMPINGEMENT OCCURS ARE OPERATING THE STOVE WITH THE FIREBOX DOOR AJAR OR THE ASH PAN NOT CLOSED TIGHTLY. OTHER REASONS MIGHT BE THAT THE DOOR GASKET NEEDS REPLACED OR THE AIR INTAKES ARE LEFT WIDE OPEN AFTER THE BY-PASS HAS BEEN CLOSED. UNCONTROLLABLE DRAW OR FAST DRAFT CAN BE CONTROLLED WITH THE USE OF A BAROMETRIC DAMPER. 

    POISONING – THIS HAPPENS BY BURNING MATERIALS OTHER THAN SEASONED DRIED WOOD. FOREIGN MATTER SUCH AS GARBAGE, PAINTED WOOD, LARGE AMOUNT OF COLORED PAPER, CARDBOARD, RUBBER, PLASTIC, PANELING WITH GLUE, OIL PRODUCTS AND SO ON WILL EVENTUALLY KILL THE EFFICIENCY OF THE CATALYST.

NORMALLY THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR REQUIRES LITTLE OR NO MAINTENANCE. BECAUSE IT GENERATES SUCH HIGH TEMPERATURES, IT IS BASICALLY SELF-CLEANING. AFTER THE FIRST BURNING THE COMBUSTOR SHOULD HAVE A LIGHT GRAY POWDER-LIKE APPEARANCE.

SHOULD THE COMBUSTOR’S CELLS BECOME MASKED WITH FLY-ASH, USE A PAINTBRUSH OR SOFT-BRISTLED BRUSH AND DUST THE COMBUSTOR GENTLY. NEVER USE ANYTHING ABRASIVE TO CLEAN THE COMBUSTOR. A VACUUM CLEANER MAY BE USED, BUT NEVER USE HIGH PRESSURED AIR TO BLOW THE CELLS FREE OF ANY BUILD-UP. ANY CELL BLOCKAGE CAN BE REMOVED WITH THE USE OF A PIPE CLEANER OR A COTTON SWAB.

SHOULD THE COMBUSTOR BECOME MASKED WITH SOOT OR CREOSOTE, IT IS POSSIBLE TO BURN THE ACCUMULATION OFF BY OPENING THE BY-PASS AND BUILDING A HOT FIRE. ONCE THE HOT FIRE IS CREATED, CLOSE THE BY-PASS HALFWAY AND BURN FOR 30 – 60 MINUTES WITH THE BY-PASS IN THIS POSITION.

APPLIED CERAMICS SUGGESTS IT WOULD BE WISE TO CHECK AND CLEAN THE COMBUSTOR, IF NECESSARY, BEFORE EACH BURNING SEASON BEGINS.

LIGHT-OFF – WAS NOT ACHIEVED BEFORE THE STOVE’S BY-PASS WAS  CLOSED. THIS MEANS THE CATALYST WAS NOT AT THE TEMPERATURE NECESSARY TO RECEIVE AND BURN THE INLET GASES. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE COMBUSTOR CELLS PLUGGING WITH FLY-ASH AND CREOSOTE. WHEN STARTING A FIRE IN A COLD STOVE, THE CATALYST NEEDS 500° F. OF TEMPERATURE FOCUSED ON IT FOR 20 – 30 MINUTES TO ALLOW PROPER LIGHT-OFF. 

    REFUELING – WET OR UNSEASONED WOOD WILL SHUT THE CATALYTIC  COMBUSTOR DOWN AT ONCE. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE COMBUSTOR’S CELLS    PLUGGING WITH FLY-ASH AND CREOSOTE. THIS WILL ALSO CAUSE THERMAL SHOCK TO THE COMBUSTOR’S SUBSTRATE AND HAIRLINE CRACKS WILL OCCUR ON THE  CELL WALLS. 

    MASKING – BLANKETING THE COMBUSTOR WITH A   SUBSTANCE THAT PREVENTS CATALYTIC ACTIVITY. 

    PLUGGING – A BUILD-UP OF SOOT, CREOSOTE AND/OR   FLY-ASH IN THE COMBUSTOR’S CELLS. THIS OCCURS WHEN THE COMBUSTOR IS OPERATED OR POSITIONED IMPROPERLY. INLET GAS TEMPERATURE MUST BE MAINTAINED AROUND 500°F.  TO KEEP THE CATALYST ACTIVATED. THIS ALSO OCCURS WHEN BURNING MATERIALS THAT PRODUCE LARGE FLAKES OR CHAR, LIKE WRAPPING PAPER OR CARDBOARD.

WHEN INITIALLY STARTING UP A COLD STOVE, A MEDIUM TO HIGH FIRING RATE MUST BE MAINTAINED FOR 20 – 30 MINUTES. THIS WILL ALLOW THE  STOVE, THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR, AND THE FUEL TO STABILIZE AT A PROPER OPERATING TEMPERATURE EVEN THOUGH THE TEMPERATURE CAN REACH 600° F. WITHIN A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE FIRE HAS STARTED. IF THE FIRE IS TURNED  DOWN TOO SOON TO A LOW BURNING CONDITION, IT WILL RESULT IN THE FIRE AND/OR THE CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR GOING OUT.

AT THE END OF A BURN CYCLE, IT’S POSSIBLE THAT THE AMOUNT OF BURNING EMBERS REMAINING MIGHT NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT TEMPERATURE OR FUEL FOR THE CATALYST TO STAY LIT.

DURING THE REFUELING OF A HOT STOVE THAT HAS AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE BELOW 500° F., IT IS BEST TO FIRE THE STOVE UP FOR 10 – 15 MINUTES TO ENSURE SUFFICIENT TEMPERATURE AND PROPER AMOUNTS OF VOLATILE GASES FOR THE CATALYST TO OPERATE WELL AND EFFICIENTLY. HOWEVER, WHEN REFUELING A HOT STOVE THAT HAS AN INTERNAL TEMPERATURE ABOVE 500°F., NO REFIRING IS NECESSARY.

COMBUSTOR TEMPERATURES CAN BECOME EXTREMELY HOT DURING OPERATION. TEMPERATURES ABOVE 1800° F. WILL DAMAGE THE CATALYST. TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 1400°F. AND 1600° F. ARE NORMAL, BUT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 1200° F. AND 1400° F. ARE RECOMMENDED.