Catalytic Combustor is the Heart of Your Wood Burning Stove

Your wood burning stove is the primary heat source for home heating. Keeping your wood stove operating at its optimum efficiency increases the stoves performance. The catalytic combustor in your wood stove is the heart of your wood stove. The EPA has enforced strict regulations on the emissions for pollutants of wood stoves. Installing a catalytic combustor in the wood stove forced all smoke to be re-burnt before it entered the chimney. This resulted in cleaner emissions in the air.

The most surprising result of adding the catalytic combustor to the wood stove was a huge increase in heat output from the stove. In order for the catalytic combustor to engage the stove must reach an internal temperature of around 1100 degrees. Once the catalytic combustor is engaged it slows down the burning process in the stove. The wood is slowly "Cooked" as opposed to being burnt. The slow cooking of the wood is a more thorough burn which results in total combustion. Coals and ash are reduced to a fine white powder. The total combustion utilizes the wood as a fuel source with no waste.

The increase in heat output by using less wood to heat your home has been a huge savings. Keeping your catalytic combustor operating properly adds to the wood stoves efficiency. Periodically you must remove the catalytic combustor and clean it. A shop vacuum will do a great job to get the light coating of fly ashes that can accumulate on the surface of the combustor. If the ceramic cells are clogged you may need to uses a pipe cleaner.

Like your heart clogs can cause major problems. Just as you watch what you put into your body only burn seasoned wood in the stove. Do not use a lot of newspaper to start your fire especially colored magazines as this can clog the catalytic combustor. We suggest using Fatwood a natural fire starter. Burning firewood that is not seasoned puts excess moisture into the wood stove and this can cause the ceramic cells in the combustor to deteriorate.

Keep your combustor clean and it can last five years or longer providing heat into your home. If the catalytic combustor starts to crumble it must be replaced.