Wood Stove Catalytic Combustors Inspecting and Replacing Worn Out Combustors Keep Your Stove Green
By David W Miller
High efficient wood burning stoves use catalytic combustors. The catalytic combustor is a coated ceramic honeycomb located inside the stove near the top. Some wood stoves locate the catalytic just under the top and others place it in the upper rear panel. Once the internal temperature of the stove reaches 1100 degrees you should engage the combustor usually by flipping a lever.
Smoke is rerouted to go through the combustor where it is super heated re-burning the smoke and flue gases. The result is more intense heat added to your home producing a long, even heat output and less particulate in the air. EPA's mandatory smoke emission limit for wood stoves is 4.1 g/h grams of smoke per hour for catalytic stoves.
A catalytic combustor can last six years or longer if properly cared for. Do not overheat your wood stove and never burn wet or unseasoned green wood as the moisture will destroy the ceramic honeycomb. Burning paper will create excess fly ash and that can clog the catalytic resulting in back puffing. If you notice a drop in the performance of your wood stove remove the catalytic combustor after the stove has cooled down, (refer to the owners manual to remove the combustor). Inspect the combustor for crumbling (a result of over firing or excess moisture) and clogs. If the catalytic is clogged you can use a pipe cleaner to remove excess soot from the honeycombs (this should be done annually). If the combustor is crumbling it is time to replace it. Keep your wood stove operating at its optimum efficiency and it will give you 15+ years of heat.
Complete list of wood stoves using catalytic combustors
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