Stainless VS Ceramic Combustor

[DrewUth]

My stove has a cat converter, 6" round by 2" thick ceramic. I see stainless steel units on the 'Bay for a few dollars more, claiming longer lifespans and shorter heat up times. I am tempted- does anyone have any experience with them?

Thanks!

 

[Idahonative]

@bkvp

VP of Blaze King hasn't been seen here since Nov. 15th but hopefully he will chime in. No one knows how to answer your question better than him.

 

[DrewUth]

Thanks! Both are sold by Condar, and I understand them to be a reputable company so I am inclined to trust what they have to say, but I would love to hear from someone who truly knows.

 

[Idahonative]

Thanks! Both are sold by Condar, and I understand them to be a reputable company so I am inclined to trust what they have to say, but I would love to hear from someone who truly knows.

I had a conversation last year with a lady from BK and I asked her, if she had a choice, which one she would go with. She told me she would go with the ceramic. She gave a quick explanation why but I don't remember the specifics. VP will be able to explain in detail for us.

BTW: What did Condar say about the subject?

 

[DrewUth]

BTW: What did Condar say about the subject?

Well their ads on the 'bay says:

"Genuine STEELCAT Steel Catalytic Combustor
from Condar

The option to upgrade your ceramic CC-001 combustor to SteelCat is now available. Advanced technology offers you:

• A more durable honeycomb. Can’t crack or crumble, even at highest operating temperatures.
• Less build-up of wood ash, within the honeycomb cells. Sharp steel edges actually “cut” ash as it goes up the flue. Better air flow, less cleaning maintenance.
• Lower “light-off” temperature. Engage your draft bypass at 100 degrees lower temperature than with ceramic honeycomb.
• Steel heats up faster than ceramic. Recovers more usable heat from wood smoke.

A worthwhile extra expenditure for better performance. Fabricated at our factory in the foothills of Western North Carolina.

Replacing a worn out combustor brings new life to an aging stove! Burn times can increase by 50%, while you can realize as much as twice the heat from the same piece of wood. Your chimney stays much cleaner (and safer!), and you're protecting our valuable air quality. For most stove owners, the savings in wood alone pay for the replacement combustor many times over, not to mention the increased safety and convenience.
Note: this combustor includes the gasket wrap."

Seems legit?

 

[Highbeam]

I had a ceramic and now have a genuine OEM BK steelcat. I prefer the steel because it is not going to suffer from thermal shock and crack and crumble. Sure it lights off fast but so did the ceramic. The steel has smaller holes so is more prone to clogging but BKs don't do that so it isn't an issue.

The upcharge isn't that much so I would pay it. There's no downside that I can see. The newest BK modles all come with steel and I believe the same goes for the woodstocks. They aren't spending the extra money for fun.

 

[DrewUth]

Right on. I don't have a BK- I have an older Dutchwest "Federal Airtight". It burns great and the existing cat of unknown age still gets up to 1300-1400 when I let it go, and will sit at 1000-1200 for 3-4 hours no problem depending on what wood I have loaded in. I'm not displeased with it's performance currently, but I do wonder what I could be missing out on due tot he fact that I have no idea how old this one is. I bought the stove used and when I got it, the damper to engage the cat was rusted solid so I know it hadn't been used in a while. I am also considering having a replacement on-hand in case it finally gets cold out and the current one doesn't keep up.

 

[Idahonative]

I had a ceramic and now have a genuine OEM BK steelcat. I prefer the steel because it is not going to suffer from thermal shock and crack and crumble. Sure it lights off fast but so did the ceramic. The steel has smaller holes so is more prone to clogging but BKs don't do that so it isn't an issue.

The upcharge isn't that much so I would pay it. There's no downside that I can see. The newest BK modles all come with steel and I believe the same goes for the woodstocks. They aren't spending the extra money for fun.

When did BK go to steel on all their models? My cousin bought a King 2 months ago and it still has the ceramic cat.

 

[Highbeam]

When did BK go to steel on all their models? My cousin bought a King 2 months ago and it still has the ceramic cat.

I said the new models. The old king and princess still ship with ceramic but bk sells replacements in steel. The Ashford, scirrocos, and that other one Chinook are all steel only.

 

[EXCALIBER]

I bought my BK King Ultra model about 5 years ago now and it had the steel cat in it. However the new BK Kings now went back to the ceramic cat. Mine still works but I have noticed its efficiency dropping off the last couple of years. The steel has smaller holes and I have had problems with it wanting to clog. I am on the fence about which one to buy to replace the one I have as well but thinking of maybe going ceramic to do away with the clogging.

 

[3fordasho]

I've had two woodstock fireviews and now a progress hybrid. I would get about 2.5 years out of the ceramic cats before they would start to fall apart from cracking. The steel cats don't crack and fall apart but they also don't produce the same stove top temps the ceramic cats did. The steel cats will light of a bit sooner when they are newish but that falls off after some use then it seems to take higher temps to get them to stay lit. I had some plugging issues with the steel cat in the Hybrid but that seems to be something related to the stove design rather than the steel cat because a steel cat in the fireview did not have a plugging issue.

 

[DrewUth]

I'm not sure I like the idea of the steel cats needing higher temps to keep them lit


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[Highbeam]

I'm not sure I like the idea of the steel cats needing higher temps to keep them lit


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This is an odd claim. The cat keeps itself hot as long as there is fuel to burn. Much hotter than the actual fire. I would agree that, and maybe this was what 3Ford meant, due to the thin walls once the cat stops being active it will cool sooner. The cat does not need to be glowing to be working.

I expect to be changing any cat after 5 years of full time use.