they say a Cat Stove burns clean and shouldn't the exhaust be super hot? But they say CS exhaust can be cooler than normal. Is that because a CS runs "slower"?Regardless, how about a Stack Unit inside the house between stove and ceiling with a bunch of steel bars running through it and becoming outside fins to suck more heat. Make it removable so you can take it outside, dose with gasoline, and burn off any Creo build up every few months.Maybe even a small fan inside the SU, up at top where exhaust will be cool, in case its needed to such the cooled exhaust out reliably. I'm thinking a small electric fan in SU, along with external household potable fan blowing on the SU, would use much less energy (money) than the value of the extra heat (Vs electric heating bill).I'm seeing lots of ads for Wood Burning Stoves, but not much about making the air (exhaust) tight connections at the stacks. Is there a bunch of laws or just Codes about that to prevent idiots like me from killing a house full of guests? I'd have a couple-few CO detectors.Maybe something like this, and the stove itself would be on four extra steel plates which would be slid out to allow it to lower, for a bit of room to slide out the SU.Why can't or don't they make stacks so the dreaded Creo-build up fire just burns out the top, and doesn't set the house on fire? Just make the inner stack out of thick enough hi-temp steel, and make the outer layer spaced enough, or even double layer.Seems like any Creo-fire would be somewhat O2 starved.
>>2963674>Maybe something like this,https://www.autozone.com/p/ap-exhaust-exhaust-pipe-28569/1082801
>>2963674I would have expected the catalytic combustion to add to the heat but that assumes it is fed pre-heated air.Creosote build-up results from oxygen starved combuistion and should always be avoided. You could end up with your chimney on fire, which happened to my house, a small detail the previous owner forgot to mention when I bought the house. Neighbours mentioned he had at least two incidents. I have had none. Oxygen starvation also causes carbon monoxide formation, and proper air intake (and catalytic combustion) eliminates that. Americans seem in panic over CO poisoning but that is very uncommon here.And you could add a heat exchanger but there are at least two problems. The first is that you will get a lot of water if you are very efficient, and that has to be eliminated. Also you would lose the draft from hot flue going up the chimney and thus bad draft. So you need to accept some inefficiencies.
A properly designed smoke stack has negative pressure, or else the smoke would not pass through the smoke stack. So you can even drill a hole in it, and most likely it would suck in air from your house, instead of leaking flue gas from the hole. So CO incidents are rare, also because flue gas from wood burning smells like a motherfucker so you know when something is wrong.
>>2964060Third point: in the netherlands where i live it is common to build the flue stack from double walled stainless steel pipe (ss 304). It cost roughly 100 euro per meter but it lasts forever. From my stove to the flue stack entrace in the ceiling it is single walled simple pipe without any gaskets, it does not matter because of the negative pressure in the stack.
>>2964063Also my stove i connected the inlet air to the crawlspace, so it does not suck the combustion air from the living room. This prevents air draft (otherwise you get negative pressure in house, that will suck in cold unheated air through openings in your house)and is safer in case of issues with the stove.
>>2964063I was once told that one metre of flue gas metal pipe will provide 1 kW heat when in use. Strangely, many let most of this heat escape.
About the use of a condensing heating system:https://hackaday.com/2025/12/13/condensing-diesel-heater-hack-is-dripping-with-efficiency/
I hate cat stoves... They always spread their legs out and try to claw their way out of the stove door when I'm putting them in there. Your average cat does not contain many BTUs either. Lot of work for not much heat. Smell is a bit offputting too. 0/10 would not recommend.
>>2964668I had better luck with hobos. Even dry, they're relatively greasy, often impregnated by booze. You only has to check if they have a phone or something, burning batteries can ruin your stove.
