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Section E- Achieving and Maintaining
Catalyst Light-Off
Your KUMA stove is equipped with a by-pass plate that slides forward to allow
the draft to escape up the chimney when the rod is pulled all the way forward. This “by-
passes” the combustor for the purpose of (1) starting a fire, and (2) refueling. This
section describes the position of the by-pass for 3 different burning situations.
1) START-UP: The by-pass rod would be pulled all the way out during start-up.
It will remain open long enough to achieve a medium to high burn rate (about 15-20
minutes). It will also be necessary to “crack” the door to allow extra air during start-up.
Check Operation Section ‘H’. Usually a normal fire start-up to produce a good coal bed
will produce sufficient temperatures to begin catalytic combustion.
2) NORMAL OPERATION: After the start-up temperature is reached, the by-pass
should be closed (pushed in). This begins the flow of smoke and gases through the
combustor. The combustor will begin generating. The by-pass is to remain closed
during normal operation.
3) REFUELING: The by-pass should be open (pulled out) during the refueling of
the stove. When refueling or rekindling a cool fire or a fire that has burned down to the
charcoal phase, operate the stove again at a medium to high burn rate (about 15-20
minutes) until a sufficient start-up temperature is reached.
Section F– Catalyst Monitoring
It is important to periodically monitor the operation of the catalytic combustor to
ensure that it is functioning properly, and to determine when it needs to be replaced. A
non-functioning combustor will result in a loss of heating efficiency, and an increase in
creosote and emissions. Following is a list of items that should be checked on a periodic
basis:
*Combustors should be visually inspected at least three times during the heating
season to determine if physical degradation has occurred. Actual removal of
the combustor is not recommended unless more detailed inspection is warranted
because of decreased performance. If any of these conditions exist, refer to
Catalyst Troubleshooting Section ‘G’ in this owner’s manual.
*You can get an indication of whether the catalyst is working by comparing the
amount of smoke leaving the chimney when the smoke is going through the
combustor and catalyst light-off has been achieved, to the amount of smoke
leaving the chimney when the smoke is not routed through the combustor (by-
pass mode).
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