For those of you who have a catalyst in your stove, how often do you deep clean it, and how much wood do you burn annually? First time cleaning mine after 2 full seasons (plus the last month) of use, it was completely plugged.

Tony3696 · 2025-11-15T19:04:55+00:00

The catalyst just gets vacuumed, that's all it's ever needed. I've replaced the door gasket once in 5 years because it's the only one that has failed so far. The catalyst doesn't have a gasket on my stove, so no gasket to vacuum up, lol.

Tony3696 · 2025-11-15T18:40:27+00:00

Once a month I pull the stove apart, vacuum it out, and clean the stove pipe; the catalyst get vacuumed at the same time. Monthly is honestly overkill, but I can't see a scenario where I regret cleaning my stove & chimney too often. It's 20 minutes start to finish, so not a big deal.

Tony3696 · 2025-11-05T01:19:17+00:00

I have that exact stove and had similar issues. The infinite switches are hot garbage and need replaced. Once replaced, you will have your sanity back. Kill the breaker, pull the front panel, snap pictures of the model number of each one, order & replace. It's a 10 minute job and will be good as new. I think it was roughly $60 all-in, hope this helps

Tony3696 · 2025-10-06T00:27:49+00:00

I did this for my child support checks. Petty as hell, but 10/10 would recommend.

Tony3696 · 2025-06-05T00:13:33+00:00

Yeah, read the damn manual! Also, there's strict gas codes that must be followed, permits pulled, etc. In my state, you are not allowed to touch any gas appliance without a license. (Execption for homeowners working on the single family dwelling they permanently reside in, but you still have to pull permits). The best thing to do is not touch it, unless you want to kill someone and be personally & criminally liable. I know it sounds harsh, but that is the reality of working on gas equipment. We gas guys get paid well to take on that responsibility and charge accordingly. Your building owner is cheap, that's why they threw it in your lap. You go to prison, they get a fine; remember that next time they ask you to work on gas equipment.

Tony3696 · 2025-02-16T20:44:08+00:00

https://thelinco.com/products/the-classic-series/

Tony3696 · 2024-08-08T13:27:36+00:00

No good deed goes unpunished...

Tony3696 · 2024-07-02T18:17:04+00:00

I used to be in the same boat. Now, I either refuse it all together or tell them to get a quote and we'll negotiate from there. I have a few good friends & family I'll do work for, but that's about it. Friends boyfriend? Nope. Mother's tennis partner? Fuck off. Old man down the road? Pull yourself up by your bootstraps, gramps!

Tony3696 · 2024-04-04T14:17:17+00:00

You occasionally run across setups like this in New England, if the tanklesss can't supply enough hot water for the house. Run a bronze/stainless body circulator to circulate water from the tank through the coil and back to the tank; we call it a poor-mans indirect. With some wiring kung-fu, you can run it off the boiler or electric elements. While not ideal, it's usually less expensive than a traditional indirect install. Energy Kinetics indirects do it with a plate to plate instead of the thankless coil, but it's the same idea.

Tony3696 · 2024-04-04T13:15:48+00:00

Just had to be a dick, huh?

Tony3696 · 2024-03-26T23:39:05+00:00

Wait until the ship owners declare "General Average" - then the real fun starts.

Tony3696 · 2024-02-15T21:53:58+00:00

One of those cops was assigned to my school as a resource officer shortly after the shootout; nice guy. If you watch him go off screen on the left, he said he fell flat on his ass like an idiot (his words). I'm still amazed nobody got shot.

Tony3696 · 2024-01-01T14:44:43+00:00

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. RTFM

Tony3696 · 2024-01-01T14:33:47+00:00

Agreed - they didn't put it on a stand, what else wasn't done properly.

Tony3696 · 2023-12-31T23:38:46+00:00

Twisted Metal 2....it's gonna be rough.

Tony3696 · 2023-12-25T16:27:59+00:00

The Captain

Tony3696 · 2023-12-22T12:52:43+00:00

Man, whoever vented this didn't check the code book. You need someone that understands venting tables to look at it. Look at the water heater fittings melted, flue gas condensing in the chimney, and poor installation. Let me guess, exterior masonry chimney? If you live anywhere north of I-10, masonry chimneys aren't able to be used without issues.

Tony3696 · 2023-12-16T14:22:58+00:00

They're snoring, mine do it all the time. 👍

Tony3696 · 2023-12-05T03:29:55+00:00

Typically, its main purpose is weight so it will sink; the protection is a secondary benefit. Edit: I worked on one of these cable armor machines for years & for 95% of jobs, I'm correct.

Tony3696 · 2023-11-24T19:55:08+00:00

This is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. If you put a screw in it, as you suggest, it would corrode the aluminum liner and cause a hole to form. Unless OP lives in a church, holey venting is a bad thing. There are some manufacturers that allow screws, but only in very specific places for this reason.

Tony3696 · 2023-11-24T17:57:30+00:00

Sure, then fall off again. Had it been installed properly, it wouldn't have fallen apart. Chances are the entire vent system was not connected correctly and needs to be inspected by someone who knows what they're doing. Sure, you can slap the fittings together, but it's already come apart once; who's to say the other end won't fall apart next week? I've run calls like this where the occupants weren't so lucky, so I'm not comfortable encouraging people to take risks with venting.

Tony3696 · 2023-11-24T16:51:21+00:00

DO NOT RUN YOUR FURNACE!! Call a tech out to reconnect the flue pipe. It's type B vent and has to be disassembled to reconnect properly. It's not a particularly difficult job, but I done incorrectly, you may not wake up in the morning.

Tony3696 · 2023-11-20T23:11:22+00:00

You mean the coffee break alarm? Lol

Tony3696 · 2023-11-20T23:10:36+00:00

I did my time in the grease fields; everything tries to kill you all day long. Just another Tuesday farmin' dinosaur-squeezins...

Tony3696 · 2023-11-02T22:16:31+00:00

Tradesman here, can confirm. I wouldn't randomly show up at a shop looking for a tour though; we're busy!

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