Does the combustor have to 'glow' before it is working?

This is a misconception.

A catalyst can glow during certain stages of combustion. The determination that a catalyst is not working simply because it doesn't glow is inaccurate.

During the low burn cycle, when the catalyst is doing the bulk of its work, it usually does not glow.

Also, extremely dry wood (oak, ash, etc...) can burn clean enough not to produce a glow in the converter.

What does a catalytic combustor do in a woodburning stove?

Complete combustion or burning the smoke from a wood fueled fire ordinarily requires temperatures too high to be practical in a wood stove.

However, as smoke passes through the catalytic combustor, it comes in contact with a noble metal coating which is adhered to the honeycomb shaped ceramic base and reduces the temperature at which the smoke will burn.

The smoke ignites at this lower temperature and then burns efficiently to produce additional heat from every log. Thus, the stove becomes more efficient and requires fewer cords of wood.

In other words, as the Firecat™ catalytic combustor burns smoke within the wood stove, it creates additional heat.

In fact, independent research has shown that up to 50% more heat is generated from each piece of wood. This means savings to the owner because compared to costs for natural gas, heating oil and electricity, wood heat is an excellent value.