# 2015/2016 VC Owners thread



## jharkin (Sep 30, 2015)

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2014-2015-vc-owners-thread.132919/page-5

moving on...

The Blaze King folks have beat us to it as usual and they probably have more discussion in their thread by October than we will get all season. But as always there is gene thing we know they will never beat us at:
*Frustration!*
Ok folks, lets get to it.  Who is still burning the torch with VC this year... hopefully not torching their house in the process. Let the fun begin!


----------



## jharkin (Sep 30, 2015)

I'll start.  Nothing done yet. Assuming the tropical storm misses us next week I'm taking a week off work to finish fall home improvement projects.  Part of the plan includes splitting up the cord of maple sitting in the yard from power company trimming (for 16/17 - this years wood is in the shed already), and doing the preseason clean out on the Encore.


----------



## Mr.K (Sep 30, 2015)

I've been waiting for this thread!  I hear you on the fall home improvement projects......My wood is already stacked and ready to feed the montpelier.  Just waiting for some cool weather to clean the liner and make a few small fires....


----------



## Reckless (Sep 30, 2015)

Ohhhhh yea Changing from oval to 6"round this year also burning 2yr+ red oak!! Changing most gaskets which seems to be a yearly thing now....... happy burning!!


----------



## jharkin (Sep 30, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Ohhhhh yea Changing from oval to 6"round this year also burning 2yr+ red oak!! Changing most gaskets which seems to be a yearly thing now....... happy burning!!



Sweeeeeeeet on the oak.

I hear you on the gasket.  I get about 2 years on the griddle gaskets and I have a feeling  when I pop out the lower fireback to clean out the back chamber the gaskets is giong to fall out, so I'll pick up some rope before I even start the cleaning.

RIght now its near 80 degrees and pouring rain. Feels more like a tropical island than fall in New England.


----------



## Reckless (Sep 30, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Sweeeeeeeet on the oak.
> 
> I hear you on the gasket.  I get about 2 years on the griddle gaskets and I have a feeling  when I pop out the lower fireback to clean out the back chamber the gaskets is giong to fall out, so I'll pick up some rope before I even start the cleaning.
> 
> RIght now its near 80 degrees and pouring rain. Feels more like a tropical island than fall in New England.


I was actually thinking of sealing the top load with furnace cement.... I really dont use it and it seems to be the one I replace the most as the gasket cement gets destroyed by the high temps I crank out.


----------



## Diabel (Sep 30, 2015)

Good day everyone.
I might actually light a small fire tonight. First of the season. It will be a chilly one tonight and it would be nice to wake up to a warm house. The 0028 is about finished, it will provide some heat for a few fires still. 
I will put the 2550 into service in a couple of weeks


----------



## Reckless (Oct 1, 2015)

Diabel said:


> Good day everyone.
> I might actually light a small fire tonight. First of the season. It will be a chilly one tonight and it would be nice to wake up to a warm house. The 0028 is about finished, it will provide some heat for a few fires still.
> I will put the 2550 into service in a couple of weeks


That is an all too familiar sight.... thanks for the rehashing the nightmares I just started to get over


----------



## Diabel (Oct 1, 2015)

All the sides are off and cleaned. I looked over the base and the seams look solid. The cement has no cracks at all. I will leave it as is.

I will start puting it back together this weekend (time permitting). I have two tubes of cement, it should be enough.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 5, 2015)

Today I cleaned out the flues for the Encore and the den fireplace and did a full cleanout of the Encore.  I got about 3 or 4 coffee cans worth of black soot and chps from about 1.5 cord last season.  Not great in general but not bad by VC standards.  The new ceramic cat I put in last year looks great, cat chamber and refractory good.  The fireback gasket was loose but still usable - all other gaskets fine except the griddle.. I might go buy some and redo that.






before sweeping




after





Reminder that I have lots of 10-24 and 1/4-20 hardware left over from my rebuild. Anybody who needs some send me a PM, ill mail you a handful of screws for the cost of postage.


----------



## ill_make_you_famous (Oct 5, 2015)

I just refaced my fireplace and put a winterwarm small. Bought it used in great shape. Gotta replace damper gasket and it'll be good to go. Nervous about the mixed reviews on this insert but it was the only flush insert within Our budget.


----------



## Freddie's girl (Oct 7, 2015)

Have a 600 sq ft house. Just want an occasional fire, maybe with biobricks. Suggest an easy to use VC model?


----------



## jharkin (Oct 8, 2015)

Ease of use is not a VC strength.  Except maybe the Merrimac insert that uses burn tubes.

If you are looking for small stove with VC cast iron looks and simple one control operation maybe a small Jotul will fit the bill?


----------



## pixelmountain (Oct 14, 2015)

I came back here after a few years hiatus, because we finally had the chimney relined (6" stainless) and I'm beyond excited to start the first fire of the year. But it's too warm to make a fire in our tiny house, so I'm coming here for a fix in the meantime. I was glad to find you've been creating yearly VC owners threads.

Our biggest (only?) problem is that our chimney height is technically far too short for this stove, especially at 6000' altitude. However, we actually get good draft. The only times we have a problem with draft are when it's foggy, aka we're "in a cloud," which is typically in late spring and summer anyway. After discussing with others, it seems we get some sort of benefit from our particular position on the lee side of a hill. Maybe the air currents down the hill manage to create draft. I don't know, but it works, so I try not to question it. And now that we have a 6" liner I know it's supposed to be even better. Hence my impatience to start the first fire of the year!

Edit: Oh, and we have since trimmed back the tree you see too close to the chimney in one of these photos. These Russian/Siberian elms grow like weeds.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 14, 2015)

Welcome back!

It could just be the picture but is that a 6" pipe coming right off the stove? To me it looks like 8".


----------



## pixelmountain (Oct 14, 2015)

Diabel said:


> Welcome back!
> 
> It could just be the picture but is that a 6" pipe coming right off the stove? To me it looks like 8".



Thanks!

It is 6". To further confuse matters, I just changed that photo because I realized I posted a photo from before the reline, which had a 6" to 8" adaptor as it entered the chimney. The new photo is after the reline, sans adaptor. But the pipe from the stove has always been 6".


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 14, 2015)

Hi all- I bought a house in this past spring that has a VC Encore 2250.  I have no experience with VC stoves.  The issue is that the damper won't close.  I opened it up by taking off the flue collar & the damper bar doesn't really connect to the damper.  It catches it for about 1/2in & then the damper just falls back.  Is this bar warped possibly?  I assume the previous owner over-burned this stove pretty often because a lot of the paint is peeling on the left side.  Not sure whether or not to rebuild it or just look into getting a new stove.  I'd like to hear thoughts.  If all i have to do is fix the damper, i can probably do that on my own.  But I have a feeling this thing will end up needing a full re-build.  Nothing on the inside of the firebox appears to be warped.  So far I bought a gasket kit to replace those, but that's it.  Would like to get the damper situation squared away before winter in VT really gears up...


----------



## Diabel (Oct 14, 2015)

droppinloads said:


> Hi all- I bought a house in this past spring that has a VC Encore 2250.  I have no experience with VC stoves.  The issue is that the damper won't close.  I opened it up by taking off the flue collar & the damper bar doesn't really connect to the damper.  It catches it for about 1/2in & then the damper just falls back.  Is this bar warped possibly?  I assume the previous owner over-burned this stove pretty often because a lot of the paint is peeling on the left side.  Not sure whether or not to rebuild it or just look into getting a new stove.  I'd like to hear thoughts.  If all i have to do is fix the damper, i can probably do that on my own.  But I have a feeling this thing will end up needing a full re-build.  Nothing on the inside of the firebox appears to be warped.  So far I bought a gasket kit to replace those, but that's it.  Would like to get the damper situation squared away before winter in VT really gears up...



Most likely it is the upper fireback that is warped.
Take some pictures from looking into the stove angle.
We will be able to tell more then.


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 15, 2015)

ok will do thanks.  Am i correct to assume that VC Fireback kit #5927 works for the VC 2250?  I know that kit is for the 2550, but i haven't been able to find anything for the 2250.  I know the stoves are pretty close to the same


----------



## Diabel (Oct 15, 2015)

Are you sure it is a 2250 not 2550?


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 15, 2015)

It's definitely an Encore 2250.  I can't really find anything at all on this model


----------



## Diabel (Oct 15, 2015)

I could be wrong, but I have never heard of this Encore 2250 model. 

Picture of the back plate??


----------



## jharkin (Oct 15, 2015)

Loads, can you take a photo of the information plate on the back of the stove?  Ive never heard of the 2250 either.

There is a history of the encore line here: http://www.fergusonfireplace.com/
Defiant Encore 0028
Defiant Encore 2140
Defiant Encore 2190
Encore 2550
Encore Non-Catalytic 1450
Encore 2n-1 2040


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 15, 2015)

Ok snapped a few pics. Back plate & then some of the inside


----------



## Diabel (Oct 15, 2015)

This is just too bizarre.
I stand corrected!

The insides look ok to me.

What is interesting is the bilingual plate. This could have been a limited number of units produced for the Quebec consumer group. I have gone through four Encores and none of them had French on the back plates. And I am in Canada (the country of English ((eh)) and the other "funny" tounge.......spoken).....


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 15, 2015)

Well I'm in N VT only an hour from Quebec so it's quite possible the prior owner of my place bought this up there


----------



## Diabel (Oct 16, 2015)

droppinloads said:


> Hi all- I bought a house in this past spring that has a VC Encore 2250.  I have no experience with VC stoves.  The issue is that the damper won't close.  I opened it up by taking off the flue collar & the damper bar doesn't really connect to the damper.  It catches it for about 1/2in & then the damper just falls back.  Is this bar warped possibly?  I assume the previous owner over-burned this stove pretty often because a lot of the paint is peeling on the left side.  Not sure whether or not to rebuild it or just look into getting a new stove.  I'd like to hear thoughts.  If all i have to do is fix the damper, i can probably do that on my own.  But I have a feeling this thing will end up needing a full re-build.  Nothing on the inside of the firebox appears to be warped.  So far I bought a gasket kit to replace those, but that's it.  Would like to get the damper situation squared away before winter in VT really gears up...



If the rod looks anything like this one, then it is more less straight and it should be eliminated as potential problem.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 16, 2015)

Yep if the rod is straight either the upper fireback is warped or the damper plate itself is damaged and/or the tab that grabs the rod is missing.

The back of the damper plate should look like this - the tab with the screw in the middle is what grab the rod and looks it closed. The adjusting screw you can see on the front center of the damper presses on this tab to adjust the seal.


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 19, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Yep if the rod is straight either the upper fireback is warped or the damper plate itself is damaged and/or the tab that grabs the rod is missing.
> 
> The back of the damper plate should look like this - the tab with the screw in the middle is what grab the rod and looks it closed. The adjusting screw you can see on the front center of the damper presses on this tab to adjust the seal.


I have to open it up again & take a closer look at that tab.  The rod looks just like the one in the picture above.  The tab may just be mis-aligned.  what happens is the rod catches the damper at first & then slips off.  Maybe the tab just needs to be adjusted


----------



## MWelch2583 (Oct 19, 2015)

Lit my new to me resolute acclaim that I got from my buddys father yesterday outside the house.  Was in a barn for a while so lit it outside to burn some of the surface rust off.  Already replaced the door and top lid gaskets and was planning on replacing the combuster, but yesterday I got a really good controlled burn even when in downdraft mode.  He told me that he had replaced it the year before he put the stove in storage due to the fact of needing a larger one for his house.  Should I still replace the combuster, or say the hell with it and run it for the season since it worked so well yesterday?? Thanks for the help


----------



## jharkin (Oct 19, 2015)

MWelch2583 said:


> Lit my new to me resolute acclaim that I got from my buddys father yesterday outside the house.  Was in a barn for a while so lit it outside to burn some of the surface rust off.  Already replaced the door and top lid gaskets and was planning on replacing the combuster, but yesterday I got a really good controlled burn even when in downdraft mode.  He told me that he had replaced it the year before he put the stove in storage due to the fact of needing a larger one for his house.  Should I still replace the combuster, or say the hell with it and run it for the season since it worked so well yesterday?? Thanks for the help



If the catalyst was replaced a year ago its probably fine.  They are supposed to be good for about 10,000 hours use.  As long as you are not seeing much smoke outside when its engaged it shoudl be working.


----------



## droppinloads (Oct 19, 2015)

jharkin said:


> If the catalyst was replaced a year ago its probably fine.  They are supposed to be good for about 10,000 hours use.  As long as you are not seeing much smoke outside when its engaged it shoudl be working.



Jharkin- I read through your Encore rebuild thread- well done & thanks for documenting.  I'm thinking I may just replace my upper fireback.  Would you say this is a difficult job?  It doesn't seem like it should be but then again...


----------



## jharkin (Oct 19, 2015)

droppinloads said:


> Jharkin- I read through your Encore rebuild thread- well done & thanks for documenting.  I'm thinking I may just replace my upper fireback.  Would you say this is a difficult job?  It doesn't seem like it should be but then again...



It probably the most difficult thing to do short of a complete tear down but its certainly doable if you have good mechanical skills. 

The problem is just that's its a fiddly, cramped, messy job. Getting it out is the worst since there is probably a lot of creosote built up around the top of it that's going to fight you as you try to pry it out... and then for a couple of steps it will seem like the darn thing is just not going to fit until you figure out a particular angle you need to move it to line things up.

Just keep at it, take your time and work slow and careful and it shouldn't be tooooooo bad.


----------



## begreen (Oct 19, 2015)

jharkin said:


> If the catalyst was replaced a year ago its probably fine.  They are supposed to be good for about 10,000 hours use.  As long as you are not seeing much smoke outside when its engaged it shoudl be working.


I think he means the combustion package. The Acclaim is a downdraft unit. This usually has a 3-5 yr lifespan with good treatment. If it has been recently replaced it should be ok.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 19, 2015)

begreen said:


> I think he means the combustion package. The Acclaim is a downdraft unit. This usually has a 3-5 yr lifespan with good treatment. If it has been recently replaced it should be ok.



ooooooh  the acclaim is an everburn non-cat.  Gotcha.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 19, 2015)

Finally I have a chance to get back to my rebuild of the 2550. Everything is stripped down ready for recementing and regasketing.
I understand 5/16 gasket will be required mostly.
3/8 for the ash pan door. Do the inner side panels use 5/16 as well?

Also, the damper assembly only has grooves for 5/16 gasket on the short sides, the is no groove along the upper side. Do I apply a bead of cement there or just leave it and hope for a tight cast iron fit?


----------



## jharkin (Oct 19, 2015)

3/8 for the inner sides.

Differing opinions on upper back... @Defiant cements everything iirc. I used gaskets on the sides and a ton of furnace cement along the top. It won't fit tight enough for an airtight seal without it.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 19, 2015)

jharkin said:


> 3/8 for the inner sides.
> 
> Differing opinions on upper back... @Defiant cements everything iirc. I used gaskets on the sides and a ton of furnace cement along the top. It won't fit tight enough for an airtight seal without it.


Thanks Jeremy


----------



## jharkin (Oct 21, 2015)

Changed the griddle gasket.  Used some dense reading to hold it down while the glue set


----------



## Diabel (Oct 21, 2015)

Nice.
I have been busy and unable to finish my 2550.
It is pretty much completely in pieces (will take some pics tomorrow).
Surprisingly, the 0028 is still running. The cat is so shot, refractory housing glued together last year with several small sections. A real piece meal job. I would say it put out about a 50% of the heat with the damper closed, yet very little smoke out the stack.

Last weekend, it was below zero here at night and the house needed more heat! It warmed up since...hence no urgency to put the 2550 in service.

I picked up more gasket yesterday (3/8) and I am hoping to start cementing the beast back together over the weekend.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 22, 2015)

Diabel said:


> Last weekend, it was below zero here at night and the house needed more heat! It warmed up since...hence no urgency to put the 2550 in service.



Below zero C ?     

On Sunday  we had our first hard freeze, it went down to around 25F / -4C overnight.  I turned on the gas and we lit the fireplace but not the stove yet.  This years wood supply is limited so I am waiting for colder weather.   

Today its back up to 70 (22C) again so who the heck knows when that will be...


----------



## Diabel (Oct 22, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Below zero C ?
> 
> On Sunday  we had our first hard freeze, it went down to around 25F / -4C overnight.  I turned on the gas and we lit the fireplace but not the stove yet.  This years wood supply is limited so I am waiting for colder weather.
> 
> Today its back up to 70 (22C) again so who the heck knows when that will be...



Yes Celsius, sorry
28f 
Around 45f during the past few days and the 0028 is keeping the house warm.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 22, 2015)

Quite alright Diabel - us yanks are the odd ones out in this regard after all 

  I'mpretty good at doing the conversion in my head and assumed you meant C; just wanted to make sure you  hadn't already put it in F terms for our benefit  - as that would be COLD!


----------



## fireSteve (Oct 30, 2015)

So, I'm the new proud schmuck of an owner of an Encore 2550 that I purchased off Craigslist.  As you'd probably guess, I bought it for it's looks...without knowing much more.  It was not an easy process to pickup the stove, run a new liner (my flu was not approved), and work around the heatilator firebox that I ran the liner through, but that should probably be left to a separate thread all in its own right.  I used a 10x6 rectangular liner to accommodate the 10x6 fireplace adapter that came with the Encore from the previous owner, which was not an easy thing to find (
https://www.firesidechimneysupply.com/).

When I first hooked this stove up, I fired it up and slowly added wood as to the manual instructions.  It was everything I ever dreamed.  After the first hour or so, I was cooking at about 500 and figured I'd load her up, shut the damper, and enjoy the heat.  Well heat I did get but also more stress than enjoyment.  The thermometer kept rising despite the air supply being shut.  600...700...750...800...850...900...s&$!... being new to wood stoves I was at least not stupid enough to think that this was okay (I did read the manual which is pretty slim on operating instructions but at least did tell me the normal operating temperatures).  Sweating out some quick google searches led me to my son's sand box.  Fortunately the sand did calm it down to about 650, crisis averted.

Upon inspection of the stove, I found that the gasket between the doors was completely missing (thanks jharkln for posting the pdf instructions of the gasket kit). So, I ordered a gasket kit, installed it, fixed my hack job of a liner connection, and fired the stove back up.  With the new gasket, I couldn't even sniff 500 degrees with the doors closed.  Apparently, these new gaskets really do the trick.

I was wondering what the operating procedure is for the everyone else to get a good fire going in these stoves.  Do you use a lot of small stuff to get it going? Do you keep the ash pan open a crack? At what temp/coal level do you shut the damper? What is your typical operating temperature?

I'm sure that I'm going to run into a lot of other questions along the way.  I was so glad to see this thread after realizing that my beautiful stove has a history of being rather finicky.


----------



## begreen (Oct 30, 2015)

To start a fire keep the front door slightly ajar but don't use the ash pan door. That could damage the stove. Page 23 of the manual has detailed starting instructions.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 30, 2015)

Agree with BeGreen - never use the ash door to help light off, it creates a blast furnace effect that can crack the stove bottom and get out of control in the blink of an eye.

If you had to replace the door gasket, check every other gasket as well (ash pan, griddle, damper, fire back.

If you dont have one, a probe thermometer for the catalyst is extremely helpful in operating the stove.  Condar sells them: http://www.condar.com/Digital_Thermometers.html


Using both stove top and probe temp this is my routine:


Start the fire as a modified top down.  I put in two large splits with a 1/4 super cedar or paper between then cris-cross kindling on top.
damper open, air wide open , door crack and light it
Once the flames are well established close the front door, keep air wide open
Once stop top thermometer reaches 500F+ you can close the damper
If all works well the catalyst will light off and probe temp should hit 500F and start climbing within a few minutes.. If ift doesnt open the damper again wait 5 minutes and retry
Once the probe temp crosses 1000F the catalyst is into the ideal zone and you can start closing down primary air in stages (close 1/4, wait 5 min, close 1/4 , repeat) till you get to your desired cruising temp
At the end of the burn cycle when the catalyst probe temp drops below 800F and you are down to a coal bed its safe to reload.  Open the damper, add wood and repeat steps 4,5,6
A note on cruising temps - Where you need to run the stove will depend on how much heat you need.  I find I use catalyst temp more than stove top temp to monitor it. The safe operating range for the catalyst is between 500F and 1700F... I find that trying to keep it in the 1100-1500 range is ideal , any lower and you are probably going to get some smoke from the stake, over 1500 and you have to be careful not to flirt with overfire.  Over 1700 will damage the platinum coating and when you get over 1800 you may start to see glowing iron.

Stove top temp safe range is anything below 700 IIRC.  For me generally staying between 400 and 600 is all I need on any but the coldest days. Most of the time mild days I am cruising with the air control only 1/8 open which will give me a 450-500 stove top and 1200 cat temp. For an overnight burn I fill to the brim with hardwood and run the air full closed which gets me 8-10 hours heat.  During the day I cant remember ever cruising on more than 1/4-1/3 open even on the coldest days.

On cold days when you need to run the stove hard for a lot of heat I find its more manageable to load it halfway (maybe 3-4 large splits) more frequently and run the air a bit more open.  Running hot on a full load raises the risk of overfiring the cat. I run full loads and low air on milder days and overnight.

Once you get a hang for it the 2550 is not a bad stove to operate, just high maintenance.  The main thing to watch out for is catalyst temp runaway if you have a very strong draft or run a full load of fast burning woods like pine.  If you do have the cat temp runaway on you, sometimes opening up the air control actually lowers it (counter intuitive, it creates more flame burning smoke up before the cat. It will raise stove top temp as it lowers cat temp). If that fails try opening the damper with the air shut to let it cool down then re-engage.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 30, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Agree with BeGreen - never use the ash door to help light off, it creates a blast furnace effect that can crack the stove bottom and get out of control in the blink of an eye.
> 
> If you had to replace the door gasket, check every other gasket as well (ash pan, griddle, damper, fire back.
> 
> ...



Could not add more. Great operation summary.


----------



## fireSteve (Oct 30, 2015)

Thanks BeGreen and jharkin! It's not too cold yet here in Ohio but I've been trying to make sure that this stove is ready to go for winter.  I'm thinking that I'll do a more thorough break down of it next summer but I've missed the boat on that for this winter.  I'll try following your process and see if I can get a good fire going. Tonight will be a pretty good test case.  I don't have the catalytic thermometer yet, that's on the list as well as a fan.  I'm thinking one of the heat powered Caframo fans unless you guys have a better suggestion.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 30, 2015)

This is as far I am going with my rebuild. Next week I will have time to put the stove back together.


----------



## droppinloads (Nov 4, 2015)

Well I decided to bail on my Encore 2250.  Rather than spend the $700-1000 (not to mention my time) to replace the upper fireback & damper assembly I'm replacing the stove with an Woodstock Ideal Steel (totally different look obviously).  I still may rebuild the stove for a project & then sell it, or just sell it as is.


----------



## Diabel (Nov 4, 2015)

droppinloads said:


> Well I decided to bail on my Encore 2250.  Rather than spend the $700-1000 (not to mention my time) to replace the upper fireback & damper assembly I'm replacing the stove with an Woodstock Ideal Steel (totally different look obviously).  I still may rebuild the stove for a project & then sell it, or just sell it as is.



Wise decision.


----------



## droppinloads (Nov 4, 2015)

Yeah it's for the best. So I stripped down the stove & did a little video on what's going on with the damper. It looks like the damper rod is just misaligned or something. Hope this works...


----------



## Reckless (Nov 8, 2015)

Bought an upgrade and added it directly to my condor probe. I like being able to see real numbers and not guesstimates did I mention it also has two buzzer alarms?!?!?!? Only down side is no stand but after some slight mods it's all hooked up. It's the Auber AT100  and I Highly recommended it!! www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17&amp;products_id=279]http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;amp;cPath=17&amp;amp;products_id=279


----------



## Reckless (Nov 14, 2015)

43 today with a low of 34 so I'm burning maple, cherry, oak combo. Got to test my recently reengaged secondary air. Drill and tapped a high temp stop and set the bimetallic coil for 1-2 o'clock. Seems to be working great as its now completed closed by 1050 cat probe temp. Cat cruising 13-1400. Stay warm!!


----------



## Dobish (Nov 16, 2015)

So I know this may not be the appropriate spot, but we are thinking about making a purchase of an Encore 2 in 1 2040. I have always heard good things about VC, but I don't see a ton of positive feedback on the newer versions. Are we making a good choice?


----------



## begreen (Nov 16, 2015)

They are still very beautiful stoves and clean burners when working right, but they are a complicated stove that are known for higher maintenance. The castings are excellent but the innards and in particular the refractory package was fragile. Due to the reputation earned by a long run of some lousy models they often have poor resale value. Recently the VC line was bought by Monessen. The hope is that this large parent company will finally restore the VC name. Rumor is that they are working on new models that may have more conventional tube secondary construction, however this is still TBD.


----------



## redhat (Nov 16, 2015)

Dobish said:


> So I know this may not be the appropriate spot, but we are thinking about making a purchase of an Encore 2 in 1 2040. I have always heard good things about VC, but I don't see a ton of positive feedback on the newer versions. Are we making a good choice?



Yeah, I think you are making a good choice.  I'm on my second week with a new 2040 Encore and love it.  I've owned VC Encores for a long time, my previous stove was a 2550 and a 0028 before that. 

There are a lot of positive reviews of the flexburn (2n1) stoves if you read through the threads. The refractory material has been vastly improved over previous models, and the cast iron lower fireback and hood that were prone to warping in the 2550 eliminated altogether. Unfortunately, even with the improvements introduced with the 2n1's, many folks still consider VC's high maintenance stoves based on their experiences with the older models.  I don't see it with the newer flexburn models.


----------



## jharkin (Nov 16, 2015)

Besides the maintenance, the thing that bothers me about my 2550 is that even burning <20% moisture wood with a brand new catalyst and refractory and maintaining ctalyst temps over 1000f I will see some smoke out of the stack.  Confirmed with a decent amount of black creosote in the annual flue cleaning.


Are the 2n1 models burning cleaner?


----------



## redhat (Nov 16, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Besides the maintenance, the thing that bothers me about my 2550 is that even burning <20% moisture wood with a brand new catalyst and refractory and maintaining ctalyst temps over 1000f I will see some smoke out of the stack.  Confirmed with a decent amount of black creosote in the annual flue cleaning.
> 
> 
> Are the 2n1 models burning cleaner?



I had pretty good luck with my 2550 getting clean burns, nothing but vapor out of the stack if cat was clean and in good shape.

So far so good with my new 2n1, no smoke whatsoever when I looked last weekend. So with my limited experience with the 2040 it appears to be a clean burner.


----------



## Diabel (Nov 16, 2015)

It has been a week since the 2550 was put in service. It has been going 24/7 and so far so good. The stove is working as it should, no smoke out the pipe, nice and quick light offs, steady cat temp at around 1300 (once it reached 1500). Hope this keeps up with no surprises.


----------



## redhat (Nov 16, 2015)

Diabel said:


> It has been a week since the 2550 was put in service. It has been going 24/7 and so far so good. The stove is working as it should, no smoke out the pipe, nice and quick light offs, steady cat temp at around 1300 (once it reached 1500). Hope this keeps up with no surprises.



The 2550 is a great performer when everything is dialed in. If mine hadn't required around $500 in parts I'd still be running it today.  Would have been cheaper to repair the 2550 but I was looking for an excuse to buy the 2040.


----------



## PowerGuy (Nov 18, 2015)

My name is Kevin and I am the lucky (or unlucky) owner of a VC 2550 that came with my house. I wanted to say hi and introduce myself, this is my second post here after doing hours of reading around the forum often getting off track of what info I was looking for and yet gaining some good knowledge.
This will be my third season with a wood stove and with the info that I have gathered hopefully the best yet, if I can get it running right. I didn't want to clog up this thread so I made another post here asking for some help and giving more of a background on the stove and my experience with it.


----------



## Dobish (Nov 18, 2015)

redhat said:


> Yeah, I think you are making a good choice.  I'm on my second week with a new 2040 Encore and love it.  I've owned VC Encores for a long time, my previous stove was a 2550 and a 0028 before that.
> 
> There are a lot of positive reviews of the flexburn (2n1) stoves if you read through the threads. The refractory material has been vastly improved over previous models, and the cast iron lower fireback and hood that were prone to warping in the 2550 eliminated altogether. Unfortunately, even with the improvements introduced with the 2n1's, many folks still consider VC's high maintenance stoves based on their experiences with the older models.  I don't see it with the newer flexburn models.



this may sound like a really dumb question, but what sort of maintenance is required?


----------



## redhat (Nov 18, 2015)

Dobish said:


> this may sound like a really dumb question, but what sort of maintenance is required?



Since you are looking at the 2040, I'm guessing you are asking about that model.  Really should be just routine stuff, keep the cat clean and replace gaskets as needed.  Seeing how the refractory materal in the 2040 is a rock like material I don't see it falling apart like the softer material used in the older cat and everburn models.


----------



## begreen (Nov 18, 2015)

redhat said:


> Seeing how the refractory materal in the 2040 is a rock like material I don't see it falling apart like the softer material used in the older cat and everburn models.


Time will tell how well the new refractory stands up. These are still fussier stoves to run if conditions are not ideal. That said, if draft is good and the wood is right then they can be nice heaters.


----------



## Charles1981 (Nov 19, 2015)

This is my third heating season and no signs of cracking or crumbling on my 2040 but it kind of starting to "flake"on the outside layer in spots. No sure what this means for the long run, but so far pretty happy with my 2040


----------



## Dobish (Nov 19, 2015)

So the wife and I decided that we liked the look of the 2040, liked the warming racks, and with a toddler, the top-loading will probably be a bonus.  I just picked it up with all the bits and pieces (at 18% off too), and hopefully will get it installed tomorrow!  We will see how it goes! All i have to do is measure a few times, cut a hole in the roof, and put the pipe in right?


----------



## Diabel (Nov 19, 2015)

Congrats!

You should pick up a stove top, flue and cat thermometers/probes before you run the stove. These three will tell you what goes on in the whole firebox system.


----------



## Charles1981 (Nov 19, 2015)

Make sure you meet the minimum chimney height requirements and if you can surpass it do so. It seems many VC problems in the past may have to deal with short chimney that are either under or just at the minimum height.


----------



## Dobish (Nov 19, 2015)

Charles1981 said:


> Make sure you meet the minimum chimney height requirements and if you can surpass it do so. It seems many VC problems in the past may have to deal with short chimney that are either under or just at the minimum height.



Thanks, we are going with about a 15' chimney after all is said and done.... hopefully it is enough!


----------



## Excavator (Nov 19, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Bought an upgrade and added it directly to my condor probe. I like being able to see real numbers and not guesstimates did I mention it also has two buzzer alarms?!?!?!? Only down side is no stand but after some slight mods it's all hooked up. It's the Auber AT100  and I Highly recommended it!! www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;cPath=17&amp;products_id=279]http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&amp;amp;cPath=17&amp;amp;products_id=279
> View attachment 166357
> View attachment 166358



did the condar probe plug in to the AT100 or was it modded


----------



## Diabel (Nov 19, 2015)

I would go higher if possible. What is the minimum that VC requires?


----------



## Charles1981 (Nov 19, 2015)

The manual states a minimum of 16 feet (edit sorry). You would be progressing into previously charted territory with known issues and this stove if you only reach a chimney height of 15 feet. I would try very hard to get an additional 3 foot length on there at the least.


----------



## begreen (Nov 19, 2015)

Dobish said:


> Thanks, we are going with about a 15' chimney after all is said and done.... hopefully it is enough!


Usually chimneys need to be taller at high altitudes to compensate for the thinner air. Normally VC has altitude charts in the stove manual. Here's a chart for a different Encore using a 6" liner.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 20, 2015)

Excavator said:


> did the condar probe plug in to the AT100 or was it modded


you cut the plug off and attach the one they provide. This thing has helped me tremendously!


----------



## redhat (Nov 20, 2015)

Diabel said:


> Congrats!
> 
> You should pick up a stove top, flue and cat thermometers/probes before you run the stove. These three will tell you what goes on in the whole firebox system.



VC provides a cat probe with the 2040, so he won't have to buy that.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 20, 2015)

Reckless said:


> you cut the plug off and attach the one they provide. This thing has helped me tremendously!



Thanks. My condar digital was funky and finally quit all together. Can't wait for AT100 to arrive and try out


----------



## Reckless (Nov 20, 2015)

Excavator said:


> Thanks. My condar digital was funky and finally quit all together. Can't wait for AT100 to arrive and try out


Let me know if you need help setting it up


----------



## MWelch2583 (Nov 22, 2015)

May be a maintenance nightmare but damn it's pretty and warm


----------



## X-trema (Nov 23, 2015)

Hi Guys,

I have replaced the Intrepid 1302 with an Intrepid 1990. I rebuilt it completely. The secondary air probe, refractory, troath hood and catalyst have been replaced. The problem I now have is that after reloading I let the temperature raise to 500F on stove top and then engage the catalyst. The temperature of the catalyst rages to 1000F. At that point i start to close the air control. but the catalyst continues to rise to 1500+. 
When the fire burns normal. And then I close the air controller the fire does not go out. This may be due to the epa holes?
Is there something i'm doing wrong or is there a large air leak?

Thanks in advance

Xander


----------



## Dobish (Nov 23, 2015)

So we got it installed, and ran it last night, and it only filled my house full of smoke once!  I have another 4' piece of chimney pipe coming, and and additional support brace to bring it up to 20'. I am a bit concerned as there will be a lot of chimney on the outside of the house.

The install went pretty easy, and it was nice to have the basement warmer than 53º last night!


----------



## begreen (Nov 23, 2015)

Looks great! Brace the chimney once for every 5 ft above the roof where the pipe exits. Follow the brace directions for angle and spread of the legs.


----------



## Dobish (Nov 23, 2015)

Here is a shot of the chimney where it currently stands. I will probably end up bracing to the top roof with the extended chimney.


----------



## droppinloads (Nov 23, 2015)

really nice.  I have a similar chimney setup


----------



## jharkin (Nov 23, 2015)

Well, we have liftoff.  I'm off work for the week and the temp today was not forecast to break out of the 30's so the mrs. suggest I light 'er up.

Here we are about an hour into the burn once  I got her cruising on the cat... 400 griddle/1300 cat temp. 






Later it rose to 1550, wood must be veeeeeery dry.  Outside temp made it up to 41 and the sun is strong so of course now its 75F in here which is on the warm side for my blood 

Meanwhile I'm working on my honey do's for the week, just finished snaking a new electrical circuit and cable run so we could move the bedroom TV into a built in cabinet next to the fireplace.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 23, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Let me know if you need help setting it up



Thanks Reckless, I received the AT100 and got it setup no problem. I did have to fuss with the menu a few times but now it is working and I like the AT100 much better than the Condar. I like the setup for alarms and love the display on all time.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 24, 2015)

Excavator said:


> Thanks Reckless, I received the AT100 and got it setup no problem. I did have to fuss with the menu a few times but now it is working and I like the AT100 much better than the Condar. I like the setup for alarms and love the display on all time.


 
What did you set them for? I did 1050 and 1550 I believe.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 25, 2015)

Reckless said:


> What did you set them for? I did 1050 and 1550 I believe.



900 and 1600 for now. I really like this thing


----------



## Diabel (Nov 25, 2015)

When I did my rebuild of the 2550 I also purchased on Amazon a k type probe and a digital thermometer. Can't remember how much the probe was but the thermometer was $4.00. I figured I will give it a try!

Well, after two weeks of use it started to act funny i.e. it will reach 1400* then it goes to -200* and counts back up to 0.....
That is what $4.00 gets you from China!!

Now I want to get the AT100 reader plus a probe from them, in case the Chinse one is fried as well.
On Auber site they only offer 6" probes for this application. Do I get one and cut it 2"?
Thanks


----------



## Excavator (Nov 25, 2015)

Diabel said:


> When I did my rebuild of the 2550 I also purchased on Amazon a k type probe and a digital thermometer. Can't remember how much the probe was but the thermometer was $4.00. I figured I will give it a try!
> 
> Well, after two weeks of use it started to act funny i.e. it will reach 1400* then it goes to -200* and counts back up to 0.....
> That is what $4.00 gets you from China!!
> ...



I used the 4 inch from the condor like reckless did


----------



## Diabel (Nov 25, 2015)

Excavator said:


> I used the 4 inch from the condor like reckless did


Thank you.
I just looked it up, and it looks like you can not cut these probes. The probe that I currently have installed is apparently good for 2000*F. Next time the stove is cold I will pull it out and see. 
I will order the at100 tomorrow.


----------



## elmoleaf (Nov 25, 2015)

X-trema said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have replaced the Intrepid 1302 with an Intrepid 1990. I rebuilt it completely. The secondary air probe, refractory, troath hood and catalyst have been replaced. The problem I now have is that after reloading I let the temperature raise to 500F on stove top and then engage the catalyst. The temperature of the catalyst rages to 1000F. At that point i start to close the air control. but the catalyst continues to rise to 1500+.
> When the fire burns normal. And then I close the air controller the fire does not go out. This may be due to the epa holes?
> ...


hi...i only go by stove top temp towards rear of griddle, so cant comment if your cat temp is normal. You wrote about rebuild...you took it down to the individual castings, recemented each together and rebolted etc the tie rods? You could have leaks between primary castings or at door glass? Keep in mind there is also a secondary air flap with probe hidden in back... check to ensure not stuck open.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 26, 2015)

In regards to using the Auber AT100 I have noticed that it responds almost instantly showing temps change when I back down air. My condar never responded like this and might have had a bad one from start. I feel like I have much better control of stove now and it responds to my air control much better.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Nov 26, 2015)

Hello everyone. I have been reading this forum since last year.  Tons of information on here so thanks to all the diehards who help all the new guys get there stoves in order. My question is is it normal for the encore to pull air through the secondary opening when in bypass mode?  I have an encore 2250 which I believe is  the same stove as the 2550. This will be more than likely be the first of many questions so any advice is greatly appreciated.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 27, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Hello everyone. I have been reading this forum since last year.  Tons of information on here so thanks to all the diehards who help all the new guys get there stoves in order. My question is is it normal for the encore to pull air through the secondary opening when in bypass mode?  I have an encore 2250 which I believe is  the same stove as the 2550. This will be more than likely be the first of many questions so any advice is greatly appreciated.


The secondary is hooked to a bimetallic coil and helps aid in cat light off. If it is in bypass the coil will never heat up thus never closing the airway. Prior to this year I had my opening stuffed with aluminum foil and the linkage unhooked.


----------



## X-trema (Nov 27, 2015)

elmoleaf said:


> hi...i only go by stove top temp towards rear of griddle, so cant comment if your cat temp is normal. You wrote about rebuild...you took it down to the individual castings, recemented each together and rebolted etc the tie rods? You could have leaks between primary castings or at door glass? Keep in mind there is also a secondary air flap with probe hidden in back... check to ensure not stuck open.


Yes I recemented all the castings and renewed the tie rods. The secondary air flap in the back is working, it opens and closes smoothly. 
I'm gonna check the seams, and check at what temperature the secondary air flap is completely closed. Maybe because I have it replaced it has to be adjusted.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Nov 27, 2015)

Reckless said:


> The secondary is hooked to a bimetallic coil and helps aid in cat light off. If it is in bypass the coil will never heat up thus never closing the airway. Prior to this year I had my opening stuffed with aluminum foil and the linkage unhooked.



So I am assuming this is why the fire will burn in the back of the firebox when I start to shut down the primary.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 27, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> So I am assuming this is why the fire will burn in the back of the firebox when I start to shut down the primary.


Why are you shutting down the primary in bypass? The only point of bypass for many of us is to get the flue gasses hot enough for cat light off. With the cat engaged and the secondary set between 2-4 o'clock it should be completely closed by 1050-1100 cat temp.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 27, 2015)

X-trema said:


> Yes I recemented all the castings and renewed the tie rods. The secondary air flap in the back is working, it opens and closes smoothly.
> I'm gonna check the seams, and check at what temperature the secondary air flap is completely closed. Maybe because I have it replaced it has to be adjusted.


I think I have a small leak somewhere in the bottom of the stove after a complete rebuild. My solution was to leave the ash pan completely filled and leave a good base of ash in the bottom of the firebox.... Leak fixed lol


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Nov 29, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Why are you shutting down the primary in bypass? The only point of bypass for many of us is to get the flue gasses hot enough for cat light off. With the cat engaged and the secondary set between 2-4 o'clock it should be completely closed by 1050-1100 cat temp.


I don't run my stove 24/7.  So when I start with a a cold stove I often try and keep the GT temps from hitting 700 while I am also trying to produce some good coals before I close the damper.  However your question got me thinking.  I was was starting fires by getting some kindling burning then adding a couple larger pieces then adding a couple larger pieces and so on.  Last night I did the burn down method (large pieces on bottom kindling on top) and great success.  Was running in cat mode in less than an hour.  I also got rid of the Condar and hooked up the AT100.  What a world of difference.  Condar is robbing people.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 29, 2015)

The AT100 seams to respond instantly to the air control and made big improvement in my stove performance. My condar was too slow in responding and next thing I was running too hot in cat mode. Now it performs much more like I think it was suppose too


----------



## Reckless (Nov 29, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> I don't run my stove 24/7.  So when I start with a a cold stove I often try and keep the GT temps from hitting 700 while I am also trying to produce some good coals before I close the damper.  However your question got me thinking.  I was was starting fires by getting some kindling burning then adding a couple larger pieces then adding a couple larger pieces and so on.  Last night I did the burn down method (large pieces on bottom kindling on top) and great success.  Was running in cat mode in less than an hour.  I also got rid of the Condar and hooked up the AT100.  What a world of difference.  Condar is robbing people.


I start with news paper and kindling and larger kindling on top, once that is going I put smaller pieces and larger pieces on top. Once my stove pipe hits 500ish I close the bypass and let her rip. If it stalls before 800 I reopen the bypass and let the flames build and repeat. I can usually have the cat engaged and active in 30-45min from cold (sounds like you got that with your new method). Also GT shouldn't be that high I think max you want is 5-600. Do you have a pipe thermometer? I think most of us are using a griddle & stove top therm plus probe.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Nov 29, 2015)

Reckless said:


> I start with news paper and kindling and larger kindling on top, once that is going I put smaller pieces and larger pieces on top. Once my stove pipe hits 500ish I close the bypass and let her rip. If it stalls before 800 I reopen the bypass and let the flames build and repeat. I can usually have the cat engaged and active in 30-45min from cold (sounds like you got that with your new method). Also GT shouldn't be that high I think max you want is 5-600. Do you have a pipe thermometer? I think most of us are using a griddle & stove top therm plus probe.


What I am learning is the stove is much easier to control when there is an actual load of wood in it.  I have the AT100 probe, a GT thermo (condar that reads about 20* hotter than actual temps), pipe thermo just above oval to round collar, and an IR thermo.  Currently running at 1141 cat temp, 250 stove pipe, and 500-550 GT temps.  I have a short stack so not sure if this is the result of lower pipe temps or not


----------



## Reckless (Nov 29, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> What I am learning is the stove is much easier to control when there is an actual load of wood in it.  I have the AT100 probe, a GT thermo (condar that reads about 20* hotter than actual temps), pipe thermo just above oval to round collar, and an IR thermo.  Currently running at 1141 cat temp, 250 stove pipe, and 500-550 GT temps.  I have a short stack so not sure if this is the result of lower pipe temps or not


250 stove pipe with cat engaged is correct. I 've seen mine anywhere from 250-450 depending on multiple factors. Sounds like you are on the right track [emoji106]


----------



## Charles1981 (Nov 29, 2015)

So I know lots of people have broken their refractory cover (the shell). My wife just obliterated ours poking it non-nonchalantly with the fire pokey thing.

Made it 3 years....

Is this piece covered under warranty at all? gonna take it in to the shop shop tomorrow.....This really sucks because now the house is cold and we have to turn on the electric baseboard..NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo.


----------



## Reckless (Nov 29, 2015)

Charles1981 said:


> So I know lots of people have broken their refractory cover (the shell). My wife just obliterated ours poking it non-nonchalantly with the fire pokey thing.
> 
> Made it 3 years....
> 
> Is this piece covered under warranty at all? gonna take it in to the shop shop tomorrow.....This really sucks because now the house is cold and we have to turn on the electric baseboard..NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooo.


Is yours not protected by the lower fire back? Considering you're asking about warranty must be the newer style Encore?


----------



## jharkin (Nov 29, 2015)

Ok, you guys have my attention with the AT100..... if its that great Im ready to dump my Condar...  What do I need?

Is this the correct listing for the meter?
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=279

What probe do I use? Can I just hook up my existing Condar probe or do I need a new one?


----------



## Excavator (Nov 29, 2015)

That's the one I bought and used my condor probe. There are instructions there how to hook up probe to at100. I am very impressed with this thing


----------



## Reckless (Nov 29, 2015)

Excavator said:


> That's the one I bought and used my condor probe. There are instructions there how to hook up probe to at100. I am very impressed with this thing


I had to change my probe type setting and set the alarms.... Done.


----------



## Excavator (Nov 30, 2015)

The AT100 seams to respond instantly to the air control and made big improvement in my stove performance. My condar was too slow in responding and next thing I was running too hot in cat mode. Now it performs much more like I think mit was suppose too


jharkin said:


> Ok, you guys have my attention with the AT100..... if its that great Im ready to dump my Condar...  What do I need?
> 
> Is this the correct listing for the meter?
> http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=279
> ...


Here is the PDF on installing probe to AT100
http://auberins.com/images/Manual/AT100CON.pdf


----------



## jharkin (Nov 30, 2015)

Excellent... sounds like a slam dunk guys - ordered.

I have the same problem, will by trying get the stove nice and hot on a good load of really dry wood and what happens is it hits 1600 and keeps climbing then I'm fighting to get it under control.


----------



## Charles1981 (Nov 30, 2015)

The refractory cover is still under warranty 3 years later. Yay. 

But maybe 7-14 days before the part comes in. Dangit.

And yes this is a newer 2n1 burner. Its been a very great stove for 3 years. We still had the shell refractory cover which seems to be the first iteration. They have since come out with 2 newer part models to replace the original shell design because I think the cracking cover has been very common problem. But it is very nice as you can slip it out and check the cat without unscrewing anything and it only takes about 15 seconds to look and replace or clean out.


----------



## grobinson2 (Nov 30, 2015)

Good evening Guys, Do any of you have any info on any new VC models/designs coming out?  Thanks again, Glenn


----------



## Excavator (Dec 1, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Excellent... sounds like a slam dunk guys - ordered.
> 
> I have the same problem, will by trying get the stove nice and hot on a good load of really dry wood and what happens is it hits 1600 and keeps climbing then I'm fighting to get it under control.


Well I am so impressed with the AT100.
jharkin, you will get to like this thing. I have played with it for a week and very impressed. I learned that I have to engage cat at 350 - 400.  I have learned that once cat is engaged to watch it hit 900 -  1100 and turn down air supply right around that point and complete control is there.If I let iot go to 1200 + then it will be harder to keep control of temps but big factor here is the AT100 seams spot on when I turn air supply down at 1100. Also the temp is always shown even below 300.  Stove works like it should. My condar was not working right for few years now and I believe temps were not correct and I was always burning TOOOOO HOT


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 1, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Excellent... sounds like a slam dunk guys - ordered.
> 
> I have the same problem, will by trying get the stove nice and hot on a good load of really dry wood and what happens is it hits 1600 and keeps climbing then I'm fighting to get it under control.


I was having the same problem. Then the condar was showing numbers that weren't even close to being right. Since I installed the AT100 the highest temp I've seen is 1550. Plus it's nice not to have to get out of the lazy boy to go push a button everytime I want to check temps out.


----------



## Reckless (Dec 1, 2015)

Charles1981 said:


> The refractory cover is still under warranty 3 years later. Yay.
> 
> But maybe 7-14 days before the part comes in. Dangit.
> 
> And yes this is a newer 2n1 burner. Its been a very great stove for 3 years. We still had the shell refractory cover which seems to be the first iteration. They have since come out with 2 newer part models to replace the original shell design because I think the cracking cover has been very common problem. But it is very nice as you can slip it out and check the cat without unscrewing anything and it only takes about 15 seconds to look and replace or clean out.


Similar to our older models, just pull the throat hood and the cat is visible.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 1, 2015)

Excavator said:


> Well I am so impressed with the AT100.
> jharkin, you will get to like this thing. I have played with it for a week and very impressed. I learned that I have to engage cat at 350 - 400.  I have learned that once cat is engaged to watch it hit 900 -  1100 and turn down air supply right around that point and complete control is there.If I let iot go to 1200 + then it will be harder to keep control of temps but big factor here is the AT100 seams spot on when I turn air supply down at 1100. Also the temp is always shown even below 300.  Stove works like it should. My condar was not working right for few years now and I believe temps were not correct and I was always burning TOOOOO HOT






RandyBoBandy said:


> I was having the same problem. Then the condar was showing numbers that weren't even close to being right. Since I installed the AT100 the highest temp I've seen is 1550. Plus it's nice not to have to get out of the lazy boy to go push a button everytime I want to check temps out.



Great feedback guys....  With the Condar its not unusual at all for me to see temps run 1500-1700 during the early stages of the burn and If I'm not watching it like a hawk 1700+ plus runaways happen occasionally   Once I lost track of it and came back to find it begged at 2000 and the hood glowing dark red.  But I managed to back it down and somehow didn't warp anything.

It would be ironic to find out that all this time Ive actually been running a lot cooler than I thought and not flirting with overfire on a daily basis. It will also be nice to actually have a guide to engagement - up till now I just guess when to shut it based on stack temp, but that doesn't always work first time.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 1, 2015)

Again I found out that I have to engage cat much sooner with griddle at 350 and then turn down air around 900 - 1000 and much more control


----------



## Dobish (Dec 3, 2015)

So we have been running this stove for about 2 weeks now, and it has done an awesome job of keeping our basement warm!  I start it cold most days, since there really is no reason to keep it going during the day for the dog... it seems to heat up pretty quick, but the cat thermometer that came with the stove doesn't have actual temperature ranges. it just has "OPERATE CATALYST" Range. I looked at some of the pictures of the other VC thermometers, and can sort of guess what range it is at. I haven't picked up a griddle or stove pipe thermometer yet, but will at some point.

It seems to be running around 500º or so, and it will heat up the room from 58º to 65º in about an hour, and then get up to around 72º. I am still running a 15' chimney, but it seems to be drafting well, burning pretty consistently and I operate the cat when it gets up to temp. We have been burning mostly box-elder and a bit of other misc stuff that was in the wood pile, and I have found that I can't turn down the air damper too much more than 1/2 way. I am guessing it is a combination of wood (slightly green, smaller pieces).  Some of the stuff we have been burning was Boxelder cut in April, and wasn't split right away, but seems to burn pretty clean when it is hotter   No smoke out of the chimney but fire in the stove is perfect right?


----------



## Reckless (Dec 3, 2015)

I would never call burning wet wood "perfect". Wet wood will do major damage to your cat and can cause it to fail prematurely (not to mention creosote build up causing chimney fires) . Where are you getting your 500 reading from?


----------



## Dobish (Dec 3, 2015)

Reckless said:


> I would never call burning wet wood "perfect". Wet wood will do major damage to your cat and can cause it to fail prematurely (not to mention creosote build up causing chimney fires) . Where are you getting your 500 reading from?



I am comparing it to a condor cat thermometer that has operating zone and temperatures 




I am actually running this in Non-Cat Mode (i removed the cat), and am staying away from the wet wood as much as I can. I am going to grab the mulitmeter and see what I am getting for moisture content when i get home. .


----------



## Charles1981 (Dec 3, 2015)

The catalyst is covered under warranty 100% for at least 2 it 3 years. I would burn with the catalyst...

Other issues. You may not be able to close down the stove due to wet wood.... But also possibly because of poor draft....and each can compound the other. Still recommend getting that extra 3 feet up there.


----------



## Dobish (Dec 3, 2015)

Charles1981 said:


> The catalyst is covered under warranty 100% for at least 2 it 3 years. I would burn with the catalyst...
> 
> Other issues. You may not be able to close down the stove due to wet wood.... But also possibly because of poor draft....and each can compound the other. Still recommend getting that extra 3 feet up there.


will be getting another 3 to 4' up there, but had to wait a little bit since we had some other things come up.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 3, 2015)

Only being able to turn the air control down to half is a sign your wood is quite wet, for sure.   If I left my stove at half open it would go into nuclear meltdown.

Try to mix in dry if you can (pallet scraps etc) and then you just gotta do what you gotta do.  If keeping the air wide open is keeping the temps up and the stack clean thats better than choking it down and letting it smoke.


----------



## MWelch2583 (Dec 3, 2015)

OK stupid ? I'm sure but I've searched all over the place and can't find anything. Just noticed on my resolute acclaim that there is a small push/pull type lever with a loop on the end of it next to the primary air control lever. It moves about 1-2" front to back. Can anyone tell me what this and what it's for. Thanks.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 4, 2015)

The good news:  My AT100 arrived today
The bad news:  Temps near or over 50 every day thought the next week and a half means I cant test it any time soon.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 4, 2015)

Sure you can but might swet alot


----------



## Diabel (Dec 4, 2015)

It sure ain't in the 50s in the evenings and at night!
Fire her up!!


----------



## jharkin (Dec 5, 2015)

True... we shall see. We are off to the cape today and then tomorrow its going to be 60 (ugh!).   maybe later in the week.

The other thing is my wood supply is still weak from last winter and NG is so cheap it barely makes sense to burn wood in this mild weather.


----------



## Diabel (Dec 5, 2015)

In this case for sure. Save the wood for the cold weather. It will come


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 5, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Only being able to turn the air control down to half is a sign your wood is quite wet, for sure.   If I left my stove at half open it would go into nuclear meltdown.
> 
> Try to mix in dry if you can (pallet scraps etc) and then you just gotta do what you gotta do.  If keeping the air wide open is keeping the temps up and the stack clean thats better than choking it down and letting it smoke.


I too can only turn primary down about 1/2.  I have a really short stack at the moment.  The cap is still above my ridge line.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 5, 2015)

Hey guys,  What kind of burn times are you getting above 1000* ?  just curious what the average is that everyone is experiencing


----------



## Reckless (Dec 6, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Hey guys,  What kind of burn times are you getting above 1000* ?  just curious what the average is that everyone is experiencing


How big of a load? What kind of wood? How big of splits? I usually get 3hrs on half load of med sized red oak of over 1000 on the cat. I work from home and like to keep the loads short (4hrs) and hot (500+ GT).


----------



## Charles1981 (Dec 6, 2015)

Not quiet sure based on temperature... But we jam the stove full with each load typically. Hardwood. We have taken the andirons out and you can fit an a good deal more wood in with them out but the glass does dirty a little more easily this way. With the andirons out and a good load of maple/cherry  there is a good bed of coals to reload on after 8-9 hours with our Encore. You can reload every 10-11 hours but you have to get a few small pieces in there and be bad bad encore owners and leave the ash pan cracked (but we always set a timer for about 4-6 minutes).


----------



## jharkin (Dec 7, 2015)

Even on a full load I dont think Ive seen the cat stay active over 1,000F for more than 5  hours or so.    But those big loads give you a lot of coals that can stretch the heat out for a few more hours after the cat slows down.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 7, 2015)

Now look at this forecast... these are the highs though middle next week:

54 - 45 -45 - 57- 57 -58 -* 61*- 58 -49 - 48 - 46

There are only 2 days between now and Sunday the overnight low goes below 38.

The temp SHOULD be more like high 40 with a low of 20 this time of year.


No burning for a while, gas is on........


----------



## Dobish (Dec 7, 2015)

So yesterday afternoon we lit up the stove, and I threw in some pallet wood, as well as some of the stuff that was really dry (3" dia rounds). I was able to get the air control way down, and it was wonderful!  Our basement was a little warm (77º), but the heat also managed to sneak upstairs and keep it around 70º. I can't believe that we lived all last winter sitting in down sleeping bags with booties to watch TV!


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 7, 2015)

Reckless said:


> How big of a load? What kind of wood? How big of splits? I usually get 3hrs on half load of med sized red oak of over 1000 on the cat. I work from home and like to keep the loads short (4hrs) and hot (500+ GT).


I have been burning mixed loads. Oak, ash, cherry, and some box elder. I usually start off with the cherry and elder in small kindling sized stuff than add two or three splits (3") of oak and ash than fit as many large splits as I can on top. I've been getting roughly 3 hours above 1000 on the cat. Usually by my third load of the day I just jam as many large splits as I can in there. The other day I was able to go 16 hours between loads and still start a fire on some nice coals.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 7, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Even on a full load I dont think Ive seen the cat stay active over 100F for more than 5  hours or so.    But those big loads give you a lot of coals that can stretch the heat out for a few more hours after the cat slows down.


I will start to shut down the air around 900-1000 on the cat than I can get an average of three hours before the cat starts to fall. Once the cat drops to about 300-400 and the GT is reading the same I will reload. This is usually between 4-6 hours depending on load size. If it's the 3rd load of the day it's all large splits and I can still be producing good heat 8-10 hours into the burn.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 17, 2015)

AT100 questions guys...


Ok, Ive been so busy I advent hooked it up.  Hoping to do so this weekend.  Using the Condar probe, how do I configure it in the settings? Is the Condar a k type?
Any other tips.

question 2 - If you disconnect power does it remember all the settings?


----------



## Diabel (Dec 17, 2015)

I just ordered mine. I pretty sure the Condar probe is K type.


----------



## Diabel (Dec 17, 2015)

As for the settings. You will know after the first disconnect.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 17, 2015)

Yes K type. It even reads when stove is cold. Shows about room temp. This thing is accurate too.
Your settings will remain even after you power off. I have been using the AT100 for a while now on my old encore and find that I engage the cat around 400 griddle temp and when digital meter hits 1000 i close primary air half way down and watch it stabelize.  I cruise along at 900 for most part. If I close air down all the way at once above 1100 degrees I will see a spike in temps and hit 1500 or more.I run my high alarm at 1300 but will bring that down to 1100


----------



## Reckless (Dec 17, 2015)

jharkin said:


> AT100 questions guys...
> 
> 
> Ok, Ive been so busy I advent hooked it up.  Hoping to do so this weekend.  Using the Condar probe, how do I configure it in the settings? Is the Condar a k type?
> ...



Red wire is neg and hooks up far left, white is pos and sits middle, I think. I just cut off the white connector and crimped on the supplied. Setting the alarms to do what u want is tricky until you get the hang of it.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 17, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Red wire is neg and hooks up far left, white is pos and sits middle, I think. I just cut off the white connector and crimped on the supplied. Setting the alarms to do what u want is tricky until you get the hang of it.



Correct  red wire on left, white wire in middle using Condar probe. I too just cut off stock connectors and crimped on new ones
I was not getting a temp reading first few trys then I found out I did not push one connector in far enough


----------



## Reckless (Dec 19, 2015)

Excavator said:


> Correct  red wire on left, white wire in middle using Condar probe. I too just cut off stock connectors and crimped on new ones
> I was not getting a temp reading first few trys then I found out I did not push one connector in far enough


Mine was set for the incorrect probe type and not 4/y looking symbol


----------



## Herdvet (Dec 27, 2015)

Hello, Folks,

Don't mean to hijack the thread, just to introduce myself: Longtime fan/user of VC stoves, beginning with a Vigilant purchased at the Randolph, VT foundry in 1981 (Believe it or not, they lowered it into the trunk of my Volvo sedan for a return trip to Yarmouth, ME, (admittedly, the steering was a bit squirrelly) where it kept our house warm and cozy for five winters.

Later (much later) another Vigilant acquired with a home in central Maine did due diligence for several years until superseded by a non-catalytic Encore which, far as I know, is still serving my ex well.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago when our new Encore Flexburn arrived to warm the c.1840 farmhouse here in southern Maine. Just now working on the second (small, non-catalytic) burn - following several unseasonably warm days - and so far very impressed, as I hoped to be.

Couple of comments:

Though l've acquired some useful advice here and elsewhere, it's a shame that VC, which used to be an exemplar for customer service (read the online manual for the original stoves, if you doubt that) is now not only providing poorly written manuals (anyone find the installation diagrams for the catalytic probe remotely useful?) but both unavailable as a corporate entity and absent good dealer support - I've spoken to several, most less well informed than I, none of them happy to be VC reps.

I'm very interested in the ongoing discussion of second-party catalytic thermometers. While I was (finally) able to figure out how to install the included one - and unhappy to discover that the liner through which the probe pokes is that same soft material that protected(?) my last Encore - my stove is installed half-way into a fireplace (horizontal pipe into a t-joint connected to a chimney liner) making the thermometer virtually impossible to read without a mirror. Seems I may be in the market for one of those AT 100s some of you are happy with.

Anyway, happy burning to you all. The actual winter appears to be finally bearing down on us, as for most of you, no doubt. Stay toasty!


----------



## Diabel (Dec 27, 2015)

Welcome to the forum and happy burning!


----------



## Excavator (Dec 27, 2015)

Herdvet
great intro, welcome!
I really like the AT100. works great. That said I still use my dial probe at my T connector at liner to monitor the temps there before  cat is engaged. My draft is very strong and I can get a cherry red pipe above the T even with griddle temps at 400. I run the primary air at 3/4 or less for that reason and engage the cat at 400 griddle temp of little below. Once cat engaged I run primary air full open and mt AT100 lets me know when cat temp hits 950 where I set it to set beeping alarm. That is where I turn down primary air half way. Then I can cruise around 1000. The AT100 is great for getting my attention if I forget to turn down primary with cat engaged.


----------



## Reckless (Dec 27, 2015)

Excavator said:


> Herdvet
> great intro, welcome!
> I really like the AT100. works great. That said I still use my dial probe at my T connector at liner to monitor the temps there before  cat is engaged. My draft is very strong and I can get a cherry red pipe above the T even with griddle temps at 400. I run the primary air at 3/4 or less for that reason and engage the cat at 400 griddle temp of little below. Once cat engaged I run primary air full open and mt AT100 lets me know when cat temp hits 950 where I set it to set beeping alarm. That is where I turn down primary air half way. Then I can cruise around 1000. The AT100 is great for getting my attention if I forget to turn down primary with


If close the air half way before reaching 1050-1100 I usually stall the cat and smolder. If I run the cat under 1200 I see smoke from the stack. Do you see smoke at 1000 CT?


----------



## Excavator (Dec 27, 2015)

With my seasoned wood and strong draft I don't see much smoke if any at all at 1000. If I run hotter than 1200 she will slowly climb up to 1700 and then come back down but I hate when that happenes


----------



## Reckless (Dec 27, 2015)

Excavator said:


> With my seasoned wood and strong draft I don't see much smoke if any at all at 1000. If I run hotter than 1200 she will slowly climb up to 1700 and then come back down but I hate when that happenes


Gotcha. I can turn it down at 1050ish and she will cruise right in the 13-1400 range. All my wood is 15% range.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 27, 2015)

Anyone experiencing "glitchy" At100 performance?  My alarm that I have set for 900 doesn't always go off. AH1 is set at 900 and AL1 is set at 800. AH2 is set at 1550 and AL2 1300 but this alarm has never gone off. Wondering if I am doing something wrong or if I just ended up with a lemon. I do like the thermo and would love it if both alarms worked consistently.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 28, 2015)

Ok I got my AT100 up and running this morning.  So far its looking good.  I had to switch the probe type to K in the setup menu and set the alarms but all else is good.


Whats the deal about silencing alarms.  I pushed the > key but it didn't work... I got so annoyed I turned off the low limit for now and just have a high at 1600 until I get the hang of it.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 28, 2015)

I started shutting down t 900 cat temp, full closed by 1100, now its at 1280 and still slowly climbing.

4 split load, very dry hardwood, about 30F outside.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 28, 2015)

Ok it stopped climbing at 1300 then backed down.  I opened the air to 1/8 and we are now cruising 400 griddle 1230 cat.

I like it.


----------



## Reckless (Dec 28, 2015)

jharkin said:


> Ok I got my AT100 up and running this morning.  So far its looking good.  I had to switch the probe type to K in the setup menu and set the alarms but all else is good.
> 
> 
> Whats the deal about silencing alarms.  I pushed the > key but it didn't work... I got so annoyed I turned off the low limit for now and just have a high at 1600 until I get the hang of it.


> key should work to silence unless your numbers are backwards.....
Response to earlier post
My alarms always go off when they are supposed to
AH1 1050 AL1 900
AH2 1560 AL2 1500


----------



## Flame On (Dec 28, 2015)

From all the recent thermometer talk it seems like that's the answer to what I'm about to ask, but I'm hoping for an easier solution... I'm running a winter warm small insert and currently I open the door, shoot the hood on my firback with the temp gun and if it is 1000+ I shut the damper to engage the cat. Anyone have an idea of where I can take a reading on the outside? I've played around with readings on different spots, but nothing seems as consistent as taking the reading from the inside.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 28, 2015)

J harken if alarm low is higher then high it will not shut off. Just recheck


----------



## jharkin (Dec 28, 2015)

Excavator said:


> J harken if alarm low is higher then high it will not shut off. Just recheck



I thought that was how you make it a high limit alarm, have AL  lower than AH ??


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 28, 2015)

jharkin said:


> I thought that was how you make it a high limit alarm, have AL  lower than AH ??


Correct. My AL1 is set at 800 AH1 is set at 900. When my thermo is operating correctly the alarm sounds at 900. Push > button and it is temporarily turned off. Once temps fall below 800 the alarm is suppose to be "reset" and ready to sound again once we climb back up past 900. For some reason my alarm doesn't always sound again after a reload.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 28, 2015)

Ok I figured it out... I was changing the settings while hot and it would not let me silence the alarm until I quit out of setting mode.

On reload I lost track and the stovetop got to 600 before I closed it down.  Even being shut down completely before 1000 cat its into the slow steady climb mode and is now @ 1450 and still rising.  Took 2 hours to get to this point though so Im hoping it peaks before breaking 1600


----------



## Reckless (Dec 28, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Correct. My AL1 is set at 800 AH1 is set at 900. When my thermo is operating correctly the alarm sounds at 900. Push > button and it is temporarily turned off. Once temps fall below 800 the alarm is suppose to be "reset" and ready to sound again once we climb back up past 900. For some reason my alarm doesn't always sound again after a reload.


My sounds again on every reload. Maybe try replugging at each reload if all else fails?

Does anyone ever empty their ash pan? I stopped using it and just shovel out the bottom of the fire box once in a while.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Dec 28, 2015)

Reckless said:


> My sounds again on every reload. Maybe try replugging at each reload if all else fails?
> 
> Does anyone ever empty their ash pan? I stopped using it and just shovel out the bottom of the fire box once in a while.


I have noticed if I unplug the unit from time to time it will work better however my second alarm has never sounded. I will have to see if Auber is willing to warranty it out. I feel you should be able to leave it plugged in at all times and both alarms should work every time.


----------



## Reckless (Dec 28, 2015)

RandyBoBandy said:


> I have noticed if I unplug the unit from time to time it will work better however my second alarm has never sounded. I will have to see if Auber is willing to warranty it out. I feel you should be able to leave it plugged in at all times and both alarms should work every time.


Mines been plugged in 24/7 for weeks so yea try to swap it.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 29, 2015)

Jharkin -  In regards to your temps slowly creeping up, I have tries several attempts of after cat hits 900 - 1100 and if I play with air control right at 1000 it seems to make big difference. At 900 and cutting air down to half it can stall, at 1000 it might or might not stall but anything above 1100 and it will creep slowly up above 1600 or 1700 but then come back down slowly


----------



## jharkin (Dec 29, 2015)

Reckless said:


> Does anyone ever empty their ash pan? I stopped using it and just shovel out the bottom of the fire box once in a while.



Yes, I dump it daily.



Excavator said:


> Jharkin -  In regards to your temps slowly creeping up, I have tries several attempts of after cat hits 900 - 1100 and if I play with air control right at 1000 it seems to make big difference. At 900 and cutting air down to half it can stall, at 1000 it might or might not stall but anything above 1100 and it will creep slowly up above 1600 or 1700 but then come back down slowly



Turned out yesterdays run peaked at 1452.

I put in the last load yesterday at 9pm.  Full (but not packed) load and a lot of coals and using the auber was able to shut the damper much earlier than usual and know it was lighting off.  The gauge temp was rising so I closed the air to half really early around 800 then at 900 started shutting down and had it full closed by 1000.    The load was not even fully charred at that point but this is very dry 3 year hardwood.  I think this point really helped it burn slower and not overwhelm the cat. Overnight temps in the high 20s.

I reset the max to let it record and based on what I found this morning it peaked out at 1280F around 1am.  Its nice to be able to go to sleep knowing that if it got near overfire the alarm would wake me.

I can see why you guys like this thing so much.


----------



## Excavator (Dec 29, 2015)

you guys checking the record time it hit max temp, I believe the auber max seconds is 9999 which is 2.7 hours.
Am I missing something here


----------



## Reckless (Dec 29, 2015)

So I broken the screw on my primary air control a little while back. Tried to drill and tap it while on the stove [face palm] ended up cutting off the screw shank, threading the arm and using a coupler. Not too bad imo. They wanted $40 for a new one........


----------



## Reckless (Dec 29, 2015)

jharkin said:


> I put in the last load yesterday at 9pm.  Full (but not packed) load and a lot of coals and using the auber was able to shut the damper much earlier than usual and know it was lighting off.  The gauge temp was rising so I closed the air to half really early around 800 then at 900 started shutting down and had it full closed by 1000.    The load was not even fully charred at that point but this is very dry 3 year hardwood.  I think this point really helped it burn slower and not overwhelm the cat. Overnight temps in the high 20s.
> 
> I reset the max to let it record and based on what I found this morning it peaked out at 1280F around 1am.  Its nice to be able to go to sleep knowing that if it got near overfire the alarm would wake me.
> 
> I can see why you guys like this thing so much.


How was the glass in the morning? 

When you guys load up are you filling it from lower fireback to andirons and up? I tend to make a triangle with most of the wood on the glass side leaving the throat fully open with no wood near it. Usually 5-6 larger pieces 2 smaller is what I consider a full load.


----------



## Charles1981 (Dec 30, 2015)

I took the andirons out and load the stove to the top of the griddle just about every time. That is how I get to 9-10 hours between reloads on my encore. I usually stuff it full in the morning (6-7am) Put in a smaller-ish load around (3-4pm) and then stuff it to the gills at around 10pm once more.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 30, 2015)

Reckless said:


> How was the glass in the morning?



black.



Charles1981 said:


> I took the andirons out and load the stove to the top of the griddle just about every time. That is how I get to 9-10 hours between reloads on my encore. I usually stuff it full in the morning (6-7am) Put in a smaller-ish load around (3-4pm) and then stuff it to the gills at around 10pm once more.



I didn't take out my andirons but I use a similar routine. I've filled it to within 1/4 in of the griddle many times.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 30, 2015)

Im learning some interesting things with this thing.   It was interesting to see the end of cycle...  Last night we had been out all afternoon  and got home close to 7pm. Stove was down to just a couple coals and about 250f so I had to use some kindling to get her going again.  Anyay got a burn, filled it most of the way up and had a full load going by 7:30. Shut it down at 900 and it cruised through the evening around 1250-1350.

I had the luck yo be reading by the stove around 10:45 to witness the end of the catalytic burn.  It was still sitting there at 1280ish and I heard a thump of the load setting.  Suddenly the cat temp shot up to 1350.. And then started dropping like a rock.  By 11:15 it was under 1000 and falling and the load was obviously down to coals.

So that was about 3/4 load (but no coal bed to start with) and I got just over 3 hr catalytic burn. the nigh before when I really packed it at 8 and had a good coal bed it ran more like 5 hrs before the cat peaked.


----------



## jharkin (Dec 30, 2015)

Well, shutting it down at 900 is not the miracle cure.. for me at least.

So this afternoon I put in 3 split on a bit coal load around 2:30.  Got 'er up to temp, shut the damper at around 450 stovetop and had the air fully closed by 1000 cat temp.

An hour later the cat is at 1450 and still climbing.


----------



## Reckless (Jan 5, 2016)

Sorry guys I'm on vaca in 90 deg weather so the encore is currently resting [emoji41] stay warm brothers.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 5, 2016)

My AT100 arrived some time ago. Only today I opened the package. Did you guys receive programing instructions with the unit? Or is it trail and error method?
Thanks


----------



## Diabel (Jan 5, 2016)

My AT100 arrived some time ago. Only today I opened the package. Did you guys receive programing instructions with the unit? Or is it trail and error method?
Thanks


----------



## Diabel (Jan 5, 2016)

Diabel said:


> My AT100 arrived some time ago. Only today I opened the package. Did you guys receive programing instructions with the unit? Or is it trail and error method?
> Thanks


Sorry for the double post, not sure what happened there....


----------



## Excavator (Jan 5, 2016)

Diabel said:


> My AT100 arrived some time ago. Only today I opened the package. Did you guys receive programing instructions with the unit? Or is it trail and error method?
> Thanks


http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=279

there are 3 links with instructions in above link


----------



## Diabel (Jan 5, 2016)

Excavator said:


> http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=17&products_id=279
> 
> there are 3 links with instructions in above link


Gracias


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 11, 2016)

Sooooo.  Got home from work today at 5. Decided to light a small load so I can reload at 9 before its lights out. Seems ok right. Well I stepped away to take care of things only to come back to the cat climbing up past 1500 degrees with all the flames in the box shooting up the hood.  Looking for any ideas and or explanations as well as suggestions. Thanks guys. Stay warm. It was a whole 17 degrees here today.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 11, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Sooooo.  Got home from work today at 5. Decided to light a small load so I can reload at 9 before its lights out. Seems ok right. Well I stepped away to take care of things only to come back to the cat climbing up past 1500 degrees with all the flames in the box shooting up the hood.  Looking for any ideas and or explanations as well as suggestions. Thanks guys. Stay warm. It was a whole 17 degrees here today.




On few occasions recently I have watched mine climb to 1700*F and then slowly go down. On these occasions the firebox was completely black and air 100% closed.

Was your primary air fully open?


----------



## jharkin (Jan 11, 2016)

Last season I had a scare when some debris got into the primary inlet preventing it from closing completely. It doesn't take much for it to go out of control in that case with really dry wood and strong draft.

Check that and all the usual gaskets for tightness.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 11, 2016)

Diabel said:


> On few occasions recently I have watched mine climb to 1700*F and then slowly go down. On these occasions the firebox was completely black and air 100% closed.
> 
> Was your primary air fully open?


My primary was around 1/2. I have a very short stack and my epa holes plugged.


----------



## Excavator (Jan 11, 2016)

If I have cat engaged and keep primary open above 1100 she surely does slowly climb to 1700.

if I turn primary down to half at 900 - 1000 it will peak around 1400 and slowly come down


----------



## Diabel (Jan 11, 2016)

Excavator said:


> If I have cat engaged and keep primary open above 1100 she surely does slowly climb to 1700.
> 
> if I turn primary down to half at 900 - 1000 it will peak around 1400 and slowly come down



Mine behaves exactly as you just described. 
This AT100 works sooo much better than the 4.99 junk I bought from ebay


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 11, 2016)

I feel if I close my primary all the way the stove will back puff at some point in the burn cycle. It will do that a few times than "balance" itself out. I'm wondering if I should unplug the epa holes?  I know I need to add some height to my chimney but I don't really want to add six feet of brand new chimney to a 20+ year old existing chimney. I have plans to redo my entire setup but the funds were not there this year.


----------



## skirby1212 (Jan 12, 2016)

Wondering if I should buy this stove? Intentions would be sandblasting, recoating, all new gaskets, new cat and new refractory if necessary. I know from posts these stoves can be temperamental but willing to try. For the experienced people here can you see anything in the pics that would steer you away from this stove? The owner had it given to him and he never used it so knows little about it. Its Model # 2190

He's asking $250.00 but I'm sure is willing to negotiate. If it's worth buying how much do you think it's worth?
Thanks


----------



## Diabel (Jan 12, 2016)

Welcome to the forum.

From one of the pics, I see the hood is warped from likely overfire. I am pretty sure the damper assembly will be warped as well due to the same overfire.

These stoves are pretty easy to rebuild if you are a bit handy and have time to spare. The two parts I mentioned plus the other parts (cat, refractory etc) will not be cheap. By the time you are done with this stove, I believe you will be a bit over 1000 into it!

If you are looking for a project, then by all means....
But if you are looking for a reliable heater then there are new better stoves you can buy for 1000.


----------



## skirby1212 (Jan 12, 2016)

Thanks for the reply.  I'm not to familiar with these stoves.  Which part is the hood?
Thanks


----------



## Diabel (Jan 12, 2016)

In your second pic the rectangular iron part inside the stove at the back. It protects the cat from direct flame.
It is warped. Does the damper door move freely? The left hand side lever as you face the stove.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 12, 2016)

Also, sand blasting it might be a challenge. 

I personally would only consider taking this stove if it was free and in a better shape in terms of cosmetics.


----------



## skirby1212 (Jan 12, 2016)

Ok. thank you for the reply. I haven't looked at the stove yet. These are pics that he sent me so I don't know if the damper works freely. As far as sandblasting that enamel is that tough to get off? I am in the auto body business and have a commercial sand blaster. I figured that would be the easy part. Lol. Sounds like I should keep looking. I appreciate all the info


----------



## jharkin (Jan 13, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> I feel if I close my primary all the way the stove will back puff at some point in the burn cycle. It will do that a few times than "balance" itself out. I'm wondering if I should unplug the epa holes?  I know I need to add some height to my chimney but I don't really want to add six feet of brand new chimney to a 20+ year old existing chimney. I have plans to redo my entire setup but the funds were not there this year.



Unplugging the holes is certainly worth a try. The backpuff happens when you close it down to far to fast; with those holes closed you are really starving the fire for air when the primary is shut, give a short stack and moderate draft.


----------



## jharkin (Jan 13, 2016)

So today I happened to work from home and its one of the first really cold days of the seaoson that Ive been here to fire the stove.  High only in the mid 20s and winds are blowing - 20 gusting 40.

I fired it up from cold around 9am with a 4 split load.  Really need the heat so Ive left it at about 1/3 open... 3 hours in Ive got moderate flames in the box, my griddle temp is just under 600, cat temp is 1330, surface temp on the flue pipe right at the exit is 250. 

Inside temp has climbed  only from 68 to 73 in the stove room. Once it hits 74 I'll shut her down all the way and cruise... From experience 74 in the stove room will keep the rest of the first floor around 70 and the upstairs in the high 60s.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 13, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Unplugging the holes is certainly worth a try. The backpuff happens when you close it down to far to fast; with those holes closed you are really starving the fire for air when the primary is shut, give a short stack and moderate draft.


Unplugged them this morning. I do believe this helped some. Not sure if this is a direct correlation but the secondaries seemed a little more prevalent today. Next step is to redo the griddle gasket, door gaskets, and ash pan gasket. I'm hoping I can just adjust the damper a little to get through the rest of the season. I have been experiencing some smoke out of the chimney even with the cat cruising at 1300-1400 and GT at 500-600


----------



## Blackcat (Jan 14, 2016)

Last year we said goodbye to our VC Vigilant because of a bad connection/impossible to remove liner. We bought a VC Encore FlexBurn 2040 that didn't get installed until mid-February last year so I didn't get a good chance to get a good feel for it. 
As I read through the previous posts, I saw that there was supposed to be a cat thermometer included? We didn't have one included and I don't see, in the manual, where one would go. 
I have a question, if anyone has experience with this stove- the manual states that the ash pan needs to be cleaned out when it ash gets to the top but it seems that I can never get a good bed of coals as they slip into the ash pan. I left it somewhat full yesterday and it seemed to hold the coals much better. Should I still be cleaning it out daily? I am still trying to get the hang of this stove. I miss my old Vigilant and am just having a heck of a time working this new girl like my old one to run for long periods of time without reloading.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 14, 2016)

I run mine 24/7 these (cold) days and usually have to clean/ empty the ash once every five/six days.

Stove runs better with a full ash pan in my opinion.
Once the ash gets to the same level as the bottom of the windows I know it is time to remove it.

Btw get the cat thermo!!


----------



## jharkin (Jan 14, 2016)

Wow... I wonder whats different about my wood. Running 24/7 my ash pan is full to the top every 2 days. Any longer and its starts overflowing into the ash pan chamber


----------



## Blackcat (Jan 14, 2016)

Where does the cat thermo go? 
We've spent so much re-doing the stove/hearth/chimney, whatever the thermo costs won't even matter at this point....


----------



## Corbon (Jan 14, 2016)

I was wondering if anyone could comment on the quality, reliability, and issues with the Defiant 1610?


----------



## Diabel (Jan 14, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Wow... I wonder whats different about my wood. Running 24/7 my ash pan is full to the top every 2 days. Any longer and its starts overflowing into the ash pan chamber



Trust me mine overflows!! Usually, I get one full overflowing pan and enough overspill to fill 3/4 full second pan. A bit messy but I made a small scoop to remove any overspill from behind the pan.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 14, 2016)

Blackcat said:


> Where does the cat thermo go?
> We've spent so much re-doing the stove/hearth/chimney, whatever the thermo costs won't even matter at this point....



At the back of the stove you will find a small cap. Once removed there will be a hole where you place the probe. I believe the flexburn is the same as other encores.


----------



## Dobish (Jan 14, 2016)

speaking of cat thermometers, here is a picture of the VC supplied cat thermometer.




Does anyone know how the temp range compares?  its odd that there are no numbers..... I think it looks pretty close to something like this, but can't really tell:


----------



## redhat (Jan 14, 2016)

Corbon said:


> I was wondering if anyone could comment on the quality, reliability, and issues with the Defiant 1610?



I haven't owned or operated one, but I have read some of the threads on the non-cat everburns such as the 1610. One of the biggest issues discussed was the soft refractory material disintegrating over time and being costly to replace.  Another issue affected people with tall chimneys, the increased draft could cause some stoves to overheat.

Haven't heard any complaints about build quality, I'm sure the castings on that model are top notch like the ones on the VC's I have owned.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 14, 2016)

I would use this for comparison:


----------



## Diabel (Jan 14, 2016)

redhat said:


> I haven't owned or operated one, but I have read some of the threads on the non-cat everburns such as the 1610. One of the biggest issues discussed was the soft refractory material disintegrating over time and being costly to replace.  Another issue affected people with tall chimneys, the increased draft could cause some stoves to overheat.
> 
> Haven't heard any complaints about build quality, I'm sure the castings on that model are top notch like the ones on the VC's I have owned.



I used to have the 1450 non-cat encore (everburn).
It either ran hot like a freight train (the back glowing cherry red) or it smoldred and smoked like a steam locomotive. There was no in between.

The glowing part made me get rid of it!!


----------



## Dobish (Jan 14, 2016)

Diabel said:


> I would use this for comparison:
> 
> View attachment 171977



Thanks!


----------



## Zkx14 (Jan 14, 2016)

Hello Fellow VC owners.  New to the forum, just checking in.  After near 10 years of using my Dutchwest XL, I decided it was time to replace the inner top.  It was already warped when I got it used from my father in law, but got much worse in the last year or so.  I happened to find this site as I was beginning the rebuild, so did a thread on it.  I've had mixed results burning this thing over the years (surprise, right?). As I read some of the posts here, I am already getting a better understanding of what it will take to get the most out of it more consistently.   I can see that I really need to do a better job managing my wood supply. Right now I have some nice oak, but a lot of mixed stuff that is past its prime...


----------



## Woody Stover (Jan 14, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> I've had mixed results burning this thing over the years (surprise, right?). As I read some of the posts here, I am already getting a better understanding of what it will take to get the most out of it more consistently.   I can see that I really need to do a better job managing my wood supply. Right now I have some nice oak, but a lot of mixed stuff that is past its prime...


With the new parts, all you need is some good, dry, solid wood, and it should run great for you, and be totally predictable once you learn how all the variables affect the cat light-off. Stove top temp, wood dryness, how much wood gets burning in the temp ramp-up, all come into play. These are good, reliable heaters, and I love the ash-handling system. Too bad the window isn't a bit bigger.
Looking at single-digit temps with double-digit wind Sunday night. Might have to fire up the blower to recover room temp in the morning.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 14, 2016)

Blackcat said:


> Where does the cat thermo go?
> We've spent so much re-doing the stove/hearth/chimney, whatever the thermo costs won't even matter at this point....


I'm not familiar with the newer style stoves but on my difiant and encore there is a plug just above the secondary air inlet on the back of the stove.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 14, 2016)

Dobish said:


> speaking of cat thermometers, here is a picture of the VC supplied cat thermometer.
> View attachment 171971
> 
> 
> ...


I would suggest picking up the AT100 from Auber instruments. A digital display that tells the temp in numbers at all times. Plus it has two alarms. Really helps run the stove. Plus you don't have to look behind the stove everytime you want to know how hot you are running.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 14, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Wow... I wonder whats different about my wood. Running 24/7 my ash pan is full to the top every 2 days. Any longer and its starts overflowing into the ash pan chamber


This maybe a dumb question but are you leaving a bed of ash in the firebox or sifting it all done to the ash pan on reloads?


----------



## Zkx14 (Jan 15, 2016)

Woody Stover said:


> With the new parts, all you need is some good, dry, solid wood, and it should run great for you, and be totally predictable once you learn how all the variables affect the cat light-off. Stove top temp, wood dryness, how much wood gets burning in the temp ramp-up, all come into play. These are good, reliable heaters, and I love the ash-handling system.


While I have little experience with stoves other than this one, as a mechanic/maintenance guy for 30 + years I have had the opportunity to work on lots of different equipment.  To me this is just trying to get a machine working right.  With the rebuild, I now have the 'machine' back to original specs.  Next is to control the variables.  I just never really understood or thought about how big of a variable the wood quality is.  I will 'get by' with the wood I have, but will be a lot more picky about what I bring home to feed the beast from now on.  Probably even more of a factor than what I've been burning is what I do with it prior to putting it in the stove.  I've had some laying in piles, some not even split, wood on ground, trees dropping debris on stacks etc.  I plan to sort whatever I have left this spring and get anything solid off the ground and under cover.  Not sure yet what that cover will be.  Been checking out the shed thread for ideas.  Also need to get a moisture reader.  Luckily this is not my only or even primary heat source.  I have a heat pump and oil burner.  But they are not much fun to watch.


----------



## Dobish (Jan 15, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> I would suggest picking up the AT100 from Auber instruments. A digital display that tells the temp in numbers at all times. Plus it has two alarms. Really helps run the stove. Plus you don't have to look behind the stove everytime you want to know how hot you are running.


It is on the list, but right now not in the budget.  I have a wish list of an AT100, griddle thermometer, pipe thermometer, new splitting axe, woodshed, decorative wood rack, dry wood, a few more feet of chimney, and a new chainsaw thats better for in-tree work....


----------



## Woody Stover (Jan 15, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Plus you don't have to look behind the stove everytime you want to know how hot you are running.


The Fireview and Keystone also have the probe on the back. My install has the back of the stove about in the same plane as the fireplace opening, so it's hard to see. I bent a paper clip and wrapped it around the bolt in the dial face so I could look down from the top and have an idea where the probe needle was. At least then I didn't have to use a mirror.


----------



## Reckless (Jan 15, 2016)

I leave my ashpan full since the stove operates better. I now just take a shovel or two from the firebox every 2 days or so. I like sleeping late and finding hidden red coals 12hrs later.


----------



## Woody Stover (Jan 15, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> as a mechanic/maintenance guy...just trying to get a machine working right.


Great. Sounds like you're a tech/mech nerd like me. Looking forward to detailed reports on the Brillo-pad combustor.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 15, 2016)

Dobish said:


> It is on the list, but right now not in the budget.  I have a wish list of an AT100, griddle thermometer, pipe thermometer, new splitting axe, woodshed, decorative wood rack, dry wood, a few more feet of chimney, and a new chainsaw thats better for in-tree work....



I like your wish list!! No one ever said that wood burning is cheap!


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 15, 2016)

Dobish said:


> It is on the list, but right now not in the budget.  I have a wish list of an AT100, griddle thermometer, pipe thermometer, new splitting axe, woodshed, decorative wood rack, dry wood, a few more feet of chimney, and a new chainsaw thats better for in-tree work....


Your wish list is about as long as mine. The at100 will be the cheapest thing on there for about 45 bucks. I ended up using the coupler from my condar digital thermo so I can not lead in the direction for one from Auber. A lot of people on here have the fiskars splitting axe. I chose to go the hand made route and got a gransfors bruk small splitting axe and must say I love it.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 15, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Your wish list is about as long as mine. The at100 will be the cheapest thing on there for about 45 bucks. I ended up using the coupler from my condar digital thermo so I can not lead in the direction for one from Auber. A lot of people on here have the fiskars splitting axe. I chose to go the hand made route and got a gransfors bruk small splitting axe and must say I love it.




The more time yu spend on this forum, the more wood related toys you will end up buying


----------



## Charles1981 (Jan 16, 2016)

Leaving the ash pan full has its pros and cons. 

A full to the brim ash pan with lots of ash in the main firebox with warm weather will lead to decreased draft and primary air and a poor start to reloads imo. But overall after 12-14 hours there will be lots of coals in that blanket of ash for sure.

I tend to keep the ash pan empty on a regular basis when it is warmer (25 degrees and up)

A full to the brim ash pan with colder weather usually works very very well for me as there is a much better draft overall but I will still empty it out after 10-14 days because the ash buildup does get a little bit of a pain to work with and sometimes reloading takes too long because I waited so long and while there are coals, there just isn't as much air to get it going without leaving the front doors open for a bit. 

That said I also think when the ash builds up to heavily it impedes flow into the catalyst chamber if you don't scoop it away incessantly with each reload.

Always playing with the ash amount constantly especially this winter since it is warmer.

But one thing is for sure. They stove takes off like a freight train and burns hot as hell when you clear all the ash out and start from scratch.


----------



## Excavator (Jan 16, 2016)

Yup  when ash pan is empty you have to pay attention and not leave the stove until she settles down and that could be an hour


----------



## jharkin (Jan 16, 2016)

Ive always been in the habit of raking the coals forward at each reload to help the new wood light off quickly.  That always dumps all the ash into the pan.  Maybe I should stop doing that?


----------



## Excavator (Jan 16, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Ive always been in the habit of raking the coals forward at each reload to help the new wood light off quickly.  That always dumps all the ash into the pan.  Maybe I should stop doing that?


Yes I would see if that helps. They are temperamental.  It's a love hate thing these VC stoves[emoji13]


----------



## Charles1981 (Jan 17, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Ive always been in the habit of raking the coals forward at each reload to help the new wood light off quickly.  That always dumps all the ash into the pan.  Maybe I should stop doing that?



I rake the coals a bit forward but with the main goal of rake the ash buildup away from the air intake holes that lead to the catalyst chamber (2N1 setup). I usually push a good amount of just pure coals back into this spot after I clear the ash from there.


----------



## Woody Stover (Jan 17, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> Next is to control the variables.


The last time I tried adjusting the cat air valve on my Dutchwest 2460, a couple years back, it didn't seem to do much. Thinking back, that cat had several years on it. I just left it 1/2 turn open after that. Now, with the new Woodstock 6 x 2" steel cat I have in there, the cat air seems to have a bit more effect. I played with it a bit last night. Early in the burn when there's a lot for the cat to feed on, it seemed to brighten a bit when I set the air 3/4 turn open. Later in the burn I cut it back to 1/2 turn open and it didn't change the glow much. If I opened it 1.5 turns early in the burn, "secondary" flames ignited right where the fountain was feeding in the air, below the cat. I don't think that constitutes "flame impingement" on the cat, but I think I will avoid it anyway. I also thought that maybe adjusting the cat air might help me get a quicker light-off, but the jury is still out on that.
Something I noticed on my Woodstock stoves was that if I opened up the air early in the load and had flame in the box, the smoke sometimes seemed to move through the cat too fast, and the cat couldn't catch it all....I could see a slight amount of smoke out the stack. The adjustable cat air on the Dutchwest might be a way to compensate for this so that it can be run with more air, and still burn clean. The manual says open the cat air more at higher burn rates. The goal of a cleaner burn at higher burn rates is no doubt why Woodstock has thermostatically-controlled cat air on their steel stoves. I don't ever run very much air; At most, there might be a small amount of lazy flame in the box.


----------



## jharkin (Jan 25, 2016)

Ive been home a few days during the (for us a non-event) storm and have had the stove going since Thursday.  I tried adjusting my operating habits again based on your suggestions.

This time I tried to not rake th coals any more than necessary so keep a good bed of ash in the firebox. I see a definite change.  Its holding coals better on extended burns and the  cat temps do seem a bit less likely to spike on big loads.

Another change I made... typically in mild weather I stretch the loads out as much as possible to let the room temps drop a couple degrees (maybe down to 72 or 73 in stove room) before reloading so that the burst of heat doesn't get things too hot in here (would shoot up to 75-76 once the new load is cranking).  By then the cat might drop to 600 and there are little coals.  This weekend Ive been reloading earlier  and Im finding with a big coal bed I can put a full load in and get it shut down and on the cat much faster and often before hte entire load is charred.. sometimes in 10min or less.  the result is that the cat temps are less likely to spike and we get a lot more even heat which keeps the rest of the house consistently around 69-70.  It was counter intuitive but it seems to work.


I think my season might come to an early end though, temps in the 40s and near 50s forecasted in the next couple weeks and then we are into the feb/mar warmup pattern. I'm a weekend burner so probably only a couple more weekends of light burning left.  If that hold out Im going to come out of this season with less than a cord used, unbelievable.


----------



## Diabel (Jan 25, 2016)

jharkin said:


> I think my season might come to an early end though, temps in the 40s and near 50s forecasted in the next couple weeks and then we are into the feb/mar warmup pattern. I'm a weekend burner so probably only a couple more weekends of light burning left.  If that hold out Im going to come out of this season with less than a cord used, unbelievable.




Funny that you say this. I was just thinking...I am about past half way of the burning season.


----------



## Reckless (Jan 26, 2016)

Diabel said:


> Funny that you say this. I was just thinking...I am about past half way of the burning season.


For sure the least amount of wood I've ever used.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Jan 28, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Ive been home a few days during the (for us a non-event) storm and have had the stove going since Thursday.  I tried adjusting my operating habits again based on your suggestions.
> 
> This time I tried to not rake th coals any more than necessary so keep a good bed of ash in the firebox. I see a definite change.  Its holding coals better on extended burns and the  cat temps do seem a bit less likely to spike on big loads.
> 
> ...


Interesting finds. I was starting to wonder if starting to shut down to fast on reloads would cause the cat to run off in hyper mode due to the initial gasing of the wood.


----------



## Woody Stover (Jan 28, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Interesting finds. I was starting to wonder if starting to shut down to fast on reloads would cause the cat to run off in hyper mode due to the initial gasing of the wood.


Not sure about your downdraft model, but I would guess not. The longer you wait to cut the air, the more wood will be gassing. If that's the case, then yes, you may have to run some flame for a while until you can slow the gassing down, or the cat may go high. I found the same thing as jharkin; Reloading on too small a coal bed, it takes longer to get _enough _wood gassing, and to get the stove temp up.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 1, 2016)

Hey guys. I need to re gasket the doors on my encore. I have a question about the right door. does anyone run rope up the latch side?  I know there is gasket on the left door but there seems to be a weak spot at the bottom of the doors where they meet. Any thoughts?


----------



## tupelo (Feb 2, 2016)

Question on Vermont Casting Encore 2550 primary air control.

My stove's right side lever controlling the primary air no longer adjusts the primary air.
The regulator has been fine for the last 10 years.
Something is now disconnected or broken.
Maybe it's a wire, maybe more.
It looks like I need to remove the right-side interior plate, called "Right Air Plate (Inner side)" , to examine the lever backside, called "Thermostat Assembly".

--> If I need to look at the "primary air regulatory system" underneath the floor of the stove, will I have to take apart the rest of the interior plates of the stove apart to get at it?

Thanks in advance for comments and experiences.

I'm referencing the 2550 manual, page 34 onward, copy at
http://www.appliancefactoryparts.com/content/pdfs/171411-1.pdf

Potential parts: (diagram #)
(#39) Thermostat Assy 5005470
(#43) Primary Air Regulatory System 5000337

Not likely parts: (#42)
Primary Air Frame 1307411
Primary Air Valve Only 1307412
Primary Air Rod Only 1601493


----------



## tupelo (Feb 2, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> I have a question about the right door. does anyone run rope up the latch side?



No, just the left door. There is a metal flange on the left side of the right door that presses into the gasket on the left door.


----------



## Reckless (Feb 2, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Hey guys. I need to re gasket the doors on my encore. I have a question about the right door. does anyone run rope up the latch side?  I know there is gasket on the left door but there seems to be a weak spot at the bottom of the doors where they meet. Any thoughts?


I tried that a couple years ago and it leaked, now I just stick to the book and seems to work out with no leaks.


----------



## Reckless (Feb 2, 2016)

tupelo said:


> Question on Vermont Casting Encore 2550 primary air control.
> 
> My stove's right side lever controlling the primary air no longer adjusts the primary air.
> The regulator has been fine for the last 10 years.
> ...


Can you see the wire attached to the primary air flap in the rear of the stove (maybe came loose)? Removing the right inside wall will give you a good indication of where it broke. There is no way to actually see the wire that travels under/through the stove (would require a complete tear down) but the wire can be change pretty easily without a tear down. If the break is out of site you can probably snake the new one with a thinner coat hanger or a flexible snake.

*found some pics of my full tear down last year


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 3, 2016)

Reckless said:


> I tried that a couple years ago and it leaked, now I just stick to the book and seems to work out with no leaks.


Thanks reckless. i can currently see fire through a small hole were the gasket channels meet on the bottom of the doors.


----------



## Reckless (Feb 3, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Thanks reckless. i can currently see fire through a small hole were the gasket channels meet on the bottom of the doors.


Are the doors properly aligned? Is the seam even top to bottom? Also make sure when you gasket the door to leave it loose and not pull it tight as I have made that mistake and had a door leak. If all above is correct then I would need a picture to try and help further.


----------



## trispad (Feb 3, 2016)

Hey All,

I have a Defiant 2n1 with an 8" flue collar and a DuraVent double wall 8" oval to 6" adapter. If I put my hand behind the connection of the flue collar and the adapter I can feel air getting sucked in when the stove is running. Do any of you have suggestions for sealing it up? Given that it is double wall I cannot get at the connection to put some gasket in there. Maybe disassemble the flue collar to access the under side? I might be able to reach through the damper and put some furnace cement on the connection but will not be able to see what I am doing. Thoughts?


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 3, 2016)

I have to say the right door has a very slight sag if anything. I am assuming it is much easier to gasket the doors off of the stove or  am I wrong about this?


Reckless said:


> Are the doors properly aligned? Is the seam even top to bottom? Also make sure when you gasket the door to leave it loose and not pull it tight as I have made that mistake and had a door leak. If all above is correct then I would need a picture to try and help further.


----------



## Reckless (Feb 4, 2016)

Yes MUCH easier to do the gasketing with the doors off. 

A slight sag would explain the gap, no? Loosen the door a little but not enough to move on its own and muscle it into place and tighten it back down.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 6, 2016)

trispad said:


> If I put my hand behind the connection of the flue collar and the adapter I can feel air getting sucked in when the stove is running. Do any of you have suggestions for sealing it up? Given that it is double wall I cannot get at the connection to put some gasket in there.


Is your draft still OK, no smoke roll-out when opening the door or anything? Stove responds to air input? Still, sounds like a substantial leak if you can feel it.


----------



## trispad (Feb 6, 2016)

Woody Stover said:


> Is your draft still OK, no smoke roll-out when opening the door or anything? Stove responds to air input? Still, sounds like a substantial leak if you can feel it.


Draft seems OK. Smoke does not roll out, but it is really easy to crash the cat when shutting the air down. At full open the cat can be at 1200+ and I shut the air by 1/4 and the cat will drop to 1050.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 6, 2016)

trispad said:


> Draft seems OK. Smoke does not roll out, but it is really easy to crash the cat when shutting the air down. At full open the cat can be at 1200+ and I shut the air by 1/4 and the cat will drop to 1050.


The cat will continue to burn smoke, even if it isn't glowing, down to around 500 degrees. On the Dutchwest I run the air barely cracked once I've burned in a new load, and the cat will be up around 1200 but that's a different stove; I've never run a 2n1...


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 6, 2016)

Zkx14 Nice job on the re-build!  https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/dutchwest-xl-2462-rebuild.151340/


Zkx14 said:


> Been working on improving starts to reduce smoke till the cat kicks in.  Top down lighting has proven to be most of the answer.  Now, I am trying different stacking.  Tonight was my 3rd go at it.  Most important to me is when my fan turns on, because that's  when I'm really warming the house.  The fan comes on automatically when the thermal switch closes as the stove warms.
> All hardwood (mostly oak) except for a few pieces  of broken up 2x6.  Pics are just after light off and at about 40 minutes. By second pic, the fan was on and the cat was burning.


Yep, I love the top-down start but if it's cold out I'm usually lighting off the coals to keep the heat coming...no back-up heat here. If there's not a lot of coals, I'll sometimes just shove the coals to the back, put a couple big splits back there, and still do a top-down start in the front of the box. If there are more coals I might pull them forward and just put a couple small splits on and flame them up to raise the stove temp a bit before I pack the box and get _that_ rolling. The kindling is burning pretty clean, and hopefully I can get closer to the temps I need with a clean burn. Once I load I'll try to keep the flame in the front of the stove, hoping it will heat up the top/cat faster that the whole load smoldering underneath, which is blowing a lot of smoke but not getting the stove hot very fast. Not sure how much difference that is making?
Looks like you have the air open a bit in the second pic; Is that your final air setting or were you just keeping a bit of flame in the box until the cat got going good? Your air settings are probably going to be more open since you are venting into the 7 x 11 clay liner, but the interior chimney is probably helping your draft a bit. I've got a 6" liner all the way up so I cut the air to almost zero once the cat is cranking good, with maybe small intermittent flame in the box.
I know you have the cat probe, and monitor firebox temp on the door. What temps do you look for before closing the bypass? When you close it, how long until the cat takes off? When my cat catches good, the probe will rise about 100 degrees a minute. I usually close the bypass when the cat probe is at about minus 200  (I have the Woodstock round steel cat in there) and the stove top meter, which I have behind the probe, is 275-300.


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 6, 2016)

Still getting used to this new mesh type cat.  Does not seam to react like the honeycombs. More gradual increase.  I havent seen the light off and quick rise.  Somewhere around 800 or above, I can see a glow if I look up through the baffle.  Highest I saw so far was around 1150.  Also, my probe works, but I am not confident that it reads right.   The cat info said it will fire above 380.  I try to get the probe to 500, or 400 on the side before closing bypass.   What did you mean by 'minus 200' on your probe?  I do close the air down to about 1/4" opening once its rolling good.  I get great draft most of the time.  Only time it seams a little weak is if its too warm /damp outside.  If anything its the opposite.  When really cold outside I need to be careful not to overfire as it is like a vacuum up the chimney.  6" would be too small for this.  Manual calls for 8 round into 8x8 square.  Since the clay liner corners are rounded, thats probably about 60sq in.  And my 7x 11 is more like 73 sq.  so not that much oversized.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 6, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> Still getting used to this new mesh type cat.  Does not seam to react like the honeycombs. More gradual increase.  I havent seen the light off and quick rise.  Somewhere around 800 or above, I can see a glow if I look up through the baffle.  Highest I saw so far was around 1150.  Also, my probe works, but I am not confident that it reads right.


I've got that 'brillo-pad' cat in my SIL's 2460 but haven't run her stove much; I'm interested to hear your reports on it.





> What did you mean by 'minus 200' on your probe?


When the stove top meter I have behind the cat probe is up near 300, the probe is still below the "0" line on the dial, about as far _below_ zero as 200 is _above_ zero, and this Woodstock steel cat will glow in about a minute after I close the bypass.  The probe is reading OK I think; I just put it in last year. It generally goes to 1100-1200 or so about a half-hour into the burn, and will stay over 1000 for a few hours.
Yep, the 2462 is 8", the 2460 is 6" and I think the 2461 is 6 as well.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 8, 2016)

Hey guys. Should there be refractory cement between the refactor you box and the cover with the three drywall screws. Plus can I use the cement to repair the cat cover. It is falling apart. I need to do a replacement but I'm just going to limp to the finish line this season. It hasn't been very cold and march is around the corner.


----------



## Diabel (Feb 8, 2016)

If the cover is in two pieces, what I did was pin it together along with blobs of cement. Use stainless steel nails and cut the tips so you can easily slide the nails into the refractory material.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 9, 2016)

OK, I took a closer look inside the box last time the stove burned down, trying to see why it's burning hotter in the right side. It looks here like the right end of the air wash (primary air manifold, part #16) might be warped. Hard to tell though, the air wash doesn't look straight in the diagram, and in the photo I took, the left side of the air wash looks wider as well. But in person, it appears that there's a bigger gap in the right side.  I'll have to check it closer when I get the stove apart. Looks like an $80 part if I need it, but I may just be able to bend it or grind it to adjust the air distribution through the air wash.


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 11, 2016)

Woody Stover said:


> OK, I took a closer look inside the box last time the stove burned down, trying to see why it's burning hotter in the right side. It looks here like the right end of the air wash (primary air manifold, part #16) might be warped. Hard to tell though, the air wash doesn't look straight in the diagram, and in the photo I took, the left side of the air wash looks wider as well. But in person, it appears that there's a bigger gap in the right side.  I'll have to check it closer when I get the stove apart. Looks like an $80 part if I need it, but I may just be able to bend it or grind it to adjust the air distribution through the air wash.


Normally its the left side that will burn hotter - when the gasket starts to go.  As for the primary manifold, I gave ot a good look this morning.  The bottom edge on mine is slightly lower (put a straightedge under it) and closer to the glass in the center.  I slid drill bits in as thickness gauges.  Center on glass is about 9/32.  Both sides are a little over 1/4 inch from the metal front.  Looking from front, the right side of mine is slightly tighter.  That manifold seats on a gasket inside, so that could account for a little variation.  I think this would have to be pretty far off to see a difference in the fire, as it really is not that precise.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 11, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> I think this would have to be pretty far off to see a difference in the fire, as it really is not that precise.


I believe the excess air is definitely coming from the air wash; When I have fire in the front, right behind the glass, I can see the flame blowing toward the left side of the box.


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 11, 2016)

Is the flapper tab bent in more ( not closing as far) on that side where the air goes in?  Close the lever and see if there is still a gap.  I believe that would be the more likely cause.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 11, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> Is the flapper tab bent in more ( not closing as far) on that side where the air goes in?


Curiously, it's the _left_ flapper that is more open.


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 11, 2016)

Woody Stover said:


> Curiously, it's the _left_ flapper that is more open.



Hmm, not what I would have thought, but they should be even.  I wonder... The air coming up the left IS directed toward the right. So _maybe _that maks sense???  If they are even, the meet in the middle and cancel to wash down.  If one overpowers the other, not sure what happens.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 11, 2016)

Zkx14 said:


> Hmm, not what I would have thought, but they should be even.  I wonder... The air coming up the left IS directed toward the right. So _maybe _that maks sense???  If they are even, the meet in the middle and cancel to wash down.  If one overpowers the other, not sure what happens.


Interesting idea. Of course, when the flaps are further open, the difference between them as a percentage is going to be lower, and they aren't all _that_ much different, even when closed (I should have put "slightly more open" in the previous post.)


----------



## jharkin (Feb 13, 2016)

How it going guys?   Ive been away for a while cause work was really busy and it was too warm to burn for weeks.    Back at it now and Ive been running full loads of oak and maple 3x a day since thu.  The heat is crankin' but that's to the AT100 and a change of habits I have not had any high temp scares yet...

I'm slightly nervous to see how it handles extreme draft tonight with -10F and 45mph... I will be watching like a hawk to avoid an over fire.


How is everyone else doing?


----------



## Diabel (Feb 13, 2016)

On the coldest weekend of the season my stove is sitting idle. I planned a family ski trip for this weekend. Here I am looking out the window of my ski chalet, wind howling temp -30*C with windchill -44*C
I don't think we will be skiing today

I think I will get a fire started in this....
Last night in 4hrs I went through 15 decent size "hissing" hardwood splits, with hardly any heat radiating into the house.


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 13, 2016)

A few years ago we stayed in a bed and breakfast cottage for a couple nights.  The wood they provided was barely burnable.  Second night they gave me a couple fake logs to burn...  luckily it was not the only heat source.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 13, 2016)

Have needed to do some much needed gasket work but with it actually being cold out I have not been able to bring myself to let the stove go cold. Maybe next week when we see some mid 30 degree weather again.


----------



## Diabel (Feb 13, 2016)

Yup
I would not let the stove go cold in this weather by choice. It might not start again.....haha

Even if the stove helps (as it is a space heater only) the central heating system,  it is usually a substantial help. I can usually keep my house comfortable using the stove only to temp around 32*F. Anything below that my stove needs help from the central NG system.


----------



## Excavator (Feb 13, 2016)

jharkin said:


> How it going guys?   Ive been away for a while cause work was really busy and it was too warm to burn for weeks.    Back at it now and Ive been running full loads of oak and maple 3x a day since thu.  The heat is crankin' but that's to the AT100 and a change of habits I have not had any high temp scares yet...
> 
> I'm slightly nervous to see how it handles extreme draft tonight with -10F and 45mph... I will be watching like a hawk to avoid an over fire.
> 
> ...


Hi jharkin
Just dont let the cat temp get much over 1000 and then turn down half way for a while. Seems when ever i let air stay open and cat reaches 1300 before turning air down she will always slowly climb away


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 13, 2016)

Diabel said:


> Yup
> I would not let the stove go cold in this weather by choice. It might not start again.....haha
> 
> Even if the stove helps (as it is a space heater only) the central heating system,  it is usually a substantial help. I can usually keep my house comfortable using the stove only to temp around 32*F. Anything below that my stove needs help from the central NG system.


Yeah it's a high of about 15f here today so the encore is working hard just to keep the house between 68 and 70.


----------



## jharkin (Feb 13, 2016)

Excavator said:


> Hi jharkin
> Just dont let the cat temp get much over 1000 and then turn down half way for a while. Seems when ever i let air stay open and cat reaches 1300 before turning air down she will always slowly climb away



Yes I've been doing that, shutting down much sooner. Easier to tell if the cat is responding with the at100.

Tonight wirh temp heading to -8f the draft is so strong I reloaded a full load of oak and in under 5 minutes it was roaring. Closed bypass and it hit 1k in literally seconds. Shut it full at that time and it rocketed to 1400+.... Made me nervous and I was thinking about looking to stuff the EPA holes with foil but it stabilised and settled back to 1350.

Funny I'm flipping around the TV and the movie K-19 Widomaker is on.... They are welding the reactor trying to prevent it melting down past 1000C.  Kind of ironic....


----------



## Diabel (Feb 13, 2016)

I will hit 1600 at100 on a regular basis. Should I be worried?
And this is with stove top of 400 and the flue probe of 375-400


----------



## jharkin (Feb 13, 2016)

Condar says 1700+ is the danger zone... So if it levels off at 1600 you should be OK.  

I worry because when i seen mine start climbing past 1400 it often keeps going all the way to 1700+.


----------



## Excavator (Feb 14, 2016)

I have learned that if I reload with smaller splits that I will have a problem with it climbing to 1700+ lots of time but if I load with large rounds for the night it does not run up like that. I still believe the fuel we feed stove has a lot of impact on the behavior


----------



## Blackcat (Feb 14, 2016)

Of course when it is 1 degree outside, I notice that I can't shut the damper all the way. VC Encore 2040 just a year old. We just tried to play with the set screw and that does nothing. It stays open an inch or so. We have to use a pair a pliers to pull it shut, which will not do when there is a fire going.
 Any suggestions for other things to try? Also the damper handle is opposite of what it shows in the manual- the manual shows the handle pointing down while ours faces up. I guess this is how it was assembled? 
TIA!


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

Oh baby  -10 this morning. Reloaded at 9 last night. Filled the stove all the way up to the Griddle. At 8:30 this morning the cat is still rolling at 680 with a GT of 450. I opened the doors and put the screen in so the glass can cool down and I can clean it. I wish my draft was this good all the time.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

Blackcat said:


> Of course when it is 1 degree outside, I notice that I can't shut the damper all the way. VC Encore 2040 just a year old. We just tried to play with the set screw and that does nothing. It stays open an inch or so. We have to use a pair a pliers to pull it shut, which will not do when there is a fire going.
> Any suggestions for other things to try? Also the damper handle is opposite of what it shows in the manual- the manual shows the handle pointing down while ours faces up. I guess this is how it was assembled?
> TIA!


Strange. When you pull it shut with pliers is the handle then loose?  Can you take the flue collar off and see what is going on that way?


----------



## jharkin (Feb 14, 2016)

Excavator said:


> I have learned that if I reload with smaller splits that I will have a problem with it climbing to 1700+ lots of time but if I load with large rounds for the night it does not run up like that. I still believe the fuel we feed stove has a lot of impact on the behavior



Definately agree.  With really dry wood and stong draft Ive had the problem even on the big stuff however if Im not careful.  Last night with the air control completely shut I had the kind of flame show you would see with it half open on a "normal" day.

I lucked out last nigh, the meter shows that it only peaked out at 1430 or so while we where aseleep.


----------



## Blackcat (Feb 14, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> Strange. When you pull it shut with pliers is the handle then loose?  Can you take the flue collar off and see what is going on that way?



Yes, after we pull it shut the handle has a little play in it. 
With the below freezing temps, we're hesitant to start disassembling a new stove. 
We purchased it last January but it wasn't installed until late February of 2015. 
No wonder I have been burning quickly for the past few days


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

Blackcat said:


> Yes, after we pull it shut the handle has a little play in it.
> With the below freezing temps, we're hesitant to start disassembling a new stove.
> We purchased it last January but it wasn't installed until late February of 2015.
> No wonder I have been burning quickly for the past few days


So when you break the lock nut loose and run your adjuster bolt all the way in there is no difference?


----------



## Reckless (Feb 14, 2016)

Found an air leak by the damper handle between top and back. Made a mess with furnace cement but got it sealed up. I noticed the last time I ran the stove it ran away a little bit I was able to shut it down and open the damper to get it back under control. Running better now even with these -2F temps. Stay warm brothers!


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

I have been dealing with smoke out the cap even when the cat reads 1300 and GT at 450-500.  Frustrating.


----------



## Diabel (Feb 14, 2016)

You sure it is steam?


----------



## Zkx14 (Feb 14, 2016)

I can only imagine what some of you guys are dealing with on draft.   We got somewhere near 0F last night.  Rarely even go single digit here.  Its amazing how much more draft I get.  Like a vacuum up the chimney.   More often I have the opposite problem if I try to start when its not cold enough or damp I can get an occasional back puff.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

Diabel said:


> You sure ognia jot steem?


It could be but I'm not convinced it's completely steam. I know my damper gaskets needs some attention. doesn't quite pass the dollar bill test.


----------



## Diabel (Feb 14, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> It could be but I'm not convinced it's completely steam. I know my damper gaskets needs some attention. doesn't quite pass the dollar bill test.


Sorry about the funny words, that is what happens when you use auto correct and you forget to switch back to English keyboard.

Is the smoke white or grey? You could tighten the damper screw.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

Diabel said:


> Sorry about the funny words, that is what happens when you use auto correct and you forget to switch back to English keyboard.
> 
> Is the smoke white or grey? You could tighten the damper screw.


It's white for the most part. I plan on tightening the damper once I can give the stove a break.


----------



## Diabel (Feb 14, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> It's white for the most part. I plan on tightening the damper once I can give the stove a break.


Then I would say it is steam. I get that too, even with cat going at 1500, gt550 and flue probe 400.
I would not worry about it. When it is around 32 or up and you get smoke with those stove temps then I would investigate the damper and others things.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 14, 2016)

RandyBoBandy said:


> It's white for the most part.


Are you seeing this on a fresh load? That's when I usually see steam, then it clears up once more of the moisture leaves the wood.


----------



## jharkin (Feb 14, 2016)

Diabel said:


> Then I would say it is steam. I get that too, even with cat going at 1500, gt550 and flue probe 400.
> I would not worry about it. When it is around 32 or up and you get smoke with those stove temps then I would investigate the damper and others things.



Agreed, white that dissipates within 5-10 feet of the stack is steam.   Smoke is grey or black and lingers.

On a cold day like today I get tons of steam.  Drove through Boston today and every high rise  had billowing plumes of steam.  The cold does it.


----------



## Woody Stover (Feb 14, 2016)

jharkin said:


> Agreed, white that dissipates within 5-10 feet of the stack is steam.


I've noticed that steam will carry a good distance further than that if it's humid out.


----------



## RandyBoBandy (Feb 14, 2016)

It will smoke on a reload for a bit than it all disapates within 10'. It just seems thick at times. I'm burning ash around 16%mc


----------



## Dobish (Oct 7, 2016)

We finally got chilly enough to light up the stove this year!




It was just a little guy, but it was nice to sit down and enjoy. I loaded it up again this morning and am curious how it is still going (i wish i was there).

we have someone who is going to be staying at our house during the day for a little while, and I wanted to give them a quick down and dirty on how to load, what to watch for, etc.  I was thinking about making a quick instruction sheet for them, and wanted to include temps to look out for. I have an IR thermometer that lives near the stove, but I wanted to run through this and get verification before I printed off.

If i say, the following, is this pretty accurate?
- Flue temp should be >250º and between 250º and 450º
- griddle temp 450º to 650º
- close air to keep griddle temp around 450º
- Engage cat when 3-4" of coals on bottom
- Cat temp between 500º and 1700º (1100º ideal)
- close air when cat temp is around 1100º
- reload when griddle temp <300º
- freshen fire when cat temp is <500º


----------



## Reckless (Oct 9, 2016)

I ran a quick one the other night. Got a new flex liner gonna put it in a few weeks. 




About time to start the new 16/17 thread. Where's Mr. Harkin @jharkin


----------



## Diabel (Oct 9, 2016)

I had one eve fire so far (two weeks ago). It has been a very warm Oct so far.
The temps are cooling off starting today, day highs in the 55 and night lows 40s. I believe I will have eve fires this week starting tonight!!


----------



## jharkin (Oct 10, 2016)

Yes it is time... I will start it soon...


----------



## begreen (Oct 10, 2016)

Only 52F in mid afternoon. My wife asked if we are going to have a fire tonight.


----------



## DMoloney (Oct 14, 2016)

Hello everyone. Just joined the forum today--I'm in the process of a partial rebuild of my 2550 (purchased in 1999) and have been following the excellent rebuild thread by jharkin and others posted back in 10/13.  I have all the innards removed (and cleaned up), waiting for delivery of new refractory assembly and gaskets, cement, etc.  
I have a couple questions as I start to think about reassembly, mainly concerning the upper FB:  When I removed it, there was a spacer at the end of the damper rod, but I didn't see a washer.  It probably helps with the action of the damper handle--seems like I should include one when I reassemble, right?

I'm going with gaskets on the sides of the upper FB and a heavy bead of stove cement on the top edge. The bolts that secure it pass right thru the gasket...just stop the gasket short on each side of the hole to allow the bolt to go thru?  I think I saw an image somewhere showing that...

One other thing I was thinking about: On the fire back kit pdf it says to install the combustor and access cover on the refractory assembly before I install the upper FB...wonder why? Seems like the cover might just get in the way of an already tricky and tight motion getting it back in place--so easy to crush the lip on the cover!

Sure do appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

Danny


----------



## newburn (Oct 17, 2016)

I am a new owner of an Encore 2040.  

Is there any use to the factory cat probe?  Is there any easy way to hook up a digital thermometer to this probe?  I am trying to get all my thermometers up, so that I can figure this stove out.  Never sure when to open or close the bypass damper.  This is my first wood stove.


----------



## Woody Stover (Oct 17, 2016)

newburn said:


> I am a new owner of an Encore 2040. Is there any use to the factory cat probe?  Is there any easy way to hook up a digital thermometer to this probe?  I am trying to get all my thermometers up, so that I can figure this stove out.  Never sure when to open or close the bypass damper.  This is my first wood stove.


From the manual (p. 21,) "An optional surface thermometer tells you when to adjust the air control, and when to refuel...Take temperature readings with a thermometer located in the middle of the griddle. Surface thermometer is a valuable guide to operation
An optional surface thermometer tells you when to adjust the air control, and when to refuel. (Fig. 36) For example, when the thermometer registers at least 450°F. (230°C) after start-up you know the stove is hot enough and it may be time to close the damper. Note that the stove will warm up much  sooner than the chimney, though; a warm chimney is the key to easy, effective stove operation. Please review the draft management information on Page 27 to see how the size, type, and location of your chimney will affect your stove operation. When thermometer readings drop below 350°F (175°C) it’s time to adjust the air control for a higher burn rate or to reload the stove. A temperature reading over 650°F. (340°C) is a sign to
reduce the air supply to slow the burn rate."
They go into how to use the cat probe in the following section. Not sure how easy it would be to hook up a digital probe, or if that is even necessary.


----------



## DMoloney (Oct 17, 2016)

Well, now I don't really see a need for the washer on the damper rod (on my Encore 2550) so I think I'll leave it out.  What they call a spacer on the fire back kit pdf http://www.intrepidcreativity.com/r...catalytic-replacement/encore2550-fireback.pdf, does it act as a bushing where the rod goes thru the hole in the side casting?  If so the washer would be outside next to the handle--don't think I've ever seen one there...
Still waiting the refractory and a tube of stove cement but I've got my gaskets cemented in...probably won't need a fire for at least 2-3 more weeks, still I'm ready to get this mess all back together.


edit: OK now I see that the spacer doesn't need to go in with the upper fire back, it simply slips on from outside before you attach the handle...duh, sorry a greenie here...


----------



## Dobish (Oct 17, 2016)

newburn said:


> I am a new owner of an Encore 2040.
> 
> Is there any use to the factory cat probe?  Is there any easy way to hook up a digital thermometer to this probe?  I am trying to get all my thermometers up, so that I can figure this stove out.  Never sure when to open or close the bypass damper.  This is my first wood stove.



i use the cat probe that came with it, and it is helpful as it gives a quick glance. if you are going all digital, you can easily replace the cat probe with a digital, although I am not sure now necessary that is.  I did have to poke pretty hard to get it through the back.

I just posted this above as a quick cheat sheet that I am making to put by the stove, it may be helpful for you:

- Flue temp should be >250º and between 250º and 450º
- griddle temp 450º to 650º
- close air to keep griddle temp around 450º
- Engage cat when 3-4" of coals on bottom and griddle temp 450º
- Cat temp between 500º and 1700º (1100º ideal)
- close air when cat temp is around 1100º
- reload when griddle temp <300º
- freshen fire when cat temp is <500º


----------



## begreen (Oct 17, 2016)

Any flexburn owners here that can help this new burner out?
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/vc-encore-2040-how-to-burn.156965/

Looks like Dobish has made a good start.


----------



## Diabel (Oct 17, 2016)

Digital meteres are nice (no need to peek behind the stove). AT100 from Auber is what several members use, with different cat stoves.

Mine reads nice 72 right now.....
This is a strange shoulder season for sure! Calling for hot and humid tomorrow 80s and down to 40s on Thur.


----------



## Woody Stover (Oct 17, 2016)

A marker tells you where your stove has gone while you were out.


----------



## jharkin (Oct 22, 2016)

The 2016/2017 thread is open everybody:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2016-2017-vc-owners-thread.156768/#post-2103708


----------



## begreen (Oct 22, 2016)

Closing down this thread. Go to this thread for new posts:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/2016-2017-vc-owners-thread.156768


----------

