# Vermont Castings Merrimack



## daveydog

What's the pulse on Vermont Castings out there?  Would you have hesitations about buying this new model?  The boss loves the big view and design... I'm skeptical about VC after reading about their recent history and all of the negative reviews of various VC products on this site over the last decade.... and this model has no track record... Dealer says new ownership is good and VC should be headed back in the right direction... Has a decent size firebox but sort of low BTU rating... I guess my other question aside from overall build quality is will it throw heat...  Do you think the larger glass area on this unit affects it's heat output?


----------



## begreen

It could be a decent insert, but so far we haven't heard much about it. It will take a year or two to start establishing a track record. The insert is good looking and offers a very nice fire view. How much are they asking for it?


----------



## daveydog

BeGreen said:
			
		

> It could be a decent insert, but so far we haven't heard much about it. It will take a year or two to start establishing a track record. The insert is good looking and offers a very nice fire view. How much are they asking for it?


$4300 installed (full liner, cast iron surround, etc)...


----------



## DAKSY

daveydog said:
			
		

> BeGreen said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It could be a decent insert, but so far we haven't heard much about it. It will take a year or two to start establishing a track record. The insert is good looking and offers a very nice fire view. How much are they asking for it?
> 
> 
> 
> $4300 installed (full liner, cast iron surround, etc)...
Click to expand...


That's up there with the Hampton HI300 & the Jotul C550, but they're both proven products...
Don't think I'd go with the VC this early in the game...Too many unknowns...


----------



## allhandsworking

It looks like a larger Montpelier. This winter will be my third heating season and its been great! I have an 1800 sq ft home and it keeps us comfortable. There have been negative reviews but I think that is due to inexperience and unseasoned wood! If its anything like the Montpelier it will be really nice. You cant beat the large viewing glass of these units! I have posted vids. on youtube to show it operating! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM


----------



## weatherguy

All I see is a video of Lady Gaga


----------



## daveydog

Ok now no posting positive information on the Merrimack please... we're buying today (tax free today in ma) and I'm trying to convince the boss that the pacific energy summit is our boy.... she really wants the Merrimack for that view...


----------



## thinkxingu

I thought you were talking about the VC dealership in Merrimack, NH for a second.  I was gonna give a thumbs-down-a-roo on them--they quoted me almost double the install costs as three other dealers and triple the price for a hearth pad.

Anyway, I steered clear of VC given the negative reviews.  I'm not sure I've ever heard a negative on PE--good luck!

S


----------



## Fsappo

Anything from a company that unstable shouldnt be bought until it's been in the field for a couple of years.  Just PE it and be done.


----------



## Dakotas Dad

Franks said:
			
		

> Anything from a company that unstable shouldnt be bought until it's been in the field for a couple of years.  Just PE it and be done.





Hard to get them "in the field" if they shoudn't be bought...

just sayin'...

somebody HAS to buy them to get real world reviews.. I say go for it, get back to us on how it works..


----------



## ddddddden

If the new VC company wants some guinea pigs, let them offer a sweet introductory discount on the new stove, like 50% off.  Sacrifice profit to get new product into the field.  That's the only way I'd consider buying one of these, and then I'd do it only if I knew the dealer personally and knew they would make things right if VC screwed me over.  $4k to install a new product from a new company?  No thanks.  Surely the Mrs. can understand these issues.


----------



## daveydog

Den said:
			
		

> If the new VC company wants some guinea pigs, let them offer a sweet introductory discount on the new stove, like 50% off.  Sacrifice profit to get new product into the field.  That's the only way I'd consider buying one of these, and then I'd do it only if I knew the dealer personally and knew they would make things right if VC screwed me over.  $4k on a new product from a new company?  No thanks.



now THAT is a good idea...


----------



## begreen

Monessen is not exactly a new company. If VC can address the weaknesses in some of their refractory products and put out good new products, they should do ok. I'm hoping they are getting back on track, but it will take a couple years to see.

FWIW, my understanding from the OP is that $4.3K was for the insert,_fancy surround, liner and installation_.


----------



## ddddddden

$4.3k for the whole shebang installed is my understanding too.  As has been pointed out, that kind of $ will buy a nice insert from many different mfrs. I simply see no incentive to buy the VC.  It's an established brand, and the new owner is not a newbie, but the "situation" is new.  It "should" work out, and I'm rooting for them, but I wouldn't give them thousand$ without a big incentive and more from the dealer than "VC should be headed in the right direction." I guess they are counting on brand recognition and dealers to wrangle guinea pigs.


----------



## daveydog

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Monessen is not exactly a new company. If VC can address the weaknesses in some of their refractory products and put out good new products, they should do ok. I'm hoping they are getting back on track, but it will take a couple years to see.
> 
> FWIW, my understanding from the OP is that $4.3K was for the insert,_fancy surround, liner and installation_.



thats correct


----------



## thinkxingu

Monessen may not be a new company, but, if I recall, nor were some of the others who owned VC for a bit.  Any company with a history of wholly disqualifying past sales for warranty support, leaving hundreds (thousands?) without recourse for defective products, is not one I'm willing to take a chance on.

S


----------



## ddddddden

Good luck with purchasing during tax holiday, Davey. Only clothes and school supplies qualify here.


----------



## patrolman467

So, have you made a decision on the Merrimack?  Can you get a fire screen with this insert?


----------



## dougb

We may be getting the Merrimack as well. I have heard the same negative stuff about VC, but when you look at the materials and features of all stoves, how can you really screw something up that much? I had an old VC Dutchwest free standing unit. Worked pretty well. I think it was a "cat" and should have been serviced better. But now I am in a different house and the only stove that would fit our unusual fireplace was the VC Montpelier. Now my dealer is encouraging me to get the Merrimack instead (for slightly less $$ than the Montpelier). He's coming out to measure my fireplace, so he will be on the hook if it doesn't fit. I've seen some videos and information about the VC facility in Vermont and I think they should be fine to purchase from. I physically checked the workmanship of the Montpelier vs. Jotul 550 (wouldn't fit my fireplace), Lopi and others. The VC actually had an additional burn tube on the inside top that the others did not have. I will keep you posted as to whether I get the Merrimack or Montpelier (or something else)...Doug


----------



## ddddddden

What is your dealer doing to "encourage" you?  Financial incetive? Guarantee to swap for another stove model if the Merrimack is a dud? Yelling "Dooo it?"  It's hard to imagine that VC makes the only insert that will fit your fireplace. . .it sorta implies that they have a very uniquely sized/shaped product, for which the market might be very limited. If you shared the dimensions of your fireplace, maybe we could make some suggestions. If you like cats, have you looked at the BK Princess, Buck 80 or 91?


----------



## allhandsworking

weatherguy said:
			
		

> All I see is a video of Lady Gaga


 sorry


----------



## allhandsworking

allhandsworking said:
			
		

> weatherguy said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All I see is a video of Lady Gaga
> 
> 
> 
> sorry try this        It looks like a larger Montpelier. This winter will be my third heating season and its been great! I have an 1800 sq ft home and it keeps us comfortable. There have been negative reviews but I think that is due to inexperience and unseasoned wood! If its anything like the Montpelier it will be really nice. You cant beat the large viewing glass of these units! I have posted vids. on youtube to show it operating! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM
Click to expand...


----------



## allhandsworking

dougb said:
			
		

> We may be getting the Merrimack as well. I have heard the same negative stuff about VC, but when you look at the materials and features of all stoves, how can you really screw something up that much? I had an old VC Dutchwest free standing unit. Worked pretty well. I think it was a "cat" and should have been serviced better. But now I am in a different house and the only stove that would fit our unusual fireplace was the VC Montpelier. Now my dealer is encouraging me to get the Merrimack instead (for slightly less $$ than the Montpelier). He's coming out to measure my fireplace, so he will be on the hook if it doesn't fit. I've seen some videos and information about the VC facility in Vermont and I think they should be fine to purchase from. I physically checked the workmanship of the Montpelier vs. Jotul 550 (wouldn't fit my fireplace), Lopi and others. The VC actually had an additional burn tube on the inside top that the others did not have. I will keep you posted as to whether I get the Merrimack or Montpelier (or something else)...Doug


    It looks like a larger Montpelier. This winter will be my third heating season and its been great! I have an 1800 sq ft home and it keeps us comfortable. There have been negative reviews but I think that is due to inexperience and unseasoned wood! If its anything like the Montpelier it will be really nice. You cant beat the large viewing glass of these units! I have posted vids. on youtube to show it operating! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM


----------



## ddddddden

VC shows the minimum fireplace dimensions for the Merrimack as 29.75W x 23.75H x 18.5D x 25.0W at the rear.  I think a BK Princess (and many other inserts) would fit into that space.  If the 30 deg flue offset is what you need, the BK flue has a 45 deg offset. It doesn't have the large glass of the VC, but the BK reportedly  doesn't put on much of a light show anyhow. Something seems off with the VC spec page. . .3.0 cu ft firebox, but holds only 40 lbs of wood. Many mfrs' specs exceed the usable space in the firebox, but a 3 cu ft firebox will hold more like 60 lbs, and will usually put out more than 55k BTU. Seems like it may have closer to 2 cu ft of capacity.  Maybe that's why the two dealer pages I found don't show a capacity spec. . .the same pages show 32k BTU for output, so somebody needs to get the specs straight on this stove. One of the issues with a new product, I guess, which brings us back to the question of what incentive does anyone have to try this new stove. . .


----------



## ddddddden

Looks like MSRP on the Merrimack is $2593 + $229 for the plain surround or $499 for the fancy cast surround, so ~ $3100 with the cast surround. . .add $400 for 25' of stainless flex liner, and you're at $3500 for parts. I wouldn't be feelin' any incentive to buy for $4300 installed. Actually, I'd feel insulted at being asked to pay full MSRP + $800 installation to be a guinea pig! Common courtesy would be to offer *at least* an off-seasonish discount of ~ 30%. To do otherwise implies that the buyer is a sucker.


----------



## dougb

Thanks. I think the Montpelier looks slightly nicer than the Merrimack. I prefer the single handle approach, so you can load wood with the other hand, but I will see what fits best. The video looks great!


----------



## ddddddden

FWIW, I've never held onto the door handle while loading wood.


----------



## dougb

allhandsworking said:
			
		

> dougb said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We may be getting the Merrimack as well. I have heard the same negative stuff about VC, but when you look at the materials and features of all stoves, how can you really screw something up that much? I had an old VC Dutchwest free standing unit. Worked pretty well. I think it was a "cat" and should have been serviced better. But now I am in a different house and the only stove that would fit our unusual fireplace was the VC Montpelier. Now my dealer is encouraging me to get the Merrimack instead (for slightly less $$ than the Montpelier). He's coming out to measure my fireplace, so he will be on the hook if it doesn't fit. I've seen some videos and information about the VC facility in Vermont and I think they should be fine to purchase from. I physically checked the workmanship of the Montpelier vs. Jotul 550 (wouldn't fit my fireplace), Lopi and others. The VC actually had an additional burn tube on the inside top that the others did not have. I will keep you posted as to whether I get the Merrimack or Montpelier (or something else)...Doug
> 
> 
> 
> It looks like a larger Montpelier. This winter will be my third heating season and its been great! I have an 1800 sq ft home and it keeps us comfortable. There have been negative reviews but I think that is due to inexperience and unseasoned wood! If its anything like the Montpelier it will be really nice. You cant beat the large viewing glass of these units! I have posted vids. on youtube to show it operating! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM
Click to expand...


Thanks for the advice - video looks great. Dealer is supposed tp come out and let me know soon.


----------



## dougb

Den said:
			
		

> What is your dealer doing to "encourage" you?  Financial incetive? Guarantee to swap for another stove model if the Merrimack is a dud? Yelling "Dooo it?"  It's hard to imagine that VC makes the only insert that will fit your fireplace. . .it sorta implies that they have a very uniquely sized/shaped product, for which the market might be very limited. If you shared the dimensions of your fireplace, maybe we could make some suggestions. If you like cats, have you looked at the BK Princess, Buck 80 or 91?



Den, He is quoting me about $1,300 cheaper than the other dealer. I'll check my dimensions, but they are kind of unusual. The opening is taller than normal. So with the Jotuls and Lopis, I would have to put some kind of plate behind the surround, or get a larger surround and cut ino my mantle, heat shields, etc. VC is now offering a lifetime warranty, so I am going to inquire about that. Also what is a BK Princess? Thanks.


----------



## ddddddden

I hear what you are saying about getting the surround to cover the opening, but a high lintel can be a blessing. Mine is only ~27" high, which would have made connecting the liner pipe to the stove's collar on some taller inserts a real PITA. I do like the VC's ability to attach the collar from inside the stove and tilt it 30 deg. That's smart, if it holds up well. The Blaze King Princess pi1010 is an insert I took a long look at before deciding to set a stove out on my hearth instead of putting another insert into my external chimney, which loses a lot of heat to the great outdoors. The Princess has a catalyst and a bimetallic-coil "thermostat" to automatically adjust the draft, which I think some VC's had back in the day. A lot of folks around here think BK is the bee's knees. Supposedly, it will sip a load of wood for days, if you want that kind of low output, which I do in my relatively mild climate. MSRP is $2595(widely discounted out west.) I think that includes the surround. Larger surround optional.


----------



## daveydog

Den said:
			
		

> Looks like MSRP on the Merrimack is $2593 + $229 for the plain surround or $499 for the fancy cast surround, so ~ $3100 with the cast surround. . .add $400 for 25' of stainless flex liner, and you're at $3500 for parts. I wouldn't be feelin' any incentive to buy for $4300 installed. Actually, I'd feel insulted at being asked to pay full MSRP + $800 installation to be a guinea pig! Common courtesy would be to offer *at least* an off-seasonish discount of ~ 30%. To do otherwise implies that the buyer is a sucker.



Haven't found one dealer who will do 25 ft of liner for less than 660... I do agree though that installs seem stinkin high.  What are they making, $100 an hour?


----------



## ddddddden

daveydog said:
			
		

> Den said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Looks like MSRP on the Merrimack is $2593 + $229 for the plain surround or $499 for the fancy cast surround, so ~ $3100 with the cast surround. . .add $400 for 25' of stainless flex liner, and you're at $3500 for parts. I wouldn't be feelin' any incentive to buy for $4300 installed. Actually, I'd feel insulted at being asked to pay full MSRP + $800 installation to be a guinea pig! Common courtesy would be to offer *at least* an off-seasonish discount of ~ 30%. To do otherwise implies that the buyer is a sucker.
> 
> 
> 
> *What are they making, $100 an hour?*
Click to expand...

No, $100 per ft. Seriously, that's what 1 guy quoted me to reline the chimney with a cement insulation slurry, which I gather may be necessary if there are structural issues. Another wanted $2350 for 25'. $400 is the web price for flex pipe. Insulation wrap is another $200.  Is the $660 quote for just the pipe, or is that for installing it?


----------



## daveydog

I don't follow you.  How many hours does it take to do an install?


----------



## ddddddden

I was just blathering about another type of chimney relining, and I edit/add to my posts a lot because my connection gets reset frequently. It may make more sense if you reread it. . .I would think a pro could do an install in less than 8 hrs. . .probably 2-3 hrs, but if you don't want to move a 500lb stove and go dancing on the rooftop, you gotta pay. Actually, what I find insulting about the quote you were given is that they want to charge you that after you buy an unknown stove from them at full MSRP. There are too many good options in the $2-3k range to be messing around with someone who doesn't want to deal. I understand that back in the day VC was _the_ stove. That's not exactly the case today, but your dealer seems to want to pretend that it is. If you can't find a good deal on anything local, mail order is an option with many brands. If you don't want to DIY the install, ask around on here for a good chimney sweep who does installs in your area.


----------



## ddddddden

Off-season discounts seem to be pretty common, but those will be drying up soon, if not already. Depending on your heating bill, your best bet may be to lurk around here for another 6 months and learn more. Make a more informed decision, and buy at 20-30% off in the spring.    OTOH, the 30% tax deal may not be available next year. . .


----------



## daveydog

Den said:
			
		

> I was just blathering about another type of chimney relining, and I edit/add to my posts a lot because my connection gets reset frequently. It may make more sense if you reread it. . .I would think a pro could do an install in less than 8 hrs. . .probably 2-3 hrs, but if you don't want to move a 500lb stove and go dancing on the rooftop, you gotta pay. Actually, what I find insulting about the quote you were given is that they want to charge you that much after you buy an unknown stove from them at full MSRP. There are too many good options in the $2-3k range to be messing around with someone who doesn't want to deal. I understand that back in the day VC was _the_ stove. That's not exactly the case today, but your dealer seems to want to pretend that it is. If you can't find a good deal on anything local, mail order is an option with many brands. If you don't want to DIY the install, ask around on here for a good chimney sweep who does installs in your area.



I was reading your post on my phone... not all of it showed up... $100/ft!!  WTH that's crazy!  $660 was just for the stainless steel liner... 4 dealers quoted the same price on that... labor quotes were all pretty much the same, regardless of the insert... roughly 700-900 ballparks...  I think I will look into getting an estimate from a chimney sweep or 2... no rush on this.  FWIW, I'm pretty much set on getting the PE Summit insert (I had been concerned about blowing ourselves out of the living room but the more i read, the less concerned i am about that now)... As much as I do like that big pic the VC offers, I agree with your sentiments... Also, for those considering the VC, the firebox IS pretty big, I'd say that it is 3 cu ft..... but it tapers in on the sides and it slopes down in the back... so although it offers 22X17 dimensions, the 22 shrinks pretty quick... and I'd think it might be a PITA to stuff with wood, trying to take advantage of the 22 width at the front-only part of the stove... hope that makes sense.  It also has this goofy a$$ looking contraption along the front of the firebox floor that will mess with your log placement a bit... takes up some real estate (some of that 17" depth)... I believe it contains the area that provides some air flow... looks like it might be real easy to get clogged up, but I'm not sure I totally understand that part of it...


----------



## daveydog

at any rate, I think we're pretty much headed towards the PE Summit (though PE has a new cast iron insert due out soon.... the  t5 aderlea type model... wish it was the bigger T6 but wouldn't mind seeing it before buying the Summit... do like the look of it)... 

ah well, it'll give me something to ponder over a few coronas on vaca next week...


----------



## weatherguy

daveydog, you talked your wife into another stove? You have to let the rest of us know your secret   



> Den, He is quoting me about $1,300 cheaper than the other dealer. I’ll check my dimensions, but they are kind of unusual. The opening is taller than normal. So with the Jotuls and Lopis, I would have to put some kind of plate behind the surround, or get a larger surround and cut ino my mantle, heat shields, etc. VC is now offering a lifetime warranty, so I am going to inquire about that. *Also what is a BK Princess*? Thanks



Look at my avatar, I have a BK Princess, awesome stove. I do like the looks of the VC,, both the Montpelier and Merrimack, I hope they turn out to be solid reliable stoves.


----------



## daveydog

[quote author="weatherguy" date="1282207126"]daveydog, you talked your wife into another stove? You have to let the rest of us know your secret   

Jedi mind trick


----------



## firefighterjake

daveydog said:
			
		

> weatherguy said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> daveydog, you talked your wife into another stove? You have to let the rest of us know your secret
> 
> Jedi mind trick
> 
> 
> 
> 
> "This is not the stove you're looking for."
> 
> "This is not the stove we're looking for . .  move along."
Click to expand...


----------



## allhandsworking

daveydog said:
			
		

> Den said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was just blathering about another type of chimney relining, and I edit/add to my posts a lot because my connection gets reset frequently. It may make more sense if you reread it. . .I would think a pro could do an install in less than 8 hrs. . .probably 2-3 hrs, but if you don't want to move a 500lb stove and go dancing on the rooftop, you gotta pay. Actually, what I find insulting about the quote you were given is that they want to charge you that much after you buy an unknown stove from them at full MSRP. There are too many good options in the $2-3k range to be messing around with someone who doesn't want to deal. I understand that back in the day VC was _the_ stove. That's not exactly the case today, but your dealer seems to want to pretend that it is. If you can't find a good deal on anything local, mail order is an option with many brands. If you don't want to DIY the install, ask around on here for a good chimney sweep who does installs in your area.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was reading your post on my phone... not all of it showed up... $100/ft!! WTH that's crazy! $660 was just for the stainless steel liner... 4 dealers quoted the same price on that... labor quotes were all pretty much the same, regardless of the insert... roughly 700-900 ballparks... I think I will look into getting an estimate from a chimney sweep or 2... no rush on this. FWIW, I'm pretty much set on getting the PE Summit insert (I had been concerned about blowing ourselves out of the living room but the more i read, the less concerned i am about that now)... As much as I do like that big pic the VC offers, I agree with your sentiments... Also, for those considering the VC, the firebox IS pretty big, I'd say that it is 3 cu ft..... but it tapers in on the sides and it slopes down in the back... so although it offers 22X17 dimensions, the 22 shrinks pretty quick... and I'd think it might be a PITA to stuff with wood, trying to take advantage of the 22 width at the front-only part of the stove... hope that makes sense. It also has this goofy a$$ looking contraption along the front of the firebox floor that will mess with your log placement a bit... takes up some real estate (some of that 17" depth)... I believe it contains the area that provides some air flow... looks like it might be real easy to get clogged up, but I'm not sure I totally understand that part of it...
Click to expand...

                                                                   "The goofy a$$" contraption in the front is no problem. Once a month I lift it out and brush off the air channels they don't seem to clog at all but this is just part of my monthly cleaning. the end irons lift out easily also. I like the Montpelier. Do your research because there are so many great stoves and inserts!


----------



## daveydog

allhandsworking said:
			
		

> daveydog said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Den said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was just blathering about another type of chimney relining, and I edit/add to my posts a lot because my connection gets reset frequently. It may make more sense if you reread it. . .I would think a pro could do an install in less than 8 hrs. . .probably 2-3 hrs, but if you don't want to move a 500lb stove and go dancing on the rooftop, you gotta pay. Actually, what I find insulting about the quote you were given is that they want to charge you that much after you buy an unknown stove from them at full MSRP. There are too many good options in the $2-3k range to be messing around with someone who doesn't want to deal. I understand that back in the day VC was _the_ stove. That's not exactly the case today, but your dealer seems to want to pretend that it is. If you can't find a good deal on anything local, mail order is an option with many brands. If you don't want to DIY the install, ask around on here for a good chimney sweep who does installs in your area.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was reading your post on my phone... not all of it showed up... $100/ft!! WTH that's crazy! $660 was just for the stainless steel liner... 4 dealers quoted the same price on that... labor quotes were all pretty much the same, regardless of the insert... roughly 700-900 ballparks... I think I will look into getting an estimate from a chimney sweep or 2... no rush on this. FWIW, I'm pretty much set on getting the PE Summit insert (I had been concerned about blowing ourselves out of the living room but the more i read, the less concerned i am about that now)... As much as I do like that big pic the VC offers, I agree with your sentiments... Also, for those considering the VC, the firebox IS pretty big, I'd say that it is 3 cu ft..... but it tapers in on the sides and it slopes down in the back... so although it offers 22X17 dimensions, the 22 shrinks pretty quick... and I'd think it might be a PITA to stuff with wood, trying to take advantage of the 22 width at the front-only part of the stove... hope that makes sense. It also has this goofy a$$ looking contraption along the front of the firebox floor that will mess with your log placement a bit... takes up some real estate (some of that 17" depth)... I believe it contains the area that provides some air flow... looks like it might be real easy to get clogged up, but I'm not sure I totally understand that part of it...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> "The goofy a$$" contraption in the front is no problem. Once a month I lift it out and brush off the air channels they don't seem to clog at all but this is just part of my monthly cleaning. the end irons lift out easily also. I like the Montpelier. Do your research because there are so many great stoves and inserts!
Click to expand...


Oh that's good.  How does your stove do, in relation to the sq ft it can heat (compared to what the claim is)?  How about the refractory brick?  Holding up?  As far as Merrimack goes, seems like it should be rated for heating more sq ft....  but I know those ratings are not regulated, etc....


----------



## allhandsworking

daveydog said:
			
		

> allhandsworking said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> daveydog said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Den said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was just blathering about another type of chimney relining, and I edit/add to my posts a lot because my connection gets reset frequently. It may make more sense if you reread it. . .I would think a pro could do an install in less than 8 hrs. . .probably 2-3 hrs, but if you don't want to move a 500lb stove and go dancing on the rooftop, you gotta pay. Actually, what I find insulting about the quote you were given is that they want to charge you that much after you buy an unknown stove from them at full MSRP. There are too many good options in the $2-3k range to be messing around with someone who doesn't want to deal. I understand that back in the day VC was _the_ stove. That's not exactly the case today, but your dealer seems to want to pretend that it is. If you can't find a good deal on anything local, mail order is an option with many brands. If you don't want to DIY the install, ask around on here for a good chimney sweep who does installs in your area.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was reading your post on my phone... not all of it showed up... $100/ft!! WTH that's crazy! $660 was just for the stainless steel liner... 4 dealers quoted the same price on that... labor quotes were all pretty much the same, regardless of the insert... roughly 700-900 ballparks... I think I will look into getting an estimate from a chimney sweep or 2... no rush on this. FWIW, I'm pretty much set on getting the PE Summit insert (I had been concerned about blowing ourselves out of the living room but the more i read, the less concerned i am about that now)... As much as I do like that big pic the VC offers, I agree with your sentiments... Also, for those considering the VC, the firebox IS pretty big, I'd say that it is 3 cu ft..... but it tapers in on the sides and it slopes down in the back... so although it offers 22X17 dimensions, the 22 shrinks pretty quick... and I'd think it might be a PITA to stuff with wood, trying to take advantage of the 22 width at the front-only part of the stove... hope that makes sense. It also has this goofy a$$ looking contraption along the front of the firebox floor that will mess with your log placement a bit... takes up some real estate (some of that 17" depth)... I believe it contains the area that provides some air flow... looks like it might be real easy to get clogged up, but I'm not sure I totally understand that part of it...
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> "The goofy a$$" contraption in the front is no problem. Once a month I lift it out and brush off the air channels they don't seem to clog at all but this is just part of my monthly cleaning. the end irons lift out easily also. I like the Montpelier. Do your research because there are so many great stoves and inserts!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Oh that's good.  How does your stove do, in relation to the sq ft it can heat (compared to what the claim is)?  How about the refractory brick?  Holding up?  As far as Merrimack goes, seems like it should be rated for heating more sq ft....  but I know those ratings are not regulated, etc....
Click to expand...

I have about 1800 s.ft. center chimney,good insulation some new windows.  In the depth of winter NYC First floor high 70s upstairs around 69.  I do have a crack in the brick but im told that there is mesh inside brick that will hold it toghter.  I have seen prefab fireplace refactory brick 30 years old with the same cracks so im not to worried about it.  I hope I dont have any problems down the road with it.  The blower moves the heat around nicely.  Not like a free standing stove without blower with radiant heat that feels 200 degrees.  Just nice comfortable heat.  My wife loves that it still lookes like a fireplace with big glass.  Its awsome to watch!  I have no problem getting overnight burns 8 hours.  In the morning its barely warm but I can load it with some small splits to get it going again before work!  There may be better stoves and inserts but I think this unit is unique!


----------



## tradergordo

Based on the owner manual, the Merrimack is just another overpriced Everburn stove.  My advice?  Unless you want to buy a new stove every 5 years, don't buy an everburn design.  Its great in concept, but deteriorates over time and the cost to repair is prohibitive.  Get a burn tube on top design.


----------



## allhandsworking

tradergordo said:
			
		

> Based on the owner manual, the Merrimack is just another overpriced Everburn stove. My advice? Unless you want to buy a new stove every 5 years, don't buy an everburn design. Its great in concept, but deteriorates over time and the cost to repair is prohibitive. Get a burn tube on top design.


Oh is the Merrimack a catalytic? Montpelier in non cat.


----------



## tradergordo

allhandsworking said:
			
		

> Oh is the Merrimack a catalytic? Montpelier in non cat.



Owner manual says its an everburn.  Everburn is not catalytic or burn tube.  Search the forum for everburn to get more info...


----------



## elevatorman

I have read up more on the ever burn two seems to be an inovative concept.  Im planning on purchasing the Merrimack. Cost of the unit was right on with what you guys were saying at 3032 with cast surround.   Im willing to test the unit here but i dont feel like i should have to pay full price. for install ect.  What do you think is a fair price for install and everything I dont want to pay 4300.


----------



## tradergordo

elevatorman said:
			
		

> I have read up more on the ever burn two seems to be an inovative concept.  Im planning on purchasing the Merrimack. Cost of the unit was right on with what you guys were saying at 3032 with cast surround.   Im willing to test the unit here but i dont feel like i should have to pay full price. for install ect.  What do you think is a fair price for install and everything I dont want to pay 4300.



What makes you think it has "EB2"?  I don't see anything about that on the product page, I think you are mistaken but I could be wrong.  If after reading up on everburn stoves on the forum, you still want to plop down 4 thousand dollars, by all means, go for it!  Somebody has to fund VC's R&D, they could use it


----------



## elevatorman

Yes fair enough, I was mistaken I did read up on everburn two on the fourm and I dont think the Merrimack has it.   the product  page for the Unit is a little grey on what kinda of burn system it uses.   I even looked at the Install manual and couldnt find much.  The Dealer was offering me  the unit with SS liner,  steel surround and install for 3,600.    Nice to see a fellow PA person as well "tradergordo"  I had to move to NC for my job but I really miss PA!!


----------



## summit

Merrimack is a tube burner... and the firebox is enormous!


----------



## elevatorman

Summit, From what I can tell you are a dealer or installer.   Thanks for the clarification.....    What are your thoughts about burn tubes??  I tried to look on though out the forum for more info but couldn't find anything.  Here in NC ITs not as cold as PA or Maine for that matter do you think it is something worth while??   thanks for the feedback....


----------



## elevatorman

among all of the negative reviews with VC and this kind of stove I went for it anyways.   I will update on how the install goes and pics hopefully of the finished product.


----------



## allhandsworking

First burn yet?  How about some pics!


----------



## weatherguy

It sure is a nice looking stove, hope it performs as well as it looks.


----------



## elevatorman

Have not received the stove yet. I will update as soon as i get it installed and first burn under my belt.  I may have some questions from some of you stove pros out there.  to be continued....


----------



## shayes8888

I just joined this discussion.  We ordered a VC Merrimack insert Sept 17th and it was shipped and will be installed at our place here in NW Oregon on November 9th.  First one our local dealer has ordered or installed.  Insert cost was $2,593, less $250 rebate from VC taken off by dealer.  Got a steel surround for $229.  Our install price is $1158 and includes labor ($550), venting & SS pipe ($488) and permit ($119).  Labor is high because we are hillbillies, far from town; and the insert goes in our second story fireplace, requiring two GIANT guys to carry the beast.  Then there is the 25' of SS liner due to our clearstory roof design.  Oh, we will get a $1500 fed tax credit to offset cost.  So I'm hoping to have a report on performance over the holidays.


----------



## elevatorman

sounds good,  I paid the same for the stove and got the same steel surround.  did you go with the gloss finish?  We will have to share tips back and forth shayes8888, i think we are the only two on here that have this stove?


----------



## shayes8888

No, got the plain-Jane flat black color.  Have not seen other posts on this stove.  Have you burned yours yet?  My sister and husband are visiting from Charlotte two days after our install.  I'll post photos on this site; not of them, but of the stove! - Scott


----------



## elevatorman

ok good choice... I went with the gloss.   I'm still waiting for the dealer to call me and tell me the stove has come in.  It has been ten days but he said it was coming from VT not his dist.   Ill keep you posted once mine is installed and burning as well.  I live about 40miles outside of CLT small world  I wish I lived in Oregon! maybe some day


----------



## kbtoy68

Please help -
I am trying to decide which insert to buy - the Merrimack from Vermont Castings or the HI300 from Hampton. I like the color of the timberline brown from Hampton ( Yes I'm female) but the veiwing area of the Merrimack as well as the firebox size. (2.3 cub. ft vs 3.0 cub ft for the VC) Of course I want a good product that will stand up to the test of time as well as an efficient source of heat for my home too.  My local dealer who only sells Hampton/Regency is telling me there were some issues VC had with the quality of the cast iron they used - (its now made in Korea??) and the Hampton does appear to be a quality product. I have been told by others that the porcelain enamel coating on the HI300 will also chip. I can purchase the VC at a lower cost thru a friend who has a Direct Buy membership - close to $1000.00 cheaper. Any suggestions or helpful hints?? Thanks bunches : )


----------



## allhandsworking

VC has one of the last foundries in the US and has a high quality!  It's not made in Korea!  The Merrimack is a new product there are a few here that recently purchased it.  I'm not sure if there are any reviews yet.  I was one of the first to buy the Montpelier.  I love it!  It heats my 1800 sq ft home almost intirely.  Hampton is a fine insert also.  There was lots of VC bashing in the past and some of it was deserved.  I think VC is making a comeback.  It sounds like you can get a bargain it may be worth it!  Good luck with your chose do lots of research!


----------



## kbtoy68

Thanks - i'm off today to do some more research I appreciate your help : )


----------



## elevatorman

kbtoy68, My Merrimack is being delivered on Wed. I will update you on how is heats and functions.


----------



## Joseymack

I will be looking to buy this stove and will post a reply when I get it setup


----------



## shayes8888

Our Merrimack was installed yesterday, 11/9/10, and the 480 pound beast is... stunning.  Took the two installers, plus myself, to wheel it up the back yard route to the second story.  Installers here from 10:30 until 2:30.  Breaking out the old flue damper took an hour.  But the All Fuel installer (Eirk in the photo) said it was the easiest stove to 'put back together', a job needed to get the flue attached.

We had our first light break-in burn starting at 3pm, and the house temp went from 67 to 70 with only 3 splits of dry Douglas fir.  44 outside and rainy.  The stove is handsome, double doors open wide, firebox huge, automatic thermostat a great idea.  It ran until 7:30pm as the fire died out, but the cast iron gave off heat.

After shoveling tons of firewood into the open fireplace for 10 years, this insert will definately be an improvement.


----------



## BrowningBAR

shayes8888 said:
			
		

> Our Merrimack was installed yesterday, 11/9/10, and the 480 pound beast is... stunning.  Took the two installers, plus myself, to wheel it up the back yard route to the second story.  Installers here from 10:30 until 2:30.  Breaking out the old flue damper took an hour.  But the All Fuel installer (Eirk in the photo) said it was the easiest stove to 'put back together', a job needed to get the flue attached.
> 
> We had our first light break-in burn starting at 3pm, and the house temp went from 67 to 70 with only 3 splits of dry Douglas fir.  44 outside and rainy.  The stove is handsome, double doors open wide, firebox huge, automatic thermostat a great idea.  It ran until 7:30pm as the fire died out, but the cast iron gave off heat.
> 
> After shoveling tons of firewood into the open fireplace for 10 years, this insert will definately be an improvement.




That's a nice looking insert. I hope VC is over the hump and headed in the right direction finally, because they have really nice looking stoves. I prefer the look of their stoves over most others.


----------



## shayes8888

Our installer, who has been in the business 19 years, says most VC issues he dealt with were gas fired units.  Something to do with the foundry and fast heat from gas.  The VC foundary in Vermont is supposed to be state of the art; our Merrimack came with a card "Made with Pride in Vermont" and quality controlled by a guy who actually signed his name:  Brun Farnsworth.


----------



## elevatorman

My Merrimack is being installed as I type. same here though, Im going to help drag that beast of a stove in. They just broke the damper plate out after about an hour.   Awesome pics shay..


----------



## shayes8888

Installer told us to follow break-in process of small burns.  Important to "cure" the cast iron.  We are waiting for the county inspector to arrive to approve the install.  Then will do a second burn.


----------



## Joseymack

Got this stove on order.... Just a comment and a question,,

I keep hearing about VC being of less quality than the past. I had heard this comment 5 or 6 years ago when I purchased the VC Dutchwest Non-Cat stove.... I still have this stove and it has never ever given me a problem at all. The stove works and looks great to this day. Heated a 1500 sq/ft home exclusively with this stove and all the people told me it was gonna be junk. I found this to be the exact reason i am going to give the Merrimack a try. it is a great looking stove and I now have a new home to heat.... 

Question now.... What is the Automatic Thermostat thing mentioned above? is this the stove damper unit when starting a fire or trying to revive a fire?

joseymack


----------



## shayes8888

Quality of ours appears top notch.  The fan automatically comes on when the unit reaches a certain operating temperature.  It shuts off when the fire is off and the box cools down.  You can adjust the fan speed from low to high with a dial in the bottom left side of the unit.  The damper has an automatic open valve when the unit is first being fired up.  When the unit is hot, it closes to the damper setting you want.  Oh, handle for the damper comes off and is used to open the door.  Keeps the handle out of the view of the fire; and it stays much cooler.  Good design idea.


----------



## summit

elevatorman said:
			
		

> Summit, From what I can tell you are a dealer or installer.   Thanks for the clarification.....    What are your thoughts about burn tubes??  I tried to look on though out the forum for more info but couldn't find anything.  Here in NC ITs not as cold as PA or Maine for that matter do you think it is something worth while??   thanks for the feedback....



I like the burn tube type stoves the best... they are durable, easy to operate, and pretty trouble free. They are best for a wide range of burning: while you can eeek  a little longer burn outta some cat stoves or downdraft types, the latter require more parts and maint.


----------



## summit

kbtoy68 said:
			
		

> Please help -
> I am trying to decide which insert to buy - the Merrimack from Vermont Castings or the HI300 from Hampton. I like the color of the timberline brown from Hampton ( Yes I'm female) but the veiwing area of the Merrimack as well as the firebox size. (2.3 cub. ft vs 3.0 cub ft for the VC) Of course I want a good product that will stand up to the test of time as well as an efficient source of heat for my home too.  My local dealer who only sells Hampton/Regency is telling me there were some issues VC had with the quality of the cast iron they used - (its now made in Korea??) and the Hampton does appear to be a quality product. I have been told by others that the porcelain enamel coating on the HI300 will also chip. I can purchase the VC at a lower cost thru a friend who has a Direct Buy membership - close to $1000.00 cheaper. Any suggestions or helpful hints?? Thanks bunches : )




the Korea thing is bogus: VC still makes its own cast iron in VT, and they are very high quality.. Infact they also produce cast Iron for Harman and some Jotul units, now.


----------



## shayes8888

We have been burning the Merrimack for a week now.  Love the auto fan.  The unit takes at least an hour to come to temperature, but a light load burns 3 hours and the fan stays on 2 more.  Have been building a fire in the am, when the upstairs great room is 65.  72 in 3 hours.  No fire again until 5 or 6pm.  Temp only in mid 50s with no sun (typical Oregon weather).  

Only issue is trying to clean the glass.  Our wood is 2 year old Douglas-fir, which casts the haze on the glass and it does not wipe off with water/soap.  Have not tried a damp rag dipped in ash yet.  Any home remedies?


----------



## elevatorman

Had the some hazed glass on my as well shayes,  Try the newspaper and ash thing it works wonders!! I followed up by wiping with a rag.


----------



## shayes8888

Still enjoying this insert.  Test is snow forcast for tonight and tomorrow, something unusual for NW Oregon in November.   Or December for that matter.  Takes some practice loading fuel into double doors, so I usually just use the right one unless the log is really long.  Put a 22" in yesterday and discovered it is a good idea to use a glove.  Lots of hot parts.  Still get smoked glass after a day of burning, even with the air flow wide open.  But the newspaper/ash works fine.  My roller bearing nut on the door latch worked its way off - if it was a reverse thread it wouldn't do that.  So just used an allen wrench and the doors fit snug.


----------



## gblemire

I had my Merrimack installed late October. I have been using for about 3 weeks and I have the following observations

1) Looks great...best window view for the size.
2) takes about 30-45 minutes to heat up enought to start the fan
3) heats my 1600sq ft drafty old (1945) house to a comfortable 72 degrees in about 2 hours
4) fan is a bit noisy on the high setting
5) I uusually start my burn about 630pm and the fire will burn for 5 hours on about 5-6 reasonable size pieces of wood.

So far I am very happy with my purchase. I looked for several years to try and find a great looking insert and I think the Merrimack is the best I have seen. The only comparison for looks/functionality/heating/viewing area has been the Jotul's..

Guy


----------



## shayes8888

Hi Guy,

Scott here.  We got a Merrimack early this month.  Agree with your observations.  Are you having smoke glass issues?  Also, I've had the "Pawl Assy Roller" on the door handle fall off.  Tried tightening with a hex wrench, but it works its way off every two days or so.  Seems like the threads on it should be reversed so it would always tighten itself.


----------



## shayes8888

Question for Guy and Elevator Man (and any other new Merrimack owners):

Now that we have experience firing our Merrimacks, I'm trying to figure out just how much wood to load into the firebox. On page 12, under Fig.12, the manual says "... be sure to fill the firebox as completely as possible by loading the wood pieces alternately on the left and right..." This is done over an ember bed of 2"-3". Also it says to keep the wood behind the Andiron. In my case all my fires are behind the primary air hole. Are you putting wood all the way to the front, up to the Andiron? I'm wondering if my smoked glass is because I'm not putting enough wood in? On the other hand I don't want to over fire the insert and cause it to "glow". That would not be cool; no pun intended.

Scott
Somewhere west of Banks, Oregon


----------



## gblemire

Scott,
I have not had an issue with the handle yet. I usually only fill the stove at the start with 4 pieces of 16"x4"X4" (medium sized) and just keep adding a piece as needed when the pieces burn down. You definately want the bed of embers. I keep the wood behind the guard rails but do load up to the rails, and yes the window clouding I believe is due to not burning hot...i usually burn hot for the first hour and then turn down to keep the fire smoldering...if you want to see a clear fire you have to keep the flames hot and so you have to give it oxygen (handle to the left)....

Guy


----------



## vector1701

Any issues relating to a hazing on the glass (or any other issues to be aware of)?  Before I buy a Merrimack I want to be sure of any problems, especially since it is a new model.  I would assume that the glass might get a haze from the type of wood burnt or a low burn temperature, but I want to be sure it is not a design issue as most other high efficiency stoves claim that most glass discoloration is burnt off...  

Also, does the cast iron shelf on the Merrimack and the cast iron surround get hot or just warm?

Thanks for all responses.  This is a great forum and I appreciate all the fantastic people providing information to a newbie!!


----------



## shayes8888

I was the one whining about the smoke on the glass.  Well, I read the manual... I was under firing the insert.  The last three days I've put a pretty good load of Douglas-fir in the beast, all the way up to the grate.  I must admit it is a bit disconcerting when the flames lick the glass.  And when the temperature is at its peak, the gasses off-burn above the fuel and we find ourselves mesmerized by the site.  In the morning, when the fire is 99% out, there is a bit of smoke on the bottom half of the glass.  But it wipes off with a damp rag or paper towel.  So the design works.

The top does get hot enough to burn skin.  It actually is removeable, so it is heated indirectly.  If you're thinking about boiling tea water on top, well, good luck.  (I personally think a pot on top would distract from the design.)  The doors do get hot, so I use leather gloves to load new fuel.  (burned my finger the second day; Darwin experiment)

Take a look at the manual online and see the diagrams of the parts.  Probably 80% of the insert will be behind the face plate.  I was surprised that the back part didn't look like cast iron - it is some sort of steel surround, designed to take heat away from internal cast iron and blow it out the top/front.  The diagram sort of shows that.  Compared to my old wood stove in 1981, which had four parts, I guess effeciency is due to technology.

Scott
somewhere west of Banks, Oregon


----------



## WhitePointBeach

I also have a Vermont Casting's Merrimack installed in my home in Southern Maryland right on the Potomac River.  The house is a poorly insulated 2000sqft single floor cottage style home with a living room that is about 26'x14' with about 16' of windows lining the wall facing the water.  The Merrimack is on the opposite wall.  Needless to say, those windows create a very chilly family room, but the Merrimack definitely solves that problem.  I have found it adequate to provide about a 30-40 degree temperature differential between outside and inside at a reasonable burn rate (say fan at 40%, mature fire, damper in lowest airflow position).  By temperature differential I mean that if it is 30 degrees f outside then I can keep it about 70 degrees f inside.

I do experience mildy smoking of the glass, but only when it is being under-fired.  If you keep it roaring and hot the glass is very clear.

The most significant issue I have is the noise generated by the blower.  I actually think I may have a defective blower because it is so loud.  I will contact Vermont Castings to verify... anyone if there is anyone out there who is a sound / audiophile and can take decibel measurements I would appreciate comparing notes.  

For the measuring setup, the fire is roaring, the fan is on and I varied the speed by percentage (left colum), the right colum is the decibel A weighted measurement at a distance of 15" from the the front of the Merrimack.  The measurements were taken using a RadioShack sound level meter that I trust and routinely use to calibrate home theater surround sound systems.

Here are my rough sound measurements:
Fan Speed - Sound level
10% - <50dB-A
20% - 52 dB-A
30% - 54 dB-A
40% - 55 dB-A
45% - 57 dB-A
50% - 59 dB-A
55% - 60 dB-A
60% - 62 dB-A
70% - 64 dB-A
80% - 65 dB-A
90% - 67 dB-A
100% - 69 dB-A

For a reference on sound equivalents in decibels, see this wikipedia article: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_pressure#Sound_pressure_level

The bottom line is that anything over 55dB-A in your living room is going to be VERY annoying.  69dB-A is equivalent to listening to a loud electric mixer in your living room all day long... not pleasant!  This is why I think mine must have an issue, I couldn't imagine this design would get past the testing stage.

I will provide an update when I hear from Vermont Castings.  I suppose it will also be a test of their customer support!

If you are interested, I posted a Youtube video of mine with the fan running at full speed, I am sure you will agree it is a bit ridiculous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ibmz8PqcjBE 

I must admit that I love the looks of this thing though.  If the blower doesn't have an issue and this is just how loud it is, I will probably design and fabricate a replacement for it myself.


----------



## shayes8888

Merrimack Fan Sound... yes, ours is loud at full blast.  So I am interested in what VC says about their fan.  It would seem like they could spend an extra fifty bucks on a silent (aka, German made?) fan.  In our case when we fire our insert in the mornng, the damper is wide open and the fuel stack roars.  I set the fan on high and when it turns on when the temperature is reached, we just ignore it until the room temp comes up and the fuel bed is ready to reload.  As posted in an early post, I read the manual on how to fire and such, so now we have a minor glass smoke issue.

Once we are at room temperature, we find we only add two our three sticks of splits to the fuel bed every three or four hours, keeping the fan on low and the damper at about 95% closed.  Keeps the temp in the house constant. 

Our house is a 1999 with good insulation, and tight.  So we can get a 40 degree temp rise, which like today it is 40 out, I must be careful to not over load fuel or we will be in shorts and T-shirts inside!

I would agree with your fan noise level measurements.  The high is like a cheap bathroom exhaust fan noise.  Annoying...

Scott
somewhere west of Banks, Oregon


----------



## shayes8888

Merrimack Fan Sound... yes, ours is loud at full blast. So I am interested in what VC says about their fan. It would seem like they could spend an extra fifty bucks on a silent (aka, German made?) fan. In our case when we fire our insert in the morning, the damper is wide open and the fuel stack roars. I set the fan on high and when it turns on when the temperature is reached, we just ignore it until the room temp comes up and the fuel bed is ready to reload. As posted in an early post, I read the manual on how to fire and such, so now we have a minor glass smoke issue.

Once we are at room temperature, we find we only add two our three sticks of splits to the fuel bed every three or four hours, keeping the fan on low and the damper at about 95% closed. Keeps the temp in the house constant. 

Our house is a 1999 with good insulation, and tight. So we can get a 40 degree temp rise, which like today it is 40 out, I must be careful to not over load fuel or we will be in shorts and T-shirts inside!

I would agree with your fan noise level measurements. The high is like a cheap bathroom exhaust fan noise. Annoying...

Scott
somewhere west of Banks, Oregon


----------



## circuitbreaker

Our Vermont Castings Merrimack was installed 8 days ago.  We did the 3 small burns to break it in, have had 3 large burns since then.  It worked nicely until *THE FAN WENT OUT TODAY*.  So we are now slowing down the burn by shutting the draft as much as possible, will allow it to go out, and call the installers on Monday.  Just what I feared!  Seems they haven't solved the problems yet.

P.S.  It's now the next morning.  The Merrimack is cold, and now the fan is running.  Clearly, the thermostat has gone kabluey.  In fact, I am pretty sure that the thermostat circuit board has a cracked line on it.  As the circuit board heats up, the crack opens, the thermostat no longer works.  We just proved that by starting a new fire.  As we opened the doors, letting in cool air from the room, the fan stopped.  We started a fire, the fan came on at an appropriate time, and ran until the unit got to 400 degrees, then the blower cut out again.  

Here is my assessment of the Merrimack.  I believe our old fireplace was pretty efficient.  It was built with heatilator and fans - in my avatar you can see an air intake opening to the left of the Merrimack.  (The grill has been removed for repainting.)  A second opening lies behind the fireplace tools.  We had fans in each of these intakes, circulating air behind the firebox, with exits built into the granite block face about midway to the ceiling.  We also had iron doors we could close to keep the fire burning all night.  We were able to load up the old fireplace, shut the doors, set the firebox air flow using a custom-built variable-opening air intake system at the bottom of the doors, partially close the chimney damper, turn on the fans, and keep our house toasty through winter nights.  The Merrimack puts out as much heat as the old fireplace, but with fewer logs (i.e. a more efficient burn), but the total burn time is not as long - due to a smaller firebox combined with the _limited range of the Merrimack air control lever_.  We like being able to see the fire through the glass doors, but miss the immense hot fires we could stoke up in our fireplace when we used it with the doors open.  Tradeoffs.  We will need less wood this season, but we will miss the occasional hot, open fires with dog and cat sitting on the hearth, fur steaming.

And why did we replace that fabulous old fireplace with this insert?  Cost.  The old firebox needed to be replaced, which meant taking down the granite block wall once again, rebuilding a lot of stuff inside, and rebuilding the facing.  Total cost would have been at least twice what we spent for the Merrimack, plus weeks of granite and cement dust everywhere in the house.  We have been through that before.  Here's hoping I don't regret my choice before spring.

And regarding questions about haze on the glass doors: folks, these glass doors are going to be a snap compared to the old iron doors we had on the fireplace.  The circulation system inside the Merrimack sends hot air to the doors, keeping them pretty clean.  The deposits on the inside of our old iron doors got really thick, and cleaning was a half-hour of dirty, dirty scraping work.

If I could order the Merrimack with changes, they would be these.  1. An option for quieter fans.  I would pay quite a bit more for better fans.  2. Option for a larger range on the air intake lever.  Ought to be able to shut it down farther.

I'm going to add a coda here on fan noise.  We have been running our Merrimack fans at about 30%.  Noise is substantial but not overpowering.  This meshes with the *great* noise level measurements done by WhitePointBeach.  At 30%, the fan noise is less than the noise we had from our heatilator system.  The _variable control on the fans is wonderful_.  We all need to remember that a lot of the fan noise is due to the path the air takes through the heatilator, not the fans themselves.  In our old fireplace heatilator, we had installed "whisper-quiet" fans, but 4 fans plus a contorted path for the air meant lots of noise.  Lets thank VC for the ability to control the noise through the variable speed regulator.


----------



## shayes8888

Can you ask the dealer if VC is going to work on the fan noise issue?  This might be a deal breaker for future buyers who check this website before making a purchase.  We still like the look of the unit...


----------



## Josh Voelker

Have had the Merrimack installed and burning for about a month...a couple observations...

1) Great heat output...burns us out of the room if we let it
2) Short burn times...if i pack the firebox with wood i get only about 6-7 hours...wake up in the morning to only a few embers 
3) When i open doors to load i get alot (i mean A LOT) of smoke back into the room, although this may be a factor of chimney...working with installer to figure out...
4) Fan is LOUD at full speed...replaced a 1979 Tremont with this unit and i think the fan on the ancient beast was as loud or quieter...
5) Great looking and the glass has never gotten dirty...had a friend today who knows woodstoves comment on how clean the glass stays
6) Going through a tremendous amount of wood...guess it goes back to point #2...thought I would burn less than the old unit but this is not the case...

If anyone has any recommendations to solve any of my problems i'd appreciate some feedback.  Hope my brief synopsis of what i'm seeing in the unit helps folks decide what they want to purchase.

...one more observation...when i back the stove down on air it still burns to a degree that consumes alot of wood...not much a difference between wide-open and fully scaled back...don't know if this is a factor of EPA requirements or not...probably a reason why it burns so much wood (OAK)


----------



## shayes8888

We have also had our Merrimack about a month. 
1. Like the look. 
2. Efficiency somewhere between 60-70%, as stated on a card with the insert. A person posted whether the Merrimack qualified for the $1500 federal tax credit; the dealer says it does, but the poster said the law had a 75% minimum efficiency rating. Hum.
3. Either way, it beats feeding wood into an open fireplace, something we did for 11 years. We use about 1/5 the amount of wood (Douglas-fir) and heat our entire upstairs (the room is 48' x 75' x ~16' at the ceiling peak).
4. The fan is too loud on high. Which presents a problem, to keep the glass clean you must fire at a high temperature... which requires a high fan setting to avoid overheating the unit. A smaller fire, using a few splits of wood, burns slowly, but does smoke up the glass.
5. We don't load up the unit at bedtime to try to keep it going all night. (Something about a fire going upstairs when I'm asleep. Just call me paranoid.)
6. If you open the right door quickly, especially if the fuel is still flaming, smoke is easily drawn into the room. I wait until there is a bed of glowing coals, then load up the firebox. The manual says to cross-stack your fuel, and when you do it that way, the hot fire keeps the glass clean. But then you're back to keeping the fan on high if the box temps get too high.
7. I use a pair of welder's gloves to load fuel into a hot stove. Rather burn leather than my index finger (again).

Tomorrow I'm going to call the dealer and complain about the fan noise. Maybe dealers can pressure Vermont Castings to address this one, and in my opinion only, quality control issue. In hindsight, would I still buy this insert? Yes.


----------



## micaaronfl

Hi everyone, new to the forums. 

i moved into a house that is about 2500 SQ feet, 3800 SQ FT including the unfinished basement (Colonial Style in PA). 

There is a family room with a fireplace that is completely inefficient. I am looking for a wood insert and I was suggested by the local fireplace dealer that a merrimack would do wonders. I am looking to heat the house and not just the family room. My house does not have an open floorplan, just hallways  connected. The dealer said since i have a house fan with return vents the heat should be taken to the rest of the house.  I do not need the basement heater as its unfinished more concerned about the living room, dining and bedrooms. I have never owned a fireplace before so is what the dealer telling me true? 

I also see that their are several issues everyone has posted.

Fan issue- did anyone get this resolved?
glass issue - i could live with it
lastly the most important to me is the tax credit - is the merrimack not covered? I was qouted with install 5,100. The dealer said it was covered, anyone have an answer? 

Any help would be appreciated as im running out of time in 2010 to take advantage of tax credit.


----------



## vector1701

Be careful of that dealer...The best price on the stove I found was in Connecticut for about $2200 plus 550 install  www.cafd.com.  Hell, the stove has a list price of 2495 I believe (without surround).  The install runs between 500-600, the liner about the same.  You should not pay more than 4300 for the whole thing, stove, liner and install.  Insulated liner add 350 (Look at the beginning of this thread).

Appropriate airflow is needed to heat a whole house...especially one your size.  I think that dealer is trying to take you for about 800 more than he should and promising you too much.  

After careful consideration we went with the Jotul 550 as it seems to have higher quality construction (in my opinion) and is proven.  The Merrimack is a new model this year. Both the Merrimack and the 550 are eligible for the tax credit.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks for the quick reply, i am also going to look at the jotul. Does the jotul heat your home pretty well? i assume the jotul doesnt have the fan or glass problems people with the merrimack are seeing? 

also thanks for the advice on the merrimack if i decide to go with it i am definitely going to shop around.


----------



## vector1701

no prob....I lurk to learn as our Jotul is on order and will be installed next Tuesday (can't wait).    For us and our evaluation criteria, the Jotul won out but the Merrimack looks like a great stove and I am sure it will serve owners very well.  We have a fairly open floor plan and I assume the stove will heat the 1st floor when we use it, but I would not expect much heat to get upstairs and heat the bedrooms terribly much.  I view the estimates that the brochures say (max sq ft it heats and btu's) like car EPA estimates...just a guideline and under perfect conditions (not likely).   Air movement is key in either case and the more rooms that are closed off by the design of the house, especially upstairs, could be tough to heat.... can't expect heat travel everywhere throughout the house, but your house fan will help.

Good call on the shopping around, can't hurt.  Just do your research and feel comfortable with your purchase.  For the tax credit it must be purchased and installed before Dec 31....I would defiantly purchase it before Dec 31...what date the installer puts down on your bill could be "negotiable"..lol   Keep in mind your insurance company and/or your town might require a permit/inspection also.


----------



## WhitePointBeach

This is my follow up on fan noise and contacting Vermont Castings directly about it.  I thought I might be able to open a line of communication directly between myself and VC but I have not been able to.  Per their website they request all communication about their products take place between the end user and the dealer.  I find this mildly problematic because while I consider the fan noise to be excessive, I think the members of this board all share the same issue so it is most likely not a "defect" per se but the actual function of the unit as designed.  So I doubt the dealer can offer anything other than a "sorry about the noise".  It would be Vermont Castings and their engineers who could not only potentially offer a solution, but take the feedback and integrate it into later revisions or updates of the Merrimack design.  VC... if you are listening... demonstrate your best in class engineering and interest in the customer's well being by engineering a less noisey product.  A lot of us consumers are putting these things in our living rooms, right next to our HDTVs and surround sound systems.  It is not acceptable for a newly designed insert to sound like a 20 year old dishwasher.  At full speed I request a maximum sound level of 50dBA at 15" from the front of the Merrimack at maximum fan speed... VC engineers, make note and add it to the requirements list.  If you achieve it and advertise that feature buyers will notice.  I expect more from an American engineered and fabricated product... please live up to my expectations... I will pay more for better!

In my opinion the design of the blower system is very weak.  The sheet metal the blower is mounted on is barely adequate and vibrates with the motor and fan.  The motor and fan are not well balanced and thus generate the vibration and associated noise.  I understand that 130 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air blowing through an iron to air heat exchanger will make some "wind" noise... but that is not my problem, my problem is the mechanical noise and vibration.  I may try adding some reinforcements to the sheet metal to reduce the vibration.  Then I may add some sound deadening material such as Dynil to see if I can soak up some of the noise.  I will keep you all posted regarding my experiments.  

Can anyone tell I am an engineer? 

In all honesty this situation has me very interested in these blower designs.  They seem to be plain silly and an afterthought.  The other build quality of the refractory brick and interior of the Merrimack is impressive.  I think the glass wash system works reasonably well.  I find that if I only open the right door slowly and let the draft build up for 10-30 seconds before opening it fully I have no problem with smoke entering the room.  


Back to the blowers...  I have also been thinking about an "optimal" design.  In my mind it seems like it should be quiet and should probably have the airflow in the opposite direction (air coming out of the bottom).  I think it would be fabulous if the blower could generate a laminar flow of warm air that just rolled out across my floor for 6'-8' or so and then gently rose up into the room.  It could even keep the floor nice and warm.  It also seems like the fan should be remote controllable via a handheld remote (simple on / off and manual speed control).  I am sure there are many reasons that the air flows the other way, but I am curious.  I think one of the more difficult problems would be that the fans would need to still be at the bottom and therefore would be sucking VERY hot air through themselves and thus generating a lot of internal heat.  I am not sure how well electric motors and electronics do at 150-250 degrees for 6 months of the year on 24/7.  Reliability is important.  I may investigate retrofitting in a remote control system.  My company routinely designs and installs very high end home automation systems and controlling a fan motor should be pretty straight forward compared to automating a whole house.

Anyway, if anyone has a contact actually at Vermont Castings in the engineering department or perhaps at the parent company, I would be interested in their contact info.

If I had to buy it again, I think I would because of the styling, window size, and thermal mass of cast iron... but the noise issue is a bummer.  Fix the noise and I think it is an A+ product.  Maybe it is like a new car... wait until the 2nd model year?  Hopefully VC will be proud of their new remote control whisper quiet fan system (courtesy of the Hearth.com market research and engineering group)!


----------



## VCBurner

Great post W P B!  I've been thinking for a while that wood stoves are lagging fart behind on technology.  I get they are a thing that was used more frequently in the past.  But that doesn't mean that they should be built like a thing of the past.  Especially, since they're accompanied with a futuristic price tag.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks for the info, what im hearing here is that stay away from the merrimack as i know my wife would be annoyed with a loud fan. 

i called a dealer today and they mentioned regency's are good, any thoughts on them. i tried searching the forums


----------



## begreen

There are many happy Regency owners on the forums including the insert. Search by model number like i2400 or i3100. The Hampton HI300 is a Regency i3100 with a nice cast iron front. You might also want to look at Jotul, Lopi and Pacific Energy Inserts.


----------



## obrien040362

Bought mine on Saturday, then found this site.  Almost returned it on Sunday but decided to go with it.

The salesman told me it was a catalytic.  Is this true?  Does it have everburn?


----------



## shayes8888

Nope, not catalytic.  Less maintenance, they say.  We hope VC will deal with the fan issue.


----------



## obrien040362

How does it achieve the secondary burn?


----------



## shayes8888

I don't know, exactly.  There are air burn tubes at the top of the firebox, with some sort of super heat shield behind that.  The flames tend to "dance" at the top of the firebox then exit out towards the top/front.  Then back across the top of the insert to the 6" flu.  It is mezzmurizing to watch...


----------



## obrien040362

How bad is this deal

Merrimack with Cast Iron Surrond $3000

Delivery $150

Liner Kit $15' $489

Install by Chimney Contractor $835


----------



## micaaronfl

can anyone tell me exactly how bad is the merrimacks fan noise? what would u describe the noise level at? 

very close to buying one.


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Musky Hunter,

That looks like a very reasonable deal to me.  Mine was about $4300 installed.  $3052 for Merrimack (-$250 VC rebate), then about $775 in chimney lining materials (liner, insulation, cap).  Then about $700 for installation and delivery.

Mica,

The noise level is defined as precisely as scientifically possible outside of an anechoic chamber in one of my previous posts.  The full range of decibel (dBA) ratings is detailed by fan speed level.  There is also a link to a wikipedia article on how a decibel rating translates to actual sound.  If you want a subjective opinion... my opinion is that the sound level is livable, but very noticeable on high speeds.  At 30% fan speed, which is blowing decently, the sound level is like a quiet dishwasher which I think is livable.  (see the decibel ratings on the new ones).  At full speed the noise is very annoying and is roughly equivalent to an electric hand mixer running full time in your living room.  Never as loud as a vacuum cleaner or shop vac.  I wouls say it depends on where you are putting it.  Mine is in my living room next to my TV where me and my family spend 50% of our time in the house, so it is right there with us.  I am also a stickler for quiet, so if routine noises don't bother you this may not either.  We live in the country and it is very quiet here.  The only thing you can hear for miles around is my Merrimack on high!  Just kidding!


----------



## vector1701

Musky,

I went with a Jotul, but when I was considering the Merrimack a few weeks ago I talked to about 10 shops.  The best price I could find on the stove was $2000, plus 400 for the cast iron surround.  My best price soup to nuts was $ 3747

Installs varied from 450 - 700 depending on the shop (and/or the installer), not including a chimney sweep of your existing chimney before the install (recommended) of $70-100 (discounted since he was also performing the install).

Here is my list of prices for reference...I like to shop around 

Merrimack
Retail - 2593
Northfield Cast Iron Surround Retail - 499

CAFD
Southington, CT
(860) 621-9313

CAFD Discount 1 - 2105
CAFD Discount 2 - 2000
Northfield Surround.
Retail - 499
CAFD Discount - 392

Install
CAFD Liner (30 ft) - 630
CAFD Labor - 595 install 125 Sweep - 725
CAFD total (installed) - 3747 with sweep  3622 without sweep

Stovepipe RI
Stove + surround - 3170
Install - 400
Liner - 600
Total - 4200


Wakefield Fireplace
Stove & Surround - 2700
Liner 600
Install 550
Total - 3850


Stove King
Stove & Surround 3150
Liner 550 25 foot

Franklin Fireplace
Stove & Surround - 3092

MAINLINE HEATING & SUPPLY
Stove - 2593 + 499 surround

Stove Depot
Stove & Surround - 2593 + 499

Natick Fireplace
Stove 2500 + 450
550 Liner
Block off plate bottom $50 and top
Install - 700

-------------------

*micaaronfl*

When I was looking at the Merrimack a dealer told me Vermont Castings *"upgraded"* to a plastic fan as the older metal ones caused too much noise and rattled over time...


----------



## obrien040362

Thanks for making me feel good, but I say they got me for $500 or so.

I normally research and become well informed before a purchase but not in this case.

They win.


----------



## micaaronfl

wow a 250 dollar rebate, anyone know if that is still avalible for the merrimack? i emailed vermont castings but i didnt get a response to an earlier question.


----------



## vector1701

I asked about the 250 rebate and one stove shop told me that some shops participate in the rebate program and some do not....It may depend on the Vermont Castings sales at that shop.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks i currently have a dealer down to 4790 with install, last dealer qouted 5,100


----------



## shayes8888

My September 17, 2010, Oregon dealer invoice was $2593, minus $250 rebate which he took off, plus $229 for classic steel surround.  Delivered from Kentucky to Oregon, with that cost in paid by dealer.  Installer was separate business named All Fuel.  Their labor was $550, venting $488.79, and permit for $119, for a total install cost at $1157.79.   Total:  $3730.79.


----------



## micaaronfl

does anyone have any suggestions on how to get heat into other rooms with a wood insert. I have an electric heat pump and that has a 1 1/2 horsepower fan (which i was told by another dealer thats more than enough to push the heat through the other rooms) that pushes through my basement. i have also return vents at the top of the wall in most rooms. i am not a big fan of ceiling fans so im lookign for an alternative low cost solution. I was told by another dealer to install vents in the celing above the wood insert but i figure that wouldnt do anything without some way of pushing the heat through.


----------



## vector1701

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> does anyone have any suggestions on how to get heat into other rooms with a wood insert. I have an electric heat pump and that has a 1 1/2 horsepower fan (which i was told by another dealer thats more than enough to push the heat through the other rooms) that pushes through my basement. i have also return vents at the top of the wall in most rooms. i am not a big fan of ceiling fans so im lookign for an alternative low cost solution. I was told by another dealer to install vents in the celing above the wood insert but i figure that wouldnt do anything without some way of pushing the heat through.



Just a thought....

http://gizmodo.com/5157470/room-to-room-fan-helps-cut-down-on-your-energy-bill


----------



## micaaronfl

yeah i have seen them they just kinda look like hell. plus my doorways are small enough and im tall so i will definitely be banging my head into them


----------



## micaaronfl

also can u burn the merrimack with the doors open? so u can hear the crackle.


----------



## shayes8888

I would not recommend burning with the doors open.  besides, we can hear the crackle of the fire as it starts... once it gets going, you'll forget about the noise and catch yourself watching the flames.  Besides, if you have the fan on high you won't hear much else!  VC, please fix your fan noise!


----------



## obrien040362

Dura Vent Kit

This is what I got for $495.  Could of bought for $408, but I didn't know what to buy.  So i guess I happy, just wish it was 316 sst.

Flex Kit 6DF304-15K

3 Spacers 6DFS-S 4668 (these look galvanized)

Note:  my items were 304 sst.  It also comes in 316 sst (better stainless grade)

I will report on the $835 install on saturday.  If it only takes him 2 hours i am going to be pissed.

Also, the Dura Vent box say if you buy on the internet the warrenty is void.

Saturday Install

3 men 1.5 hours for $835.  They did a good job but the price is just rediculas.  They did not use the spacers since these are for a round pipe in a round flue.  They did not seal where the damper was located.  They sealed at the top of the chimney.


----------



## obrien040362

Did anyone have there installer install a liner plate at the level on the damper frame to seal the chimney to the pipe?


----------



## obrien040362

do you use a log grate or just lay the logs on the floor and angle to the sides to prop the up a little?


----------



## obrien040362

Any sugestions for a Merimack Thermometer?


----------



## VCBurner

Congrats!  Where are the pics?


----------



## micaaronfl

does anyone have contact information for vermont castings? email address ? there site doesnt have any just a thing to contact your dealer.


----------



## vector1701

The only thing I could find was:

62 Vermont Casting Road
Bethel, VT 05032
802-234-2300

and

149 Cleveland Drive
Paris, Kentucky 40361
1 (800) 525-1898


----------



## VCBurner

vector1701 said:
			
		

> The only thing I could find was:
> 
> 62 Vermont Casting Road
> Bethel, VT 05032
> 802-234-2300
> 
> and
> 
> 149 Cleveland Drive
> Paris, Kentucky 40361
> 1 (800) 525-1898


I hate to say it but that's probably all you'll be able to find on them.  They are notorious for being near impossible to contact.  Yes dealers are supposed to deal with all issues.  I love my Vc DW but I can't speak for the customer service personally.  I bought mine used and have never tried to deal with any warranty issues.  I tried to seek help from the company while trying to chose between two of their stoves, but could not get a response.

Maybe someone will chime in with a different response.  Good luck!


----------



## fmer55

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> Hi everyone, new to the forums.
> 
> i moved into a house that is about 2500 SQ feet, 3800 SQ FT including the unfinished basement (Colonial Style in PA).
> 
> There is a family room with a fireplace that is completely inefficient. I am looking for a wood insert and I was suggested by the local fireplace dealer that a merrimack would do wonders. I am looking to heat the house and not just the family room. My house does not have an open floorplan, just hallways  connected. The dealer said since i have a house fan with return vents the heat should be taken to the rest of the house.  I do not need the basement heater as its unfinished more concerned about the living room, dining and bedrooms. I have never owned a fireplace before so is what the dealer telling me true?
> 
> I also see that their are several issues everyone has posted.
> 
> Fan issue- did anyone get this resolved?
> glass issue - i could live with it
> lastly the most important to me is the tax credit - is the merrimack not covered? I was qouted with install 5,100. The dealer said it was covered, anyone have an answer?
> 
> Any help would be appreciated as im running out of time in 2010 to take advantage of tax credit.



i have a montpelier which i love, in case you are not familiar it is a bit smaller than the merrimack, but do not believe the house fan argument unless the intake is very close to the stove, i am in a 2000ft home 1000 on one side, then a hallway then a turn into the other 1000or so, have a second heating unit in the back half which is always running. i figure i heat teh front 1500 witht he stovve but the far reaches will be about 67 s compared to the 77 in the 1000 ft open to where the stove is. in two weeks i am getting some corner fans installed and will keep you advised of how they work, but hallways and broken floor plans are NOT fun when trying to eliminate the oil or gas man


----------



## fmer55

shayes8888 said:
			
		

> Nope, not catalytic.  Less maintenance, they say.  We hope VC will deal with the fan issue.



unfortunately i don not think they are going to deal with the fan issue, the issue has been the same on the montpelier which was there first insert three years ago. WPB adressed the flimsy casing and the vibration as the cause of the sound and that was the case with the montpelier. had to wedge something underneath it to deaden the vibration and the noise went down dramatically. really seems silly that i had to do that nd they cant figure it out. with that and my last post i must say i love the stove. i wish i would have waited another year because i love the bigger fire box int eh merrimac. been 25 hear for two days adn the front of the house stays at 68 with the front furnace dormant. wife just got our most recent gas billl(which we are on a plan for, meaning we pay the same all year round) and after a full year of burning my gas usage went down by 50pct. and i think the usage  for the pool heater went up. haha...when are they going to make a stove to heat my pool?


----------



## VCBurner

Hey fm you should get an outdoor furnace to heat your pool!! :cheese:


----------



## obrien040362

Qualifies for Energy Credit

http://www.vermontcastings.com/taxcredit.asp


----------



## micaaronfl

i just got the merrimack installed today, question though the power cord coming our of the right hand side, there is no wa to get the access door closed because of the cord? am i missing something?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Mica...

Your installer did you no favors on that one.  The power cord actually routes out through the sheet metal side of the Merrimack behind the surround.  If I recall there is a 3/4" or so diameter hole and the power cord came with 2 rubber bushings to isolate the blower assembly from the sheet metal so the vibration doesn't wear through the cord.  Once outside of the sheet metal, then you have to drill a hole through your existing fireplace to get to power somewhere.  I am sorry I can't be more specific only because how to get power to the Merrimack is totally dependent on what your installation situation is.  If the cord is currently run out through the little cast iron magnetic doors on the front that is probably the worst installation I have heard of yet.  

In my case, I had to drill through 1/4" steel plate that formed the existing firebox surround.  Once I was through that I had to route the wire out through one of the older natrual draft side vents and then to a power strip.  Mine isn't the most elegant solution either... but it works and is completely invisible from the front.

I hope this helps.


----------



## obrien040362

Mine routes out on the right side under the cast iron frame.  Is there a slight gap between youtr harth and the frame?  It does not go through the magnetic side plate.


----------



## micaaronfl

musky and firestarter can u send me a picture - micaaronfl@hotmail.com


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Mica,

Here are 2 photos of the wiring in my Merrimack.  The first shot "Merrimack Wiring" shows the view through the right side (when viewed from the front) little magnetic access door.  You can see the wire going from the blower on the left toward the hole on the right.  The 2nd photo "Merrimack Wiring 2" shows an interior shot of the wire passing through the sheet metal hole with the rubber bushing in place.

Unfortunately, I was not willing to go through the trouble of removing the cast iron surround so I could shoot a photo of the outside of the sheet metal on the right side so you could see the actual hole the wire comes out of.  That is a pretty big project and it took me quite a bit of tinkering to get the surround on perfect with the insert pushed back flush against it.  I am not willing to wrestle the 480lbs beast again.

No it was not easy to get these photographs, thank Motorola for making the Droid so small and with such a nice flash and macro camera.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks so it looks like u actually drilled through???


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Nope... The hole and cover plate where there from the factory.  The only drilling I had to do was in my actual fireplace to get through the old firebox and into the vent and then outside of the vent to get to a power outlet in the room.  To reiterate... I did no drilling or modification of any kind to my VC Merrimack.  I believe the cover plate to that hole shown in the 2nd photograph was on in the closed position and then you unscrewed it, flipped it over and then screwed it back in and then it has the hole.  This is a VERY common way that electrical appliances permit cords to pass through sheet metal.


----------



## micaaronfl

perfect i see what u mean now, the guys covered it putting the surround on. well they gotta come back anyway as the surround peices arent flush. 

btw i wrote a letter to VC asking them to fix the fan issue on high problem. maybe they will do something. 

By the way anyone know of a good place to get a half kettle for the top? everywhere i see they want 90 plus for them lol


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Here are some excellent diagrams from the Merrimack Instruction Book.  It is not perfectly obvious but given the red circles I put on the diagrams that should help.  

You are correct, the hole for the wire to go through is behind the surround.  I bet your installer is going to be really surprised when he realizes you want him to route it through that hole properly and find a way to get it out of the existing firebox.  This is no trivial feat and depending on the installation can be one of the most difficult parts of the installation.  A friend of mine had to hammer-drill through 8" of concrete and brick to route his power cord.  Let's hope yours is easier.


----------



## micaaronfl

oh jeez thats more good news, lol i like at it this way i paid enough for the insert to be installed i dont care if it takes them 10 hours to finish the job.


----------



## micaaronfl

ok heres one for ya, is there anyway to turn the fans on manually instead of waiting for the 20 minutes to kick on?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Per turning the fans on manually, I do not think this is possible given the controls available.  However, I am also not sure why you would want to turn them on before the stove heats up.  When you first start the fire, the fire has to heat up the refractory brick, then go through the insulation and then heat up the cast iron and heat exchanger... lots of thermal mass to heat and preliminarily starting the fan manually would only have the effect of blowing cold air around.


----------



## micaaronfl

yeah never thought about that. its odd following the instructions i have been burning smaller fires and tonight will be fire number 3. The first fire the fan came on at the end of the burn and burn 2 didnt come on at all even know glass was burning hot, i figured it was hot in their and wondered why the fan didnt come on. maybe after im done initial burns ill load it up and see what the fan does.  


Do u guys stack and burn the wood against the back? i  have been primarily burning towards the front.


----------



## obrien040362

20 minutes of quiet.  THEN YOU START TALKING LOUDER.


----------



## micaaronfl

firestarter i guess??? i figured out something the fan doesnt go on until i open the merrimack doors, which im not supposed to do. Any ideas why?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

I have experienced the same phenomenon (doors open, then fan comes on).  My theory is that when the doors are open the airflow into the firebox is very very high and thus the burn rate and temperature go dramatically up.  Therefore the insert heats up more quickly and the fan comes on.

If you are finished with your break in fires, I think you should start loading up for a serious burn.  I have been burning my Merrimack for 2-3 weeks straight (24/7) and the fan remains on at all times (at about 30% power) unless I crank it to maximum speed in which case it cools the firebox too much and then intermittently turns on and off.  It is actually quite interesting how the Merrimack "changes character" when it is up to real temperature.  The doors just feel softer and close easier, you can feel the heat radiating out from the front, the fan blows really hot air (like from a hair dryer - hot).  I load mine with about 5-6 logs cross stacked and then let it go for 3-5 hours depending on the air control lever.  After the 1st hour, the stove is HOT and it remains that way until about hour 4 when it starts going downhill.  Load it again and then you are good.  I have been removing ash about every 2 days while the stove is still really hot.  I load it again, and off we go...

It is tempting to burn with the doors open as the radiant heat into the room increases dramatically.  When my stove has a 3" bed of hot coals and 2-3 logs burning and I open the airflow fully and then the doors fully the temperature rises in my living room about 1 degree every 10 minutes which is incredible.  So much heat is being radiated that I can't sit in front of it for more than a minute or two without my jeans feeling like they are going to burn my skin.  The living room is 14'x28'.  The stove is definitely being "overfired" in those conditions.  So, I resist the temptation to burn with the doors open because it is just way too dangerous and wasteful of wood.  If you want an open fire, a fireplace is the way to go... not an insert!


----------



## micaaronfl

firestarter that is interesting, I am going to do a serious burn tonight and see what the fans do. lol no i dont want to have the doors open but for my first burns it was the only way to get the fans to go on. I will let you know how i make out. 

One more question, I have been burning with the same logs i brought at Home depot and the glass hasnt gotten dirty. Last night i had to switch to some wood my sister gave me but now i have a black film on the inside of the glass that doesnt come off with water or glass cleaner. Is this becuase the wood my sister gave me wasnt cured enough? I thought i saw somewhere that if the wood has 25 percent or more moisture in it that it will leave residue on the glass. If I burn with better wood, wood that i know is dried to a bone will the film on the glass come off? or do i need a cleaning product of some kind. 
Also is there anyway to know if a log is fully dried?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

You bring up a good point about wood quality.  I have been fighting that same issue here as well.  The 1st half cord or so of wood I had was totally dried (stored in a wood shed) and had been dried for about 10 months after having been open air seasoned in rounds for 6 months prior to that.  It burned like a dream.  Once the stove was hot, I could reduce the air control lever to about 1" from the right stop and the Merrimack would go into full secondary combustion (just flames shooting out of the holes in the metal tubes on the top of the firebox).  Recently I got a delivery of 2 cords of wood and it was seasoned as rounds for about 6 months and then recently split.  The wood is in great shape (not rotted or anything), but it is not dry enough.  It burns much cooler and it is very hard to achieve secondary combustion because of the steam content.  I have learned my lesson and will be seasoning my own wood for at least 9 months each year.  This requires a big stockpile, but it is the only way to do it.  If you look around at the "old timers" who have kept wood stoves burning for the entire winter 24/7 they generally have 2 seasons worth of wood stacked and covered under canvas tarps in their yards.  They know exactly what they are doing... dry, well seasoned wood burns soo much better.  My father-in-law is one of these guys and he generally has 4-6 cords stacked in his yard.  When it gets down a cord or 2 he orders another cord or 2 and let's it sit a year or so.

Per your glass doors, I wouldn't clean them with anything agressive at this point.  I would burn a huge hot fire and see what happens.  Most of it might burn off.  My doors did a similar thing and got a little residue on them, then I got the stove good and hot and it seem to loosen up.  The next time I cleaned the doors, plain old water worked fine.

In my opinion this stove is meant to burn hot.  The doors stay cleaner when it is burning hot and the stove just seems to work better.  Maybe this is stating the obvious.


----------



## WhitePointBeach

For everybody who hates the noise level from the Merrimack, my experiments with noise reduction should begin within a week or so.  I ordered the acoustic dampening material that I need and it should arrive today.  Then I will wait for an oppotunistic day to let my stove cool down (it is burning full time) and then I will dissassemble the blower assembly and rebuild it with the sound dampening material in place.  I would love to get 15-25dB-A reduction.  At that level, you would only hear wind noise at speeds up to 50% or so and then above that the mechanical/electrical noises should be really minimal.

If this approach yields inadequate nosie dampening, I will go to plan B which is a complete redesign of the blower assembly.  This is a much more ambitious project.  I plan to use axial flow fans instead of the centrifugal blower that is currently used.  Axial fans (like those used in computers for cooling) are MUCH quieter than centrifugal blowers.  The tradeoff seems to be pressure output, but I am not sure that would be a factor in this application given the reasonable or low backpressure that should be created by the iron heat exchanger.  If anyone out there is a more experiences mechanic engineer who works with HVAC blowers or cooling fan design, please contact me and we could work on this together.  I am a bit out of my element as I am an electrical engineer.

I will update you with the results of my experimentation.


----------



## micaaronfl

wow, yeah let us know and maybe we can forward to vermont castings


----------



## obrien040362

clean glass with wet newspaper and ashes from the fireplace works great.  Then i hit it with a little windex.  I do this with the fireplace cool.

I am burning 12+ month old cherry and my glass get black in 4 days or so.

The "self cleaning glass" works when there is lots of flames, but as the fire weakens or is turned down it builds up on the glass.


----------



## Black Jaque Janaviac

So far I've only really heard rumors of bad reviews, but no actual bad reviews from VC owners.

Woodstoves are a bit tricky to evaluate since the effect of heating a home can be altered by so many variables.  Wind exposure, proper install, dry wood, leaky house.  So if someone has a bad situation with one of these variables you'll see a bad review.

But I've seen lots of so-called bad reviews for lots of different woodstoves on these forums and the beauty is that they can often be remedied.

I own a VC Montpelier.  It heats our home.  Any difficulties I have with it so far cannot be blamed on VC or Monessen.  We're exposed to the west and northwest with a 1958 house.  The insert is in a stone chase on the north end of the house with two other flues running through the same chase.  Some of the new windows installed by previous owner are terribly leaky.  Plus we're heating 2000 sq ft with an insert rated for 1500 sq ft.  AND that 2000 sq. ft. is 1000 sq ft stacked in 2-story fashion.  

When you think about it, that is a monumental task to ask of a wood burning insert.  Well it does an alright job, and it looks good doing it.  

I'm considering putting one of the other two flues to use when money permits.  Since this would be placed in the basement looks won't be so critical.  However the heating job will increase by another 1000 sq ft.  (basement, mainfloor, 2nd floor).  I'm hoping when temps are above 15* the basement stove will do the job, and if the mercury drop below that I can fire up both.


----------



## DeltaBoy

I have appreciated this input.  I am completing a new house with zero clearance fireplaces.  Did not realize the cost of propane - moving out to the country - and with all the wood on my place, I decided to maximize my fireplaces.  My wife wants a pretty unit, so the Merrimack and Montpelier from VC look best.  It seems your experiences with the Merrimack are good, but for the fan noise.  Does the Montpelier have a loud fan, too?  This might influence what room i put the unit in?


----------



## vector1701

From what I have read on here, it seems all the VC units have the same fans...


----------



## shayes8888

WhitePointBeach said:
			
		

> For everybody who hates the noise level from the Merrimack, my experiments with noise reduction should begin within a week or so.  I ordered the acoustic dampening material that I need and it should arrive today.  Then I will wait for an oppotunistic day to let my stove cool down (it is burning full time) and then I will dissassemble the blower assembly and rebuild it with the sound dampening material in place.  I would love to get 15-25dB-A reduction.  At that level, you would only hear wind noise at speeds up to 50% or so and then above that the mechanical/electrical noises should be really minimal.
> 
> If this approach yields inadequate nosie dampening, I will go to plan B which is a complete redesign of the blower assembly.  This is a much more ambitious project.  I plan to use axial flow fans instead of the centrifugal blower that is currently used.  Axial fans (like those used in computers for cooling) are MUCH quieter than centrifugal blowers.  The tradeoff seems to be pressure output, but I am not sure that would be a factor in this application given the reasonable or low backpressure that should be created by the iron heat exchanger.  If anyone out there is a more experiences mechanic engineer who works with HVAC blowers or cooling fan design, please contact me and we could work on this together.  I am a bit out of my element as I am an electrical engineer.
> 
> I will update you with the results of my experimentation.



I'll be interested in your experiments.  Any thoughts on how to remove lint/dust that is building up on each of the intake sides of the two electric motors?  The one on the right will be easy.  The left one is behind the thermostat and its housing.  Some kind of vacuum tube???...


----------



## DeltaBoy

Is the Merrimack 
fan loud enough where you would not want it in your main sitting/TV area?


----------



## Black Jaque Janaviac

We have the Monte in our living room.  Just watched Jeremiah Johnson last night.  We let the fan run - but turned it down some.

It's no different than other fans or maybe a window unit air conditioner.    I think people just are not used to hearing fans in the winter.  

I had a house that had forced air.  My living room chair was near one of the vents.  THAT was annoying because I would adjust the TV volume with the furnace off.  Then it would kick in and I'd turn it up.  Then the furnace would shut off and the TV seemed really loud.  Solved that by putting in a wood stove.


----------



## seaken

WhitePointBeach said:
			
		

> Mica,
> 
> Here are 2 photos of the wiring in my Merrimack.  The first shot "Merrimack Wiring" shows the view through the right side (when viewed from the front) little magnetic access door.  You can see the wire going from the blower on the left toward the hole on the right.  The 2nd photo "Merrimack Wiring 2" shows an interior shot of the wire passing through the sheet metal hole with the rubber bushing in place.
> 
> Unfortunately, I was not willing to go through the trouble of removing the cast iron surround so I could shoot a photo of the outside of the sheet metal on the right side so you could see the actual hole the wire comes out of.  That is a pretty big project and it took me quite a bit of tinkering to get the surround on perfect with the insert pushed back flush against it.  I am not willing to wrestle the 480lbs beast again.
> 
> No it was not easy to get these photographs, thank Motorola for making the Droid so small and with such a nice flash and macro camera.



All you need to do is remove the two hex cap screws/bolts that hold the bottom cage on, route the cord, and bolt the cage back on. 7/6" hex socket works fine.

Sean


----------



## obrien040362

DeltaBoy

My fireplace is in my main TV Room.  The "chair" closes to the Fan produces a loud sound the affects the TV sound reaching you when you sit in the chair (so you need to turn the TV up).  If you turn the fan down to 50% then the TV wins, but I want heat output so my fan is almost always at 100%.  The couch that is directly accross the fireplace about 12' away the fan noise is not too bad.  I had my fan serviced and they did add a piece of styrofoam to isolated the fan from the sheet metal enclosure.  It did reduce the noise but by maybe 10%.  The service guy's comment was that is what a fan sounds like.  Well other manufactures have quieter fans (QuadraFire is one manufacture).

Another way to put it

When I sit in the "chair" with the fan off I listen to the TV at volume setting of 25 and with the fan at 100% I need to increase the TV volume to 35.


----------



## DeltaBoy

Okay, so the fan is loud on the Merrimack.  That is a negative.  I assume everyone agrees the looks of the Merrimack VC are a positive.  I have looked at every insert option out there and I see nothing that comes close.  So minus one and plus one.  So last question, how is the heating versus other options?  Is the heating good?  In my town, the two dealers sell VC, Jotul, Buck Stove, Hearthstone and Quadrafire.  Is there one you would rank better on functionality and beauty?


----------



## micaaronfl

let me ask u guys some more questions...

What do you use as kindling? as a firestarter, i have been using ignito's from home depot. What kind of wood is best to use in a merrimack? i have been told the home depot wood i have been using is like crap paper. 

Also the primary air control - when i first start a fire i pull it to the left and the push one more time it seems to make a spring noise and then bounces back - what does that do? doesnt seem like it does anything. 
Can you guys run down how u use the primary air control from when you first start a fire to the end - basically looking for primary air control positions. 

also the news paper and ash thing didnt seem to work and plus i fired it up pretty good, black glass still remains.


----------



## obrien040362

I hope you are not buying all your wood from home depot.

To figure out what wood is good google "wood btu's".  Black Locus, Sycamore, Hedgeapple, Oak burn the hottest.

If you don't have a wood source, go to craigs list and find firewood contractors.  You get what you pay for.  Also don't negotiate the price instead clarify volume.  Ask them what is their defination of a cord.  I sent out 12 emails saying "Is you cord 8' x 4' x three 16" logs deep" and only one person responded.  I am burning well seasoned cherry and very happy.  It is only 20,000,000 btu per cord, whereas black locus is 28,000,000 (40% more).  Therefore a cord of Black Locus is worth 40% more than a cord of cherry.

To get rid of the black on the glass
1)  slightly wet newspaper, keep diping and redipping in ash, replace newspaper as needed, use "elbow greese" and circular motion
2)  try to build the fire so the flames are closer to the glass.  After you get a fire going, load the box top to bottom, open the dampner (far left) to produce a hot fire and the black should burn off.  I have not figured out how to burn the black on the bottom on the glass yet.


----------



## obrien040362

I hope you are not buying all your wood from home depot.

To figure out what wood is good google "wood btu's".  Black Locus, Sycamore, Hedgeapple, Oak burn the hottest.

If you don't have a wood source, go to craigs list and find firewood contractors.  You get what you pay for.  Also don't negotiate the price instead clarify volume.  Ask them what is their defination of a cord.  I sent out 12 emails saying "Is your cord 8' x 4' x three 16" logs deep" and only one person responded.  I am burning well seasoned cherry and very happy.  It is only 20,000,000 btu per cord, whereas black locus is 28,000,000 (40% more).  Therefore a cord of Black Locus is worth 40% more than a cord of cherry.

To get rid of the black on the glass
1)  slightly wet newspaper, keep diping and redipping in ash, replace newspaper as needed, use "elbow greese" and circular motion
2)  try to build the fire so the flames are closer to the glass.  After you get a fire going, load the box top to bottom, open the dampner (far left) to produce a hot fire and the black should burn off.  I have not figured out how to burn the black on the bottom on the glass yet.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks musky ill try the gas cleaning again. my wife used windex and paper towels the first time she saw the black on the glass. i thought she may of etched the glass.   

btw the pic below the installer said this was an extra peice for the handle? where do you guys used this at if at all?


----------



## vector1701

I used this Rutland glass cleaner and conditioner for the first time and it took no effort at all to clean the glass....plus it leaves behind a thin layer of silicone to help prevent buildup.  I picked it up on eBay for 3 bucks...


----------



## micaaronfl

Thanks chunk, I will try it. btw i forgot to attach picture to my last comment. here u go.


----------



## micaaronfl

ok guys i got a reply back from a tech at VC through my dealer. I asked about why the fans take soo long to come on and the blackening glass issue: 

The baffle needs to be all the way towards the back of the unit. This will keep the firebox temps hotter. 



The glass getting dirty could be caused from a poor seal on the door, or air wash manifold. I would make sure that both are tight all the way around, this could also explain the lack of control. 


Anyone know what he means by baffle towards the back of unit and tightening the air wash manifold?


----------



## Black Jaque Janaviac

The baffle towards the back of the unit referrs to that board that rests on top of those pipes that run across the top of the burn box.  It just sits there loosely, and should be pushed back as far as it can go.  This should force the hot exhaust to run from the back of the stove along the top towards the front, then up and out the flue.  

I'm not sure what they mean by tightening the air wash manifold.  I'd look inside at that arched piece of iron that is just near the top of the glass and tighten any screws I see.

One thing also is that I've notice on my liner the crimped connector was too long.  The connector bottomed out on the stove's collar and this created a poor seal between connector and collar.  This had a horrible effect of reducing the draft through the stove.  I fixed it by putting that high-temp gasket rope in the gaps.


----------



## obrien040362

Micaaronfl

Does your unit bear on your brick hearth or is there a gap created by the screw adjustment feet.  My unit has about a 3/8" to 1/2" gap.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks black yep everything is tight and i see the baffle and it was pushed back. Also the person who gave me the ash newspaper glass cleaning trick, it did work and u really have to put ur back into it. Maybe ill try the rutland cleaner. 

Also guys how deep do u have ur ash bed and i know the ash bed protects the floor but does it also help raise the temp in the merrimack? i took a pic of my ash bed below.


----------



## micaaronfl

musky - it sits right on the brick they took the legs off or unscrewed them


----------



## micaaronfl

Musky, dont tell me those legs should be elevated? are the cold bricks a reason why its not heating up quicker? another pic  below.  

please let me know as i have the installers coming out thur morning to route the blower power cord, i can get them to readjust if so.


----------



## obrien040362

I would  say you instalation looks good and was done right.  The part that sits on the bricks is decorative and does not heat up.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks musky i just want to make sure when these guys come back out on thur i get everything that needs to be done complete. 

one question though the primary air control i understand for a longer burn pull to the right, when u pull to the left there is a sping and when u push it a click, does that do anything? the instructions that came with the merri were not clear on this


----------



## obrien040362

Micaaronfl

my ashes can get 3" to 4" deep.  I don't keep a thin layor to protect the bottom when I clean the ashes.  Should I?

There is a "air hole" at the end on the center stone that you are to keep clear of ashes (see manual).  Almost Impossible.  I can't believe this is connected to the blower?  See what you installer says.


----------



## obrien040362

No idea on the air control I asked the same question.  The parts diagram notes it as automatic air control


----------



## micaaronfl

oh ok thanks


----------



## micaaronfl

oh musky to your ashbed question, thats what the dealer told me no idea if its true or not.  ill check to see what the installer says but if its the same ones that did the first install it will probably be useless as it was their first merrimack install and they just seemed to be the type to throw it in and then u figure it out. most of my info has come from this forum thread.


----------



## micaaronfl

ok heres an odd one. i started a very small fire round 6:30 pm  and at 8:30 the fan wasnt on but i presumed it was because the merrimack wasnt warm enough. i had the primary air control all the way to the right. i then took the lever and pull sharply to the left and then the fan came on. The top of the merrimack was a tiny bit warm and when the fan came on it blew warmish air. Usually for me to get the fan come on i have to have the top of the merri scorching. Is the primary air control actually what makes the the fan come on? i figured it was some sort of thermal switch? maybe the merri had to have several break in fires to sort the fan out? any ideas are welcomed.


----------



## obrien040362

I think you have the lever movement backwards

when you start a fire you want the lever to the left.  That allows more air to enter which results in more flames (faster burn).  Faster Burn heats the stove up faster.  The fan kicks in on temperature not air.  Continue to let it burn fast (maybe in the middle now) for the first 3-5 logs to develope a good orange coal bed 3 to 4" deep.  Now move the lever all the way right and back left 1".  This will save logs but will also smoke the glass more.

If you are using it to heat your house, pack it full at night with thick logs (they last longer imo) and have the lever 1" from the right for a slow burn.

When you add logs first move the level to the left and turn off the fan.  Wait 15 seconds, this keeps smoke from entering you house.


----------



## micaaronfl

musky are u saying when starting a fire keep it to the left - facing the merri? if so thats where the spring is that in my previous post i jolted then the fan came on. if not maybe i got this all backwards.


----------



## obrien040362

yes left to start. I just move it to the left and start the fire.  I don't "Joult" it, my fan just starts in 20 to 40 minutes depending on how fast the fire burns to heat up the unit.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks musky, installers came out they said u should always have a two to three inch asbed to protect the floor and helps with heating up. They also took the sensor out which is on the bottom midsection, there were some screws loose and may have been the culprit, there is also a metal plate on top of sensor they were debating on cutting it but decided not to. 

what do u guys use for kindling? also for firestarters? i have been using ignito's from home depot.


----------



## micaaronfl

also do u guys prime the chimney with the merrimack, if so what do u guys use?


----------



## Josh Voelker

I'm still having lots of trouble with very short burn times.  I pack the firebox with good oak and it is done in 4 hours.  Anyone else experiencing this?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Here is the report after my initial attempts at noise reduction.  After some consideration of the options available I decided to use Dynamat vibration / acoustic absorbing material.  I used 5x 4"x10" Dynamat Xtreme utility pieces.  See the attached picture.  1 piece each was wrapped around each blower housing and 1 piece was draped over the motor assembly.  2 additional pieces were attached under the bottom sheet metal to attempt to deaden its vibration.  

The result is a net 3dB(A) reduction in sound.  At 100% fan speed the highest volume level is about 66-67dB(A).  It is noticeably quieter, but nowhere near my goal of <50dB(A).  

As I thought about it more, no amount of acoustic insulation is going to adequately quiet a noisy, poorly balanced blower.

So the bottom line is that I am pursuing the design and fabrication of a completely new blower assembly.  It will be based on a different fan technology that should be much quieter.  I just can not have that kind of noise next to thousands of dollars of home theater electronics and speakers that I really enjoy listening to in a warm house. 

Hopefully I will be testing a basic prototype in 1-2 weeks.


----------



## obrien040362

Referencing the above picture don't forget to clean the intake grills on each end of the blower.  It is like cleaning the lint from a dryer screen, just not as often.


----------



## micaaronfl

another question for you guys, having problems when starting a fire it seems that i cant get it to take unless i have the door cracked or open even with the primary air control open. anyone have any sugestions? using fat wood. 

it starts but then just goes out unless i have the door open and yes i do clean the andiron in the front before each burn.

Can someone post a picture of what the merrimack primary air control looks like when fully open?


----------



## Tansao

I just installed my VC Merrimack New Years Eve and after several break in fires loaded up the firebox the other night at 11:30p.m. with the hopes the fire would still be active in the morning at 7:30 a.m.  I had one visible red coal, then stirred up the coals to have a bed of maybe 30% red coal.  The blower was still on, but the temp in the house had gone from 80 (room with the fire) down to 60 by morning  I threw a single piece of kindling in, which lit pretty readily.  For evaluation, I threw in a 2-3 inch diameter piece that only smoldered with the air controls all the way open.  

Question I have is when loading it up, is it ok to load it to the point that the wood is touching the air tubes?  I was afraid to, and left a good amount of space (4-5 inches).  Also, I did not load up to the andiron, but more or less kept it behind the front refractive brick.

Anyone have a Merrimack with advice on long burn times?  Also, may be a stupid question but does turning the fan down to the lowest setting have any effect on burn time?


----------



## obrien040362

I have loaded my box to the burn tubes with no problems. 

I usually don't load too close to the glass with fears coals might fall out when i open the door but I have once or twice layed wood on top of the front brick with out problems.  I did this to help clean the glass.

I don't think the blower effects burn time, just the dampner.

I also have problems with 8 hour burns.  I did buy a pack of Eco Bricks and they helped with longer fire times mainly because they fill the voids.  I can get them for $2.50 per pack (if i buy 81 packs at a time) but still alot of money for the BTU output. So i now try to fill the voids with smaller logs.

To date my biggest problem is dirty glass.  I have to "ash" clean every two days to enjoy the view of the flames.


----------



## micaaronfl

whats a block off plate and is it needed for more heat from the merrimack?


----------



## vector1701

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> whats a block off plate and is it needed for more heat from the merrimack?


*http://tinyurl.com/4evr8hr*


----------



## micaaronfl

vector, yes i googled it but u know i couldnt find if it was needed for a merrimack, really there is no information on the merrimack, except for here. by the way like ur my installation photos. sweet fireplace.


----------



## vector1701

Just jiving bro...It is more of an installation option...it is recommended but not required.  In many installations, kaowool or another type of insulation is used rather than a metal block off plate.  Thanks for the compliment on the fireplace.  Happy Burning!!


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks, i watched the guys who installed they just, removed the damper, threw it in and connected the liner, nothing more than that. im just trying to get the most heat from this thing as my energy supplier cap has been removed.


----------



## vector1701

I would at least stuff kaowool or some other fireplace rated insulation around the liner to block off the flue above your stove to keep the hot air in and around your firebox and insert.  Without it or something else such as a metal block off plate heat is being lost up your flue around the liner....I would hope another member here with more experience than me to offer further advice.  Mine was installed with stuffed insulation around the liner where the damper used to reside.


----------



## micaaronfl

alright i figured thats what a block off plate was some kind of insulation above the insert.  anyone else want to chime in on this as im about to call my installer tommorrow to come back and install a block off plate or fireplace insulation. i am hesitant to do this myself as i do not want to burn down my house as my wife would be quite mad.


----------



## vector1701

I believe a true block off plate is a piece of fabricated metal, however some people believe the kaowool is sufficient/good enough.


----------



## micaaronfl

i spoke to the installer and they said they insulated round the chimney top so that should be good enough but there willing to install more on the top of the insert for a price.  my chimney stack is quite high 25 feet so do u guys think it would make a real difference if i insulate the top of the merrimack? 

they also said to never insulate the sides of it.


----------



## vector1701

My chimney is about 30 feet high also and I upgraded with the insulated liner.  However, in all my research on here prior to my install last month pointed to insulated batting with a metal cap at the top of the chimney and then at least kaowool/fire-rated insulation at the bottom where the liner goes through the damper.  Upgrade to a metal block-off plate if desired (some consider it best, some consider it overkill).  

If I were you, I would call another installer to have them install the kaowool or a metal block off plate....or do it yourself.  Either way, you would have to pay the original installer (since the details were not specified) or a new one a few bucks to do the work.  I would go with another installer since the original obviously does not want to do the work. Offer $40 bucks for the 30 minute job....


----------



## micaaronfl

ii might do that as this guy is telling me he has to check his supplier for the insualtion and it might be expensive.


----------



## micaaronfl

quick question guys - the baffle on the merrimack i know it can be pushed further forward and back. where do u guys have it positioned?  i had it positioned towards the back. seems im not getting sufficient airflow or i have really bad wood - verdict is still out on that. i was wondering if the position of the baffle mattered?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Baffle all the way back... definitely.  Do you have a copy of the instructions?  There is a lot of information in there on set-up, burning, and maintenance that you may want to look at.


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Per my experiments in sound-reduction... it was a failure.

My plan was to replace the centrifugal blower with an array of axial fans.  Unfortunately, the axial fans were not able to tolerate the static pressure induced by the heat exchanger and airflow path in the Merrimack.  So, the prototype was quieter, but the airflow was significantly reduced.

I am abandoning that aspect of the project.  I may look into more acoustic shielding / dampening material as the last resort, but I don't expect miracles.

Sorry guys, I would have loved to come up with a kit that could have been a simple retrofit that was significantly quieter.  We will just have to wait and see if Vermont Castings ever comes out with a quieter blower.


----------



## micaaronfl

white point, i checked the merrimack install guide and it doesnt say where to position the baffle, unless i am missing something. just odd that i am getting easier stable lights with like 90 percent less smoke. does it really matter? am i losing more heat in the firebox because i have it positioned in the middle?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

I guess it is up to you where to place the baffle, but I thought I read it should be all the way back.  (Mine is all the way back)

The reason you are probably doing better with it a bit forward is that allows the air to head straight up the chimney instead of having to hit the baffle plate, then travel forward over the secondary combustion air tubes and then split by the glass airwash dam and then half go back up through the heat exchanger and out of the chimney, the other half that splits when it hits the glass airwash damn goes down and then recirculates in the firebox for another trip around.

To reduce smoke escaping into the room, 1st I open the airflow lever all the way up (fully left as seen from the front) then I open the door a little bit at first, say an inch and let draft build up.  Then I open both doors fully and the increased draft pretty much keeps the smoke inside and headed right up the chimney.  One big puff usually escapes, but hey... that is life with a wood burning insert?

My guess is your wood isn't dry enough / seasoned enough.  Mine isn't either and it is a major bummer.  I am going to season a full 4 cords this year.  You can tell the wood is too wet when you hear the hissing sound of steam escaping as it burns.  Sometimes you can actually see water bubbling out of the end of the wood. 

Another thing, since I am burning 24 hours a day I have found that I don't really need to open the doors that often.  I open them, load a huge load, and then I keep them closed until I need to load another huge load (6-8 hours).


----------



## micaaronfl

thanka sman yeah i did a search of the .pdf and i couldnt find anywhere where it says to position the baffle. 

Anyway do you think im taking a dramatic hit on heat with the baffle being midway? i dont have it all the way to the front and the baffle does sit on all the tubes.


----------



## obrien040362

WhitePointBeach

Do you think the blower intake might be drawing air from the masonry cavity thus the need for a dampner block out plate?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Musky...

If what you describe is the case that could pose a serious danger.  I do doubt it would happen though because of the way the sheet metal surrounding the blower is configured.  The intent of the blower design is definitely to suck air through the front lower intake grates.

The whole design is a little strange though because if you have every looked undeneath the center brick in the front, their is a steel plate with 4 screws and an air outlet at the point of the curve brick (sort of like the nose pointing into the firebox).  If you remove the screws and look under that steel plate you will find 2 holes that lead right down into the blower area.  Those are the holes that allow fresh air to flow up into the firebox.  At first I was concerned that the slight negative local pressure generated by the blower could actually suck fumes out of the firebox and into the blower through those holes.  But after 2nd thought, the draft suction from the chimney should be more than the blower suction and I belive it may be on the positive pressure side of the blower assembly.  The bottom line is that it just isn't obvious to me and would require further investigation.

I am still happy with my Merrimack and I have gotten to know it pretty well.  She behaves nicely and is keeping me cozy warm and I am getting decent burn times and there are always embers left after a long burn.  I have let it go for 12 hours with no attendance and then stirred the embers and thrown in some new wood and it is back going again great in an hour or so.  The noise from the blower is a bummer, but that is my only real complaint!


----------



## obrien040362

Thanks for you comments

.... but the sheet metal surround does not appear to be air tight.  So if the blower is not pulling from the cavity, wouldn't house air exit through the leaky sheet metal enclosure.  Also the installation manual said seal the unit and the only seal on my install is the sheet metal plate at the top of the chimney.

in adition to support your theory that the blower is not pulling from the cavity
Maybe it has something to do with the air behind the blower is hotter which naturally pulls cold air towards it.  This might be greater than blower pressure so the blower draws the colder air from the room.


----------



## micaaronfl

Where do you guys get kaowool from? does it go by another name?  is this something u have to get special order from a fireplace store or could you get it at HD or lowes? i intend to insualte the top of the merrimack with it myself and i just dont want to burn the house down getting the wrong insulation.  i have been told not too insulate the side of the merrimack also.


----------



## vector1701

I would not surround the the sheetmetal in kaowool.   Go by the manufacturers specs.


----------



## micaaronfl

i was just going to do the top in kaowool thats it.


----------



## vector1701

I just do not see the point as it seems to be a waste of money with unneeded risk, but that is just my opinion.


----------



## micaaronfl

hello everyone again lol 

anyway i am still confused on the primary air control and the the automatic setback control. i think the merrimacks instructions are piss poor on this. 

anyway i took a picture of what i believe is the fully open position for the primary air control - see below.... am i correct on this?

second question - the automatic setback control? if u push further to the left it spring back and then according to the instructions ur supposed to hear a clicking sound of it closing? i never hear a clicking sound and what does it exactly close? 

so basically my questions are is the pic below of the fully open position or should i go more to the right, exactly at the corner? also what the hell does the automatic setback control do?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Mica,

Judging by the photograph that looks like fully open to me.

Now, what the automatic set back control does is this.  When the stove is sufficiently cool, the set back mechanism can be used to set the damper to full open and hold it there while you adjust the regular damper control lever (pictured in your picture) back to the setting you would want it to be when the fireplace comes up to full temperature.  Then the internal automatic setback control mechanism releases the internal damper control and you hear a little spring releasing as the damper then comes back under manual control and ends up at whatever setting you left the manual lever set at.

So here is an example of the operation.  You let the fireplace burn over night, you wake up in the morning and it is pretty cool, you decide to re-load it and then go to work.  So you reload the fireplace fully, slide the manual control lever all the way to the left (to set the automatic set back control in the full open position) THEN you set the manual damper control back to fully closed (all the way right).  What will happen is that the damper will remain open because of the automatic set back control while the fire gets re-established and the fireplace heats back up.  Then when it is burning nicely and the fireplace is heated, the spring will release and the damper will go back to the manual setting (fully closed), this will keep the fire burning nice and slow while you are away at work or whatever.

Without automatic setback control, you would have to leave the damper fully open to let the fire get re-established, then close it after an hour or two so you can prolong the burn.  Sort of a bummer to have to drive home from work to adjust the damper on your stove.

Does this make sense?


----------



## micaaronfl

i think i got ya, 

so basically when starting a cold stove, pull the lever all the way to the left, past the pic i posted until you hear the spring then pull it all the way closed. after the stove heats up it then closes itself automatically and you will here a click - according to the manual? 

If i am correct what temperature does it take for the setback control to close? the fan coming on?


----------



## obrien040362

Reminder
Check yor blower intake and clean the lint from the screens.  This will get you better cfm output and less stress on the blower.


----------



## canboy

To WhitePointBeach and your quest for a quieter fan:

I am a Montpelier owner and in the first year of ownership, felt the same as you do now about the fan noise.  A couple of things I have learned over the past year:
a) Most woodstove insert fans are noisy and they all seem to be using the same style fan;
b) Running the fan on high doesn't produce a lot more heat than running the fan on medium - you're just getting more volume at a lower temperature with more noise;
c) You can find out about any technical bulletins issued by Monnesen here: http://www.insidemhsc.com/content/technical/bulletins/
d) Monnesen issued a technical bulletin that offered a repair kit to deal with the noise on Montpelier Inserts.  Every Montpelier owner should contact their supplier to order this free repair kit.  The kit provides some silicon tape strips to apply to the fan in areas that may come in contact with (and therefore vibrate against other) close by metal components.  It is fairly effective, but I would have provided more tape for some other areas like the bottom of the fan;
e) if you pull the fan out of the stove and "bench" test it, you will find that the fan is very well balanced and very quiet.  In fact it doesn't even hummm at the lowest level.  Most of the noise produced when installed is a result of air turbulence and mounting vibration;
f) If you remove the fan, you have to pull the wires off the thermostatic control.  You can then plug the wires together thereby bypassing the thermostatic control.  Then you can run the fan anytime in order to experiment with ways to reduce noise.  Also for those that complain that the fan takes a long time to turn on, can do this in order to turn it on anytime they want.... I think they will go back to using the thermostatic control.


If I was you, I would:
a) Ask your dealer to order the Montpelier repair kit for you (if you think it might help);
b) try simply pushing/shifting the fan while it is running to see if that has any effect;
c) try stuffing some non-flammable material under the fan/over the fan in areas that may contact metal...experiment...more stuffing is not always better;
d) make sure the electrical wire to the fan is not vibrating against the light galavanized steel shell;
e) run the fan at a lower speed...it doesn't really produce much more heat than the highest speed;

If you still want to design something, I think it should be an extension to the fan exhaust port, that fits into the cavity between the stove and the metal shell.  This would reduce the air turbulence we hear directly from the fan, created by the lack of a positive connection between the fan and the heat exchange channel.

Hope some of this helps


----------



## obrien040362

Looks like the merrimack does not have the fan housing (I assume the intent of a fan housing was an acoustical shield).  So the tape fix is not needed for the merrimack.

I had my unit serviced and all they did was put a styrofoam isolator between the fan and the sheet metal bottom pan.  

Before he left he said "thats what they are supposed to sound like".  What a cop out.

Not sure if I agree with your theory

Lower cfm = same room temperature rise since the discharge air from the low cfm will be hotter.  Maybe in a closed system, but there is temeperature loss in the masonry cavity.  But i do like the lower noise at 50% speed.

What do you mean by "lack of positive connection" fan to heat exchanger.  Is there a gap?


----------



## WhitePointBeach

Canboy and Musky...

So clearly Monesson understands fan noise is a significant customer complaint and has been for years.  That is good to know.  

I also agree that the blower design is almost identical to every other stove I have researched.  So for those people who are looking for a fireplace insert and are worried about the Merrimack being noiser than other models, I doubt that is the case (they are all just loud).  There is actually an interesting trade-off with one set of designs that put the blower in the back of the firebox... this insulates a lot of the noise, but if there should ever be a maintenance issue the entire stove needs to be removed, and that means detaching the flue pipe and man handling a 500lbs insert... not great.  But in my opinion that is probably the superior design because a fan probably only fails once in 10 years or more whereas you live with the noise every second of every day that the stove is running.

Canboy, I do disagree with the statement that the noise is not due to the blower but the blower+housing combination.  The blower is loud and it is what generates the vibration that resonates through the whole assembly... afterall, there are no other rotating or vibrating parts in the Merrimack.  The blower is definitely the noise culprit.  As for how much of the noise is "wind noise" vs. vibrational noise vs. electrical noise (electric motor hum) that is debateable and would require spectral analysis of the noise signature to determine.  But at the flow rates the Merrimack is supporting (200 cubic feet per minute (CFM) or less) wind noise should be negligible.  My HVAC system has a 1650CFM blower and it is almost silent even when I am sitting right next to it.

Musky, per your comments, I have removed the entire blower assembly from my Merrimack and indeed there is rubber-like tape on the bottom side of the blower assembly where it comes into contact with thin galvinized sheet metal bottom.  If that is the noise reduction kit offered, that is pretty whimpy.  If you look into my past posts, I insulated the entire "squirrel cage" section of the blower with Dynamat acoustic insulation specifically designed to eliminate vibration and noise and I only achived a 3dB(A) reduction.  If you want me to send you 2 pieces of dynamat so you can wrap yours as well, let me know and we will work something out.  I have 20 pieces. 

If I get more interested and more time, I will be trying 2 more things.  One will be to insulate the inside of the front intake grate with another type of Dynamat that is intended for under-hood applications in cars to quiet engine noise.  It is an absorptive material instead of just a vibration dampener.  Interestingly, only about 30% of the intake grate can be covered because there obviously needs to be a way for the air to get through.  2nd I would like to experiment with some sort of removable air filter to go behind the intake grate.  We all know that fireplaces generate a lot of dust so why not add a little filtering to the system.  If it was sink washable like those old window air conditioner filters, that would be convenient.

Otherwise I am just learning to live with the steady hum as it runs at 30%.  By the way, I agree on the fan speed issue... more airflow at a lower temperature gives the same amount of heat as low airflow with air at a higher temperature.  So I burn mine hot and leave the airflow low.  So a big pocket of hot air forms on my ceiling (if you hold up your hands you can actually feel the difference) and then I turn on my ceiling fan at the lowest speed and it gently stirs it through the room.

In other news... I burned my Merrimack 24-7 in December and I just got my electric bill (I have a heat pump).  I saved about 1200kWH which equates to about $150.  If You figure it out, it comes to something like 2000W (~7000 BTU/h) for every hour it was burning when averaged across a whole month.  Not bad given I was leaving it for 8 hour periods over night, etc.

I am happy with it... I just hope somebody makes a quieter blower system for it.  Get me under 45dB(a) at 120cfm and I will buy it from you for $200.


----------



## micaaronfl

i have more information soon on the thermal switch delay problem. there are edits to the install instructions for the merrimack that VC issued. The update comes from VC tech reps. 

i would post now but it doesnt seem this site allows .pdf files. so when i figure out how to post the .pdf to another site and link it i will post it on this thread.


----------



## vector1701

www.sendspace.com   or megaupload.com


----------



## micaaronfl

vector   thanks ill try to have it up this weekend.  its nothing groundbreaking but interesting for anyone that has a merrimack and is having slow response time for the blower.


----------



## guyro5

I've had the Merrimack for about 2 months now and just spent the last hour or so reading through all 10 pages on this topic, so I just thought I'd share my findings and opinions. 

First off I got some interesting info off of here, so thanks to everyone for posting. We got the Merrimack because of the large windows and large firebox, and it's just a beautiful insert...we've had many compliments on it. Got the insert and cast iron Northfield surround for $3000 and some change, and chimney liner and insulation kit for $700. Right at $3700 for everything and I installed it myself. Being a DIYer I figured, how hard can it be? It was some work, but it really wasn't that bad. Especially for never having done it before. This sucker is heavy though! Geez! Anyway, I just followed the instructions and took my time and did it in about 8 hours. I had a helper for bringing the thing in the house and running the liner down the chimney. Would I do it again? To save $500 installation fee, hell yes!

It seems there's been a lot of discussion on the windows getting dirty. When I first started burning I kept the air control fairly low and the windows got "sooty" pretty quickly. I've opened the air control up a little more (about an inch more to the left) and it made a world of difference. The fire's hotter and there's not as much smoke to cling to the windows. I also think that the increased draft makes what smoke is produced flow away from the windows, which is the air wash doing it's job. Also I will add that my firewood has only been cured for about 6 months, which is not ideal and probably adds to the problem. But anyway if your windows are getting dirty, increase the air control a little bit (move it to the left). We've had a hot fire burning for 3 full days now on the same air setting and in my opinion, the windows look pretty good for that much burning. I think there's always going to be some window cleaning to do, but overall I'm really impressed with this air wash system. And the water and ash method is the best way I've found to clean the glass. My 11 yr old daughter does it in about 10 minutes.

As far as starting a fire, I put the logs right on the floor of the insert, stuff a few pcs. of newspaper between them, open the air control all the way to the left and light the paper. I leave the right door cracked open about an inch to get lots of oxygen rushing in there. I'll have to add paper once or maybe two more times, but it usually lights pretty quickly like this. No kindling or anything. Leave the door ajar for 20 minutes or so until the woods burning good, then close it and set your air control and enjoy. The blower takes about an hour before it will get hot enough to come on. There's no way to turn the blower on manually. Once the fire's burning good and hot, I don't even change the air control when adding logs. Just open the doors slowly to keep smoke from coming out into the room. 

I'll load the firebox up and it'll burn good for about 4-5 hours. I thought I would get longer burn times, but it seems others have had this problem too. While I don't load it all the way up to where the wood is hitting the tubes, they are pretty sturdy if you bump them. The baffle on top of the tubes, however, I am careful with. It seems somewhat fragile to me, but I don't really know. It reminds me of a grinding wheel type of material, but it's VERY lightweight. I don't know how much abuse it could take.

I'm going to try and put a few pics on here that I just took. One is of where I have kept the air control lever as this fire has burned for the last three days, and one is how the windows look with that setting. Another is where the blower cord is routed, just because there's been some discussion about that as well.

Sorry for being long winded, but maybe it'll help someone.


----------



## daryl

I do not Know if this has been discussed but on the the reostat there is a adjustment screw by turning the screw you can take the hum out of the blower motor. I also agree that fans do not need to be run on high,the air temp on a high setting is lower then if it is set at 50%.


----------



## micaaronfl

resiburn - intersting where exactly is this screw?


----------



## daryl

on the side of the reostat a small phillips sometimes painted white turn until humm goes away.


----------



## micaaronfl

sorry im not a handy person am im looking at the install manual, looks like its the top part of merrimack? is there a plate that needs to come off to get to the screw? plus the fan is only on when the stove is warm so im afraid to hard this thing when im tinkering with a fire burning.


----------



## daryl

reostat is the fan speed control bottom left side of unit.


----------



## micaaronfl

lt me take a look again tonight i didnt see a screw when i pulled the cover plate off.


----------



## daryl

You have to pull  out the speed control,I think there are 2 screws that hold it to the castings in a sheet metal frame, then there is a large nut under the knob that holds it to the sheet metal frame take that off then you will find the adj. screw.


----------



## micaaronfl

thanks resiburner


----------



## obrien040362

Guyro5

Nice installation better than my "professional job".  I wish i would of done it myself and used straight double wall duct (less build up). Hindsight is 20/20.

When you installed you unit did you remove the burn tubes and baffle so that you could screw the flue to the firebox from the inside of the firebox?  That is how mind was installed which didn't seem right.

Looking ahead to spring, I plan on sweeping the flue myself and still researching the procedure.  I believe you need to remove the burn tubes and baffle, close the doors to control dust and sweep for the exterior.  Anyone wish to comment on the procedure or the crazyness of DIY.


----------



## Clarks ACE Hardware

Nice looking insert there, Guyro 5.

We've sold several of these units this year. Everyone is happy so far


----------



## guyro5

Thanks for the compliments guys.

Musky, yes I connected it from inside. It's actually designed so you can do it that way, which was nice because I believe it would be a real pain to try to do it from outside of the insert because it would have to be so far back into the masonry fireplace that you really wouldn't have room to work. And the flexible liner, which is what I used, isn't as flexible as you would think. Working from inside the insert is the way they recommend unless for some reason you cant.

I'm planning on cleaning mine the same way as you, unless someone had a better idea. If I remember right you only have to remove one burn tube to get the baffle out, but I'll have to check on that when I get home tonight. The baffle just slides right out after the burn tube's removed. Also, there is a crossbar inside the flue connector that keeps a brush from going all the way down into the insert and accidentally breaking the baffle if you haven't removed it. I think it needs to be removed for cleaning though, otherwise any soot and creosote would just land on top of the baffle and be a fire hazard. That crossbar also means, as you stated, the brushing would have to be done from the exterior.


----------



## guyro5

I just looked and I honestly can't remember how many tubes I had to remove to get that baffle out. I checked the manual and it says to remove the air wash manifold, then if you need to to remove the air tubes to get the baffle out. I do know I didn't have to take all the tubes out. I really think it was just the one closest to the front of the insert, right behind the air wash manifold. The manifold was pretty easy to remove too.


----------



## Clarks ACE Hardware

guyro5 said:
			
		

> I just looked and I honestly can't remember how many tubes I had to remove to get that baffle out. I checked the manual and it says to remove the air wash manifold, then if you need to to remove the air tubes to get the baffle out. I do know I didn't have to take all the tubes out. I really think it was just the one closest to the front of the insert, right behind the air wash manifold. The manifold was pretty easy to remove too.



You can just remove the 2   7/16" hex bolts on the front airwash deflector and slide the baffle out from there without removing any of the tubes.


----------



## micaaronfl

need a quick response on this one. is itgood to insulate the entire merrimack? top, back,  and sides? or just the top?


----------



## Clarks ACE Hardware

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> need a quick response on this one. is itgood to insulate the entire merrimack? top, back,  and sides? or just the top?



Just the top is fine. The main purpose for this is to prevent any draft/cool air coming into the living space from air space between your terra-cotta and SS liner. 

If you have extra cer-wool it would be best used wrapping the liner with it if you haven't already.


----------



## micaaronfl

ok thanks the installer may come out to insulate it and i wanted to see if putting it on the sides would be a benefit.


----------



## micaaronfl

is a block off plate and insulation overkill? my installer mentioned he would like to do both?


----------



## BrowningBAR

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> is a block off plate and insulation overkill? my installer mentioned he would like to do both?




If you have a good installer, they usually have a reason for recommending certain things. You can't go wrong with overkill in this case, though. Nothing bad will happen from doing both.


----------



## micaaronfl

ok thanks i just didnt want to damage the unit


----------



## Joseymack

So my VC Merrimack is burning rather nicely these days... Just a few questions and comments.
- Even when the air vent is closed all the way to the right it seems there is alot of flames that don;t quite die down. is this normal...?
- My glass has not yet sooted up on me. Ithas been a beautiful flame since day 1.... nice
- Kinda messy to clean without an ashpan. I am not used to this. TIPs? I bought an ash vaccuum but the fire pretty much needs to be dead in order to use the damn     thing
- Fan takes a while to come on sometimes about 30-40 minutes, even when the system seems plenty hot?
- overall so far so good


----------



## micaaronfl

- Even when the air vent is closed all the way to the right it seems there is alot of flames that don;t quite die down. is this normalâ€¦?
same thing here. 

- Fan takes a while to come on sometimes about 30-40 minutes, even when the system seems plenty hot?
my fan takes at least an hour to go on, usually an hour and a half. the installers have been out here twice to look at it. they are coming out again soon to replace the thermal switch and i have also askef for them to install a block off plate or installation right above the unit.  im thinking that it will keep the heat in and hopefully trigger the switch to go on sooner.


----------



## Clarks ACE Hardware

micaaronfl said:
			
		

> - Even when the air vent is closed all the way to the right it seems there is alot of flames that don;t quite die down. is this normalâ€¦?
> same thing here.
> 
> - Fan takes a while to come on sometimes about 30-40 minutes, even when the system seems plenty hot?
> my fan takes at least an hour to go on, usually an hour and a half. the installers have been out here twice to look at it. they are coming out again soon to replace the thermal switch and i have also askef for them to install a block off plate or installation right above the unit.  im thinking that it will keep the heat in and hopefully trigger the switch to go on sooner.



Guys,

I just received word that VC is investigating about 5 instances of this exact scenario on the Merrimack. 

One of my customer's has actually been having some trouble turning his down, but he also has a 5.5" x 35' liner so we have been looking into that being the root cause. Needless to say, he's very happy with the insert and is still getting great burn times out of it.

Contact your local VC dealer and have them forward your case to John Davidson with MHSC.

Regarding your snap switch... Keep in mind that you have over 500 lbs of cast iron to heat up. The freestanding VC's take over an hour for the switch to kick over. Sounds normal IMHO.


----------



## Joseymack

I I forgot to mntion, my burntimes are 12hours plus.... I leave to work at 5am and got hme last night around 8pm. Still have plenty of coals.
I load it up at might turn it down and go to bed. i wake up to a great hot coal pit.... So far that is an A+


----------



## micaaronfl

I do have the .pdf of the updated manual that shows the problem with the thermal switch either being pushed upward or screws on backwards. It didnt work for me. 

if anyone wants it PM me your email.


----------



## tamms_1965

Hi all,
I stumbled across this sight while investigating different inserts. We have been in our "new" old house (original part circa 1849) for almost a month now and have had the local chimney guy in for inspections and quotes. The original plan was to convert two of the smaller fireplaces to ventless gas logs  (I am one of those that actually love them....have had four sets in three different homes). One of these is inoperable for wood and the other has a new stainless steel liner in it set up for a wood insert (never used). The guy came out and inspected them and a third large one in the dining room to see if it was safe for woodburning (come to find out it also has a never used top of the line ss liner set up for an insert). He suggested we think about an insert to cut down on our oil bill (we have a 3900+ sf farmhouse that has a heat pump and oil-fired boiler, but house it pretty tight considering). So I set off on my mission.

I am a Direct Buy member and as previously mentioned on this thread, they carry this insert so my cost of the insert and Exeter surround with taxes, delivery/handling, etc. would be $2200 (this does not include a liner or how much my chimney guy will charge to install). After reading all the info on here, I think I'm going to give it a go. My question is does it matter that I am not using their liner?


----------



## Don2222

Hello

Nice video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM

Vermont Casting Stoves do hold their value over the years.

I bought a consolidated Dutchwest wood/coal stove on sale for $1060 brand new and sold it 19 years later for $400 !!


Pic of Montpelier from video below.


----------



## tamms_1965

Don2222 said:
			
		

> Hello
> 
> Nice video
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW6bgkRrelM
> 
> Vermont Casting Stoves do hold their value over the years.
> 
> I bought a consolidated Dutchwest wood/coal stove on sale for $1060 brand new and sold it 19 years later for $400 !!
> 
> 
> Pic of Montpelier from video below.



Nice video


----------



## guyro5

Tamms - as long as you know your liner is stainless steel and not aluminum,  and as long as its the right size for your insert(6" in the case of the Merrimack ), then it really doesn't matter where it was bought or what brand it is. Hope this answers your question.


----------



## tamms_1965

guyro5 said:
			
		

> Tamms - as long as you know your liner is stainless steel and not aluminum,  and as long as its the right size for your insert(6" in the case of the Merrimack ), then it really doesn't matter where it was bought or what brand it is. Hope this answers your question.


Thanks, my inspector/installer checked it out and in his words it is "one of the best" you can get. I ordered it today and it actually came in $100 less than the orignal quote

This is a great site....glad I found it

Tamms


----------



## Joseymack

Fan Output
My question is although I am happy with the inset, it seems my fan heat output is very minimal sometimes... I have a large open area and a fan to keep the heat down. My issue is I feel with the fan on high there really isn;t a very large output to the room of warm air? Kinda weak and almost hard to feel. is this normal. How do I test this?


----------



## micaaronfl

i have the same problem, fan makes alot of noise but barely pushes out hot air. i have to burn for 6 plus hours to feel any real heat in the house.


----------



## obrien040362

The merimack is a 150 cfm fan which was an issue with me when i purchased it.  The other unit i look at was alot cheaper and had a 300 cfm fan. 

But after running fires all winter i don't have to much issue anymore.  It would be nice to have more cfm at times, but the air would cycle through the unit faster and discharge at a lower temperature.

My room is also large (30' x 30') with high ceilings and i can get it to 74 degrees when it is zero outside after a good 24 hour burn and then it is just a maintenance fire.

I have had my room to 78 degrees (too hot) with outside temps in the teens.


----------



## obrien040362

Jay Clark or anyone

What type of brush do you recommend to clean the flue?

Poly brush?  My installer said I should buy a 12" ductwork poly brush and cut down to 8" diameter.  This does not seem right for a 6" flue.  It might work well going down but could be hell coming up.

They have stainless brushes at lowes that says safe for stainless flues, but I have heard you don't want to use stainless on stainless. 

Thanks in advance for you help


----------



## Clarks ACE Hardware

Musky Hunter said:
			
		

> Jay Clark or anyone
> 
> What type of brush do you recommend to clean the flue?
> 
> Poly brush?  My installer said I should buy a 12" ductwork poly brush and cut down to 8" diameter.  This does not seem right for a 6" flue.  It might work well going down but could be hell coming up.
> 
> They have stainless brushes at lowes that says safe for stainless flues, but I have heard you don't want to use stainless on stainless.
> 
> Thanks in advance for you help



Musky,

A 6" poly brush will do just fine and is your safest bet.
Something like this:  http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/ProductDetails.aspx?SKU=48392

Definitely do not use a steel brush on a stainless liner. A stainless brush will have less of a corrosive effect but you will still be scratching/pitting the surface of the liner.


----------



## obrien040362

A few comments on the fan and my first cleaning

Over the weekend i took my fan out and cleaned all the pet hair/dust that accumulated over the winter.  So you might want to check you fan.  I had quite a bit with a golden retriever.  Any idea what and where do you apply oil?  What type of oil?

So I took some time to study the fan as i did all winter.  I believe most of the fan noise comes from the sheet metal bottom plate vibrating either from the fan or from the air circulation or from heat waves (it seem to get noisier as my fire gets hotter).  So I cut a 5/8" thick board about 3" wide and slid it under the sheet metal pan.  There was a 5/8" gap between the pan and my hearth.  To check it I turned on a hair dryer to trigger the thermostat and it sounded alot better.  Like 200% better, but the real check will be with a fire.

I also took out the top baffle to clean the flue.  I did verify when the dampner is all the way to the right all air is cut off except maybe some leakage at the automatic dampner.  I am calling the automatic dampner the dampner that is open when you push the level all the way to the left to trigger the dampner open.  I think vermont calls it something else.  I am not sure what cause this dampner to eventually close.  Also the automatic dampner opening is a little larger than a quarter.

On a side note:
Some have complained that the fan takes over an hour to kick on after a new fire, mine is like 45 minutes to 1 hour.  I wondering if you triggered it with a blow dryer would it just cool down and turn off or with a semi hot fire would that be enough to get it over the hump (kick on and stay on).  Without a fire it just turns off but maybe with a fire it would not.  Another test for next year.


----------



## elevatorman

Well its been a while since Ive been on here but I have been very please with my unit... I would Like to try and maybe silence the fan like others have done here... maybe when I clean the Flue i will do this.. well back to gathering wood for next winter...


----------



## Roufs

Hi all.  My husband and I recently upgraded our fireplace insert with the VC Merrimack.   Prior to the Merrimack we had a tiny no name insert that didnâ€™t produce much heat, so we opted for a larger unit.  The unit is beautiful and does provide an ample amount of heat; however, Iâ€™m fed up with the smoking back into the house, not to mention the fan takes an hour and a half to turn on!  So if anyone can help us trouble shoot this smoke spillage issue, Iâ€™d appreciate it.  

Unlike many other posts our unit smokes in whenever the doors are opened, not just when weâ€™re starting the fire.  Our chimney is 16â€™ tall with a 6â€ stainless steel liner, we open the damper, turn off the fan, open the door SLOWLY, and ensure the ceiling fan is turned off, and our house was built in 1947â€¦. itâ€™s far from air tight.  And the chimney was cleaned this fall when we changed out the fireplace units.  Tonight we tried opening an outside door when reloading the fireplace only to have smoke back in the living room.  

We have talked to our fireplace retailer and moved the rheostat attached to the fan motors closer to the firebox with no resolution in the time it takes the fan to turn on.  Weâ€™ve been waiting for a week for the retailer to research the smoking back issue and havenâ€™t heard back.  

My husband and I are so frustrated with this unit, being experienced fireplace users, we canâ€™t figure out what is not working and have debated re-installing our old tiny fireplace insert!!  Please help us resolve the smoke problem!!


----------



## wkpoor

Well I will only attempt to stab at the smoke issue. Smoke back in the room has got to be a draft problem, simply not enough to keep the firebox evacuated. Maybe it was adequate for the previous smaller unit butr apparently not for the bigger one. Have you sweep lately to make sure there isn't an obstruction? Does the insert give instructions for minimum chimney height? And is your chimney high enough above the roof to allow a good draft. Sometimes if your draft is maginal for the appliance a lower barometric day can have adverse effects on performance.


----------



## shayes8888

This is our second year with our Merrimack.  Fan on issue...  yes, it takes time to come on.  The key is building a hot fast burning fire.  The burn efficiency is tied to the temperature of the entire unit - all 400 plus pounds of cast iron - so to start cooling off the unit before the best operating temperature is reach defeats the whole purpose.  We lay a good supply of dry kindling and progressively larger fuel and let this get going for 5 or 10 minutes with the door ajar using the latch.  Shut the doors and the damper flap shuts in 30 minutes and the fan comes on 5 or 10 minutes later.  We also can get smoke into the room.  However, to minimize back drafting we first wait until all fuel is burned down to coals.  Open the door and keep ajar at least a minute to establish a draft with the "new" air supply coming in from the front of the unit.  Then slowly open the right door and fill the firebox.  As far as fan noise goes, ours is usually on high for the first hour or two, then I shut it down to 50% or so and close the damper down all the way right.  On high our fan competes with the dishwasher's noisy attitude.  On 50% it creates a stereo effect with  the refrigerator.  (Put on the noise canceling head phones and you can't hear it at all!)  Our wood is Douglas-fir, dried at least a year.  With dry wood and a hot fire to start we only clean the glass once a week, if that.  We also have welder's gloves when working with the hot stove, and a dust buster to clean up the front.  The unit easily heats our upstairs great room which is 28'x48' with 17' clearstory ceiling.


----------



## obrien040362

Heres my solution to fan noise.  Zvox 555 system.  The DE feature works great!  As long as I can hear the tv the noise is not an issue with me.


----------



## ernie

If your blower takes so long to come on, just bypass the thermostat, it is not needed. So what if sometimes it blows cold air! I have bypassed every thermostat on every stove I have owned.

Ernie


----------



## jvoelker

So, after having the Merrimack for a little over a year, I'll tell you what I have run into:

As I stated earlier, the unit was chewing through wood...so much that I stopped burning as I was just wasting it, smoke was pouring into the room and the fan sounded like a jackhammer.  Unfortunately my dealer passed away shortly after I purchased it, so I was left dead in the water with options on what to do....VC refuses to help out the consumer unless going through a dealer.  BUYER BEWARE HERE.  I began data mining and came across a direct line to a Monessen employee who was very sympathetic to my problems, but it took until MAY for anyone to contact me to come fix the stove.  I kept getting the run around from VC/Monessen that they were investigating the problem and would get back to me shortly.  To make a long story short, they concluded the stove was put together wrong, with massive air gaps in the stove body, hence the rapid burn of the wood and very high temps which I could not control.  The technicians did find that assembly of the stove was incorrect  The day the stove was fixed (great customer service by the dealer who picked up my servicing my unit), it was 90 degrees outside and summer continued so I could not test the unit.  

Now that it is cold and am burning again, I have a whole host of new problems and my frustration grows with Vermont Castings.  I am finding there is no heat output with the unit now, smoke continues to pour out of the doors, and burn times are still short, and the fan noise is now worse than it was a year ago.  Due to all the time delays, problems and fearing further problems, I have asked VC to give me my money back.  They have declined, inferring that all the problems are probably my fault, not theirs.  I am very disappointed in them as I grew up with VC stoves and they were great.  VC's customer service leaves alot to be desired and I will never purchase another one of their products and I continue to tell all I know about their shortcomings.

If anyone is considering buying a Merrimack...do not do it.  If you want a more detailed explanation send me a personal message and I'll send you my phone number and I'll discuss in detail all that I have been through with VC over this lemon of a wood burning unit.


----------



## Joseymack

Seems my merrimack is popping and clanging way too much? Not overly hot in my opinion any ideas why


----------



## dbnewlon

empty


----------



## dbnewlon

I've had my Merrimack for almost three months now.  I'm amazed at all the problems folks have had, I've had none of it.  I have very little issue with smoke coming back into the room and the fan is not overly noisy, if I need it to be quieter I just turn down its speed a bit with the variable potentiometer.  I have insert installed in a fairly small family room (10X12) that is in the end of our 2300 sqft house - so I made a wall opening and put in a fan that circulates the warmer air into the living room and the colder air comes back into the family room from the kitchen.  I also made an opening in the ceiling at the foot of our basement stairs so heat from the same fan circulates down into the finished basement.   I also had a cold air return put in near the Merrimack so heat is pulled out of the room into the furnace & whole house humidifier that we run 100% of the time-negating the issue with lowering humidity. 

Even in late April, the Michigan nights are still getting down to 32, so I routinely light a fire at about 9:00 by putting a couple pieces of wadded up newspaper and lot of kindling and pine cones with a few dry oak logs on top.  With the lever in the far left position (open) I light it and close but do not latch the door.  After it ignites a lot of smoke builds up in the chamber, so I don't open the door!, not until the draft kicks in and I can see all that smoke get sucked out of the chamber. (this takes about 3-5 minutes)  After 35-50 minutes the fan turns on, (I also turn on our in-wall circulation fan and ceiling fan) at this point the kindling is mostly burned up into coals so I slowly open that door and a puff of smoke comes out while I load up the chamber with seasoned oak.  I then let it burn for another 30 minutes, when it is apparent everything is burning good, I close the lever to the right and go to bed about 11:00.  For many hours through the window of the insert I can see a slow billowing of the flames, almost like a slow motion fire.  It is then pouring out the heat and very little smoke is going out the chimney.   When I get up at 6:00 there is still red hot coals enough so that all I need to do is throw the lever to he left, put a 3-4 logs in and close the door - they ignite on their own from those hot coals.  When I leave for work I throw a few more logs on and throw the lever to the right. 

The heat output of this unit is phenomenal.  It is a heavy beast, at least 400 lbs., and that much metal takes quite a while to get fully heated up, but once it is heated up it stays heated up for a long time, putting out heat for hours after the fire goes out.  The claim that this unit can keep a fire going for 12 hours in the brochure is something I've not been able to accomplish.  I use seasoned red oak and maple, and it burns for a long time but if it stays burning for 8 hours I'd be surprised.  Maybe this is an estimate including how long the unit puts out heat including the time even after the flame is out.  I still don't think it would be 12 hours.  But the heat this stove puts out raised our 66 degree house up to 75 degrees in about 4 hours, and when I get up in the morning, it's still 70-72 degrees at the thermostat in the living room.  I haven't had any really cold Michigan weather to try this out in, but so far I am estimating it has saved me about 200$ in natural gas costs over 3 months.  With the 350$ gas bills we can get in December-February, I estimating I can pay this unit off in around 5-7 years.  If it will last that long, it will have been a solid investment.  

Beyond the financial side of things, this stove is very efficient.  We are burning much less wood and getting much more heat then we ever could with our fireplace.  We also are getting a whole lot less smoke in the house.  It has also made our whole house much more comfortable to live in.  We came home from church today and the house was down to 65 because I didn't light a fire last night.  So, I lit a fire at 1:00 this afternoon, 4 hours later now the living room is 73 and the family room is a toasty 88.  It sure feels good when you come in from a 45 degree day.  If I were to rate this stove on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 9, the only reason I wouldn't give it a 10 is that is doesn't keep a fire as long as I expected...maybe others have found a way to achieve this, but I have not.


----------



## dbnewlon

Joseymack said:


> Seems my merrimack is popping and clanging way too much? Not overly hot in my opinion any ideas why


What kind of wood are you burning? I burned apple and cherry for a while and found that mine didn't get very hot either - I switched to Red Oak and Maple and now it gets very hot. 
Mine does make a clang sound when it is first heating up, but then, after that it's pretty quiet, until it cools down and then it clangs again.


----------



## micaaronfl

i also have a merrimack, i also did run into issues regarding the fan not turning in an acceptable amount of time, so i had the dealer jump the thermal switch so i could put it on manually. other than that i am very happy with the unit


----------



## Terra

I just ordered the Merrimack on Thursday. $4290. includes an extra panel for behind the standard panel since our fireplace is ridiculously large. I should be having it installed in about 3 weeks. I cannot wait! I've had a propane fireplace for a few years, and while it was nice and all, nothing beats a wood fire, and the smell of the fireplace and the look of crackling wood.


----------



## Dan

Terra said:


> I just ordered the Merrimack on Thursday. $4290. includes an extra panel for behind the standard panel since our fireplace is ridiculously large. I should be having it installed in about 3 weeks. I cannot wait! I've had a propane fireplace for a few years, and while it was nice and all, nothing beats a wood fire, and the smell of the fireplace and the look of crackling wood.


 

I just ordered mine as well.  Stove w/ cast surround was 3300, 35' insulated pipe kit was 450, install w/ custom extra panel (big fireplace too) was 1100...   with tax the total job will be ~4600.  I have a huge slate cap to the chimeny, so the install dude said it would be a bit of work to do the install...   I was sold on 3.0cuft firebox, cast iron look,  and 350sqin viewing area.


----------



## Dan

Install went great yesterday- very pleased with the aesthetics of the stove. However, during the install the cast piece on the door latch (small part the roller screws into) cracked! The installer said this was somewhat common, which I can imagine. Replacement part will be here this week until then I can't use the stove. Anyone else have the part break? Being a small cast piece, I was thinking of getting one machined out of solid steel so I would not need to worry about it.


----------



## Terra

Dan said:


> Install went great yesterday- very pleased with the aesthetics of the stove. However, during the install the cast piece on the door latch (small part the roller screws into) cracked! The installer said this was somewhat common, which I can imagine. Replacement part will be here this week until then I can't use the stove. Anyone else have the part break? Being a small cast piece, I was thinking of getting one machined out of solid steel so I would not need to worry about it...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 78449


 
I'm glad you like the look of the stove. I have no clue about breakage-my stove is being installed on Friday. I'll update that that time, but I'm sure you could have one made for minimal cost. Hopefully the part comes in for you and the replacement goes smoothly. 
Somewhat common that a piece breaks? That's hardly acceptable.


----------



## Terra

Well, I've had the insert for 4 days, we're right in the middle of a hurricane and I've built my 3rd fire-I LOVE this insert. The fan noise in very minimal, the Living room is toasty in just a little while, and it is SO pretty. The first night we had it, we had a fire and the entire downstairs was almost intolerably hot! When I woke the next morning, the fan was still going, still had hot embers in it, so the downstairs was still toasty warm.

I was worried that with the hurricane, the wind would cause the smoke to blow back down, but so far so good. We're up to 50mph winds and all is well. I'll let you know what happens when Sandy hits land. 

The fan DOES take a while to turn on, but the bigger the fire, the faster it comes on apparently. I guess if we get medieval on it with the wood at the start, it'll kick on faster. I doesn't really matter much. I hope I still feel this way when it's 20 degrees outside!


----------



## Dan

Week #1 with the stove and we love it.  Getting long burns, great heat - blower really helps put out really hot air - waiting for below freezing nights here in CT to see if it can keep the furnace off!  As for the blower taking a while to turn on, I find that as the stove heats up the natural convection of the stovve getting hot "sucks" cold air in the bottom as the heated air rises through the air jacket of the stove.  I think this airflow prevents the bottom from heating up fast enough to kick the blower on fast.   I put some of my fire gloves (basically welding gloves) in front of the bottom air intake when I start up the stove and it seemed to speed up getting the fan to kick on...  just a thought.  I like the automatic feature of the blower as I am getting embers that last very very long - almost 18 hours after a load, so the fan will continue to run until the stove cools then shuts off.  Only thing I have yet to master is the the automatic damper control were you push the lever to the left into the "springy" zone then back to where you want the damper once the stove heats...  just haven't had the patience to try it and see how it works.


----------



## Terra

Well, it's 33 degrees outside, and my whole house is pretty toasty! I'm very happy with the Merrimack. It's rather easy to get a fire going, and the warmth can't be better. My dog and cat have taken up residence in front of it, and the cat gets rather annoyed when I move him to put more wood in. Little creep! 
I am a happy girl, and my oil heat is still switched to "off". Woo Hoo! 

Now, if I could find a gas station that has gas and a line less than 2 miles long...


----------



## dsheehan56

We are already into oil for $1,600 since August and it hasn't even gotten cold yet. So....

We had a Merrimack installed a few weeks ago. We always had a fire going in our open fireplace and wanted to get some heat out of it.... while still having a good view/ambiance of the fire itself.
It's going to take some years to recoup the costs of the stove/install, but we burned wood anyway, so why not get some heat out of it.
Using just oil we'd never have the downstairs as toasty as it is with the Merrimack either.

So far we are very happy with the unit. The view of the fire is superb and the heat output is awesome.
We liked the flush inserts, but the view and firebox size on the Merrimack had us lean towards it.
We run the fans about halfway and hardly notice the noise. At full speed they are louder, but not annoying as others have reported. Perhaps in time they will get loud. For now they are fine. No issue.

After the first 4 break-in fires I've been burning her full bore 24/7 since.
The house is 4200 sq/ft so it doesn't heat the whole place, but it sure keeps the boiler from firing like it was.
Like I said earlier, it's also much warmer downstairs than we would keep it using just oil.
Keeping it this warm with just oil would be kid college fund damage.

It's been simple to operate. The glass stays extremely clean and burns clean. Excellent wood source takes credit here.

One thing I really miss from the open fireplace days is dealing with the ash. The 'ol endless ash pan trap door is now buried in it's glory under this behemoth of cast iron.
Having to scoop out ash into the ash bucket is a drag.

I'm getting some good burns out of it. Load her up at 11PM and wake up to a bed of coals waiting to be fed.
I haven't touched a match in weeks. Although, I sure have put a dent in the wood stack.
I'm feeding her close to a 1/4 cord per week and I damp her all the way down.
Wish I could choke her a bit more, but I think the EPA had their hands in that one.


----------



## etiger2007

dsheehan56 said:


> We are already into oil for $1,600 since August and it hasn't even gotten cold yet. So....
> 
> We had a Merrimack installed a few weeks ago. We always had a fire going in our open fireplace and wanted to get some heat out of it.... while still having a good view/ambiance of the fire itself.
> It's going to take some years to recoup the costs of the stove/install, but we burned wood anyway, so why not get some heat out of it.
> Using just oil we'd never have the downstairs as toasty as it is with the Merrimack either.
> 
> So far we are very happy with the unit. The view of the fire is superb and the heat output is awesome.
> We liked the flush inserts, but the view and firebox size on the Merrimack had us lean towards it.
> We run the fans about halfway and hardly notice the noise. At full speed they are louder, but not annoying as others have reported. Perhaps in time they will get loud. For now they are fine. No issue.
> 
> After the first 4 break-in fires I've been burning her full bore 24/7 since.
> The house is 4200 sq/ft so it doesn't heat the whole place, but it sure keeps the boiler from firing like it was.
> Like I said earlier, it's also much warmer downstairs than we would keep it using just oil.
> Keeping it this warm with just oil would be kid college fund damage.
> 
> It's been simple to operate. The glass stays extremely clean and burns clean. Excellent wood source takes credit here.
> 
> One thing I really miss from the open fireplace days is dealing with the ash. The 'ol endless ash pan trap door is now buried in it's glory under this behemoth of cast iron.
> Having to scoop out ash into the ash bucket is a drag.
> 
> I'm getting some good burns out of it. Load her up at 11PM and wake up to a bed of coals waiting to be fed.
> I haven't touched a match in weeks. Although, I sure have put a dent in the wood stack.
> I'm feeding her close to a 1/4 cord per week and I damp her all the way down.
> Wish I could choke her a bit more, but I think the EPA had their hands in that one.




Do you mean a 1/4 face cord a week? If so that's not too bad. What a beautiful insert you have.


----------



## dsheehan56

Yes, that 1/4 cord reference is a face cord. 16"-18" lengths.


----------



## etiger2007

dsheehan56 said:


> Yes, that 1/4 cord reference is a face cord. 16"-18" lengths.


 
 I think that seems normal, that insert has a big fire box as you know.  Are you burning nights and weekends or 24/7?


----------



## dsheehan56

1/4 face cord per week with a 24/7 burn.

Definitely more consumption than I had imagined, but it's worth it.
This is my first stove, so I didn't know what to expect.


----------



## Oldhippie

A cord a month isn't bad for a nice warm house. Look at the amount of oil you were burning and it put's in in perspective.

PLUS, it's pretty!


----------



## etiger2007

dsheehan56 said:


> 1/4 face cord per week with a 24/7 burn.
> 
> Definitely more consumption than I had imagined, but it's worth it.
> This is my first stove, so I didn't know what to expect.


 

24/7 thats great be proud


----------



## dbnewlon

I've had my VCM since last March, I got it just at the tail end of the heating season here in Michigan. So far this year hasn't been much of a challenge, 15 degrees at night and 35 in the day time, nothing really cold to challenge the insert. Our furnace is set at 70, but most of the time the house is staying at 72-75 when I keep the fire going. As long as the temp doesn't drop below 70, the natural gas burning furnace stays off!! I'm hoping the in the peek months of Jan & February I can cut our heating bill from 350$/month to under 100$ (we have a gas hot water heater) On a yearly average, I was hoping for a 1000$ a year savings, and in four - five years the whole installation would be paid for.  Does anyone else think they are approaching this level of savings?

A few issue I have had that I am wondering how others are handling:

Ash cleanup: It's takes a long time for the ash to cool down enough to empty. I normally have a fire for about 3-4 days straight (the ash gets so high that the heat output drops drastically, then I have to go for almost 2 days without a fire while waiting for it to cool enough to empty. How are VCM owners handing this. Is there a more practical method for emptying hot ashes? There isn't a vacuum that can handle this sort of thing is there?

Fan motors clogging: The grids on the fan motors where the air is sucked through the base seems to get clogged after a few months. I notice the amount of air flow drops significantly. I've had to start checking them on a monthly basis and cleaning them out...is anyone else having this issue. I solved the burns issue with a "Past the elbow" pair of fireplace gloves. I think I'm going through about 1/3 of a face cord of wood/week. More then I would like, I'm burning a combination of oak and ash and the burns normally are lasting about 6-7 hours.

Glass cleaning: The glass does seem to get clouded with smoke after a few days of burning to the point where I can't see the fire at all. I've solved the problem with the yellow cans of oven cleaner. It's the only thing I have found the cleans the inside of the glass. Nothing else will cut it. How come I'm not hearing others having this issue...am I doing something wrong that could be causing this issue?


----------



## dbnewlon

obrien040362 said:


> Heres my solution to fan noise. Zvox 555 system. The DE feature works great! As long as I can hear the tv the noise is not an issue with me.


 
I get it, that's a big powerful sound system...I thought you found a better fan for the VCM...  I like your solution.


----------



## dbnewlon

Dan said:


> Install went great yesterday- very pleased with the aesthetics of the stove. However, during the install the cast piece on the door latch (small part the roller screws into) cracked! The installer said this was somewhat common, which I can imagine. Replacement part will be here this week until then I can't use the stove. Anyone else have the part break? Being a small cast piece, I was thinking of getting one machined out of solid steel so I would not need to worry about it.
> 
> View attachment 78449


That is a real bummer.  I will be more careful about opening and closing the doors, I'd never thought that part might be fragile...maybe there was a flaw in the cast iron.


----------



## Dan

I have had the stove for 2 solid months now, burned about 2 full cord (about 1/4 cord per week - full loads except for when we are at work, where we just put a log or two on to keep the temp up).   Overall I am in love with the stove.  It sure will offset our propane bill in the 4000+ sq ft open floorplan house.  Here is my opinion on a few of the issues posted by other owners, plus some of my own....

Ash cleanout:  I have a homemade ash "sifter" that separates the large embers from the fine ash, then I use a fire resistant ash vacuum to take care of the rest to keep the ash at an acceptable depth, without full cool-downs to clean out.   Plus the ash vac does a great job keeping the hearth tidy.

Glass cleaning:   I clean the glass about once a week.  When the stove is relatively cool (you can touch the glass without getting burned) I spray simple windex on the inside, let it sit for a few seconds, and use a razor blade to scrape the inside of the glass while it is wet.  The dirtyer the glass the easier it is to clean.  After a "scrape job" I repeat the windex spray, wipe with paper towels clean and done. 

Fan Motor clogging:  Not a problem (yet).

Fan Motor noise:  Got used to it.  Not annoying enough to do anything about, sounds like saving money to me.

Thermostatic Fan motor switch seems possessed:   I have not yet understood what it takes to get the switch to work consistently.  If I put my canvas log carrier in front of the air intake, it stops the natural convection through the stove, and seems to get the fans to click on faster.   I am seriously considering bypassing the thermal switch so only the dial knob is in control, any thoughts?  Sometimes it takes 1-2hrs for the switch to activate, even though the stove is completely up to temp.

Automatic air flow:  I am talking about when you push the lever to the left to set the trip feature.  Supposedly, when you refill the stove, especially in the morning when it the firebox has coals but is cooled down, you should push the lever all the way to the left to open the airflow, load the stove, then move it to the desired burn setting (for me all the way to the right), and the airflow will stay open until the stove comes up to temp.  I have never seemed to get this to work.  The airflow seems to not stay open as I set the burn setting low, all the way to the right.

Fan Motor Speed:  The manual says to not put the fan on "high" when you have the burn setting on "low" - lever all the way to the right.  I put one of the magnetic stack temp gauges (rutland made mine) to the front of the stove where the air exits.  I am getting 300F air exit temp mid-burn for several hours on a full load with the lever to the right and fan on high.  Putting the fan on low has no affect on the air exit temp.  If there was a difference in the exit air temp, then I could see the fan speed having an effect.  More of the same 300F temp air is more heat output from the stove and into my house, so I am running the fan on high.  It is also interesting to note that I am not getting much difference in exit air temp if I put the lever midpoint or full open...  Maybe 325F with the blower on high.  Not much more heat, but the burn time is greatly reduced.   Of course this all could be a function of the wood quality I have, which I bought this first year (and was told was "seasoned" - which I believe is true as it doesn't hiss or steam when burning).  I also ran the fan on low with the burn setting on "low" a few times and it has no effect on burn time vs. having the fan on high.  So the only reason I think I would ever put the fan speed on low is if it got too hot in the room (not a problem with my open floorplan) or if I wanted a quieter environment...


----------



## Bluerubi

Dan said:


> I have had the stove for 2 solid months now, burned about 2 full cord (about 1/4 cord per week - full loads except for when we are at work, where we just put a log or two on to keep the temp up). Overall I am in love with the stove. It sure will offset our propane bill in the 4000+ sq ft open floorplan house. Here is my opinion on a few of the issues posted by other owners, plus some of my own....
> 
> Ash cleanout: I have a homemade ash "sifter" that separates the large embers from the fine ash, then I use a fire resistant ash vacuum to take care of the rest to keep the ash at an acceptable depth, without full cool-downs to clean out. Plus the ash vac does a great job keeping the hearth tidy.
> 
> Glass cleaning: I clean the glass about once a week. When the stove is relatively cool (you can touch the glass without getting burned) I spray simple windex on the inside, let it sit for a few seconds, and use a razor blade to scrape the inside of the glass while it is wet. The dirtyer the glass the easier it is to clean. After a "scrape job" I repeat the windex spray, wipe with paper towels clean and done.
> 
> Fan Motor clogging: Not a problem (yet).
> 
> Fan Motor noise: Got used to it. Not annoying enough to do anything about, sounds like saving money to me.
> 
> Thermostatic Fan motor switch seems possessed: I have not yet understood what it takes to get the switch to work consistently. If I put my canvas log carrier in front of the air intake, it stops the natural convection through the stove, and seems to get the fans to click on faster. I am seriously considering bypassing the thermal switch so only the dial knob is in control, any thoughts? Sometimes it takes 1-2hrs for the switch to activate, even though the stove is completely up to temp.
> 
> Automatic air flow: I am talking about when you push the lever to the left to set the trip feature. Supposedly, when you refill the stove, especially in the morning when it the firebox has coals but is cooled down, you should push the lever all the way to the left to open the airflow, load the stove, then move it to the desired burn setting (for me all the way to the right), and the airflow will stay open until the stove comes up to temp. I have never seemed to get this to work. The airflow seems to not stay open as I set the burn setting low, all the way to the right.
> 
> Fan Motor Speed: The manual says to not put the fan on "high" when you have the burn setting on "low" - lever all the way to the right. I put one of the magnetic stack temp gauges (rutland made mine) to the front of the stove where the air exits. I am getting 300F air exit temp mid-burn for several hours on a full load with the lever to the right and fan on high. Putting the fan on low has no affect on the air exit temp. If there was a difference in the exit air temp, then I could see the fan speed having an effect. More of the same 300F temp air is more heat output from the stove and into my house, so I am running the fan on high. It is also interesting to note that I am not getting much difference in exit air temp if I put the lever midpoint or full open... Maybe 325F with the blower on high. Not much more heat, but the burn time is greatly reduced. Of course this all could be a function of the wood quality I have, which I bought this first year (and was told was "seasoned" - which I believe is true as it doesn't hiss or steam when burning). I also ran the fan on low with the burn setting on "low" a few times and it has no effect on burn time vs. having the fan on high. So the only reason I think I would ever put the fan speed on low is if it got too hot in the room (not a problem with my open floorplan) or if I wanted a quieter environment...


 

I'm on season 3, burning 6-8 cord per year on the merrimack.  It has replaced my two propane furnances as the primary heat source for my 3000+ sqft house, so barring the fan noise I really like this unit.  I have ripped this thing appart a couple of times, and on the automatic air flow it's a pretty basic setup, so something might be wrong if it isn't staying engaged.  The top front of the stove lifts off pretty easily, so viewing the mechanism isn't too tough.  When I first got mine the lever didn't seem to work either, and I found that the little cable that pulls the flap up wasn't connected.  I also recently found that the little auto air box wasn't seated uniformly to the top of the stove, so even when fully closed some air was sneaking by.  A couple of screws and a little bendable tab hold it in place, so 5 minutes later I had a slower burning fire.

I also run mine almost exclusively in the fully closed and full fan position, and last year only had creosote buildup on the chimney cap, essentially nothing in the steel liner.  I don't think these blowers age well since I'm on my third, and after time all of them have become quieter in the high setting than anything lower.  They are really cheaply designed, so I think things are wearing internally that causes the fans to wobble at low levels and make the surrounding metal vibrate.


----------



## dbnewlon

Bluerubi said:


> I'm on season 3, burning 6-8 cord per year on the merrimack. It has replaced my two propane furnances as the primary heat source for my 3000+ sqft house, so barring the fan noise I really like this unit. I have ripped this thing appart a couple of times, and on the automatic air flow it's a pretty basic setup, so something might be wrong if it isn't staying engaged. The top front of the stove lifts off pretty easily, so viewing the mechanism isn't too tough. When I first got mine the lever didn't seem to work either, and I found that the little cable that pulls the flap up wasn't connected. I also recently found that the little auto air box wasn't seated uniformly to the top of the stove, so even when fully closed some air was sneaking by. A couple of screws and a little bendable tab hold it in place, so 5 minutes later I had a slower burning fire.
> 
> I also run mine almost exclusively in the fully closed and full fan position, and last year only had creosote buildup on the chimney cap, essentially nothing in the steel liner. I don't think these blowers age well since I'm on my third, and after time all of them have become quieter in the high setting than anything lower. They are really cheaply designed, so I think things are wearing internally that causes the fans to wobble at low levels and make the surrounding metal vibrate.


 
Now I am curious, I've lifted up that lid on top and looked at that little box and the cable is connected to it.  The little flange on top seems to want to lay down all the time.  Is that the low air position or the open air position.  How is it supposed to behave.  When the stove heats up is it supposed to stand up and cut down the air flow?

Has any one tried using the Ash Dragon on the Merrimack?  I've been struggling with getting to much ash, and shutting the system down completely, letting it cool then emptying the ash.  They claim with this Ash Dragon and mated screen device you can separate the ash from the hot coals and then scoop out the ash leaving the hot coals behind, allowing 24hr operation.  I'm thinking seriously of paying the C note to try it.  It's also supposed to reduce the amount of ash that gets free in the house....my wife would love it if it did.


----------



## Bluerubi

dbnewlon said:


> Now I am curious, I've lifted up that lid on top and looked at that little box and the cable is connected to it.  The little flange on top seems to want to lay down all the time.  Is that the low air position or the open air position.  How is it supposed to behave.  When the stove heats up is it supposed to stand up and cut down the air flow?
> 
> Has any one tried using the Ash Dragon on the Merrimack?  I've been struggling with getting to much ash, and shutting the system down completely, letting it cool then emptying the ash.  They claim with this Ash Dragon and mated screen device you can separate the ash from the hot coals and then scoop out the ash leaving the hot coals behind, allowing 24hr operation.  I'm thinking seriously of paying the C note to try it.  It's also supposed to reduce the amount of ash that gets free in the house....my wife would love it if it did.



Mine only moves toward the flat position as the cable is lifting the air flap. Once the flap is up, the flange you are referring too goes back to its resting position since its now engaged. Only comparison I can think of now is like the part of a mousetrap where you stick the bait. Once the spring inside the box gets to temp, it moves the flange a little bit, releasing the catch on the air flap. Makes a very noticeable clicking noise as the draft quickly sucks it down and metal hits metal. 

You'd know if its stuck open since it makes a noticeable sucking sound, and the fire will rage regardless of lever position. The hole is about an inch big, an a direct feed to the firebox, so a much less restrictive path than the normal primary air path.


----------



## dsheehan56

Couple of things....

Put a watt meter on the fan outlet. The fans draw 150-155 Watts at full speed.

Here's some pictures of the primary air top, bottom and autosetback air.

View from top after removing auto-setback control:





View of lower air intake after removing refractory brick. These inlets are not adjustable:




Primary air top inlets with glass wash deflector removed:



View of top Primary air inlets in open position:


----------



## relicdigger

Great pictures, thank you. There is a lot of information with them. I just had a Merrimack installed last night. I'm almost done with the preliminary burns and will posts pictures when I'm doing full burns.


----------



## weatherguy

dbnewlon said:


> Now I am curious, I've lifted up that lid on top and looked at that little box and the cable is connected to it. The little flange on top seems to want to lay down all the time. Is that the low air position or the open air position. How is it supposed to behave. When the stove heats up is it supposed to stand up and cut down the air flow?
> 
> Has any one tried using the Ash Dragon on the Merrimack? I've been struggling with getting to much ash, and shutting the system down completely, letting it cool then emptying the ash. They claim with this Ash Dragon and mated screen device you can separate the ash from the hot coals and then scoop out the ash leaving the hot coals behind, allowing 24hr operation. I'm thinking seriously of paying the C note to try it. It's also supposed to reduce the amount of ash that gets free in the house....my wife would love it if it did.


 
I just push the coals to one side and scoop the ash out with a shovel into an ash can, then do the same for the opposite side, I do this when its time to reload, no need to let the stove get cold to clean ashes, wear gloves and be careful with the ash pan, its get hot.


----------



## Bluerubi

Didn't think this was worth a whole new thread, but probably worth mentioning in the this VC merrimack repository or information.  After three years and multiple blowers almost always making anoying noise something happened over the last week or so that has me wondering.  The fan noise has stopped.  The only difference has been that for the first time we have started running a whole house humidifier, and the space where the stove resides now hovers in the 30% range, where before the gauge was bottomed out.  I'm not familiar with what in the blower if anything would be impacted by the humidity level, but this thing has suddenly gone from a rattling mess to a smooth sounding fan.

Probably just a fortunate coincidence, but I can honestly think of no other changes I've made, nor have I done any blower cleaning in the time between noisy to pleasant.


----------



## Dan

Thanks you everyone.  My automatic setback air control box was not fully seated down against the top of the stove.   I had about a 1/8-1/4 gap and you could hear the "whistle" even with the setback device flapper closed.   I would say this is a very important "feature" for every stove owner to inspect - I am looking forward to the difference in burntime and blower exit air temp with the air leak now corrected.
Dan


----------



## relicdigger

Hi Dan,
How did you check to see if the gap in the automatic setback air control was seated properly? It sounds like a good thing to check.
Thanks for the heads up, Mike


----------



## relicdigger

I found it, it was easy to see when the door was open! It is seated properly but did not stay open when I checked it when the stove was cool and I pulled the automatic setback control to the left. I'm pretty sure it should stay open when cool, until the stove is up to operating temperature, right?


----------



## dbnewlon

relicdigger said:


> I found it, it was easy to see when the door was open! It is seated properly but did not stay open when I checked it when the stove was cool and I pulled the automatic setback control to the left. I'm pretty sure it should stay open when cool, until the stove is up to operating temperature, right?


 
I thought the idea was to keep the lever to the left until you have established a strongly burning fire, one that will sustain itself on much less air flow, then set the lever to the right and get the longest slowest burn possible to get the absolute maximum BTU's out of the wood and least amount wasted by going up the chimney...I could be wrong, if so, someone please correct me.


----------



## dbnewlon

weatherguy said:


> I just push the coals to one side and scoop the ash out with a shovel into an ash can, then do the same for the opposite side, I do this when its time to reload, no need to let the stove get cold to clean ashes, wear gloves and be careful with the ash pan, its get hot.


 
Thanks, I found a tool that really makes the easy and consequently severely reduces the amount of soot I put into the air.  The Ash Dragon is a simple box with a handle and a lid that can enclose the soot once separated from the coals and transfer it outdoors without leaving any indoors on the furniture or in the air.  So far it's working very well.  It also provides a tool that is useful for separating the soot from the coals.  No more kindling needed, the fire is now running continuously.  Thanks for the advice, I'm following it exactly and using the Ash Dragon to capture and remove the soot and smaller coals.  Works great.  I also bought a metal trash 30 gallon trash can (on a patio stone) to store the hot soot and coals in while they cool down.


----------



## relicdigger

dbnewlon said:


> I thought the idea was to keep the lever to the left until you have established a strongly burning fire, one that will sustain itself on much less air flow, then set the lever to the right and get the longest slowest burn possible to get the absolute maximum BTU's out of the wood and least amount wasted by going up the chimney...I could be wrong, if so, someone please correct me.


Your right on the primary air control (it is to be set towards the right, most set it about and inch from full right) but to turn on the automatic setback control it is a push all the way to the left then you can set the primary air to the right, this is what the stove will go to when the stove gets up to operating temperature. Talking to my dealer we figured out what the problem is, the automatic setback flap is hitting the bottom of the catch and needs to be adjusted. It is the first time they have seen this problem with the automatic setback on this type of stove. They really went above and beyond to get this information from VC.
Thanks for the feedback; I should have been more clear on what I was trying to convey.
Mike


----------



## Blackdog

I have had my Merrimack for about 14 mos.  Has been working great and we love it.   Last nite the blower stopped working.  The intake was really clogged and we unclogged it and it still doesn't work.  The manufacturer never said anything about cleaning the intake in the owners manual.   We ordered a new blower fan, it will take 2-4 weeks to arrive.  Has anyone replaced one themselves?  How hard is it?  I tried taking off the lower grate to get to the fan motor, but the screws are in so tight and I don't want to strip them.  Has anyone had this issue before?


----------



## dsheehan56

Hi Blackdog,

I'm sure you already replaced your blower/fans.
Those two phillips head screws (behind each magnetic door) that hold on the lower grate do come from the factory fairly tight.

For others.....make sure you use a good sized Phillips screwdriver to fit the head properly.
Stripping those heads is not an option and would really stink.

I take my lower grate off every month or so to give the fans a good vacuum cleaning.

Other than that...the blower assembly is simple to remove/replace.


----------



## Riggs

how is everyone dealing with fan noise these days???  i know it used to be a problems a few years back but i can't seem to find any info about current fans...if there was a fix..or if it's still a problem.  i'm down to either a VS Merrimack or a Jotul C550 for our new house...and i've got to make a decision by April 29th when we close on the house. 

i'm still torn...love both stoves...but that fan noise would drive me nuts if it's as loud as everyone says it is.


----------



## relicdigger

Riggs,
Hi, welcome to the forum. We had a Merrimack installed about a month and a half ago and love it. The fan is a variable speed fan and is quiet even when turned up 3/4 to top speed (we usually run it at about 1/3-1/2 speed and it really throws the heat). The view to the fire is huge and beautiful. In the first month we saved a little over $300 off our heating bill and we loved the nice dry heat. Since we started using the stove we have stopped using our open fireplace. I'm sure either stove will be a great investment for you and give you great warmth for years.
Mike


----------



## dsheehan56

The Jotul 550 and Merrimack were my two final choices. I liked the look of the Jotul better, but the Merrimack won for 3 reasons.
1. The mantel clearances were shorter for the Merrimack since it protrudes a bit. Otherwise, I would have had to redo my mantel if I went with the Jotul.
2. The firebox on the Merrimack allows you to load East/West and North/South. North/South loading is a big bonus imho.
3. The Merrimack is bigger and can hold more wood. Bigger is better in my opinion.

My Merrimack had a March 2012 date on it. I don't know if VC ever did anything to quiet the fans or not.
I did not have the LOUD fans that others have mentioned, but I would get a vibration from them when the stove got real hot.
In my case, it was a very easy fix. I just added some door gasket under the blower assembly and some insulation tucked in to some other metal on metal locations.
I typically keep my fans on full blast and you can definitely hear them, but the stove room is also our TV/family room and it's fine.
If I put the fans on 50% or lower, they are dang near silent.....especially with the TV on.

Here's what I did to eliminate the vibration that would happen occasionally at high stove temps.


----------



## Riggs

Thanks dsheehan,  awesome review. Sort of what I was looking for. What sort of warranty does the merrimack come with?  Parts and service or just parts?  Also...if you dont mind my asking...what did you pay for the unit?


----------



## dsheehan56

The warranty info is on the last page of the manual.
http://literature.mhsc.com/vermont_castings/manuals/30004671_Merrimack_6.pdf

I paid $4600 installed. $280 of that was tax. So, just over $4300.
Stainless liner, cap, damper blockoff plate, electrical outlet install inside fireplace firebox.

I bought mine in December though. You can most likely do better now.


----------



## Riggs

just some info about the Merrimack i figured i'd share....since i've been tearing up the net searching for reviews.

ok so i just spoke with a local store owner in my area that has a very solid reputation...and she carries VC, Jotul, Avalon, Mendota and a few other manufacturers...and i figured i'd share our conversation and what she told me and why i've decided to go with the Jotul C550 over the VC Merrimack.  now keep in mind...she sells both and services both..and has been a VC dealer for over 25 years.  when i asked her about her thoughts between the two models..she said hands down go with the Jotul...and her biggest concern was  customer service and parts/maintanance.  she said for every replacement part she orders for the Jotul stoves...she orders between 8-10 parts for VC.  she noted that Monesson just isn't using quality parts inside the stoves anymore to control costs.  she did confirm that the castings are still made in Vermont...but that the parts are low dollar cost efficient and just not holding up very long and maintanance is costly on the VC units.  she mentioned she was really sad about the whole thing because VC is the company she got started with and without them..she noted that her company would NOT be what it is today.  she also mentioned that a lot of the time they had to go above and beyond to service customers when VC would not help...and they did this to keep the customer and do the right thing even though VC would not step in.  she noted that the customer service and warrenty behind the Jotul stoves is top notch and that they just make as really solid stove and she's had great success with them.  

so that's the story that pulled everything together for me.  she did say she's had a handful of customers that have Merrimacks and other VC stoves/inserts and that they have ZERO problems and are thrilled with the stove.  but unfortunately...it's a small percentage of her VC customers that are happy.  it seems if you end up needing any support....that's when things get hairy.

hope this helps...

riggs


----------



## dsheehan56

Hi Riggs,

That could all be true....or she was simply trying to sell the Jotul 550 she had in stock in the back room.

Either way, good luck with it.


----------



## Riggs

Possibly...but I have to order the Jotul...she had 2 Merrimacks in inventory and one on the floor :/

I'm definetely not trying to piss in anyone's Cheerios...and I know there are some very happy VC owners out there...a few of which are my best friends. There is just an odd trend im seeing, which is people steering clear of VC becuase of customer service and shoddy manufacturing of internal parts...it's just popping up all the time... And that many people cannot ALL be wrong.


----------



## dsheehan56

The Jotul is a great looking east/west stove.
Good luck with it!


----------



## Riggs

you have no idea how badly i wanted that merrimack for the reason of the big firebox and just being able to shove a huge pile of wood into it   just totally terrified of bad service...with my luck..i'd be the guy who has problems 

i had also looked at the hearthstone Clydsdale...just because it's such a huge firebox...guess the 550 will have to do.


----------



## Oldhippie

dsheehan56 said:


> The Jotul 550 and Merrimack were my two final choices. I liked the look of the Jotul better, but the Merrimack won for 3 reasons.
> 1. The mantel clearances were shorter for the Merrimack since it protrudes a bit. Otherwise, I would have had to redo my mantel if I went with the Jotul.
> 2. The firebox on the Merrimack allows you to load East/West and North/South. North/South loading is a big bonus imho.
> 3. The Merrimack is bigger and can hold more wood. Bigger is better in my opinion.
> 
> My Merrimack had a March 2012 date on it. I don't know if VC ever did anything to quiet the fans or not.
> I did not have the LOUD fans that others have mentioned, but I would get a vibration from them when the stove got real hot.
> In my case, it was a very easy fix. I just added some door gasket under the blower assembly and some insulation tucked in to some other metal on metal locations.
> I typically keep my fans on full blast and you can definitely hear them, but the stove room is also our TV/family room and it's fine.
> If I put the fans on 50% or lower, they are dang near silent.....especially with the TV on.
> 
> Here's what I did to eliminate the vibration that would happen occasionally at high stove temps.
> 
> View attachment 97152
> 
> View attachment 97153


 
You should send the diagram to the manufacturer along with a invoice for consulting services.


----------



## darkz71

just signed a deal for a Merrimack today, lots of good info here, I hope it's reliable.


----------



## Ram 1500 with an axe...

darkz71 said:


> just signed a deal for a Merrimack today, lots of good info here, I hope it's reliable.


I have the montpelier,the medium size insert, so far so good for me....


----------



## begreen

dsheehan56 thanks for the helpful review and tips. That is a very nice looking stove.


----------



## siebel_1

Not sure if anyone is still monitoring this thread.  I am looking to buy a VC Merrimack in the Boston area.   I was wondering how much it cost currently in the area.  

dsheehan56 where did you buy your stove from?

Thanks Khu


----------



## MI is Cold

I've had the  Merrimack for about 3 years now and I've been on a mission to be able to open the doors with a fire going and not have smoke roll out.  This year I insulated my 23 foot 6 inch stainless flue with 1/2 inch aluminum silicate wool.  Thinking that perhaps I am not getting enough draft.  So I bought the thickest most insulative material I could at a price of for the whole kit, $220.  Results with the fan off, lever to the left, open the doors slowly, and when both doors are about 4 inches open the smoke is in a dead even battle to escape past the fresh air going in.  Maybe my house was too tight, so I ducted fresh air pipes through the back of the chimney, drilled holes in the side of the unit itself in a space just to the side of the electric cord panel and piped fresh air to the two holes using flexable copper pipe.  It is nice that I'm using outside air to combust instead of air I've paid in some way to already heat.  But that had little effect on the smoke problem.  I guess I will go back to what I've been doing the last 3 years and wait till the fire has gone down to red coals before I add more wood.  I think the box may be too big for the 6 inch flue in some cases where good draw is on the edge.  My friend has an old insert and when he opens the door after about 10 seconds it sounds like a jet engine taking off his builds so much draft.  He and I put in the same stuff as in his and it is frustrating that we have such different results.  Maybe my seal at the top of the insert to the flue pipe is leaking.  I may put a fresh rope in and try that.  
I fixed the fan noise by placing rubber tubes under the fan to keep it from vibrating.
I replaced the door gaskets after 3 years.  Works like new again.  
I replaced the fan once after 2 years.  Fan motor seized.  Ash in the motor I think.
I stack my wood in the back and when the fire matures I add wood all the way up to the reburn tubes and to the metal bar in the front.  Ash sometimes spills over the bar when opening the door.  Make sure this ash doesn't get sucked up by the fan.  I think that is what killed my first one.  Vaccum out the motor every year.  It gets coated with ash and makes the bearings go out.
Take the temp sensor out!  Connect the wires that fed into the sensor and you will have control of the fan and not have to wait for it to come on.
Wood moisture made a huge difference.  Dry wood <20% only on this unit.  >20% and reburn doesn't work, window gets black, and creosote can form.  Buy a cheap meter and cut a log of yours in half.  measure from the fresh cut.


----------



## obrien040362

Here are my fan comments

I have put rubber under the metal to metals and it does not help much.  This is just a weak attempt from Vermont Casting to fix the problem.   I have taken the fan out and run it on full speed.  With the fan out of the unit there is not much noise.  So the problem lies in the sheet metal duct work.  I think the fan is trying to push air through undersized ductwork creating turbulence or back pressure, that is why when you back down the speed the noise is reduced (ductwork size is ok for reduced cfm).  Any HVAC tech or Engineers that can comment on my conclusion (undersized ductwork). 

Now the comment that humidity in the air eliminates the noise is something I can't check since I don't have a humidifier but that is an interesting comment since my noise increased as the fire gets hotter.

Regarding the intake screens getting clogged I just take mine off


----------



## Ram 1500 with an axe...

I'm sorry to hear your having problems with the fan, mine will sometimes vibrate metal on metal and I just push the round housing a bit and the noise goes away, other that that I have no issues so far......


----------



## dsheehan56

I started getting the vibration/jackhammer sound from the fan and found the source.
The sheetmetal that the blower mounts to is the culprit.
In the picture below you can see the brace that vibrates against the sheetmetal floor.

The brace is a punchout that swings down to support the ductwork.
Since it is a punchout from above it simply rests on the sheetmetal floor.
Stick something under it to eliminate the metal on metal and the vibration/jackhammer sound is gone.

Hope this helps someone else. That noise was ridiculous.


----------



## dbnewlon

I have been reading where some people talk of having the insert mounted to the stove from the inside of the insert.  My installer never did this, and this is a pain...here is why.  The smoke stack on top of the chimney has two screws, that look exactly alike, if you take off the wrong one (the correct one removes the top of the stack for liner cleaning) it release the insert to spring up and disconnect from the insert.  This is a pain as you need two people to fix it, one reaching up from inside the stove to feel if it's "right", the other to lift up and down on the liner.  

My question is this.  How does it mount to the insert?  Do you have to pre-drill holes for the screws to sink into the insert?  It's cast isn't it?, seems like that would be really hard, or do you do it a different way?  Any info about this would really help - Thanks


----------



## therealdbeau

Should have the Merrimack installed in a couple weeks. How's everyone feeling about it now that it's been around nearly a decade?


----------



## mikey517

therealdbeau said:


> Should have the Merrimack installed in a couple weeks. How's everyone feeling about it now that it's been around nearly a decade?


We still love ours. Still learning techniques to help run the stove better. No problems or complaints so far, and we've had it in operation since November 2015.


----------



## obrien040362

I think the reason why the sheet metal vibrates as shown in dsheehan56 picture a few post above is the fan is starving for air causing an increase in velocity of the little air it gets.  When I remove the bottom intake cast iron piece (as shown in dsheehan56 pic) and run the fan on high there is little to no vibration.  But when i put the bottom intake cast iron piece back it vibrates, rattle, jack hammer noise.  This is why people post if you run the fan at 80% +/- the rattle/noise goes away.  i.e. It is not starving for air since it only needs 80%.

If I lay a tower fan horizontal and have the intake installed and push air to the Vermont blower with the tower fan (like a 2 stage system) it also stops the jackhammer noise.

Now i am going to try dsheehan idea.

My unit is about 7 years old.  Has Vermont not fixed this problem?

Vermont solution "rubber under the fan center support" has never worked.


----------



## LoveToBurnInVa

mikey517 said:


> We still love ours. Still learning techniques to help run the stove better. No problems or complaints so far, and we've had it in operation since November 2015.



How is everyone here liking (or disliking) their VC Merrimacks; You too "therealdbeau". I'm considering getting one in the next month or two, but am doing my research now. Right now, it is between the Merrimack and a Fireplace Xtraordinair. I've just read so many poor reviews about the VC in the past 10 years that I'm a little reticent on going that route. I'm also wondering if it is more a function of the installer than it is the actual product.


----------



## therealdbeau

LoveToBurnInVa said:


> How is everyone here liking (or disliking) their VC Merrimacks; You too "therealdbeau". I'm considering getting one in the next month or two, but am doing my research now. Right now, it is between the Merrimack and a Fireplace Xtraordinair. I've just read so many poor reviews about the VC in the past 10 years that I'm a little reticent on going that route. I'm also wondering if it is more a function of the installer than it is the actual product.


Just now came across your post from a few months ago...

Did you end up with a Merrimack? I'd so, how do you like it?


----------



## LoveToBurnInVa

therealdbeau said:


> Just now came across your post from a few months ago...
> 
> Did you end up with a Merrimack? I'd so, how do you like it?


Nope. I actually ended up getting the FPX Large Flush insert. Love it. Overnight burn times are not as long as they advertise, but long enough. Tremendous amount of heat put out by this thing. Got our house up to about 80F while it was 25F outside; This was with the insert alone.


----------



## therealdbeau

LoveToBurnInVa said:


> Nope. I actually ended up getting the FPX Large Flush insert. Love it. Overnight burn times are not as long as they advertise, but long enough. Tremendous amount of heat put out by this thing. Got our house up to about 80F while it was 25F outside; This was with the insert alone.


I may have gone with that one too if my dealer was offering it at the time I got mine. Looks great.

I'm surprised that it advertises the same burn times as the Merrimack when the Large Flush Insert is a catalytic stove while the Merrimack is just you regular old secondary reburn style.


----------



## begreen

The large flush is a hybrid. It has secondary burn tubes and a catalyst.


----------

