2020/21 VC Owners thread

[Portchop]

Good evening. Hoping to get some ideas/opinions on my new (supposed) 2020 VC Montpelier 2 insert. We bought it this past October in the hopes of heating the home a little more with wood and less oil. My father has a wood insert and swore by it (different brand). When we bought ours we liked the look ( she did) and we were told, yup 8 or só hour burn time. Well great! I had been gathering wood for a year thinking we will have enough and if family needs some, we will have enough...... well forget family, I’m wondering if we will have enough. This thing burns like its wood is doused in gas. I’ve been trying to find info on it but really haven’t found much related to my model. I’ve tried different woods. Different moistures, loading it to the brim, etc.
the down side I’m seeing is this unit doesn’t have a damper. My fault for not noticing that but nonetheless we were told 8 hour burn. Well we had a tech come out today because I’ve consistently gotten between 1-3 hours Max of burn time/hot embers. Not what we expected. We thought maybe a leak. Tech got there and looked it over and said nope looks good.
Called VC and they said the EPA make changes to requirements and now all models regardless of make or model have to burn at a medium high level. Even if that’s correct mine is still burning extra fast and where’s the savings! I have to wake up every 3 hours ti put wood in. That’s not useful. That’s horrible.
Any recommendations on a chimney top damper maybe to reduce updraft? Thoughts ? Opinions? TIA

 

[begreen]

Called VC and they said the EPA make changes to requirements and now all models regardless of make or model have to burn at a medium high level.

That is factually incorrect. HHT (VC parent now) decided this solution for the Monticello 2 and Expedition 2 inserts. The EPA did not mandate it. There are many other new 2020 inserts that still retain air control.

How tall is the flue liner on the insert? How thick are the splits being loaded and how tightly packed is the stove on a full loading?

 

[warmerwinters]

Hi all, New to the forum and enjoy following these threads. We bought a house that included a 1981 Winter Warm insert.

Ran it a few times and now the variable fan only runs when lever is most of the way to the right (on low).

Questions:

• Might I have messed it up by over-firing or running too hot?
• Any reason I should avoid operating as-is?
• Should I be using the other blower in the meantime? It's loud and I'd prefer not to.
• How hard is it to fix a variable fan for a total newbie like me?

Thanks so much for any guidance you could provide!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Good evening. Hoping to get some ideas/opinions on my new (supposed) 2020 VC Montpelier 2 insert. We bought it this past October in the hopes of heating the home a little more with wood and less oil. My father has a wood insert and swore by it (different brand). When we bought ours we liked the look ( she did) and we were told, yup 8 or só hour burn time. Well great! I had been gathering wood for a year thinking we will have enough and if family needs some, we will have enough...... well forget family, I’m wondering if we will have enough. This thing burns like its wood is doused in gas. I’ve been trying to find info on it but really haven’t found much related to my model. I’ve tried different woods. Different moistures, loading it to the brim, etc.
the down side I’m seeing is this unit doesn’t have a damper. My fault for not noticing that but nonetheless we were told 8 hour burn. Well we had a tech come out today because I’ve consistently gotten between 1-3 hours Max of burn time/hot embers. Not what we expected. We thought maybe a leak. Tech got there and looked it over and said nope looks good.
Called VC and they said the EPA make changes to requirements and now all models regardless of make or model have to burn at a medium high level. Even if that’s correct mine is still burning extra fast and where’s the savings! I have to wake up every 3 hours ti put wood in. That’s not useful. That’s horrible.
Any recommendations on a chimney top damper maybe to reduce updraft? Thoughts ? Opinions? TIA

With this type of insert I would be burning whole logs or large splits. I would get the fire going and then add nothing but large to it. Your split size should be in the 6x4.. 4x5.. 5x5 inch size. Your box size is medium like mine I split square and rectangle so I can pack mine tight. I can get like 40 lbs of wood in mine doing it this way.. less air gap in between the wood will slow the burn rate... Your splits may be to small. I split.. small.. to get it going.. medium.. to keep it going and get it up to temp.. large for overnight or long burns..

BTW... You never have as much wood as you think you have unless your sitting on 10+cords

 

[Dobish]

Hey All, it's been a while! I just wanted to post on this thread, and let you know that I finally remembered to clean out the stove at the end of the season, and brought up 2 cord of 4 Y/O Maple. So far, we are down about a 1/2 Cord for the season, as it has been pretty warm so far. I finally got around to splitting some of the 30"+ Logs that my buddy dropped off at my house, and it turns out it was all maple and LOCUST! I also ended up making benches of this very big piece of maple. I had to roll them down the hill, and across the creek! lets just say I had to get creative on how to get them over the gap!! These pieces have been sitting in my yard for about 2 years......



Here is a picture of the wood pile, with Fasty Pants and Slowy Pants checking it out.

 

[Reckless]

Hey All, it's been a while! I just wanted to post on this thread, and let you know that I finally remembered to clean out the stove at the end of the season, and brought up 2 cord of 4 Y/O Maple. So far, we are down about a 1/2 Cord for the season, as it has been pretty warm so far. I finally got around to splitting some of the 30"+ Logs that my buddy dropped off at my house, and it turns out it was all maple and LOCUST! I also ended up making benches of this very big piece of maple. I had to roll them down the hill, and across the creek! lets just say I had to get creative on how to get them over the gap!! These pieces have been sitting in my yard for about 2 years......


Here is a picture of the wood pile, with Fasty Pants and Slowy Pants checking it out.

nice work. I’m very interested how the VC will handle that locust, hopefully not thermonuclear like I envision lol. I still get worried when I load up white oak.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Hey All, it's been a while! I just wanted to post on this thread, and let you know that I finally remembered to clean out the stove at the end of the season, and brought up 2 cord of 4 Y/O Maple. So far, we are down about a 1/2 Cord for the season, as it has been pretty warm so far. I finally got around to splitting some of the 30"+ Logs that my buddy dropped off at my house, and it turns out it was all maple and LOCUST! I also ended up making benches of this very big piece of maple. I had to roll them down the hill, and across the creek! lets just say I had to get creative on how to get them over the gap!! These pieces have been sitting in my yard for about 2 years......

View attachment 268611
View attachment 268610

Here is a picture of the wood pile, with Fasty Pants and Slowy Pants checking it out.
View attachment 268609

may the force be with you.... always

 

[Rusty18]

Long time lurker first time poster.
I got an encore 2550 with the house when we moved in in 2018. You all helped flatten the learning curve a lot. I’m fairly certain I would have sent this stove to the scrap pile had it not been for this site! You can’t say properly sized and seasoned wood to may times! It is a must for controlled operation of this stove. Hasn’t went nuclear at all so far this year and is actually enjoyable to run. (But it is a vc so it May have melted down since you started reading this post )

just wanted to say thanks to everybody on here for providing advice and justification to go with it (I get some funny looks when I tell people I burn pine lol)

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Long time lurker first time poster.
I got an encore 2550 with the house when we moved in in 2018. You all helped flatten the learning curve a lot. I’m fairly certain I would have sent this stove to the scrap pile had it not been for this site! You can’t say properly sized and seasoned wood to may times! It is a must for controlled operation of this stove. Hasn’t went nuclear at all so far this year and is actually enjoyable to run. (But it is a vc so it May have melted down since you started reading this post )

just wanted to say thanks to everybody on here for providing advice and justification to go with it (I get some funny looks when I tell people I burn pine lol)
View attachment 268655

this site is all about helping people. learning frome each other and passing on ideas. I personally have learned alot and am grateful to have found this site. I personally think VC is a good brand and a good stove for sure. Not the best stove but it is good. It may require more maintenance down the road.. but I'm ok with this.. I owne the 2040 and have no regrets at all. I find it easy to use

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Long time lurker first time poster.
I got an encore 2550 with the house when we moved in in 2018. You all helped flatten the learning curve a lot. I’m fairly certain I would have sent this stove to the scrap pile had it not been for this site! You can’t say properly sized and seasoned wood to may times! It is a must for controlled operation of this stove. Hasn’t went nuclear at all so far this year and is actually enjoyable to run. (But it is a vc so it May have melted down since you started reading this post )

just wanted to say thanks to everybody on here for providing advice and justification to go with it (I get some funny looks when I tell people I burn pine lol)
View attachment 268655

I even have a long time friend who grew up in the U.P. in a wood heated house and he even looks at me sideways when I tell him I burn pine in my stove. Its crazy how deep the folklore runs with people. Beautiful stove you have there and welcome to the forum.

 

[agonyzhou]

Good evening. Hoping to get some ideas/opinions on my new (supposed) 2020 VC Montpelier 2 insert.
the down side I’m seeing is this unit doesn’t have a damper. My fault for not noticing that but nonetheless we were told 8 hour burn.

I have the same model for more than a season now. The website says max 7 hours burn time; Which is achievable if you stuff it full with hard wood cut the the right length. I have done that a couple times. I now mostly stuff it anywhere between 40% to 75% full and get a burn time from 3 to 5 hours; depend on how much and what kind of wood. I gave up on over night burn now. I could do that (barely) but I don't see the point of having the stove pumping out excessive heat when the family are sleeping upstairs. On the plus side this stove is super easy to cold start so I do that every morning.

 

[Dobish]

nice work. I’m very interested how the VC will handle that locust, hopefully not thermonuclear like I envision lol. I still get worried when I load up white oak.

I burned some last year, and I was a bit afraid when I saw the cat temps rise to 1500º Real quick! I am probably 1' to 2' short on my chimney, so I don't have the best draft. On cold and windy nights, it is perfect! I have been busy working on a few things around the house, including grading a path to get the wood up from down the hill. I started building stairs, but that turned into a much larger project that may involve a mini-excavator

 

[Reckless]

I have the same model for more than a season now. The website says max 7 hours burn time; Which is achievable if you stuff it full with hard wood cut the the right length. I have done that a couple times. I now mostly stuff it anywhere between 40% to 75% full and get a burn time from 3 to 5 hours; depend on how much and what kind of wood. I gave up on over night burn now. I could do that (barely) but I don't see the point of having the stove pumping out excessive heat when the family are sleeping upstairs. On the plus side this stove is super easy to cold start so I do that every morning.

Gotta find those EPA holes and modify them to suit your needs

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I burned some last year, and I was a bit afraid when I saw the cat temps rise to 1500º Real quick! I am probably 1' to 2' short on my chimney, so I don't have the best draft. On cold and windy nights, it is perfect! I have been busy working on a few things around the house, including grading a path to get the wood up from down the hill. I started building stairs, but that turned into a much larger project that may involve a mini-excavator

I’m on a short stack as well. Are you able to keep your cap clean? My glass stays clean and my cap turns dark brown.

 

[Dobish]

I’m on a short stack as well. Are you able to keep your cap clean? My glass stays clean and my cap turns dark brown.

I generally clean it twice a season. I can easily get onto the roof and clean the whole system. It's a mostly flat roof. I gave up hoping to get the cap to stay clean for more than a few months

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Its going to be a nice weekend here so I'm going to sweep the pipe and do a clean out of the stove... started burning in October.. had a few breaks in burning here and there.

 

[Diabel]

Its going to be a nice weekend here so I'm going to sweep the pipe and do a clean out of the stove... started burning in October.. had a few breaks in burning here and there.

Nice!
They are calling for pretty cold temps for mid next week. Good time to do it.
With the cleanings from the bottom i stopped worrying about the weather. Usually the first week of Jan the VC pipe gets cleaned, before the heavy guns enter the firebox.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Nice!
They are calling for pretty cold temps for mid next week. Good time to do it.
With the cleanings from the bottom i stopped worrying about the weather. Usually the first week of Jan the VC pipe gets cleaned, before the heavy guns enter the firebox.

my roof is pretty manageable so I'm doing top down. I would wait till the end of the month or beginning of January but work is looking pretty busy and I really want some time off over the holiday season. Ill be running the gas fireplaces this weekend while its warm.. Love the idea of doing it myself and at my leisure.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

so I cleaned it out and was very happy... not dirty. I was a little Curious to see what it look like because we have been burning it on low a lot it has not been very cold..

 

[Diabel]

That is a nice sight. Keep doing what you are doing

 

[Woodsplitter67]

That is a nice sight. Keep doing what you are doing

so much for the myth that the VC stoves are dirty.. I bet I have 350+ hours on the lowest air setting over the past 50 or so days and the pipe looks good..

 

[Diabel]

I have to admit, your pipe looks much better than mine. My wood is very dry but it is 95% hemlock with thick bark.

 

[Reckless]

Here it comes! They’re talking up to 18” over the next 2 days

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Here it comes! They’re talking up to 18” over the next 2 days

Good luck. Your VC should keep your warm and fed if you loose power. I wish we would get about 8 of those inches so I could make some money plowing.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Good luck. Your VC should keep your warm and fed if you loose power. I wish we would get about 8 of those inches so I could make some money plowing.

Looks like the forecast craped out on me.. they were calling for 5 to 8 inches.. They are saying the rain snow line moved up farther north.. Looks like I moved 6 machines and got 8 plow trucks for nothing.. Another snow disappointment..