2022/23 VC Owner thread

[JimmyMA]

your wires are backwards

Yup, that was it. Weird, because I had wired it as shown in the instructions - yellow (negative) on the left, positive (red) in the middle. Switched them (red on left, yellow in middle) and now it is working, so maybe I got a probe with the wires switched? Thanks for the help, glad to have it up and running.

 

[Eman85]

Anyone ever install a cat temp probe on an older Encore? My Encore has a plate on the back of the stove retained by 4 screws and the cat is behind that plate.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Anyone ever install a cat temp probe on an older Encore? My Encore has a plate on the back of the stove retained by 4 screws and the cat is behind that plate.

please post model/year of stove.. this sometimes help... there are people here who had older stoves

 

[Woodsplitter67]

got the stove going this morning.. got the super low burning going on.. cat settled in at 1150.. wife and i are sitting by the stove enjoying the start of our 20 year anniversary.. Im a lucky dude..

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Auber gets here tomorrow. Does the Encore 2040 have a pre drilled hole in the refractory for the probe? Or do I need to hand drill this? 1/4 in bit?

Have a feeling the hardest part might be getting my 220 lb self in the fireplace behind the stove.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Auber gets here tomorrow. Does the Encore 2040 have a pre drilled hole in the refractory for the probe? Or do I need to hand drill this? 1/4 in bit?

Have a feeling the hardest part might be getting my 220 lb self in the fireplace behind the stove.

please look at the post above.. someone just put it in.. your not drilling through the refractory.. I posted some pictures.. the drill bit is for making a hole for the gasket in the back of the stove.. just dont rip the gasket..

 

[Eman85]

My Defiant Encore was purchased in 1987, there is actually no model # on the stove. It is the first design of the stove and I was told it was designated as a 0028 to start with and then as 2140.

 

[xanadu1797]

Yes, that was me. Take an 1/8” drill bit and use it to push through the fibrous material in the hole. Your refractory has a hole already but it’s invisible because it’s plugged with ash.

 

[Eman85]

When you drill the hole what retains the temperature probe?

 

[xanadu1797]

What I am saying is you don’t really drill a hole. You use a drill bit to push through some fabric and ash.
Dunno what holds it in place. Probably nothing, maybe a gob of gasket epoxy?

 

[Jmorg]

Gonna be in the 30’s for the next 4 nights and no heating oil…looks like the Dauntless will be busy!

 

[GrumpyDad]

Gonna be in the 30’s for the next 4 nights and no heating oil…looks like the Dauntless will be busy!

View attachment 300829 View attachment 300830

bad timing to run out of oil! In my area, with an anti gel agent added, it's $6.09 for 150 gal or $6.39 for 100 gal. Our camp where my stove is located, uses oil heat. I was hoping that I could rid myself of the oil furnace and was planning to at a minimum change out my tank, so I let it run out. Long story short, the dauntless just doesnt heat my single story frankenstein place well at all. The room it is in, it's doing pretty good but I still need oil heat to bring the place up to temp, then I shut it down to like 50 or 55 during the week. Well of course this weekend I have family coming up, so I had to buy 100 gals. Im very grumpy about that.

Im looking at space heaters now, there is one called Dr Infrared that people swear heats up a 600+ sq ft room in no time. Due to my cathedral ceiling, I would expect it to take longer. Draws 1500w.
SO then it dawns on me (actually smacks me in the face). If this heater runs, say 18 hours a day that would burn 27 kilowatts. I pay 18 cents a kilowatt total. So that would cost me $4.86 a day to heat. Total weekend Friday evening until Sunday evening $9.72
My wood stove consumed 30ish pieces of wood last weekend with midday temps being in the 60's so I really had it low with no wood (except one time it ran away on me with a few splits). I let it eventually burn out before restarting it late Saturday. So I would expect to use ALOT more wood when it's really cold out. $200 cord, 700 pieces approx, that's .28 cents per piece. For a total run cost of $8.57 at a minimum to probably $16 when it's super cold out. But I have to tend to the stove, obviously buy the wood and season it for 2 years, chop much of it up and of course stack it. The electric heater I just plug in.

I dont really trust the stove enough to leave it alone without someone watching it, nor even for my wife/kids to tend to it yet. But I do see the value of having a stove run while you are away whereas the likelyhood that I would go very far with an electric heater plugged in is slim to none.

I think it's worth the experiment

 

[NewGuy132]

bad timing to run out of oil! In my area, with an anti gel agent added, it's $6.09 for 150 gal or $6.39 for 100 gal. Our camp where my stove is located, uses oil heat. I was hoping that I could rid myself of the oil furnace and was planning to at a minimum change out my tank, so I let it run out. Long story short, the dauntless just doesnt heat my single story frankenstein place well at all. The room it is in, it's doing pretty good but I still need oil heat to bring the place up to temp, then I shut it down to like 50 or 55 during the week. Well of course this weekend I have family coming up, so I had to buy 100 gals. Im very grumpy about that.

Im looking at space heaters now, there is one called Dr Infrared that people swear heats up a 600+ sq ft room in no time. Due to my cathedral ceiling, I would expect it to take longer. Draws 1500w.
SO then it dawns on me (actually smacks me in the face). If this heater runs, say 18 hours a day that would burn 27 kilowatts. I pay 18 cents a kilowatt total. So that would cost me $4.86 a day to heat. Total weekend Friday evening until Sunday evening $9.72
My wood stove consumed 30ish pieces of wood last weekend with midday temps being in the 60's so I really had it low with no wood (except one time it ran away on me with a few splits). I let it eventually burn out before restarting it late Saturday. So I would expect to use ALOT more wood when it's really cold out. $200 cord, 700 pieces approx, that's .28 cents per piece. For a total run cost of $8.57 at a minimum to probably $16 when it's super cold out. But I have to tend to the stove, obviously buy the wood and season it for 2 years, chop much of it up and of course stack it. The electric heater I just plug in.

I dont really trust the stove enough to leave it alone without someone watching it, nor even for my wife/kids to tend to it yet. But I do see the value of having a stove run while you are away whereas the likelyhood that I would go very far with an electric heater plugged in is slim to none.

I think it's worth the experiment

I hear you about the oil. When oil went way up in Spring I got 100 gallons delivered and removed myself from auto delivery. A couple weeks ago I had to get my first delivery of the heating season. It was 200 gallons, and that didn't fill the tank all the way. I just use my stove to help offset some of the heating bills. Last year I figure I saved about 300 gallons of oil.

When you say it ran away from you how hot did it get? I am just curious because my stove seems to run fairly well at a stove top temps of 550-650.

 

[GrumpyDad]

I hear you about the oil. When oil went way up in Spring I got 100 gallons delivered and removed myself from auto delivery. A couple weeks ago I had to get my first delivery of the heating season. It was 200 gallons, and that didn't fill the tank all the way. I just use my stove to help offset some of the heating bills. Last year I figure I saved about 300 gallons of oil.

When you say it ran away from you how hot did it get? I am just curious because my stove seems to run fairly well at a stove top temps of 550-650.

I have the dauntless flexburn w/o cat installed.
I only had about 3-4 medium to smallish square splits in the stove to take the morning edge off. It dipped to 35 overnight and due to being out of oil, everyone was cold when we woke up. But I knew that it was going to be like 64 and sunny that day, and while we are in a valley surrounded by trees, we do get a good bit of mid day sun so that helps to heat (or hold heat loss).

So I shut it down all the way after a few hours as it was warming up nicely outside, and last I checked it was around 300 STT (checked behind griddle). Yes I know the dreaded creosote zone. Whatever...I only burn on weekends and plan to clean often.

I walked away for an hour, then I heard my daughter say AH whats that terrible smell.

Oh sh$$, I ran into the stove room and the stove was BLAZING full of flames. I was actually afraid they would escape the hatch somehow and catch my wood walls on fire. I got close to the stove and it was at 700 degrees! I made sure everything was turned down still, and then posted for help on here. Lol. After about 30 minutes the flames went back to gently dancing and very few at that point. It was like suddenly someone added 5 boxes of cut up cardboard.

Ive never had that happen. It was a VERY windy day, and the wind direction was an odd one for sure. Id also say there was alot of updraft wind, based on watching the leaves fly up into the air before circling and landing down. And shifting wind as well too. Very odd wind day.

There is the possibility my son turned it up all the way because he was cold, realized what happened and turned it all the way down.

This stove WILL overheat if you put just a few lose pieces of wood in, on a strong bed of coals and turn it all the way up AND have a very windy day.

 

[Jmorg]

bad timing to run out of oil! In my area, with an anti gel agent added, it's $6.09 for 150 gal or $6.39 for 100 gal. Our camp where my stove is located, uses oil heat. I was hoping that I could rid myself of the oil furnace and was planning to at a minimum change out my tank, so I let it run out. Long story short, the dauntless just doesnt heat my single story frankenstein place well at all. The room it is in, it's doing pretty good but I still need oil heat to bring the place up to temp, then I shut it down to like 50 or 55 during the week. Well of course this weekend I have family coming up, so I had to buy 100 gals. Im very grumpy about that.

Im looking at space heaters now, there is one called Dr Infrared that people swear heats up a 600+ sq ft room in no time. Due to my cathedral ceiling, I would expect it to take longer. Draws 1500w.
SO then it dawns on me (actually smacks me in the face). If this heater runs, say 18 hours a day that would burn 27 kilowatts. I pay 18 cents a kilowatt total. So that would cost me $4.86 a day to heat. Total weekend Friday evening until Sunday evening $9.72
My wood stove consumed 30ish pieces of wood last weekend with midday temps being in the 60's so I really had it low with no wood (except one time it ran away on me with a few splits). I let it eventually burn out before restarting it late Saturday. So I would expect to use ALOT more wood when it's really cold out. $200 cord, 700 pieces approx, that's .28 cents per piece. For a total run cost of $8.57 at a minimum to probably $16 when it's super cold out. But I have to tend to the stove, obviously buy the wood and season it for 2 years, chop much of it up and of course stack it. The electric heater I just plug in.

I dont really trust the stove enough to leave it alone without someone watching it, nor even for my wife/kids to tend to it yet. But I do see the value of having a stove run while you are away whereas the likelyhood that I would go very far with an electric heater plugged in is slim to none.

I think it's worth the experiment

Yeah heating oil is outrageous! I didn't really trust the stove last year either, but I would run it overnight with the air cut way back. I know I've said this before, but the temp control is so much better with the cat in. My wife even feels comfortable with starting and maintaining the fire now. I'm like you in that I experimented last burning season w/o the cat and it was very difficult at times to control. I loaded it up this AM at about 7 and cut the air back exactly half way...9 hours later and my son just told me the stove is at 300 degrees. I'll be able to start it back easily when I get home...I love this thing!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Yeah heating oil is outrageous! I didn't really trust the stove last year either, but I would run it overnight with the air cut way back. I know I've said this before, but the temp control is so much better with the cat in. My wife even feels comfortable with starting and maintaining the fire now. I'm like you in that I experimented last burning season w/o the cat and it was very difficult at times to control. I loaded it up this AM at about 7 and cut the air back exactly half way...9 hours later and my son just told me the stove is at 300 degrees. I'll be able to start it back easily when I get home...I love this thing!

Its a major difference with the cat in it.. this is the way the stove was ment to be run. Your glass will be cleaner also because the cat will help keep the draft up.. when your burning overnight .. only with the cat in... you can turn the air ALL the way down.. that smoke will keep the cat lit off and with the cat being 1100/1400 degrees.. youll get alot of heat out of it overnight.. did you put the at 100 in it..or still using the bi mettle

 

[Jmorg]

Its a major difference with the cat in it.. this is the way the stove was ment to be run. Your glass will be cleaner also because the cat will help keep the draft up.. when your burning overnight .. only with the cat in... you can turn the air ALL the way down.. that smoke will keep the cat lit off and with the cat being 1100/1400 degrees.. youll get alot of heat out of it overnight.. did you put the at 100 in it..or still using the bi mettle

I still have the bi mettle in, but hope to get the at 100 in for Christmas. Doesn't seem very expensive...

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I still have the bi mettle in, but hope to get the at 100 in for Christmas. Doesn't seem very expensive...

kinda neat to see this .. no guess work there

 

[Eman85]

@Woodsplitter67 What retains the temperature probe in the stove?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

@Woodsplitter67 What retains the temperature probe in the stove?

So both probs factory/aftermarket just sit in the whole made for the prob from the factory. The factory prob was like an L shape and had a bracket attached to the heat shield. I attached my aftermarket probe to the factory bracket via zip tie..
the first picture is of the probe in the stove.. the and picture is of the back of the probe attached to the factory bracket

 

[PaeBri]

Here is most of my 1991 Defiant Encore 2190 - getting ready to start reassembly this morning!

 

[Eman85]

Doing a cleaning and catalyst replacement I found a plug on the back of the stove in the correct position to put a probe under the catalyst. There is no bracket or anything else there. I guess I could make a bracket for the probe to be attached to and anchor it to a screw for the catalyst panel or the cover for the air control. I have digital temp gauges and an extra thermocouple probe I can use.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Doing a cleaning and catalyst replacement I found a plug on the back of the stove in the correct position to put a probe under the catalyst. There is no bracket or anything else there. I guess I could make a bracket for the probe to be attached to and anchor it to a screw for the catalyst panel or the cover for the air control. I have digital temp gauges and an extra thermocouple probe I can use.

I was able to get this connector with my probe. Curious if you think this would hold the probe in the hole

 

[Eman85]

@JohnDaileyNH That fitting has to screw into something and then the probe is held by that nut and a ferrule. My thermocouples all come with that fitting. If you wanted to drill and tap the stove for that fitting then you could use it to retain the probe.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

@JohnDaileyNH That fitting has to screw into something and then the probe is held by that nut and a ferrule. My thermocouples all come with that fitting. If you wanted to drill and tap the stove for that fitting then you could use it to retain the probe.

Maybe I can drill and tap the heat shield?