dutchwest 2479 WORST STOVE EVER

[Chip Brown]

I just noticed your posts and want to know if your having better sucess with your stove now that the temps have dropped in Connecticut?? The 2479 has a pretty good track record, it's NOT AT ALL like the old federal that was discribed in the above posts. If your still having issues i would like to work to resolve them with you.

Have you had a service tech from the dealer come to assist you??

 

[ecocavalier02]

NO the issues were not resolved. well in a way they were i stopped using the stove completely. the dealer will not come out unless they charge a 160 bucks an hour. i've just completely given up, and am just waiting until next year to get a new stove. theres no changing my mind on that either. ive fought enough with this thing. thinking i had it right really getting it to go. then boom no good. to many ups in down and to much baby sitting. like i said above i can get it to do what it needs to do. but its 30 to 45 minutes of fighting with it to do that. The only thing that can be done to resolve my problem is if they'd chip in to buy me a new one. the only thing the dealer said they'd do is have the guy come out and they will just tell me whether its me or the stove and if its the stove will have to buy the parts. so i dont even care cuz ive given up completely and ill try and sell it for a few hundred bucks or so.

 

[Chip Brown]

WOW, i guess it's kicked your butt. What town in CT do you live in, I would be willing to look at your stove and install at NO CHARGE. Here's my thoughts from my time working with stoves, specificly Vc's and DW's. In many cases it's something simple that has gone wrong or it may not even be the stove. If it is the stove and the stove is new, it may be under warranty and you may not need to be taking a $$$ hit. Let me know if your interested in some help or if your truly done. Keep this in mind, if it's not the stove and it's something in your installation you could replace the stove with the same results.

 

[mhl380]

I think i got this stove working wright finally. i get my flu temp about 800 degree
after i get a good bed of hot coals i fill the stove with wood open the damper
let it run for about 30 min's close the damper i can then hear the everburn kick in
i can hear the draft pulling from the round hole in the bottom go out side look
at the chimeny and no smoke just good heat coming from it. hope it works for
a long time like this .last night i got about a 9 hour burn out of it.

 

[bigcountry494]

I've spent the last week reading through all these threads...same issues here. I've been running it 24/7 since Nov. and I'd say I get the everburn running only at the end of the day before I hit the sack when I have all the coals. I think I've had it running once before work. Usually it just smolders all day. I don't have the time before work to make sure the everburn is running. Tonight I had my first "nuclear" experience, though I got it under control before it hit 1000 at 18" up. Last weekend when the folks were here I just kept the damper open and used the air control and it was a piece of cake. It ran perfect. I did that just so I didn't have to babysit it like usual. I didn't check for any smoke, but it was putting out some great heat. When the everburn runs, it really is a great thing. Tonight it stalled with a bunch of coals and a big load of lodgepole, so I opened up the door and moved a chunk of wood away from the throat and the everburn kicked in like it should. It's been running for a couple hours.

I guess this has all been said. This stove came with the cabin I just bought, so I'm not too concerned about wasted money, but if I knew this is what I was getting from a store I'd run the other way. I cleaned out the stack for the second time tonight and it wasn't too bad. I was expecting the worst. I did have to take the screen off the cap because that clogged up twice. She really blows out the creosote when it gets hot. Chunks are laying on the snow out front.

Thanks for all the info. If I don't have this figured out by the end of next season, it's on to a new stove.

So, how many of you have just forgot about the damper and left it open all the time? I'm wondering how much more wood I'd go through?

 

[ecocavalier02]

Your going to go through a ton of wood with The flu open. Iys crazy that you have to worry about the stove over firing with the flu closed I myself quit on this stove about amonth ago. After a almost A 3 seasonbattle with this thing. I now am waiting in excitement for my blaze king to arrive in the next couple weeks! So good luck with it. There r a few on this site that habe mastered it.

 

[bigcountry494]

Does anyone know from experience how much less efficient it is with the damper open and the air control down most of the time? It really burns clean like that instead of risking a stall out and making a bunch of creosote.

I'm starting to shop around for a different stove. Any suggestion on one around $1000?

 

[Todd]

I bet your losing close to 30% burning with the bypass open. All that smoke out your chimney is wasted fuel. For $1k I'd look at an Englander 30.

 

[bsa0021]

Does anyone know from experience how much less efficient it is with the damper open and the air control down most of the time? It really burns clean like that instead of risking a stall out and making a bunch of creosote.

I'm starting to shop around for a different stove. Any suggestion on one around $1000?

I'm thinking of replacing my DW with a Englander when Lowes puts them on clearance. The one I was looking at sells for $800 and it was clearance priced at $499 last year. That's just a little more than the cost of a DW fountain.

 

[rkymtnoffgrid]

I burn aspen and spruce. As such, I had given up on the bypass last year, and went through the winter very happy simply by utilizing the air control with the bypass open, 3 hour reloads with softwood. I don't know how much more wood I spent because I have never gotten the everburn to stabilize, after fooling with it for 2 years I simply stopped playing with it. After I stopped caring about the lever on the top left operation of the stove became much easier. This is my honest opinion on these stoves... they can achieve a carefree seconday burn with semi-dry hardwoods. Perhaps its all about wood... For instance, if I burn spruce, fir, or pine the everburn simply doesn't work, it seems like a loosing equasion of not enought btu output from the wood to burn the excessive gasses produced from such wood...my result, the "stall", if I burn aspen, I can get the everburn going, but the wood evaporates into ash and establishes no coal bed, thus the stove stalls, it's like the wood is gone just as things started kicking in... With oak, semi-dry, (semi dry for me means "whole" on the ground for 2-3 years, then cut into rounds and split 4-6 months eariler) the everburn kicks in and stabilizes, few times no, but most times yes, its a really weird variable, but mostly it works...With super-dry oak (split and drying 3+ years), the nuclear potential exists, I don't think most ever see the nuclear aspect, more people are like me, constantly flipping the bypass open and closed to aviod the stall and sap more heat from the stove, not really ever thinking that the wood has such effects... Dutchwest owners, does this make sence??
PS If anyone whats to come to my house and show me how to work it I'd be elated...

 

[bigcountry494]

I'm burning beetle kill lodgepole pine. I'm on some really seasoned stuff right now. I have noticed the big difference between green and seasoned. Lodgepole is laying on the ground all over the place here in Grand County, so it's free. I'd say each day I get the everburn going once or twice. I put some rounds in a while ago and the everburn is going strong. Actually, while I was splitting wood tonight, I had the damper open with the air on low and it had some nice flames and good heat and no smoke. When I got back inside I flipped the damper closed and the everburn kicked right in. Now I'm thinking I'll get the everburn going most nights while in bed and in the morning I'll just load it up with rounds and leave the damper open while at work. Getting heat out of this thing is absolutely no problem, but I just want some clean burns with coals left when I get home from work and when I wake up in the morning. Leaving the bypass open is giving me real clean burns once the bark is burned off (as long as I have flames).

I already have most of my wood ready for the summer sun.

Where are you in the mountains, rkymtnoffgrid?

 

[rkymtnoffgrid]

Where are you in the mountains, rkymtnoffgrid?

I'm in southern centeral colorado, the Sangre de Cristo mts, about 11 miles south of the where the 160 goes over the La Veta Pass. You?

 

[bigcountry494]

I'm just south of Grand Lake and RM Nat. Park and enjoying an extremely mild winter. We have less than a foot on the ground. You're probably getting dumped on this week...

 

[pyper]

Can you blow compressed air through the tubes from inside the stove instead of removing the flue to vacuum?

I've got the 2478 (medium, instead of 2479 large). I've only tried the everburn lever a few times. It worked great when I had a good bed of coals (knock on wood). Usually I just run it with the bypass open and the air intake closed -- it has to be pretty cold outside to build up a good bed of coals without overheating the house.

 

[bsa0021]

Can you blow compressed air through the tubes from inside the stove instead of removing the flue to vacuum?

I've got the 2478 (medium, instead of 2479 large). I've only tried the everburn lever a few times. It worked great when I had a good bed of coals (knock on wood). Usually I just run it with the bypass open and the air intake closed -- it has to be pretty cold outside to build up a good bed of coals without overheating the house.

When you say tubes I think you mean the holes in the shoe as there are no tubes in the Dutchwest. Blowing compressed air inside the stove will only create a cloud of ash in the stove and out the door. The build up that is removed by vacuuming below the flue (inside the fountain) has no place to go if you use compressed air on the inside. There is a maze of channels that the air follows and the debris sits at the lowest point of the fountain. There are only 2 screws holding the top in place. Open the front door and spray some penetrating oil on the studs protruding from above. Lift the top straight off and the gasket should stay intact.

 

[Nostrum]

I want to give you some competition for the "worst stove ever". I've just uninstalled my VC Defiant 1610 non-cat. It has suffered from all of the symptoms that you have mentioned as well. I've fought with this stove for a year and a half. Babysitting the stove day after day. Opening and closing the damper trying to get the everburn to work. Stuffing the stove full of wood at night (lots of it). Freezing all night and then waking up to a burned out cold stove. Not sure where all the wood goes but it's doesn't turn it into much heat.

My solution: I picked up a nice Hearthstone II Brownstone on Craigslist. Bought it for $300. Removed the top. Replaced the cracked back and side plates with 3/8 plate steel fabricated locally. Recemented the entire stove with Hearthstone stove cement. Finished my 3rd break in fire last Friday evening.

I now have a huge smile on my face. A stove that actually works!! You put wood in it (not much I might add). Close the damper, a little adjustment on the air valve and it burns. Runs a consistent 450 stove top temperature with no waiting and babysitting. I'm thrilled with the stove. Should have bought one of these years ago. House has never been warmer. My VC has burned over two full cords of wood (maybe more) so far this winter. The H-II is burning almost nothing in comparison.

Anyone interested in a one year old mint condition VC 1610, let me know. I'm in South Jersey.

 

[ecocavalier02]

I want to give you some competition for the "worst stove ever". I've just uninstalled my VC Defiant 1610 non-cat. It has suffered from all of the symptoms that you have mentioned as well. I've fought with this stove for a year and a half. Babysitting the stove day after day. Opening and closing the damper trying to get the everburn to work. Stuffing the stove full of wood at night (lots of it). Freezing all night and then waking up to a burned out cold stove. Not sure where all the wood goes but it's doesn't turn it into much heat.

My solution: I picked up a nice Hearthstone II Brownstone on Craigslist. Bought it for $300. Removed the top. Replaced the cracked back and side plates with 3/8 plate steel fabricated locally. Recemented the entire stove with Hearthstone stove cement. Finished my 3rd break in fire last Friday evening.

I now have a huge smile on my face. A stove that actually works!! You put wood in it (not much I might add). Close the damper, a little adjustment on the air valve and it burns. Runs a consistent 450 stove top temperature with no waiting and babysitting. I'm thrilled with the stove. Should have bought one of these years ago. House has never been warmer. My VC has burned over two full cords of wood (maybe more) so far this winter. The H-II is burning almost nothing in comparison.

Anyone interested in a one year old mint condition VC 1610, let me know. I'm in South Jersey.

i hear your bro. i got a 2479 up for sale now as well. 2 days with the blaze king and im am in upward amazement of how this thing works. i feel like i have to poke the logs every 5 minutes to try and get it to everburn. so many people saying it was my wood or operator error when it overfired. until i found this website this couple years back and found there was many more with the same problem. i said how can over 2 year dried red maple be not dry.? haha and over two year old oak not dry. well the fight came to an end let me tell ya. now im in love with my king haha. and just to make sure my would wasnt bad cuz i was worried the king i bought a meter and everything ive been burning was all 12 to 20 % mc. that stove made my wife think i was crazy. i couldnt even sleep at night cuz i was all freaked out it was going to go nuts. that thing put me through hell in winter. lol

 

[savageactor7]

Congratulations on the new stove ecocavalier02. Glad to hear it fire up and runs OK...you have suffered enough!

 

[bsa0021]

I'm hoping my vc stove will go the way of the old pot belly stoves you see people buy for decorations to put on their porch or wherever. That way when I get a replacement stove I can recoup some of my loss. Hmmm there is a big craft fair in the spring........

 

[ecocavalier02]

im very glad as well and really appreciate the help ive gotten from this site.

 

[FireWalker]

So is this thread over yet? geeez.

Glad you are happy with your new stove, I like you struggled with the wrong stove.

Now, start a nice new thread with lots of rainbows and flowers.

 

[ecocavalier02]

Ha. I know this thread keeps popping back up.

 

[rkymtnoffgrid]

This thread is like an addiction for thoes of us with a love-hate relationship with our ductwest...I'm a fiend. I keep thinking someones going to pop on and suddenly tell me to remove the shipping block from my stove and it's suddenly going to work... Until that happens, I'll keep looking forward to new posts on this crazy thread...

 

[BrowningBAR]

I nearly bought a large Dutchwest stove two years ago instead of the Vigilant. This thread makes me feel very good about my decision.

 

[ecocavalier02]

yeah your lucky. not to say i guess there are people who are working that stove and getting it to do its thing but i think if you look on the posts on this thing theres probably more bad than good. i just think they were poorly built from the refractory to the gaskets and i think the downdraft system can be tricky itself with out all of these other issues that can come with the dutchwest.