Final Thoughts - Part I
Ok, so I'll add some final thoughts about the rebuild process and we can keep this here as a reference for other Vermont Castings owners.
Is this worth doing?
That all depends. For me I felt it was worth it because I inherited the stove with the house, Im handy enough to do all the work myself and the hearth is small and would be challenging to find another stove that fit well. I also only use the stove part time and the castings overall were in pretty good condition to re-use.
If you rely on the stove 24/7, if you have to hire the work out, if you have significantly warped iron, its probably not worth it.
What should I replace? How far to take the stove apart?
This is a tough one. It is often recommended that if you are doing this much work you should tear the stove apart completely and rebuild it like new. That's a daunting task I didn't have time for. Nor the rebuild manuals to be sure I did it right. If you are going to do the refractory though at a minimum you have to take apart all the internal castings and fireback. If any part of the fireback is warped you might as well buy the (broken link removed), otherwise just replace any parts that are not re-usable.
Note that if you see signs that there are leaks in the outer shell (difficulty controlling a low burn in spite of good gasket seals, smoke test shows air being sucked in through panel seam, etc) than a full tear down rebuild is a must.
How long and how much?
I spread the work out over a couple months. Mostly working a half hour here or an hour there in evenings and on weekends, around work, kids and travel commitments. If you know what you are doing and work straight though I feel it could be a (long) weekend project.
My total spend was a bit over $400 including a pro-rated warranty catalyst, refractory box, gasket kit, adhesives, hardware and misc supplies. I had all the tools.
Where to get the parts?
Your local dealer, or.....
Ok, so I'll add some final thoughts about the rebuild process and we can keep this here as a reference for other Vermont Castings owners.
Is this worth doing?
That all depends. For me I felt it was worth it because I inherited the stove with the house, Im handy enough to do all the work myself and the hearth is small and would be challenging to find another stove that fit well. I also only use the stove part time and the castings overall were in pretty good condition to re-use.
If you rely on the stove 24/7, if you have to hire the work out, if you have significantly warped iron, its probably not worth it.
What should I replace? How far to take the stove apart?
This is a tough one. It is often recommended that if you are doing this much work you should tear the stove apart completely and rebuild it like new. That's a daunting task I didn't have time for. Nor the rebuild manuals to be sure I did it right. If you are going to do the refractory though at a minimum you have to take apart all the internal castings and fireback. If any part of the fireback is warped you might as well buy the (broken link removed), otherwise just replace any parts that are not re-usable.
Note that if you see signs that there are leaks in the outer shell (difficulty controlling a low burn in spite of good gasket seals, smoke test shows air being sucked in through panel seam, etc) than a full tear down rebuild is a must.
How long and how much?
I spread the work out over a couple months. Mostly working a half hour here or an hour there in evenings and on weekends, around work, kids and travel commitments. If you know what you are doing and work straight though I feel it could be a (long) weekend project.
My total spend was a bit over $400 including a pro-rated warranty catalyst, refractory box, gasket kit, adhesives, hardware and misc supplies. I had all the tools.
Where to get the parts?
Your local dealer, or.....
- Catalyst - I get mine from Condar. Can also go to Firecat, etc.
- Gasket kits and other parts-(broken link removed), (broken link removed to http://www.fergusonfireplace.com/ferfirpartslookuppage.html) (Defiant's fav) have the best selections. Some parts are available at Black Swan also. I haven't bought from them but see that Mountain View carries most parts as well.
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