How do I like my Vermont Castings Dauntless? An early on review.

[Ericgio87]

So for those reading this post I have to say....I've had the dauntless since its re-release from VC. I have had 0 issues with it. It's very easy for me to get the fire going and to get a nice, hot bed of coals, and have a nice, warm, 10 hour overnight burn. No quality issues or anything outside of what you'd expect for maintenance (been couple years...gaskets still pretty tight, nothing breaking etc). I have an 1100 sqft ranch and it heats the entire place all winter. I live in ct. Granted my house is well insulated and sealed.

The one gripe I do have with it though is the black glass. The glass truly does not stay clean. There is no watching a fire if you're running it low and slow. Just black and occasional dance flame.

If I had to do it over again I would save a bit more and I'd really like to get a woodstock progress for the flame view and efficiency.

anyways...don't mean to take away from all the negative hate on VC or the dauntless... but just thought I'd share my experience which has been mostly positive.

 

[dvukin]

So for those reading this post I have to say....I've had the dauntless since its re-release from VC. I have had 0 issues with it. It's very easy for me to get the fire going and to get a nice, hot bed of coals, and have a nice, warm, 10 hour overnight burn. No quality issues or anything outside of what you'd expect for maintenance (been couple years...gaskets still pretty tight, nothing breaking etc). I have an 1100 sqft ranch and it heats the entire place all winter. I live in ct. Granted my house is well insulated and sealed.

The one gripe I do have with it though is the black glass. The glass truly does not stay clean. There is no watching a fire if you're running it low and slow. Just black and occasional dance flame.

If I had to do it over again I would save a bit more and I'd really like to get a woodstock progress for the flame view and efficiency.

anyways...don't mean to take away from all the negative hate on VC or the dauntless... but just thought I'd share my experience which has been mostly positive.

I have run the Dauntless two full heating seasons and have had the same problem with black glass if I set up for a long burn. The aesthetics of a wood fire are important to me, and cleaning the glass after it loads up is a difficult and time consuming process. I have resigned myself to small hot fires that don’t result in black glass. Had cracked glass on one of the doors 2nd season (replaced under warranty…but took 8 weeks to get replacement). Nice looking stove but the problems I have encountered, and the necessity of going through the dealer for any product support are deal killers for me. Would not buy this stove again. I have been burning wood stoves for 40 years and have owned several different stoves over the years (VC, Jotel, Efel, and Arbor.) This is my least favorite stove.

 

[Ericgio87]

I haven't been alive for 40 years, I'm 36, and this is the first wood stove I've ever owned or operated. I have 0 complaints except for the glass. To each their own and experience

 

[Woodsplitter67]

The smoked glass is just a part of burning low.. even blaze king owners have black glass. This is not just a complete VC problem. I do a overnight burn almost every nigh in the winter. Every morning my glass is smoked up, some nights worse then others. Every morning I reload the stove on a hot bed of coals and get the stove back up to temp and the glass burns off clean.. Its not very often I have to purposely clean my glass. Ok after some weeks of constant burning when I have to clean the stove out Ill do the glass.. Everyday my glass is clean.. Really Im not kidding.. the crap just burns right off..

 

[dvukin]

I haven't been alive for 40 years, I'm 36, and this is the first wood stove I've ever owned or operated. I have 0 complaints except for the glass. To each their own and experience

Haha! I understand. My comments were not meant to counter yours or disagree, just adding my $0.02. Also, my complaints are not sufficient for me to consider replacing my Dauntless. Enjoy your stove, the wood stove experience alone makes winter worthwhile for me!

I haven't been alive for 40 years, I'm 36, and this is the first wood stove I've ever owned or operated. I have 0 complaints except for the glass. To each their own and experience

 

[dvukin]

The smoked glass is just a part of burning low.. even blaze king owners have black glass. This is not just a complete VC problem. I do a overnight burn almost every nigh in the winter. Every morning my glass is smoked up, some nights worse then others. Every morning I reload the stove on a hot bed of coals and get the stove back up to temp and the glass burns off clean.. Its not very often I have to purposely clean my glass. Ok after some weeks of constant burning when I have to clean the stove out Ill do the glass.. Everyday my glass is clean.. Really Im not kidding.. the crap just burns right off..

Good to know, thx. I’ll give that a try when the heating season arrives.

 

[dvukin]

Good to know, thx. I’ll give that a try when the heating season arrives.

The other problem I had was finding the sweet spot on fresh air intake and temperature control when setting up for a long burn. I either got an overheat, or temperatures dropped too low and I got a smoldering fire. I’m using good seasoned hardwood. Any suggestions?

 

[Ericgio87]

The other problem I had was finding the sweet spot on fresh air intake and temperature control when setting up for a long burn. I either got an overheat, or temperatures dropped too low and I got a smoldering fire. I’m using good seasoned hardwood. Any suggestions?

Ty lol (on the first reply!). For the smolder fire issue, one thing I found, not sure if this is a VC/Dauntless thing or just what you're supposed to do, after a good hot fire and making the coal bed for an overnight, I make sure to move the coals around to get some space between everything, before pushing it to the back. If I don't do this, and I stack the firebox full for an overnight and engage the secondary, it will smolder or smoke and not run properly, due to too much coverage on the secondary slit in the firebox. I also find that once I have a really nice hot firebed going and load it up for an overnight burn, I have to leave it 2 or 3 clicks from fully closed to go low and slow on the air temp lever. Not sure if this helps at all =) Complete novice lol. I would love to try a different stove down the line for sure based on all the reviews though lol!

 

[dvukin]

Ty lol (on the first reply!). For the smolder fire issue, one thing I found, not sure if this is a VC/Dauntless thing or just what you're supposed to do, after a good hot fire and making the coal bed for an overnight, I make sure to move the coals around to get some space between everything, before pushing it to the back. If I don't do this, and I stack the firebox full for an overnight and engage the secondary, it will smolder or smoke and not run properly, due to too much coverage on the secondary slit in the firebox. I also find that once I have a really nice hot firebed going and load it up for an overnight burn, I have to leave it 2 or 3 clicks from fully closed to go low and slow on the air temp lever. Not sure if this helps at all =) Complete novice lol. I would love to try a different stove down the line for sure based on all the reviews though lol!

I will give that a try. Thx!

 

[GrumpyDad]

The other problem I had was finding the sweet spot on fresh air intake and temperature control when setting up for a long burn. I either got an overheat, or temperatures dropped too low and I got a smoldering fire. I’m using good seasoned hardwood. Any suggestions?

you have to figure out where that sweet spot is. It's going to be slightly different for each setup.
When you start your stove, you will need to incrementally building up the size of the wood inside the stove. Read the manual, it's pretty accurate. Get that starter fire going then add smalls and mediums about mid way up the stove and let that burn down to coals. Add some mediums pieces and let that burn down to coals. At that point the stove is ready for medium and even some larger pieces (toward the top) for an overnight burn. The biggest mistake I made with the stove was not getting a hot bed of coals and keeping them. If you load up on a bed of coals and lower air control immediately to 3 or less clicks then it's just going to smolder all night. You will be impressed with the half load of black wood in your stove the next morning, not so impressed with the cold room and creosote you've created and it's alarming how quickly you can create creosote in these stoves.
You must catch a new load of wood and let it burn hot for awhile, then learn when and how much you can turn it down. Im usually at 3 or 4 from the lowest setting.

 

[GrumpyDad]

Ty lol (on the first reply!). For the smolder fire issue, one thing I found, not sure if this is a VC/Dauntless thing or just what you're supposed to do, after a good hot fire and making the coal bed for an overnight, I make sure to move the coals around to get some space between everything, before pushing it to the back. If I don't do this, and I stack the firebox full for an overnight and engage the secondary, it will smolder or smoke and not run properly, due to too much coverage on the secondary slit in the firebox. I also find that once I have a really nice hot firebed going and load it up for an overnight burn, I have to leave it 2 or 3 clicks from fully closed to go low and slow on the air temp lever. Not sure if this helps at all =) Complete novice lol. I would love to try a different stove down the line for sure based on all the reviews though lol!

yea I would never shut it completely down unless I had a blazing fire that I let burn too hot initially or a ton of smaller splits that are blazing. 2-3 clicks from fully closed is about where one should be for a long burn depending on the wood. If it were some pine or all pine mixed in there maybe one would go 1-2, not sure as I use all seasoned hardwood. So Im usually at 3-4 depending on temp outside.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

@dvukin @Ericgio87

are you guys running the combusters in your stoves

 

[dvukin]

you have to figure out where that sweet spot is. It's going to be slightly different for each setup.
When you start your stove, you will need to incrementally building up the size of the wood inside the stove. Read the manual, it's pretty accurate. Get that starter fire going then add smalls and mediums about mid way up the stove and let that burn down to coals. Add some mediums pieces and let that burn down to coals. At that point the stove is ready for medium and even some larger pieces (toward the top) for an overnight burn. The biggest mistake I made with the stove was not getting a hot bed of coals and keeping them. If you load up on a bed of coals and lower air control immediately to 3 or less clicks then it's just going to smolder all night. You will be impressed with the half load of black wood in your stove the next morning, not so impressed with the cold room and creosote you've created and it's alarming how quickly you can create creosote in these stoves.
You must catch a new load of wood and let it burn hot for awhile, then learn when and how much you can turn it down. Im usually at 3 or 4 from the lowest setting.

I appreciate the advice. Will give it a try. Past attempts that resulted in smouldering probably resulted from loading medium to large pieces on a hot bed of coals and immediately cutting back on the air.

 

[dvukin]

@dvukin @Ericgio87

are you guys running the combusters in your stoves

I initially ran a combuster but had some overheats early on, while trying for an overnight burn, that I presume were the cause of warping of the combuster frame. I have since removed the combuster and run the stove without it.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I initially ran a combuster but had some overheats early on, while trying for an overnight burn, that I presume were the cause of warping of the combuster frame. I have since removed the combuster and run the stove without it.

Do you have an actual digital catalyst probe.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I appreciate the advice. Will give it a try. Past attempts that resulted in smouldering probably resulted from loading medium to large pieces on a hot bed of coals and immediately cutting back on the air.

The smoldering is from your stove stalling. Your stove stalls when you turn the air down alot and there is no catalyst running to keep your flue temperatures up. For example. You can literally turn the air all the way down and the stove top running somewhere around 350 degrees. The catalyst will be running roughly 1000 to 1300 degrees keeping the stovepipe hot and keeping the draft up. Running it this way will keep the stove from stalling and you will have a cleaner burn. No creosote to worry about. Id be cautious in regards of who you take advice from. GrumpyDad has had his fair share of chimney fires.

Ill.say this.. If you take the catalyst of of a blaze king, it wouldn't be long before that stove caused a chimney fire.

Describe how your operating the stove with the catalyst installed and Ill help walk you through a good burn..

 

[Woodsplitter67]

For you guys that are new, or have had some difficulties with figuring out stove operation I did a really in depth how to post. Its in the 2022/23 VC owners thread.. starting around page 19.. Roughly post 459

My suggestion is start a new thread it will be less crowded and you can get some really good information this way.. this is somewhat hijacking this thread.. this is actually a review thread

 

[dvukin]

Do you have an actual digital catalyst probe.

I have the temp probe that VC includes with the combuster kit. The probe sits behind the combuster.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I have the temp probe that VC includes with the combuster kit. The probe sits behind the combuster.

start your own thread.. and we will go from there..

 

[dvukin]

For you guys that are new, or have had some difficulties with figuring out stove operation I did a really in depth how to post. Its in the 2022/23 VC owners thread.. starting around page 19.. Roughly post 459

My suggestion is start a new thread it will be less crowded and you can get some really good information this way.. this is somewhat hijacking this thread.. this is actually a review thread

I'll take a look. Thanks.

 

[ADK46er]

We just replaced our 40 yr old VC Vigilant with a non-cat Dauntless. The Vigilant was our primary heat source to heat our 1300 .sq ft 2 story (well insulated 2x6 stud construction with 1” styrofoam) with 9 face chord. Always religious about dry seasoned/covered wood and never a creosote problem (1/2 bag creosote twice a season).
Enter the new Dauntless. Red, nice looking and probably a perfect size for our house (the Vigilant was a beast). What we looked forward to were the glass doors. Sitting next to the stove watching a fire; what’s not to like about that! Well, what’s not to like is the black glass that’s a bear to remove after just a single burn. I repeat, our wood is exceptionally well seasoned and we do not burn smoldering fires. We always ere on the side of burning hotter. Didn’t plan on having to clean the damn glass after every burn. And even after a single night, it’s cooked on and not easy to get off. Tried the 3-1 water/vinegar and newspaper/ash to no avail. Got some Meeco’s Red Devil Woodstove Glass Door Cleaner on order and hope that does the trick, though still a pain to have to do that. Had I known this was gonna happen, never would have bought it. Finicky with its demands whereas the old Vigilant was pretty much light and go.
Anybody’s thoughts and or suggestions?

 

[GrumpyDad]

We just replaced our 40 yr old VC Vigilant with a non-cat Dauntless. The Vigilant was our primary heat source to heat our 1300 .sq ft 2 story (well insulated 2x6 stud construction with 1” styrofoam) with 9 face chord. Always religious about dry seasoned/covered wood and never a creosote problem (1/2 bag creosote twice a season).
Enter the new Dauntless. Red, nice looking and probably a perfect size for our house (the Vigilant was a beast). What we looked forward to were the glass doors. Sitting next to the stove watching a fire; what’s not to like about that! Well, what’s not to like is the black glass that’s a bear to remove after just a single burn. I repeat, our wood is exceptionally well seasoned and we do not burn smoldering fires. We always ere on the side of burning hotter. Didn’t plan on having to clean the damn glass after every burn. And even after a single night, it’s cooked on and not easy to get off. Tried the 3-1 water/vinegar and newspaper/ash to no avail. Got some Meeco’s Red Devil Woodstove Glass Door Cleaner on order and hope that does the trick, though still a pain to have to do that. Had I known this was gonna happen, never would have bought it. Finicky with its demands whereas the old Vigilant was pretty much light and go.
Anybody’s thoughts and or suggestions?

Burn it fairly hot next day and you should cook off the dark glass coating. You are likely also creating creosote quickly as well in the pipe. So if you do this repeatedly like I did, you will have a sudden burn off and a scare. Many will suggest operating with the cat lit but eventually overnight burns will stall the cat and you'll create creosote. So that's not a solve all. To combat that, Ive started to use more oak, slightly larger pieces and turn my air control up one or two more notches than I normally do. I wake up USUALLY with fairly clear glass, and a good bit of heat and ash left over to restart the next morning or even mid morning. Mine is mostly weekend usage now, but if you are running this non stop I think it's better suited for that honestly as many cold starts and cold mornings were leading to much more creosote for me.

 

[ADK46er]

Burn it fairly hot next day and you should cook off the dark glass coating. You are likely also creating creosote quickly as well in the pipe. So if you do this repeatedly like I did, you will have a sudden burn off and a scare. Many will suggest operating with the cat lit but eventually overnight burns will stall the cat and you'll create creosote. So that's not a solve all. To combat that, Ive started to use more oak, slightly larger pieces and turn my air control up one or two more notches than I normally do. I wake up USUALLY with fairly clear glass, and a good bit of heat and ash left over to restart the next morning or even mid morning. Mine is mostly weekend usage now, but if you are running this non stop I think it's better suited for that honestly as many cold starts and cold mornings were leading to much more creosote for me.

Grumpy Dad,

I read one of your posts where you explained your burning procedure with the Dauntless and I was curious about you saying you burn it updraft for 2 hrs in the 2nd stage (intermediate sized after 1st kindling burn). I understand the idea of burning hot and building up a good set of coals, but when we burn updraft for a few minutes we’re over 700, (not to mention the heat loss involved burning updraft that long); clearly the upper limit. So it’s as hot as it should be and doesn’t drop below 600 but still creates black glass. As you alluded to, I’ll be curious to see if we get a creosote buildup in the chimney. Again, 40 yrs with burning a Vigilant, never had a creosote problem. What confuses me is if it’s not fully combusting, why do temps not drop below 600?

 

[ADK46er]

Now that we’ve accustomed ourselves to the differences between our old Vigilant and the newer Dauntless, we’re liking it. In my first post I somewhat trashed it, but in fairness we hadn’t really given it a chance. It’s clearly a little more finicky than the old Vigilant, but it’s also more technically advanced and more efficient. Dealing with the ash pan is more time consuming than opening the front door on the Vigilant and shoveling into an ash bucket. Also, it doesn’t handle the big chunks I could throw in the Vigilant, so I have to split wood smaller.
And the smoked glass that I so adamantly complained about isn’t really that big of a deal. When we prepare for a new burn, a paper towel usually takes most of it off, sometimes with a little wood ash to scour the baked in bits. Burning a good hot fire, which really should be the norm, keeps the glass mostly clean.
In short, following mfg recommendations (getting a good bed of coals to start, etc) the stove works well. Now that we’ve figured out how to run it, we can enjoy it for the main reasons we bought it to replace the Vigilant; it’s stellar looks, the red enamel is gorgeous and the glass doors let us enjoy looking at the fire over the course of our long upstate New York winter!

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Now that we’ve accustomed ourselves to the differences between our old Vigilant and the newer Dauntless, we’re liking it. In my first post I somewhat trashed it, but in fairness we hadn’t really given it a chance. It’s clearly a little more finicky than the old Vigilant, but it’s also more technically advanced and more efficient. Dealing with the ash pan is more time consuming than opening the front door on the Vigilant and shoveling into an ash bucket. Also, it doesn’t handle the big chunks I could throw in the Vigilant, so I have to split wood smaller.
And the smoked glass that I so adamantly complained about isn’t really that big of a deal. When we prepare for a new burn, a paper towel usually takes most of it off, sometimes with a little wood ash to scour the baked in bits. Burning a good hot fire, which really should be the norm, keeps the glass mostly clean.
In short, following mfg recommendations (getting a good bed of coals to start, etc) the stove works well. Now that we’ve figured out how to run it, we can enjoy it for the main reasons we bought it to replace the Vigilant; it’s stellar looks, the red enamel is gorgeous and the glass doors let us enjoy looking at the fire over the course of our long upstate New York winter!

That sounds awesome.. glad its working out for you..good luck and give an update or 3