New VC Encore 2040

[Antaigh]

Hi folks,

I’m a relatively new owner of a VC encore 2040 (2 months) and struggling. The guys who installed it handed me the manual and pointed out the two levers and told me “good luck!” I’ve been paging through your forum here and am astonished at the wealth of information you all possess. Where did you all learn all these specifics of temp monitoring?

I’m not new to heating with wood. My previous home had an older non-cat stove and I never thought twice about it. I just watched the flames and felt the temp and burned wood in blissful ignorance.

This new beast will not coexist so peacefully with me.

I bough a magnetic bimetallic thermometer for the griddle, as detailed in the manual, placed it on the griddle, and found I’m almost always burning hotter than recommended. But the white catalyst box in the back and the glass get covered in soot when I turn down the air intake so the temp remains in a safe range. There no visible flame when I do this, except sometimes I can see a band of flame through the crack in the top of the catalyst box in the back. Additionally, the stove isn’t actually making much heat. For example, this morning the room temp was 55 and I built up the fire. It’s been burning 8 hours now and twice in that time I’ve had to completely shut the air intake because the STT is 700 or higher, but the room temp measured just a few feet from the stove is still only 66. It’s not a large room. This morning I went by the local hardware store and bought another thermometer to check the accuracy of the one I have. This one reads 50 degrees cooler than the first, but still not a big enough difference to account for this discrepancy in what the stove looks like and the temps I’m reading.
I only have the stock cat thermometer, which shows I’ve been in operating range all day since coming up to temperature.
I’m confused by the readings I’m getting compared with ideal operation as described in the manual that came with my stove. I seem to be unable to meet both ideal operating temp and ideal creosote deposition amounts on the same days. This is my primary source of heat and I’m becoming increasingly concerned I will never be able to leave this stove unattended and attain the 12 hour burn as advertised by the folks who sold it to me.
I’m very worried I’ll be coming home to a burning home or frozen pipes one day soon if I can’t get this dialed in.
Can anyone point me toward better instructions/troubleshooting?

Many thanks

P.S. I’ve added a photo of the band of flame visible in the back of the stove. I haven’t been able to determine if this is the normal “glow” others describe

 

[begreen]

Welcome. It sounds like there are two separate issues. One is stove control and the other is room heating.
The first issue may be draft related or the firewood, or both. Describe the flue system on this stove in as much detail as possible including pipe diameter and total height. How fully is the stove being loaded and how thick are the wood splits? Do you know what species of firewood this is?

The room heating sounds like either the heat is not staying in the room or there is a lot of heat loss. A 700º stove should make quite a difference in an insulated area. We need more information about the house. What is the stove room's ceiling height? Is it wide open to other areas of the house? Is there a stairwell going upstairs near the stove location?

 

[Antaigh]

Thanks for your questions begreen,

The chimney is clay tile and masonry. I’m guessing around 24 ft (?). The stove is installed into a fireplace where the previous owners had modified to install a different stove. The VC was really the only stove I could find in my area that would fit the chimney location. Pipe diameter is 6” into the chimney and I’m not certain of the diameter in the masonry part. I’ve had a couple of days where the cold exterior chimney gave me trouble establishing a draft, but once the stove is going I haven’t observed any back puffing or other obvious issues.

The firewood I brought with me from my previous home. It’s 2-3 years seasoned. Stored in the barn. Mostly beech and oak I think with some birch mixed in. Splits are a mix of 4” quarters to 6” diameter halves. Today when temps went too high I had about 4 splits in there I think. The firebox was maybe just over half full. I had emptied the ash pan in the morning and started from cold. The first full load of splits got too hot almost right away. It happened again after my first post. I reloaded with 3 splits after the first load had turned to embers, pushed them to the back, loaded, reengaged the bypass for the cat, and waited 45 minutes, turning the air intake down early on. It looked stable at 450 so I left to get lunch and when I returned an hour later the STT was 700 on one thermometer and 950 on the other. I’m definitely ordering a digital thermometer as I’ve seen recommended by many who post here.

The issue of heating the room is secondary. I brought it up to illustrate my confusion because I agree with you: a 700 degree stove ought to heat this space more than I’m experiencing. In fact, when I first started out burning this stove it heated the house nicely. Trouble is, I was probably over firing it by a lot based on the numbers I’m seeing now. It looked right to me: low quiet flames, no soot buildup on the glass or white ceramic, but apparently I was way off.

It’s a 1600 sq ft house with many of the upstairs rooms closed off. The room with the stove is 8x10 and open to two 10x12 rooms. There’s a ceiling fan in the room with the stove and there’s an air intake for a furnace that heats only the other end of the house in one of the communicating rooms. When the stove is hot that furnace doesn’t run, it’s only functioning as a backup to keep kitchen pipes from freezing. Today was warm, with temps above freezing most of the day and these rooms received a good bit of sun as well.

 

[begreen]

It would be good to determine the size of the liner in the chimney. The next time it is cleaned, be sure to ask. By the description, the problem may be that once the chimney has heated up, the draft becomes excessive. This will not be apparent with a cold chimney. With a cold chimney, the opposite may be true. Draft may be weak then. The solution sometimes is adding a key damper to the stove pipe to regulate down the draft once the chimney has warmed up and draft is too strong.

How tall are the ceilings in this end of the house? Is there a stairwell in this area?

 

[Antaigh]

9 foot ceilings and yes, there’s a stairwell with a door opening to each of the adjoining rooms. Does this affect the draft as well? Please forgive my ignorance.

If I’m understanding you right, it sounds like I’m having to overcompensate for too strong a draft by shutting down the air supply more than is ideal for the stove. Is adding a key damper something I can do myself?

 

[begreen]

9 foot ceilings and yes, there’s a stairwell with a door opening to each of the adjoining rooms. Does this affect the draft as well? Please forgive my ignorance.

If I’m understanding you right, it sounds like I’m having to overcompensate for too strong a draft by shutting down the air supply more than is ideal for the stove. Is adding a key damper something I can do myself?

I asked because I was wondering if heat was heading directly up the stairwell.

Is the stove connected with single-wall or double-wall stove pipe? Can you post a picture of the stove setup that includes the stovepipe?

 

[Antaigh]

I asked because I was wondering if heat was heading directly up the stairwell.

Is the stove connected with single-wall or double-wall stove pipe? Can you post a picture of the stove setup that includes the stovepipe?

Single wall. I’m pretty sure the chimney lining is 6” or close as well

 

[begreen]

A damper could be placed in the 6" connecting piece of stovepipe. It can be a DIY project if you have a drill and can accurately drill so that the damper stays centered in the pipe.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

2 things that I would do is get an IR gun to check the accuracy of your bimetal thermometer. I have 2 on my stove and both are off, its a difference between 100 degrees between the both of them. The other is get a digital probe for the catalyst. It tells you in real time the actual temperature. I use the Auber AT100 with k type 6 inch probe from thermo works

There can be a big difference between stove top temperature and catalyst temperature, so don't worry about it to much. My catalyst can be at 1400 degrees and the stove top temperature can be as low as 400 degrees.

Do you have the 2040 or 2024cat c.. the 2040 has been discontinued since 2020 as it didn't meet the new regulations

9ft ceilings are going to be tough as the majority of the heat will be up in the ceiling.

If your running that stove at 550/600 degrees it puts out alot of heat. It may not be running as hot as you think if the thermometers are wrong

 

[skb31]

Many of us Encore 2040 Cat-C owners have had this experience. It’s unlike any stove I’ve used in 20+ years of burning cordwood. To answer one of your questions, I see the same band of flame in the cat chamber when the stove is running.

Hopefully you got paper instructions that came with your stove. There’s a variety of sets of instructions online. I now stick to the ones I was given by the installer. I have to push the coals to the back of the stove, level them a bit, then carefully load up against the back wall.

My instructions say the stove can be run without the catalyst, which I did last season for a while, but my early issues were excessive draft (25 to 30 ft chimney) and a bit too much unregulated secondary air. I’ve found the sweet spot by plugging some of the secondary air holes entering the firebox, adding a key damper, and being selective with loading. My hot reloads like bigger splits.

 

[Eman85]

My stove is much older but if my STT is 500 it's hot in my house. Usually my STT will go to 500+ if I am burning before engaging the cat and then it will drop down. The glow in the back is the cat chamber which when the cat is in the high ranges it will glow. usually the wood and flames block the view of the glow in my stove. Also because I burn low and slow for long burns my glass gets dark with long burns.
If you want to dial in the stove the best money spent is for a digital temperature meter like an Auber to monitor the true cat temps and you can also put a sensor on the stove top and the flue if you want. My ceilings are 8' and my home is 1 story but a ceiling fan makes a big difference in my stove room. I can tell if the fan isn't on if I'm in the room furthest from the stove. I shut the fan off when we leave, I feel there's more of a chance of my house burning down from the fan than from my stove.

 

[Antaigh]

Thank you all for sharing your advice and experience. I’m ordering an IR thermometer and looking for a digital probe thermometer for the cat. Updates to come

 

[skb31]

I use the Auber probes and meters. I think it’s worth it.

Not sure if I’m allowed to post links so I’ll wait but I ordered direct from them. I was able to modify the bracket that came with the factory installed probe. If you haven’t accessed the cat chamber yet be very careful with the ceramic components when removing them. Don’t bang them into the andirons and have something soft to place them on. Move them away from your work area when installing the probe so you don’t accidentally kick them.

The smarter people here will assist with info you need. I mostly just repeat what I’ve learned. I can share my experience with the 2040 cat c though.

* Oh and I have a fan blowing across the top of the stove. Helps move the air and keeps the STT down a bit.

 

[Antaigh]

2 things that I would do is get an IR gun to check the accuracy of your bimetal thermometer. I have 2 on my stove and both are off, its a difference between 100 degrees between the both of them. The other is get a digital probe for the catalyst. It tells you in real time the actual temperature. I use the Auber AT100 with k type 6 inch probe from thermo works

There can be a big difference between stove top temperature and catalyst temperature, so don't worry about it to much. My catalyst can be at 1400 degrees and the stove top temperature can be as low as 400 degrees.

Do you have the 2040 or 2024cat c.. the 2040 has been discontinued since 2020 as it didn't meet the new regulations

9ft ceilings are going to be tough as the majority of the heat will be up in the ceiling.

If your running that stove at 550/600 degrees it puts out alot of heat. It may not be running as hot as you think if the thermometers are wrong

You’re right, it’s a 2040 cat c.
And I think you may be right about the thermometers being wrong. Can’t wait to see what I get for digital readings. This stove has me questioning everything I thought I knew after a decade of heating primarily with wood. It’s certainly humbling to work so hard to stay warm

 

[Woodsplitter67]

You’re right, it’s a 2040 cat c.
And I think you may be right about the thermometers being wrong. Can’t wait to see what I get for digital readings. This stove has me questioning everything I thought I knew after a decade of heating primarily with wood. It’s certainly humbling to work so hard to stay warm

So I have the 2040.. I can say this. You can achieve long burn times as others here with your stove have reported this.

Iv gotten over 15 hours on my stove. The key is the following. For overnight burns I split my wood in large square and rectangle pices and you are able to pack the box tightly

Overnight burns require the most dense wood that you have like oak, hickory, and walnut if available.

I did a detailed overnight burn not to long ago in the VC 24/25 performance thread. I regularly burn 12 hours like pretty much every day The key to happiness is thick wood

 

[Mreif]

View attachment 333480

Single wall. I’m pretty sure the chimney lining is 6” or close as well

View attachment 333480

Single wall. I’m pretty sure the chimney lining is 6” or close as well

Move your thermometer to the space between the griddle and flue pipe, I used to keep mine on the griddle and would always get crazy high readings that would freak me out.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Move your thermometer to the space between the griddle and flue pipe, I used to keep mine on the griddle and would always get crazy high readings that would freak me out.

The griddle is the proper placement for the thermometer or IR readings

Even the manual suggests this

 

[Mreif]

The griddle is the proper placement for the thermometer or IR readings

Even the manual suggests th

The griddle is the proper placement for the thermometer or IR readings

Even the manual suggests this

Yea I know, I'm just saying in my experience the griddle seems to always read higher especially during start ups before the rest of the top of the stove which made me panick. Maybe the griddle is a slightly different type of metal or maybe it's the fact it's in direct flame contact idk

 

[nagrod]

Yea I know, I'm just saying in my experience the griddle seems to always read higher especially during start ups before the rest of the top of the stove which made me panick. Maybe the griddle is a slightly different type of metal or maybe it's the fact it's in direct flame contact idk

I agree and do the same thing. I didn't have faith that the griddle temperature was an accurate indication of performance.

 

[begreen]

I think the griddle is meant to get hotter, just like it would on a cook stove. If you want to boil water quickly, put it on the griddle.

 

[Antaigh]

Wow y’all, this conversation about griddle temps is fascinating. I also thought the griddle temp seemed to be falsely elevated and moved my thermometer to closer to the flue for a week or so. During that time I felt like the stove’s performance was much better. I was beginning to dial in longer burns and heating the house well. But then I looked at the user manual again and saw the little diagram that explicitly says to take stove top temps on the griddle. Worried that I’d been over firing and causing damage, I moved the thermometer back to the griddle and have been struggling ever since. I wanted to talk to someone from VC to ask why they recommend using griddle temps when they seem to read so much higher than other stove top temps, but it seems they leave all customer service questions to their vendors.
For those of you who use a different location, how long have you been doing that? Do you have any trouble keeping the stove in the ideal range when measuring there? Any signs of damage from over firing?
I’m still waiting to get an IR thermometer, which might end up clearing up this whole problem for me if my magnetic thermometers have been reading too high. Fingers crossed

 

[nagrod]

Wow y’all, this conversation about griddle temps is fascinating. I also thought the griddle temp seemed to be falsely elevated and moved my thermometer to closer to the flue for a week or so. During that time I felt like the stove’s performance was much better. I was beginning to dial in longer burns and heating the house well. But then I looked at the user manual again and saw the little diagram that explicitly says to take stove top temps on the griddle. Worried that I’d been over firing and causing damage, I moved the thermometer back to the griddle and have been struggling ever since. I wanted to talk to someone from VC to ask why they recommend using griddle temps when they seem to read so much higher than other stove top temps, but it seems they leave all customer service questions to their vendors.
For those of you who use a different location, how long have you been doing that? Do you have any trouble keeping the stove in the ideal range when measuring there? Any signs of damage from over firing?
I’m still waiting to get an IR thermometer, which might end up clearing up this whole problem for me if my magnetic thermometers have been reading too high. Fingers crossed

I'm in my 4th season of using the stove top temp measured nearer the flu, with no evident problems. The guy who cleans my chimney says it looks like it's burning correctly. My stove is a VC 2040 CAT C. Previous to that I had a Resolute Acclaim for 20 years. Great stove but the enamel was flaking off so I replaced it. Running a CAT is a whole new ball game, this stove is a lot more finicky. I do not load it for long slow overnight burns, my use is daytime, 12 to 14 hours, several small 3 to 4 inch splits at a time, and being retired I can closely monitor it. In the evening I let it burn down, and usually have some hot coals in the morning. I have two Aubers, one in the flu and one in the CAT chamber replacing the useless probe that VC supplied. Generally my temps are stove top - 450 to 550. Flu 350 to 550, and the CAT chamber around 800. The SST is presently being measured by one of those magnetic bimetallic coil devices behind the griddle. I use it solely for reference and not accuracy. When I first got the stove I tried lots of ways to get an accurate griddle measurement, various thermometers, two IR guns, a thermocouple, and had no consistency in measurement. So I put two of the magnetic devices on the stove, one on the griddle and one halfway between the flu and the back edge of the griddle. I got rid of the one on the griddle eventually, feeling that the griddle is too easily affected by changing conditions in the stove and inconsistent. I use the flu temp as my main indicator of what is going on, and then the CAT temp, and lastly the stove top temp. I have spoken with two vendors and don't feel that they know much that would be helpful. Hearth.com has been far more helpful and informative. I use the company I bought the stove from to clean the chimney ( 77 is too old to be going up on the roof ) but I maintain the stove myself. I monitor it closely on startup, it takes about an hour to get a good bed of coals where I feel it's time to close the damper and engage the CAT. My primary damper stays fully open unless I have to slow things down on startup because the flu gas temp is higher than I like. But I'm still learning this thing! My recommendation is to call Auber and get two of their units so you have reliable information. My big goal is smoke free operation...still chasing after that! Good luck!

 

[Eman85]

My STT thermometer is on the griddle for what it's worth. I have a flue temp thermometer that sits on the adapter because I have DW pipe that I don't want to drill a hole in. I can see the flue temp thermometer from my chair, can't see the STT from there. I can also see my Auber meter monitoring cat temps from the chair. Obviously my flue temp gauge isn't accurately reading my flue temps, but I reference off of what it does read to know what's going on. I know if the needle is at 12 o'clock on the thermometer I need to get up and close the damper. For me the most important temp that I need to be accurate on is my cat temps. If my box gets too hot I can smell the paint on my stovepipe.
Don't fret too much, it's a cast iron box with a fire in it. As long as the temps stay below melting the cast iron things will be ok.

 

[SonOfEru]

I have an Encore 0028 that I bought used, and early on I took the advice I got here to get an Auber and I can't imagine running the stove without it. I have a griddle thermometer but I only use that to get an indication of when the fire is hot enough to flip into cat mode. In the manual it told me that the cat enabled the flue gases to ignite at between 500 and 750, if I remember right (I cant find the manual just now), much lower than they would burn without the cat. So I reasoned that I really wanted to know the temp in the cat chamber, not the temp on the stove top. And the stove is built with a hole in the back for the probe to stick into, so they must have kinda intended there to be a probe used by the owner. I don't really know why VC doesn't mention them in the manual.

Anyway, mine tends to catch at 700 to 900 (I think that means it's time for a cat replacement), which I can confirm by going outside and seeing the smoke turn clean. After it's going, I can keep an eye on it from anywhere in my open living room / dining room / kitchen. I posted a photo of my digital display (it's a warmish day here in NH and I'm letting it die down a bit).

My biggest concern is to not let it overheat. A new cat is like $270.

Now, some of how I run it has to do with the fact that the stove is really bigger than what would be needed to heat my home, so I never run it with a fully full load. But still, I just feel like it's indispensable for me. Again, as I said, having run mine with it I can't see how I could run it without it.

Best wishes to you!

That's my 2 cents