After a winter of burning wood (about 1.5 cord) in a 30 year old VC Resolute Acclaim that came with a house I bought, I decided it was time to do some maintenance. I removed the lower firebrick so I could replace the arch inserts and vacuum out the side vents and opening to the combustion package (both packed quite full of dense ash), and I found the combustion package in this decrepit condition:
![[Hearth.com] VC Resolute Acclaim decrepit combustion package](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/229/229396-4ee377080df3db4b778933f2e7f2240d.jpg?hash=g7as0SMeEg "[Hearth.com] VC Resolute Acclaim decrepit combustion package")
I can't see the holes along the bottom of the opening to the combustion package and am wondering if that's because they're covered with densely packed ash, or because the structure that they're drilled in has actually disintegrated and crumbled away! It's hard to tell what's compressed ash and what's the delicate refractory material! Should I dig and scrub more to uncover that structure, or would that just tear apart the combustion package even further?
Assuming this is what's left of the existing combustion package, would it be safe (if less than fully efficient) to replace the arch inserts and put the fireback back onto this worn out old combustion package and keep burning with it for another season? Especially after reading other threads on this forum, I don't think it's worth the expense to have the combustion packaged replaced, and likely quite a few other parts if this aging stove is disassembled. I'd really like to just patch it up with new arch inserts and squeeze another year or so out of it before replacing the whole stove.
I can't see the holes along the bottom of the opening to the combustion package and am wondering if that's because they're covered with densely packed ash, or because the structure that they're drilled in has actually disintegrated and crumbled away! It's hard to tell what's compressed ash and what's the delicate refractory material! Should I dig and scrub more to uncover that structure, or would that just tear apart the combustion package even further?
Assuming this is what's left of the existing combustion package, would it be safe (if less than fully efficient) to replace the arch inserts and put the fireback back onto this worn out old combustion package and keep burning with it for another season? Especially after reading other threads on this forum, I don't think it's worth the expense to have the combustion packaged replaced, and likely quite a few other parts if this aging stove is disassembled. I'd really like to just patch it up with new arch inserts and squeeze another year or so out of it before replacing the whole stove.
