I have a VC Vigilant and I dont understand how it works. Ive read through many forums and I dont understand the terminology. Every time I run it it eats up wood like crazy. I open the damper when getting the fire going then close it when it gets going. The side teardrop hole stays 90% open. I dont understand what Im supposed to do with the thermostat which I think is the thing in the back with the door that opens and closes itself. I dont know what people mean when they refer to vertical and horizontal mode. The stove was a rusted mess when I got it and I cleaned it out and put sand on the bottom. Im not sure if there are some sort of chambers that could possibly be clogged ? I had a basic woodstove years ago that heated my farmhouse and I had no problem using it, but Im obviously doing alot wrong with this Vigilant. Can someone please explain to me in layman's terms how this stove works?
VC Vigilant help in layman's terms
- Thread starter MaryLynn78
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Moved to the VC classics forum. The manual for the original VC stoves is here in 2 parts. Read up on the operation of the bypass damper which is open to start the stove and the air control is set to wide open. The bypass is closed once the fire is burning well. Then the fire strength is set via the thermostatic air control which will regulate the burn according to the room temp.
Resource icon
The thermostat with the flapper is what you should be closing down to control the fire once the stove gets going, after you've closed the damper.
Ive been doing that and it still eats wood like crazy. When people refer to horizontal and vertical mode what does that mean?
Thank you, I have the manual. Ive read it. I still had questionsMoved to the VC classics forum. The manual for the original VC stoves is here in 2 parts. Read up on the operation of the bypass damper which is open to start the stove and the air control is set to wide open. The bypass is closed once the fire is burning well. Then the fire strength is set via the thermostatic air control which will regulate the burn according to the room temp.
Resource icon
I have a 1977 model Vigilant that was installed circa 1982. It came with the house when I purchased in 2005. It’s an inefficient old smoke dragon, but it’s a workhorse and still going strong and pumping out a lot of heat. If your gaskets don’t seal well, then your stove will take in too much air, which will in turn cause it to burn faster and consume more wood. Beware of fully closing the back flapper. If the firebox is starved for air when you have a good bed of coals, it will back-puff when enough air leaks in and mixes with the gases emitted from the wood. An explanation and some tips can be found at https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/puffing-back-from-vigilant.197222/
Fs
Th
also, the reference to horizontal and vertical are the positions of the damper. Horizontal = open, Vertical = closed.
That makes sense. Thank you! I have no gaskets on the top right now. Ive put new gaskets on twice in the past month and it disintegrates in a couple days... but I learned today that for the top Im supposed to use a steel reinforced wiremesh gasket and Ive been using the same 5/16 fiberglass for the doors and top.
Gearhead660
Minister of Fire
These older stoves will eat wood like crazy. Not as efficient as the newer stoves.
To answer the horizontal/vertical mode question, Google franklin stove operation. Basically, once fire is well established, you switch the damper/bypass plate to direct the smoke/ flue gases to go down and through the passage behind the back wall plate. That back passage can get plugged with ash and needs to be cleaned periodically.
I ordered the Midwest Hearth gasket kit from Amazon last night. I think I jinxed myself, as the old beast let off. a string of back puffs this morning. The kit looks like it has the factory spec wire wrapped gasket for the griddle top and also the small 3/16” for the door glass. It’ll be a project for next weekend. I’m not shutting the stove down this week given the forecast for my region… snow, then single digit temperatures. I’m sure it’s nothing to you upstate folks, but that’s uncharacteristically cold for Rhode Island. 😁
Glass fiber doesn't disintegrate in a few weeks. The "glue" that hold is to the door might if the wrong stuff is used, leading the loose gaskets.
Something else is going on if your gaskets are disintegrating.
Something else is going on if your gaskets are disintegrating.
Similar threads
