Encore 2550 Cat deflector has warped and continues to fall off!

[Rob the Scott]

Has anyone found a way to prevent the warped deflector in the top back of the firebox from falling off? Mine is warped (as is the grate), and it no longer stays on the mounting. I have tried wedging metal to hold the left and right "pins" on the small shelf, but the heat deflects the metal wedges and the deflector falls off.

Any ideas?

 

[Rob the Scott]

I am going to try "beam clamps" to hold the deflector in place. Wish me luck!

 

[Megunticook]

I have a 2550. But I'm not exactly sure what piece you're referring to. Do you mean the "combustion throat hood"?

Mine is a bit tricky to reinstall, you have to make sure the fireback is pushed all the way back (tap those wedges in on either side of it) and then it takes some trial and error to get the hood fully inserted...I usually start by inserting the left "pin", rotating the hood up about 35-40 degrees, sliding it leftward while pushing the right-hand pin in hard and the sliding the hood right until that pin goes into its home. It can definitely take some work if your hood is badly warped. Never had it "fall out"--is yours wicked warped? Take a picture and show me...

 

[Rob the Scott]

Correct; it is the combustion throat. As you can see, mine is in tough shape, I bought a replacement, but it wouldn't fit onto the small "rests" on the left and right side. So I returned it.

In the photos, I used an orange and black magnet to hold it in place. Naturally, the magnets de-magnetized when heated.

I will probably buy the replacement throat plate after all. I may have to grind the "pins" to fit onto the rests. I wonder if the catalyst bypass has warped to encroach into the spacing? I doubt if the replacement was incorrectly sized. How many forms are there for this piece?

I understand that it is a bit of a trick to get it into place if the plate is straight and correct.

 

[Rob the Scott]

PS. The constrained dimension is between the pin rest and the steel panel above it. The backplate is not a constraint. But it is well-seated back.

 

[Megunticook]

Wow, yeah, that's pretty deformed, I can see why it won't insert correctly.

With the new one, are you able to get the left-hand pin in position but then can't get the right-hand one home? That's where the hang-up always is for me, although the past few years I seem to have had less trouble.

It's key that the fireback is pushed back tight--which is why I usually tap those wedges in tight before attempting the install. Also, when you remove/reinstall the fireback (like when you need to remove the cat), you want to carefully clean out the "groove" in where the bottom edge of the fireback sits so there's no buildup of ash, old chunks of stove cement, or cinders that can prevent keep the fireback from fully seating down in that groove and tight against the back of the stove. If it's even a little out of position it makes it impossible to get the throat hood back in.

And the only technique that works for me is inserting the left pin first, rotating the hood up so it clears those ribs on the fireback, pushing the hood back tight against the fireback, getting the right pin in position and then sliding the hood back toward the right until it seats properly, then rotating the hood back down.

I'm thinking your hood may have warped because the stove was over-fired, probably same with the grate (I warped my grate, too, just replaced it this year after 21 years). Did you ever notice the throat hood glowing red at any point? Easy to do if you don't keep a close eye on the Encore, especially with a big load of dry hardwood. My hood is slightly warped but not nearly as much as yours.

Good luck. If you want me to shoot a video of my install process I can probably do that.

 

[Rob the Scott]

Thanks for the input. When I installed the firebox and cat, I was especially careful with the fireback. The previous owner didn't know it was there and must have really overfired the stove over-and-over. That lack of control is why he sold it.

Unfortunately, the fireback is not the obstruction. There doesn't seem to be enough room between the "rests" for the pins and the top of the stove. I realize that the throat plate must be rotated up to avoid the verticle rails on the fireback, but there simply isn't room to fit the pins in on both sides. I fear that I will have the grinder out to make the pins oval; it will fit onto the rests when raised, and get very tight when I rotate the throat into the final position.

Thanks again for your thoughts and guidance!!

 

[Megunticook]

So you think the upper fireback is deformed possible? Maybe. I can tell you that in years past I swore like a sailor and spent and ungodly amount of time trying to get that hood back in but more recently I've managed it with just a minor amount of fussing.

Are you saying you can get both pins on the throat home when it's rotated up but then you can't rotate it down into position because there's too much friction on the pin? Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but that seems very odd. Since the pins are round it doesn't make sense that it's binding there...possible it's binding elsewhere?

I feel your pain...I think I let out a primal scream or two on a couple of occasions after wrestling with that thing for 45 minutes and failing to get it into position!

 

[Rob the Scott]

I'm sure that I wasn't clear. With the throat plate rotated up to clear the fins on the fireback, I can get one pin into place. But the opposite side won't get onto the rest. Not even close! It's as if the rest needs to be lower. My thought was to make the pin oval; a shorter dimension when raised for installation (and allowing me to get the pin onto the rest), and an unchanged dimension when rotated down, assuming that I could do that.

I have ordered a replacement combustion throat plate, as the old one is a wreck! Wish me luck!

 

[Megunticook]

Alright, I think I get where you are now. One last thought...when you're trying to slide the right-hand pin into position, is the hood all the way pushed back against the fireback or is it slightly out and the round top of the hood hitting the rib that extends down from the upper fireback? As I recall I ran into that issue. That hood needs to be all the way back. And you're inserting the left-hand pin first, then trying to slide the right-hand pin in last?

 

[Rob the Scott]

The raised ribs on the fireback are not in the way. Nor is the little rib that hangs down from the top. I'll see if there might be an issue with the combustion throat plate itself. If the pins appear to be bent down, it will prevent the second pin from reaching the second rest. I'll make it work, one way or the other.

 

[Turbo89]

Interesting I have the CAT-C-2040, and it looks significantly different in the firebox (I don’t have that piece).

My immediate thoughts are to wonder how important it is? And also, that looks like it could be bent back with a torch and a vise!

Best of luck!

 

[Megunticook]

I wouldn't run the stove without it (except with the damper open). You'll have flame impinging on the catalyst which will damage it.

 

[ajayabb]

I suffered the same calamity with my 2550. Must have spent an hour trying to get it to fit. I bought a new throat assembly and grinded the tabs down just as you mentioned. Works great now and easy to remove and reinstall.

 

[Rob the Scott]

That's encouraging!! I will be trying my hand at it Wednesday, 3/5 (warm temps here in northern NJ).

 

[Rob the Scott]

I finally got the new one installed. It involved grinding off the tab on one side (see 3rd photo) and flattening the pin to fit. WTH? How was that supposed to work? Perhaps my stove suffered some distortion, as I know it was overfired over and over. The bottom plate is warped up and the back plate is also distorted slightly. Sheesh!

 

[Megunticook]

Well done...suppose that upper fireback piece maybe got cherry-red a few times and warped. Seems odd that it would require so much custom fabrication. But that's definitely a common "pain point" in the Encore!

I've often wondered if I should have a spare combustion throat hood on hand just as a backup. Mine is definitely curved a bit but still fits and stays put.

 

[Rob the Scott]

That kind of warping probably takes a long time to develop. I am at least the third owner of the stove, and the previous owner didn't even know that it had a catalyst or firebox behind the backplate (both had disintegrated). They sold it because it they couldn't control the temp. So, I assume that it was overfired pretty much every time they lit it! The combustion throat plate was easy to buy (about $72). No need to inventory it if you don't need it, and are good at avoiding over-firing the stove. I'm sure that yours will last a long time, even with a little curve.

 

[Megunticook]

Yeah, I bought a used Resolute Acclaim back in '99, was an eighties model I believe, you could tell it had been overfired. Easy to do.

As far as extra parts, I just worry about the day you can't just hop online, place an order, and have the part show up at your door a few days later. We may be a lot closer to that day than people realize. I was thinking I should have some extra door glass on hand for the same reason.

 

[ajayabb]

Glad you got it fitted. BTW I purchased and extra one just in case. Didn’t want to be stuck without one for a week waiting for a new one to arrive