Vogelzang The Colonial

[Corriewf]

Hi All! new here- first post.
Picked up the Colonial at the local Northern Tool here on sale for $750.
Waiting on my liner kit to arrive so I can get right to using it.
I noticed the flue collar protrudes through the outer box that air is forced through by the fan.
But-
there is a gap around it so it appears some air would blow out of there, wasting heat and going into the dead ended fireplace opening....

Anyone else see this? Did you do anything about it?

I could weld that gap up, but figure a ring of plate steel with the proper size hole in it would cover that, or maybe seal it with a furnace cement. I fear if I weld it up I could cause some stress as the inner box will expand differently than the much cooler outer box.
I fear some air pressure in the supposedly "sealed" fireplace cavity would tend to force that old smoky smell out somewhere, maybe into the house.


Been out of the wood burning for 25+ years, had an insert in a small house way back that worked great. Had an insert in the current house (been in it 26 years) that worked very poorly, a Matherly. Haven't used it in years, its now out back on a pallet awaiting me to post it on Crag's List for cheap.
I have 10 acres in NC covered in hardwoods that blow down occasionally, figured why let them rot, gonna start hauling the wood from visits. I've got an oak down now that must have 10 pickup loads in it

Well, I noticed that gap on mine as well. Not sure if it will make a difference or not if it does get sealed. This is my first year using a wood stove and I am pretty sure in a few months when im done for this year, I am going to discover a few things I will want to fix. I am glad you reminded me of that crack. I also think that where my liner goes into the stove could use some sealing. One thing I wonder is if it is ok to seal that gap or will it shift too much as it expanded with heat etc. Another concern of mine since I have never used cement is if it is easy to remove. If I use it to seal the gap with my SS liner and then later get a different stove, can I simply hit it with a hammer or something?

Went to Lowes today out of curiosity to see if they had the cement. I know ACE around the corner has stuff for pointing up a fireplace mortar... Same stuff?

Good luck with the stove and please let me know how it goes. FYI, buy some longer screws at home depot to attach the blower. I have my blower about 2 inches off the wood stove for better circ. It's a nice 73 degrees in here tonight with 69 upstairs.

 

[sbowers22]

i've hit 550 with the super dry wood from the gas stations, but after its nothing but coals she wanted to drop down to about 350 or 400. Think we have had this convo before but not sure lol

Thats pretty damn good. I get 500 but 550 I have never touched... What are you doing when you hit 550?

I have been getting temps ranging from 350-550 degees. I have wood in al kinds of condition and have really noticed the difference in temp depending on wood quality and condition. Except for the small fire box this stove has surpassed all my expectation. We hardly use our furnace at all anymore, usually just a few minutes in the morning and maybe a when we get home from work. We were without power for 3 days last week and it kept most of our 2300 sq. ft. house at 65+ degrees with outside temps in the 20's and 30's and that was without the fan blowing since we had no power. Next year I plan on having good cured split wood to burn. I have only been using it since the first of the year but by using all the information from this website it just keeps getting better. The best info on here is that "It's all about the wood".

 

[Corriewf]

i've hit 550 with the super dry wood from the gas stations, but after its nothing but coals she wanted to drop down to about 350 or 400. Think we have had this convo before but not sure lol

Thats pretty damn good. I get 500 but 550 I have never touched... What are you doing when you hit 550?

I have been getting temps ranging from 350-550 degees. I have wood in al kinds of condition and have really noticed the difference in temp depending on wood quality and condition. Except for the small fire box this stove has surpassed all my expectation. We hardly use our furnace at all anymore, usually just a few minutes in the morning and maybe a when we get home from work. We were without power for 3 days last week and it kept most of our 2300 sq. ft. house at 65+ degrees with outside temps in the 20's and 30's and that was without the fan blowing since we had no power. Next year I plan on having good cured split wood to burn. I have only been using it since the first of the year but by using all the information from this website it just keeps getting better. The best info on here is that "It's all about the wood".

What is your technique if you dont mind me asking. I have one which I posted on this thread that seems to work good, but I like to experiment. Seems when I leave the air open, instead of getting a hot burn, I get a shorter burn that isn't really hot at all.

 

[jockum]

NEWBIE HERE needs advice: First of all, I think this is a great forum for woodburners, and I found a lot of good tips regarding the Colonial. I am a veteran wood burner with wood stoves, and my dinosaur 23 year old masonry fireplace, but not with an insert. I pulled the trigger on the Colonial, and installed yesterday. The problem I am having is with backdraft when reloading.My house does have a make up air installed to my ductwork, and leaving a door open while reloading does not seem to make a difference. My chimney had a 12"x12" flue. I had to remove the damper and cut part od the damper frame out to install the liner, which was the Simpson stainless steel 6". No problem there, as the tiles were all nice and straight and in good condition. I then installed the top plate to cover the flue and siliconed it to the tile. The cap was installed above it.I used a 15' length of liner and cot 2' off, leaving me with 13' total. My thought is that I may have to install insulation around the liner so it heats up better, increasing the draft. Outside of this, and the blower issue, it seems to be burning well and doing a good job heating my 2000 ft. home. Again, thank you all for contributing on this site, any any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Skyco]

Ooops...the Colonial manual says-

"2. Chimney Size. Minimum chimney size is 6Ë (152mm) diameter. Maintain a 15 ft. minimum overall chimney height measured from the top of appliance to the top of the chimney. Chimneys must extend at least 3 ft. above the roof and at least 2 ft. above the highest point within 10 ft. of the chimney top. See the Chimney Connections section of this manual."

I'd extend it and insulate it.

 

[jockum]

I did install a 6" liner, through the masonry chimney, which is 5' higher at the top than the nearest point 10' away.My house is a ranch, and the existing fireplace has a brick hearth 18" up from the floor. That is why I only have the 13'.The funny thing is, it barely backdrafts now after the first day of using it. I may have to insulate the liner though. Thanx for your input.

 

[Fake coal burner]

Hello all,


Been around here reading and all for about a month and decided to register and post. I just recently purchased my first wood stove insert a couple weeks ago and installed it last week. I figured I would share some pics of it and my opinion of it. I couldn't afford a nice Jotul or Hearthstone Clydesdale like I wanted. Well I guess I COULD have afforded it but just couldn't part with 4.5k - 5k for the stove, pipe and installation. I came across this Vogelzang The Colonial insert on Northern tool for $899 and decided it would be my first baby (not counting my son..err or my wife). I then purchased an Everguard SS for 700 (including some insulation, rain cap etc). A buddy and me did the installation ourselves and the entire project cost about $1,800.

The firebox for the Colonial is small. I measured about 1.78 cubic feet versus the 1.28 something the manufacturer stated it is. Still it is small. However I do feel that I am getting plenty of heat from it for the little amount of wood I actually use. I have a 1,800 square foot house and it keep the tempts well into the 70s through most parts with the exception of the far off bedroom that sits around 69-70 on a 30 something night. My house is very boxy so I might have to get a tad creative about getting the heat spread around. The 6-8 hour burns times are easy enough to achieve and I have found myself with firestarting strength coals 16-24 hours after last full load. Despite the " you can always have a small fire in a big firebox but not a big fire in a small box " mentality, I have found the small firebox to actually output similar heat to my friends Clydesdale and use a lot less wood to do so. Smaller firebox for me means smaller area for the warm air to escape versus a large firebox and trying to do a smaller fire. Sure I would take a larger firebox if I could, but it is nice to conserve.

So far the only negative I have found with this unit is the blower. It is not regulated by heat and is poorly designed. It does attempt to pull air from a similar area it is trying to push. the unit attaches to the stove just below the ash guard and I have found loosening the screws so that it is no longer flush with the body of the insert solves the design flaw.

All in all it has been a great value for my money. I guess time will tell if the parts hold up to be durable or not. Everything looks quite easy to replace. Being new to wood stoves, I am still learning and all so I hope she hangs tough for me.

Try putting a small box fan on the floor at the far end of the house blowing cold air towards the stove. Try on low speed. should even out the heat for you do you has a block of plate istalled with insolation?

 

[EddyCA]

Colonial review after 4 winters:

I have use the Vogelzang Colonial for four relatively mild California winters and I joined the forum to leave a review.

The unit is constructed in China but seems well constructed. It carries an EPA (level 1) certification and does not have a catalytic converter. If I recall correctly, the efficiency is 76% which is not as high as some units but is quite good for this price range. We have a small home, only 1200 sq ft, and the fireplace is our sole source of heat during the daytime (I actually removed and discarded our natural gas burning furnace at the same time as I installed the insert. We use electric mattress heaters and portable space heaters in the bedrooms during the night).

The unit produces sufficient heat to warm our home. The firebox holds a decent amount of wood but is smaller than many. It holds enough wood, if well packed, to heat the house for a full day (if using hardwood) when it's not too cold. On the colder days, I usually let the first fire completely burn out and build a smaller second fire (generally just softwood) in the evening. If I add wood before the first fire goes out, we generate too much heat. Indeed, producing too much heat is usually our problem, but I've learned to judge how much wood I need after a few winters. Of course, we're in coastal California and I've insulated my house well and swapped in modern dual-pane windows. But I would expect this unit to be adequate for a small home even in the coldest reaches of the north.

The unit is attractive and the glass door is a good size. Overall, the size is small but it is a good looking unit, except for the panels which surround the unit, they're plain and a bit cheap and rickety -- need to tighten bolts annually.

I do not like the included blower. It is quite loud, rattles at startup and at lower speeds, but produces a good airflow. It's about as loud as our wall AC unit when on high. But at lower speeds, it rattles annoyingly such that it cannot be used at those speeds. I do not think it's the same quality as the insert itself and I am now looking to replace it. Fortunately they are cheap. I haven't found a replacement yet. Indeed, it was my search which lead me to this website.

In short: box great, panels acceptable, blower unacceptable, price great.

Since the unit was so cheap, I don't mind replacing the blower.

 

[WVBill]

Ok, my V. Colonial blower is running me out of the room with its loud rattling screeching noise. two years. that's it. time to replace. I've cleaned and stripped down the whole blower but still a racket. Did you find a new blower yet? suggestions?
thanks,

I have use the Vogelzang Colonial for four relatively mild California winters and I joined the forum to leave a review...
In short: box great, panels acceptable, blower unacceptable, price great.

Since the unit was so cheap, I don't mind replacing the blower.

 

[EddyCA]

Ok, my V. Colonial blower is running me out of the room with its loud rattling screeching noise. two years. that's it. time to replace. I've cleaned and stripped down the whole blower but still a racket. Did you find a new blower yet? suggestions?
thanks,

I bought the replacement blower from Northline Express. Installation took 1 min (perfect fit), and it's quieter than the previous one ever was. Recommended.

(broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/vogelzang-ussc-blower-assembly-f-5-80598.html)

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Can you provide a link?

 

[EddyCA]

Good deal. Can you provide a link?

(broken link removed to http://www.northlineexpress.com/vogelzang-ussc-blower-assembly-f-5-80598.html)