My first wood stove

The 2 door Resolute might well be the best thing V.C. ever did. Only real problem these days is that exterior parts of the stove are no longer available. Not often an issue, but if you were to damage a door or flue collar for example, you may be all done. Doesn't happen much, but I hear from 1 or 2 people a season that need something. Just be careful and enjoy! All teh stuff that's likely to wear out, like the fireback etc. IS still available, so don't worry there.

I'm not familiar with elm - mainly 'cause there's none left around here. But if it is elm, it doesn't split. It's kind of like gum, a tree with nasty wood I throw away instead of burn. (Too difficult to split, too little heat output, too much ash, plus they have those spiky seed pods that still hurt after a three-rail bank shot out of the lawn mower. Elm has great heat content, tho'....) If you feel compelled, try to chop tangenitally, that is, slabs off the sides.

I've had my Resolute since 1980 and it has been a stalwart performer - except for this year. I'm one of the folks who has needed bits from Defiant3.

Cheers

Looks fine. Lever down = flap closed. Lever vertical = door fully open. The thermostat within the housing will (or should...) do the rest....

You can use a 1/2" diameter flexible tubing for a fish pond. Regular poly tubing will be too stiff, or, if thin and flexible, collapse when attached to the vacuum. Pond tubing is very flexible, with reinforcements on the outside. Go in though the right hand panel, or down though the top of the flue collar. Having the collar off as well as it's associated blanking plate makes it easier. However, given my recent extreme difficulty dealing with 35 year old hardware, you may not want to fool with unbolting anything....

looks like it's in nice shape. when you are ready to burn you need a stove top thermometer and when you hit your temp you will adjust that flap and it will keep your stove running at that temp give or take 50 degrees. i think you can download a copy of the manual for that stove in the wiki. if you are splitting the wood now for next season you might want to get a moisture meter to make sure your wood is dry enough. around 20% is what you shoot for. if you are splitting any oak it won't be ready for next season it takes a few years to dry. good luck with your v c stove. love mine.

Jvd850 said:

Hi everyone I just bought a Vermont casting resolute a month ago and thought I'd join here knowing I already have some questions about the stove. I will not be installing it till fall of 2016. The stove has 1979 on the inside, is this the year it was made? What are your thoughts on this stove?

For the past few weeks I've been gathering free wood and one of the trees is very hard to split I was thinking it is elm. View attachment 176313View attachment 176314View attachment 176315View attachment 176316View attachment 176317

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This is the same stove I have, been burning it since 2008. It's a great stove! I did the same thing you're doing as far as wood goes, but I also put an ad in the local Pennysaver, and Craigslist saying I will come and remove trees and large branches from your property for free in exchange for the wood. It worked out so so for a couple seasons, but I couldn't get enough wood together and stay far enough ahead to have nice seasoned wood, so I tried buying wood from different dealers.
One thing I found out very quickly, is that firewood dealers all have a different idea of what "seasoned " firewood is! Some will sell it seasoned anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 year! After a year of going through different dealers, and buying wood that water would "ooze" out of the end of the logs when burned, I decided that the best way to get "seasoned" firewood is to cut, split, and stack my own! That way I knew what I had!
I bought a couple of good Stihl chainsaws, and a gas powered 2 Ton splitter, and now have the best firewood I've ever burned!
Good Luck,
Snyde

Jvd850 said:

If I have to I will buy a cord or two for the first winter

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These guys will tell you to get busy on wood collection now so you have the summer for it to dry in your yard ... then you may have a chance of getting wood under 20%

She's a nice looking stove ... good find!

if you don't have anything dry now you might want to buy some now because with my experience the seasoned wood bought is usually 1/2 seasoned so maybe if 1/2 now it might be ok come burning season.

Get the moisture meter and leave the guess work out! The half seasoned sounds like a good idea...