Encore Cat - one year later and it doesn't look good...

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Gooserider said:
Progress report - it's still not looking good...
Had to call a sweep to get the cap cleaned, I just don't have the equipment to get to the top of our chimney safely. The sweep did, barely, but he was NOT a happy camper up there. He said the cap was almost totally plugged, judging by the creosote he knocked back down the chimney I'd agree.... I would say I had at least 5-6 GALLONS of buildup between the cap and chimney.
I got the temperature probe part, and put the stove back together. I did make fairly detailed dimension sketches of the refractory, and it looks like if there are refractory boards out there that can be handled like plywood it might be possible to build a lower cost / higher durability replacement, but I'm not making promises.
I found when I went to put the new replacement cat in, that there really wasn't any sort of ledge for it to sit on - it looks like there used to be, but it seems to have burned / eroded away. Coupled with the front of the refractory wanting to keep falling forwards, it was really tough getting all the peices into place, but I thought I managed OK...
I lit up the stove, and burned 24/7 for 4-5 days, and seemed like I got good heat, and was pretty reasonable on wood consumption - loading about 3x day, with about 6-8 splits each time. I was burning in each load, and generally keeping the stove top reading about 400* and slightly higher on the stovepipe probe thermometer - in the "good burn" zone for each. I had good response to the thermostatic air control, no signs of air leakage at the doors or elsewhere. But I smoked worse than the old smoke dragon ever did... It was embarrassing :red: sort of like driving down the road in a smoke belching car.
Yesterday was pretty warm, and today was forecast the same, so I let the stove go out. I took the innards back apart and did some investigating. One thing I found was that the new cat appeared to have been sitting crooked in the doghouse, so I decided to fix that... I got out my stainless steel safety wire and used 4 peices to wire the doghouse back together again - if I straightened the wire out I could stick it diagonally through the front and side panels, then twist it together. I then smeared the inside and outside joints with refractory cement, hopefully sealing any leaks. I also dug through my collection of stainless bits and found some rods about 1/8" diameter - I cut two to stick into the refractory at the back and sit on the edge of the doghouse opening at the front - again gobbing them w/ refractory cement when putting them in place - this created a support system for the cat. The cover peice that goes over the cat was also pretty ratty and had broken in one place, so I used more refractory cement and safety wire to stick that back together. I also replaced the gasket on the fireback, using a Dremel type tool to clean out all the old cement down to shiny metal.
I had cleaned out all the air passages that I could with a vaccum when I had the stove apart the first time, I wasn't finding any significant crud in them this time, but I did repeat the vaccuming as much as I could.
I'm now waiting for cooler weather to fire the stove back up and see if my repairs will improve it so that it burns clean...
In the event that I still have a smoke monster, does anyone have any suggestions on where I should look next?
Gooserider(Who is getting far less happy with this stove...)

" The chickens have come home to roost" ( your friend J. Wright).
Time for an honest, manly apology for your gang up and flamming of those who told of their experience with CFM Majestic quality :red: .
 
downeast said:
Time for an honest, manly apology for your gang up and flamming of those who told of their experience with CFM Majestic quality :red: .

I've been following this post, and it seems to me Gooserider is experiencing maintenance issues, not quality issues. The VC cat stoves are finicky, complex and sophisticated. Stuff wears out, and parts are expensive. But they are beautiful stoves, and when they are dialed in and working right, they offer more flexibility in heat output and burn time than a non-cat stove. Still, they're not for everybody.
 
VTZJ said:
downeast said:
Time for an honest, manly apology for your gang up and flaming of those who told of their experience with CFM Majestic quality :red: .

I've been following this post, and it seems to me Gooserider is experiencing maintenance issues, not quality issues. The VC cat stoves are finicky, complex and sophisticated. Stuff wears out, and parts are expensive. But they are beautiful stoves, and when they are dialed in and working right, they offer more flexibility in heat output and burn time than a non-cat stove. Still, they're not for everybody.

It's history and experience here. The real Vermont Castings' stoves had near zero QC problems before the buyout by CFM Majestic of Canada in 1995. Normal maintenance of the appliance, certainly. We've had 3 Encores, one is still burning 24/7. It is all here in many many past posts over the years.
The CFM stoves had and has deadly serious problems and according to consumers, still do. Please read the Everburn problems, ever-burning dilemma, and stove evals as an example. Goose was one of the gang of flamers along with the chief one, Elk, attacking anyone who posted any problem with their "VC" stove. And now...............chicken time. Yes, it is quality. Use the analogy to your vehicle.
 
I suspect that the replacement cat could be some of the problem - besides all the other stuff. Encores are a bit like those old british sports cars - people love 'em but they have to be highly tuned (or new) and everything in perfect condition. That is probably why the Encore got the worst marks in Omni Labs "field" tests done many years ago - when they monitored one in a actual house. Not to say all run that way, but there is a lot to go wrong.

Still, knowing Goose - my suggestion is to sell the sucker to someone who likes fiddling and get something with fewer parts and sub-systems.
 
It’s history and experience here. The real Vermont Castings’ stoves had near zero QC problems before the buyout by CFM Majestic of Canada in 1995.

Got an early Resolute Acclaim? A lady friend of ours had to rebuild her 1989 Acclaim every 3 years due to interior warping. That was the first sign of trouble I saw with VC stoves. I think they finally came up with a solution about 1996?, but by then she had dumped the stove.
 
Goose - I'm with Craig on this one. Get rid of it, while the gettin' is good. Your replacement parts and time are gonna be worth darn near half of a new nc30.
 
BeGreen said:
It’s history and experience here. The real Vermont Castings’ stoves had near zero QC problems before the buyout by CFM Majestic of Canada in 1995.

Got an early Resolute Acclaim? A lady friend of ours had to rebuild her 1989 Acclaim every 3 years due to interior warping. That was the first sign of trouble I saw with VC stoves. I think they finally came up with a solution about 1996?, but by then she had dumped the stove.

True BG. Poor design, for a mid sized stove. The only real failure of VC of Vermont. But then later, CFM pushed the defective Acclaims to southern dealers ,e.g. VA or Carolinas, where they would not be used hard. Stihl had failures.
 
First off, Thanks VTZJ - that looks like very useful and valuable info - I just fired the stove back up again tonight, and will see what it looks like smoke wise in the AM - I think I may have had problems with the combustor bypassing, that I've hopefully improved with the mods that I made - will see.

Downeast and others - I may have politely disagreed with some of the more vehement flamers, but disagreement =/= flames - I tried to keep it as polite as I could, didn't insistently pimp for VC the way Elk did, and tried to keep a balance on the battling viewpoints... I know that I've expressed concern about the number of reported Everburn problems, and don't think I've ever reccomended one of that series. I still like the heat output I've been getting from the Encore, just wish it didn't smoke as much (and am still puzzled about how it can smoke so much while still burning less wood and putting out more heat than the smoke dragon it replaced)

My position could change, but at this point, I do tend to agree with those that are saying to get rid of it - or I might move it to the basement and cycle out the Pro-former. However at the same time, I don't think it's very likely that I'd get the GF to buy off on trying to replace the stove in the middle of the heating season (even if I could get one, I've been hearing Hearthstone is way backed ordered, and Quad is showing the IR as "temporarily unavailable" Jotul probably isn't any better - I CAN'T use an Englander or any other top vent stove...) - possibly in the spring as part of all the other improvement stuff we want to do to the house (It needs a lot of work, but the mortgage goes away soon which solves many cash flow issues...) Even if it smokes, I don't think it can get much worse between now and the spring, I just need to make sure I stay on top of the chimney more than I did last year.

If I continue to have smoking problems, I may also try doing a vinegar bath on the old cat, which didn't look bad aside from the can being distorted.

Gooserider
 
Hey Goose,
How old is that cat? From your description on page 1 it sounds like that could be the problem? Just because it looks intact doesn't mean it is still working properly. When you engage with a good hot fire does the cat glow at all? I know it doesn't have to glow to be working but my cat will glow 95% of the time at light off and stay red for some time with a good hot fire going.
 
Todd said:
Hey Goose,
How old is that cat? From your description on page 1 it sounds like that could be the problem? Just because it looks intact doesn't mean it is still working properly. When you engage with a good hot fire does the cat glow at all? I know it doesn't have to glow to be working but my cat will glow 95% of the time at light off and stay red for some time with a good hot fire going.

Brand new Stove Combustor cat - this is an aftermarket cat, which is supposed to light off at 350*F (as opposed to the 500*F of the OEM cats) It's thinner than the OEM cat, and is made from a material that looks more like a Loofa sponge as opposed to the honeycomb in the OEM unit. - Elk used to swear by them as being a big improvement over the OEM unit, and when we did our visit to the factory a couple years back, the engineer we were talking with said they were at least as good, and that VC had considered using them, but was unable to reach a mutually acceptable pricing deal... (Retail, the Stove Combustor is less expensive than the OEM unit)

I don't know that the old cat was bad, but I was suspicious of it after seeing the chimney - I don't know how old it is, but it was definitely distorted.

One thing I don't get is the folks that talk about getting the temperature on their cat, or seeing it glow... On the Encore, there is NO WAY to see the cat while the stove is running, nor is there any apparent provision for a temperature reading on it...

Right now I have two Rutland magnetic thermometers of different styles and vintages on the stove griddle (VC's reccommended location) and a Condar pipe thermometer in junction betwen the "Tee" and the liner at the back of the stove - much lower than Condar reccomends, but essentially as high as I could get it.

When I'm burning in a load with the air control and damper open, the Condar will go up well past the "safe" zone, while the Rutland thermometers get into at least the good zone. (They agree when cold, but not when hot - the old one reads 1-200* higher, but it's not consistent.

With the air control set on medium, damper closed, the Condar drops back down to the border between "low" and "safe", and the Rutlands stay about the same, or maybe go up a bit to between 450* and 600" (depending on which one...)

Web has said he's suspicious of the new replacement cat, but I'm not sure why....

Gooserider
 
On a different note -

I have started looking at possible replacement stove candidates - given that the Encore heats the house barely enough in cold weather, I'd like to go with something slightly bigger - also I don't want to loose the long burn times that the Encore gives me... I really like the Encore top load door, but I can give that up if I have to, but if I do, would prefer N/S type loading, whether through a front or side door. If I have a side door, left opening is preferable.

Per the VC website and manual,
2.1 Cu Ft firebox
20" log length (actually it's possible to get away w/ 21-22" but that's pushing it...)
47,000 BTU/Hr max
8,700-41,700 BTU/hr reccommended operation
1, 900 Sq. Ft. heated (the house is about 1800, but we have a really high cathedral ceiling in the LR where the stove is, along w/ some big windows)

As I keep saying, I MUST use a rear vent stove as a top vent won't fit in my space. I'm also stuck with a 6" flue (so much for the Equinox...) I also have a LARGE supply of wood cut to a nominal 18-20" length, so I DON'T want to cut that down...

I don't know if it's the only reason the VC seems like a better heater than the Pro-Former was, but the Encore is almost entirely a "radiant heat" stove, it has no air jacket, and we don't use any kind of blower on it other than the LR ceiling fan. The Pro-Former was mostly a convection stove, with an air jacket over it's length, and a sizeable blower. However this does leave me inclined more towards a radiant heat design stove.

These are the candidates that pass my first round of looking....

Quad - Isle Royale - per website, "temporarily unavailable" looks like the Encore, has top load, though I've had some tell me it doesn't work as well as the VC does. Both Quads described as convection heaters.
3.0 Cu Ft firebox
22 " log length
66,700 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
2,350 Sq. Ft. heated

Quad - Cumberland Gap - Side load door, but on right.
2.4 Cu Ft firebox
20" log length
63,900 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
2,050 Sq. Ft. heated

Jotul - F500 / Oslo - left side door, Jotul seems to get more than average number of "stove to small" complaints - do they over estimate their outputs?
? Cu Ft firebox (website doesn't say)
22" log length
70,000 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
2,000 Sq. Ft. heated

Jotul - F600 / Firelight CB bigger, but Right side loading door
? Cu Ft firebox
24" log length
81,500 BTU/Hr max
BTU/hr reccommended operation
2,500 Sq. Ft. heated

Hearthstone - can't use Mansfield, :cry: as it is top vent only, can't use Equinox as it needs 8" flue.

Hearthstone - Heritage - Left side door, soapstone! Radiant heat, but is it enough better than Encore?
2.3 Cu Ft firebox
21" log length
55,000 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
1,900 Sq. Ft. heated

Hearthstone - Phoenix - Hybrid cast / soapstone, No side door
2.2 Cu Ft firebox
21" log length
60,000 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
2,000 Sq. Ft. heated

Hearthstone Bennington - Cast Iron, Right side door, convection heating
2.5 Cu Ft firebox
23" log length
70,00 BTU/Hr max
? BTU/hr reccommended operation
22,000 Sq. Ft. heated

Any others that folks think might make the short list?

I've seen very little, if any talk about the Cumberland gap, or the Bennington. Of the rest, I'd say my first two choices would be the Hearthstone Heritage or the Quad IR. No specific problems with the Jotul, but they just don't appeal that much for some reason.
 
Gooserider said:
Brand new Stove Combustor cat - this is an aftermarket cat, which is supposed to light off at 350*F (as opposed to the 500*F of the OEM cats) It's thinner than the OEM cat, and is made from a material that looks more like a Loofa sponge as opposed to the honeycomb in the OEM unit.

I tried one of those in my stove when I was having combustor problems. I found the OEM version worked better and I swapped it back out for the OEM version.

On the positive side, I have a lightly used aftermarket cat for sale cheap if you want it.

I don't know that the old cat was bad, but I was suspicious of it after seeing the chimney - I don't know how old it is, but it was definitely distorted.

My cat was warped on the ends. It still worked, but I swapped it out anyway under warranty.

One thing I don't get is the folks that talk about getting the temperature on their cat, or seeing it glow... On the Encore, there is NO WAY to see the cat while the stove is running, nor is there any apparent provision for a temperature reading on it...

Mine only glowed if I was burning wood that really made a lot of smoke. For me, that was Presto logs. Those things smoldered so much the Cat would burn orange hot for hours on end. You CAN see glowing in an Encore if you look in straight back through the glass and the combustor cover. It won't always glow, but when it does you'll know it because you'll see orange light coming from behind the grill that covers the catalytic element. You can also listen for an "engine" sound near the oval flue adapter. That's the sound of the cat burning the gasses before exit into the flue.

Web has said he's suspicious of the new replacement cat, but I'm not sure why....

I agree with him. As I said above, my OEM cat worked better.

But best of all is my new non-cat stove which ran circles around my catalytic unit and requires far less maintenance.
 
Bigg_Redd said:
I think the lesson here is that cat stoves are a hippy conspiracy.

In NO shape or form should this thread dictate to a typical properly running Cat stove. In my experience I would run no-other, other than the model Goose has mentioned in this thread. Sounds like a lemon to me and the heat mizer has confirmed that.
 
north of 60 said:
Bigg_Redd said:
I think the lesson here is that cat stoves are a hippy conspiracy.

In NO shape or form should this thread dictate to a typical properly running Cat stove. In my experience I would run no-other, other than the model Goose has mentioned in this thread. Sounds like a lemon to me and the heat mizer has confirmed that.

Oh, what do you know N of 60, you act like it actually gets COLD up there. :cheese:
 
I took detailed measurements and notes on the refractory package and the SS heat exchanger when I put a fireback kit in mine, and concluded it would be too much trouble to try and duplicate it, unless one was getting set up to do dozens. The refracatory package is mostly cast, except for the front panel, and would require a fairly elaborate mold to duplicate. it could, I suppose, be made out of flat board, but it would take 2 or 3 different thicknesses which makes it hardly cost effective if one was doing just a couple.

I think it would be possible to make a simplified version, which would have somewhat lower performance, but be much more durable. This could be a real seller, since there are going to be zillions of encores that are not worth the cost of rebuilding as VC parts prices continue on up, and the company abandons older models.

BTW, I deliberated a long time before I decided to rebuild my Encore "one last time". In retrospect, now that I know how cruddy everything inside is, I think I would have been better off scrapping it. I suppose what I really ought to do is sell it now, now that it is completely rebuilt, but I would have a hard time doing so in good conscience, knowing what I do now about the damn things.

Re the probe price, as things are now you got to consider that the cost of any part for the Encore is $450 - the price of the fireback kit, since individual part prices are so high that it is impractical to buy anything short of the whole kit!



Corie said:
If you get me good details on that catalytic housing, I've got plenty of material at the house to build one (or seven for you). I could prototype it and you could test it? It sounds like yours really is on it's last legs.
 
I installed a stovecombustor.com combustor this summer and when fired up this fall it would lite off and work ok with hot fires, but when primary air was reduced for a long burn it wold soon stop working. R&R;with OEM combustor worked normal. In communication with stocecombustors.com about it now.
 
Take Heat Miser up on his offer for the slightly used cat and if that doesn't improve the stove go buy a Woodstock Fireview.
 
what size and configuration is that combustor Misor?

I may be interested in it to experiment with.

Heat Miser said:
On the positive side, I have a lightly used aftermarket cat for sale cheap if you want it.

[
 
Apology accepted Goose....thx.

Heed the advice here: lose the Encore at this point. Cut your losses and time. Look at Woodstock cats along with the others.
If you can swing it, get a new, warrantied stove. Breaking the cost down over say 5 or 10 years in savings is a wash compared with the net cost of a used stove.

We like the post-Vermont VC cats WHEN THEY ARE OPERATING PROPERLY. When there are problems, the Encores are a nightmare to repair. Our 2001 Encore is fine, with multiple yearly maintenance and care , on its 3rd cat from SUD CHEMIE; good company to deal with. Remember that our stoves run 24/7 from now until April, the cats do have an upper hour limit and limited life even with care and maintenance. This cat Encore puts out ~2x the heat, ~1.5x burn times , and ~ 2/3 the same wood for similar heated volume as our non-cat Oslo for the past 3 winter seasons. The Oslo takes much less maintaining (so far at least ) and babying than the Encore.
 
ozarkjeep said:
what size and configuration is that combustor Misor?

I may be interested in it to experiment with.

Heat Miser said:
On the positive side, I have a lightly used aftermarket cat for sale cheap if you want it.

[

It's 2.5"W x 13"L x 1.25"D

It's designed to fit the Vermont Castings Defiant Encore later models (and probably earlier). Here is the page on it:

http://catcombustor.mybisi.com/product/24165/25-X-13-Defiant-Encore-2550-and-2190-Canned_67594.html

I'll sell it for $50 plus postage to you. If you are not interested then I'll sell it to the first person who PM's me about it.

It was used in a couple burning sessions and then taken out when the replacement OEM module arrived under warranty. It's in good used condition. There was an expanding gasket that came attached around the edge of the combustor. It fell off after the unit was taken out (it is designed to go 2X in size to seal around the edges and becomes very brittle). You can buy it cheaply from Condar to re-apply it to this element:

http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/Gasket_Details.html
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/gasketorder.html
 
that sounds like the same size as mine off of the top of my head, let me verify to make sure, if so consider it sold!

Thanks!



Heat Miser said:
ozarkjeep said:
what size and configuration is that combustor Misor?

I may be interested in it to experiment with.

Heat Miser said:
On the positive side, I have a lightly used aftermarket cat for sale cheap if you want it.

[

It's 2.5"W x 13"L x 1.25"D

It's designed to fit the Vermont Castings Defiant Encore later models (and probably earlier). Here is the page on it:

http://catcombustor.mybisi.com/product/24165/25-X-13-Defiant-Encore-2550-and-2190-Canned_67594.html

I'll sell it for $50 plus postage to you. If you are not interested then I'll sell it to the first person who PM's me about it.

It was used in a couple burning sessions and then taken out when the replacement OEM module arrived under warranty. It's in good used condition. There was an expanding gasket that came attached around the edge of the combustor. It fell off after the unit was taken out (it is designed to go 2X in size to seal around the edges and becomes very brittle). You can buy it cheaply from Condar to re-apply it to this element:

http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/Gasket_Details.html
http://www.woodstovecombustors.com/gasketorder.html
 
my stove is an eart stove BV4000c, it appears to take a 2.5x15.3 combustor.

But I have the unit out at home for cleaning so I will measure it to make sure.

sorry for the thread highjack by the way.
 
Adding to the shopping list or maybe not...

Woodstock - Fireview (Classic also - same stove w/o a window) - Soapstone, but very much on the small side. I'd have to recut all my wood to use it, and I have doubts about it's ability to do better than the Encore, even though it claims better numbers for BTUs (but less on area heated...) Side loading is nice, but door is on right, not left... Besides, while the Fireview cat is far more accessible than the Encore's, and doesn't have a "falls apart if you look at it funny" refractory package, I'm not all that sure I still want to mess with a cat if I can avoid it....
Area Heated: 900-1,600 sq. ft.
Wood Length: 16” Burn Time: 10-12 hrs.
Wood Loading: Side
Draft Control: Manual
Max Heat Output: 55,000 BTUs /hr.
Heat Output (EPA Test Method): 10,800 - 42,100 BTU's/hr

(I do wish Woodstock would come out with a few larger models - something Heritage or Mansfield sized...)

For those looking at combustors, All the different cat Encores take the same size cat.

My feeling at this point is possibly try doing the vinegar boil on one of the old combustors, otherwise stick with what I have until spring - I don't think it makes sense to either put a lot of time / money / effort into fixing this stove, or in replacing it in the middle of heating season.

Burning today, when I left this morning, the stove was smoking less than it had been, but was still putting out a fair bit. However it was white smoke that dissipated fairly fast, so there may have been a lot of steam in it. (Although my wood should be more than dry enough, it was in the wood shed for over 18 months....)

When I got home, I had no visible smoke, but I was down to minimal coals, and about 300* stovetop, so I wouldn't have expected any. I loaded it back up, and got it going good, but it was just about dark when I shut the damper and turned the air down, so the cat really didn't have a chance to clean things up before I couldn't see how much it was smoking.

Side note - our house makes it extremely difficult to see how much smoke is coming out the chimney, as you can't see the chimney from inside, or even a fair bit of the outside. Any suggestions? I've thought about trying to get a mirror on one of the trees so that I could look at it through a window - has anyone tried this and did it work?

Gooserider
 
Hey Goose, If I remember, Elk dropped off that stove to you at the Hearth.com get together at your house last summer. That was a great time, thanks for doing that. Wow, listening to your issues sure has put me off of VC cats. Always thought I'd like one of the older little VC cats for my basement based on my experience with the Keystone. Before I finished reading this thread, I had the same thought as Craig and Jags, maybe time to stop spending good money after bad and move on. While your cat issues may have put you off on cats a bit, dealing with them in the Woodstock products is NOTHING like your VC experience. Few screws, badda bing, its out, clean it off, pop it back in. The Woodstocks are all hi-temp cast parts inside, no refractory stuff. Its all solid, very well machined, the entire stove is designed to be taken apart and put back toegether easily if need be. Nothing fragile in the stove at all. More things should be built this way. I'd go with the Fireview (it's got a window ;-) in your place and that brick hearth and chase you have would be a great heat sink. You'd certainly heat a lot of your layout with it. You could drive up and get one tomorrow. They have plenty. Just talked with the factory today. They had their annual pig roast this past weekend. Had 56 units picked up this past Saturday alone. One guy came from Ohio to get his! Your chimney might have a few cups of creosote at the end of the season with one of those. Goose, find one person on any posting anywhere here who doesn't love his Woodstock stove. If you find one and tell Woodstock, within a couple of weeks that person would no longer be complaining, because they'd fix whatever the problem was. If you are considering one and it fits your flue and thimble hook up, you can't go wrong with the Fireview.
 
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