VC Vigilant heat output??

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Bone1099

Bone1099

Member
Jan 5, 2009
165
Northwest GA
Just installed a VC Vigilant. I rebuilt and installed it myself. Draft seems to be ok i plan to install a SS flexliner in the future but for now it seems to operate pretty good. my concern is with a 500 to 600 degree griddle temp the stove doesnt seem to oveheat the dining room it is installed in nearly as much as my old fisher fireplace insert did. didnt have stovetop termometer on the old one. outside temps havent dipped below 40f at night since the install so i am unsure of how well it can hold its own on a cold night. Getting the stove hot is not a problem but im afraid on a cold night it wouldnt do the duty. also im still learning to operate the stove to achieve longer burn times without choking it down too much. Is it normal to have lots of ash buildup after a day or two? Is it neccesary to cleanout daily? i guess im just askin for some advice from anyone who has owned or operated on of these units currently or in the past.
 
It is up there with some of the bigger heat producers don't know the exact number but alot. They do like wood. We have one in our 300Sf living room and it will blow us out of there when the temp is above 20. It keeps the rest of our 200 year old house in the mid to upper 60's. It has been a cold winter here in VT and we have only used 30 gallons of propane this year but we have been heating 24/7. Wood is not an issue so we will burn with it until it won't burn no more. Enjoy
 
My vigilant is set in the basement, with griddle temps cruising at 500-600 my first floor stays 73-75 and 2nd floor 68. I can maintain heat like that even when the temp drops at or below zero. You mentioned night temps of 40+....maybe that has something to do with it, poor draft and just a lot of coals..? What is your chimney setup now?

As far as the ash, i try to clean mine everyday...rarely let it ever go past three. And yes i do get a lot of ash as it goes through a good amount of wood
 
I have an older Vigilant, and have noticed that between 600F and 700F is where it really boots. So maybe try bumping up the temp a little
 
Agreed, take her up 100 degrees and it should put out a lot more heat. The stove is a good heater.

Is the stove set into a fireplace cavity? Does it stick out less on the hearth? If so, the heat could be getting trapped at the top of the fireplace smoke chamber under the damper. A plate at the lintel of the fireplace opening would stop this. Also, did the Fisher insert have a fan? That could make a very big difference.

Last, the bypass on the stove is being used, correct? Just checking..
 
Homemade blower on the fisher looked awful but worked great. I havent really let it rip yet ive only fired it a few times still trying to break it in. will the ash fettle mentioned in the manual help with the ashes falling out the door? how bout the ashes that get into the holes in the backplate? what kind of burn times do you get and at what temps? thanks..
 
I have a 1977 vigilant, and it works really well for me. I have a piece of 1/2 inch copper pipe that I use as a bellows, I also use it to clean out the secondary air in, and the holes in the back plate, I just blow them out. The only problem with this is if you blow too hard the ashes will blow out the back. I usually run around a 400-500 surface temp and that is pretty good depending on how cold it is outside. With the damper shut and the stove loaded I wont throw any more in for 5 -6 hours, although if I choke it way down it will leave me with a nice bed of coals in the Am. I have brought the stove top temp up into the 800+ range, and held it there for a while and have had no problems, it will make you sweat if you want it too. If you let it it will go through some wood. I seem to get the best burn if I keep the wood almost against the right side of the fire box, and shovel some ashes out every morning, always leaving about an inch of ash on the bottom.
 
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