VC Resolute question

Here's what you should look for to determine which model you have:

Model Resolute II & I #0042 & 0043
0042 had a single drop down front door & 2 holes in the flue collar. 0043 had the same door but had 4 holes in the flue collar. Resolute I produced March 1980 to June 1993. Griddle sat above the top. Resolute II Produced December 1981 to June 1983. Griddle flush with top.

Model Resolute III #0042 & 0043
Produced June 1983 to June 1988. Double front doors. 2 Piece fireback. 1985 double glass was added.
Info came from this site:
http://www.fergusonfireplace.com/ferfirpartslookuppage.html

From the sounds of it you have a Resolute III produced sometime between 1985 (when the double glass was added) and June 1988.

Should I be worried about CO2 creeping out through the extremely small gap between the w pieces of glass?

Click to expand...

If the CO2 goes out into the house it's always a cause for concearn, as this is not supposed to happen with these airtight stoves. I guess it all depends on how much is "creeping out." I would certainly fix the problem ASAP and avoid further damage to the stove and your family's health. I'm not familiar with the Resolutes, maybe others will chime in with ways you can fix the issues. Could be as simple as replacing a gasket? Make sure your CO2 sensors are in good shape. Less than 7 years old, good batteries, dust free.

Good luck, I hope this helps!

Chris

I have an old Surdiac stove that has slivers of glass on the door as opposed to a solid piece of glass. The manual states that the glass serves as a secondary air intake. When the stove cools, as the glass shrinks it will make the seems slightly open (not really obvious to the eye) thus letting air in to feed the fire. While the stove is hot and the glass is expanded, the gaps get narrow and let less air in. The primary air intake is thermostatically controlled and lets air in from beneath the firegrate. I wonder if your resolute was built with the gap between the glass sheets as a design. I didn't mean to sound harsh on the last post. After I read it, I thought the comment about the health hazzard souded a bit "cold." I've recently read that wood smoke even in small doses can be worse than second hand cigarrette smoke. So it was just meant as a bit of advice, not judgement. I've heard those older Resolutes were pretty good stoves, I just got a Defiant Encore yesterday from 1994 that is sitting in my garage awaiting installation. I can't wait to get it burning. Despite the bad rap they get for the weak refractory housing and easy to break moving parts, such as the thermostatically regulated primary air intake and bymetallic secondary air intake control.

If the gap is so tiny and it was a part of the design it should be fine. I have burned my Surdiac with a piece of tin in place of one of the cracked pieces of glass. I would not advize anyone to do so as it could overfire the stove, but my FIL has been burning his old Surdiac with a home patched glass door for over ten years now. They are small pieces of glass and his stove is also thermostatically controlled. So overfirering is not easy to do while the stove is set on low.

Any small holes in a stove should suck air in, not leak it out. This includes door gaskets, the fit of cast iron parts, glass (as mentioned), etc.

If smoke were to regularly leak, the problem is most often the venting system, not the stove.

I would not be too concerned if you have working smoke detectors - it is extremely rare for a wood stove to produce CO without producing the associated smoke and smells.....

Just FYI, the Res. I's were designed that way. Tne 2 panes of glass have a tiny gap in between, there's nothing else supposed to be there. That amount of air leakage is inconsequential, and almost always with woodstoves, if there are exhaust gasses (smoke) leaking into the room, you won't need a detector to tell you so because of course you'll smell the smoke. Great stove, by the way.

I don't like any air going in the stove like that even if they designed it that way. I put a stcky taped gasket between the two pieces of glass to get it as tight as I can. I do believe it's a small amount of air but not inconsequential. The drawback is you can see the gasket.