New to Wood Burning Stove install on Tuesday...

Ed, deep breathes

You'll be fine. We'll help ya

Oh, and pics, or it didn't happen ;-)

Yeah I find splitting about the size of your arm will get you by with semi seasoned wood! You can learn some good thing about cutting, splitting, seasoning on youtube.

EddieB said:

Brand new to burning, but, my last Fuel Oil Delivery (hopefully for they year) was just under $900. That would typically last about a month (or less) this time of year.

However, my new Vermont Castings Defiant 2-1 stove will be installed on Tuesday. We ordered it about a month ago and Tuesday is the big day.

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Congrats on the stove! My last oil bill was about that, and I have burned MUCH less oil this year than last (thanks in large part to the mild fall/winter, but whatever). I just started burning last year and am pretty addicted. And a few nights ago my wife said "ah fire, I love you" which is AMAZING because I had to really twist her arm to buy the stove but now she loves it and I enjoy most of the work that goes into it.

Don't expect to quit buying oil altogether. You may have a little bit of learning curve ahead of you to really get the most out of your stove, plus a lot of other factors like house insulation and weather severity play a BIG part in how effective you can heat with your setup. Getting a home energy audit and adding some critical insulation here and there has made a big difference for us this year, but last year we still bought 2 or 3 tanks unfortunately. Give it time to all come together and work out nicely.

EddieB said:

I'm having the stove installed by a local fireplace store. The fireplace store seemed to have a good reputation here and I felt comfortable dealing with them. It's a fresh install (they will be installing the stove, pad, and piping it (8" pipe) up past the second story (about 24 feet).

First, what should I look for (check up on) during the install. If you were having a new stove installed, what kinds of things would you look for? How will I even know if they are doing what needs to be done?

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For the install, be there and available to help hand them tools or haul stuff in or whatnot. Basically make yourself handy and be willing to ask questions about clearances, insulation materials used, whatever. I'm sure the installers know what passes code and what doesn't, but your town inspector will be the final call on that one and you'll be stuck in the middle if inspector doesn't agree with installer. SO, have an idea of what the required clearances are from your stove manual (look it up online) ahead of time. It has to be a certain distance from walls and the hearth has to be x big, etc. Having done some of your own homework you'll be able to spot something that doesn't look right during installation.

Does Vermont Castings recommend an 8" flue for that stove? Just curious, I usually hear 6" but that's just my own inexperience.

EddieB said:

How does one "Break In" a new stove?

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Break in just means 1 or 2 smaller fires (just a few splits plus kindling) that help burn off any oils or residue from manufacturing, plus helps cure the finish (paint/enamel, whatever) during which time you could have some fumes and odors. So all you need to do is set the small fire and be ready to open some windows. Some guys break their stoves in in the driveway, so if the installers are super nice and have enough time to fire the stove and let it cool to install they might help you out with that or give you some additional tips on how to do it in the house like the rest of us do

EddieB said:

What kinds of things will I need? I've bought some fire starters, a 5 piece tool set (poker, brush, shovel and tongs) and a couple pair of welding/fire gloves.

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Your fire kit sounds fine to me, but add a metal bucket with lid for ash. When scooping out the ash, scoop/dump slowly and mist it with water (both in the stove and in the bucket) to keep the dust down. The basic cycle is: set fire (search around here for peoples' favorite fire setting methods), let it burn down to a handful of coals, rake those coals to the front center, reload, repeat. So you will do some dust brooming around the hearth during reload and after you clean out the ashes, but you'll only be cleaning out the ashes every few weeks more than likely.

EddieB said:

I ordered a stove top mag. type termometer, but I'm not really sure what that will tell me.

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The magnet thermometer will help you make sure you're burning hot enough and not too hot. Look around for what works for other Defiant users, they'll help you find a sweet spot temperature range that will keep your flue clean and the house warm. You might consider adding an IR thermometer to your tool kit, too, as an occasional sanity check for the magnet thermometer and just in case you ever get paranoid and go looking for hot spots around the chimney or something.

EddieB said:

I've got 3 cords of what was called seasoned wood (but my moisture meeter says otherwise - mostly measures between 25-30% on a fresh split. Some is right around 20, nothing less.

I ordered 2 tons of Envi Blocks (figuring that at least it will burn well)

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You're off to a good start IMO. Stack as much of that "seasoned" stuff you have indoors or in a garage to help it keep drying. The blocks will probably work well to help things light up too. If they happen to not burn as well as they should (they can collect moisture if not stored properly at any point) don't forget you can supplement with wooden pallets to make your stubborn wood get on up to temp and get burning.


Most of my questions have been answered by cruising through new posts here a few times a week, searching, or starting a thread for specific tougher questions. I'm sure you'll find this place to be similarly helpful!!

Impressive amount of knowledge for someone who has only been here less than a month and hasn't even had his first fire. You have been doing a LOT of reading and that's a good thing. Sounds like you have the basics well in hand and like pen says you just need some 'seat time'.

Welcome, and let us know how it goes with pics.

Welcome
Sounds like you are ready to build a fire soon.
Lots of help here but sounds like you have the basics covered
Good burning

Catalytic or Non Cat?


Model Defiant Catalytic Defiant Non-Catalytic
BTU / HR 65,000 BTUs/hr 65,000 BTUs/hr
Burn Time up to 14 hrs up to 12 hrs
Thermal Efficiency* 90% 75%
Emmission (Grams/Hr) .80 gr .75 gr
Approx. Heating Area (Sq. Ft.) 2,400 2,400

Dimensions (Actual) 31â€W x 28.5â€H x 19.25â€D 31.5â€W x 28.875â€H x 23 5/8â€D
Log Size 24" up to 25â€
Blower NA FK26

new legs should be good to go....

not sure about the gap, refer to local code possibly.....

your at thepoint of no return to start over. Maybe have the owner come out and make sure the crew is double checked.

and as far as things to ask the company for is maybe door gasket and high temp cement for door gasket if it has one. Or possibly have company absorb some of the cosy of the special order pad.

Lastly, as far as wood goes, every sliver of my wood for burning is free. i never pay for wood. As i see it, if im gonna pay for wood, im not saving any money by buying wood. I may as well run my furnace. I know that some folks dont have the opportunity to get free wood, but try craigslist. someone on there may have some free wood on there also. Good luck with your wood burning experience. i started about a year ago. I love it, and the knowledge on this site is amazing.

Eddie,

I had a real bumpy start with a craphead installer too. Woodburning is great, but dealing with contractors can be awful. I would push them absorb the extra price for the custom pad. Hope this goes well for you. Where are you on the Island?

bogydave said:

Catalytic or Non Cat?

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The new Defiants are both cat and non-cat. The stats you listed are for the previous generation of VC Defiants.

EddieB said:

I have a few questions.

1) Will the replacement legs be OK? He says that they are held on by a bolt on the bottom....

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Yep, no worries. The replacement legs are factory parts and will match and function in the same way. The legs do bolt on with a single bolt. I have removed, replaced, and adjusted VC stove legs on three different VC stoves. They were dumb for breaking the legs, and it shows poor workmanship on the installers part, but the new legs will match the old legs perfectly.

2) Is it OK to have a gap on the floor without a pad? I think there's still like 18" of pad before the gap on the floor) will it be safe to burn until it's changed?

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Yes, as long as the stove meets all the clearances, that gap is fine. I, like you, like my hearth pad up against the way. But the gap should not be an issue if everything else was done correctly.

3) Should I just give up and start again? I'm afraid that at this point in the season I won't get another stove and install until after the new year.

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Well, the stove is already there. You are almost at the finish line. You just have bad, lazy installers.

4) Should I insist that they do something for having me take a day off of work to wait for nothing?

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Well, the larger hearth pad is usually more expensive. I would get them to not up-charge me and you can try and get the install discounted. But you will have to be a squeaky wheel to make this happen

I'm betting the boys were tired & in a hurry.
The wrong size pad, poor planning on their part for sure.
Better to do it right than accept the wrong size pad, good call.
Good luck getting something for taking the day off work. (they couldn't plan for delays & events on the install before yours, etc, etc...)
You'll be fine & happy once it done & working in a day or 2.
You just wanted a good hot fire tonight, can't blame you.
A fire, tomorrow night will be allot better than next fall. Hang in there. Sh!t happens.
Think of all the warm fires you'll have after it's installed. Gonna be nice for late Dec & Jan cold weather
We're anxious to see pics of the first fire too

Hang in there. It sounds like the installers screwed up but the owner is going to make it right. As was said above...stove is there, so you are almost done. Even if you have another hic-up or two, you will be glad you got through it when you feel the warmth of the fire.

I had kind of the same sort of issue when I got my F3 installed in 2006. The owner came out in August, did the measurements and gave me a price. At the end of September (getting well into their busy season) I gave them the go ahead. Around November 15, the crew came out (after a missed appointment). The two guys started the install ( I opted to go outside the house for the chimney, straight up would have taken up too much room) and had a devil of a time going out through the wall, took about two hours. Put the parts in for the thimble and started the chimney, but stopped at the eves, as it is 20 inches or so wide and they were a little afraid to cut the eve to put the chimney through. I said "how about going around it?" They said yes, but it would cost me extra for the 2X45 corners, but had to go back to the shop for them. Also the pad was too small and had to get a bigger one. They then left. A week later, they showed up, this time with a guy that wasn't afraid of heights (roof is 20 foot), and put the chimney up, going around the eves (which is good as I wasn't too happy with the idea of them cutting through my roof, lack of confidence on my part, I suppose).
They set up the stove and I had to remind them of the clearances, as well as the break-in fires (they kind of gave me the impression that was the first time they ever heard of it?)
Anyway, they told me that there would be no extra charge for the bigger pad, as well as the additional chimney parts to go around the eves, the owner said that the estimate would be what I paid.
So, I gather from my, as well as your experience, that at this time of year, the installers may and will run into problems. It all boils down to how well are they going to adjust and how well you also have to make adjustments. Hopefully, for no extra cost to you.
I am quite sure that after all is said and done, you will be satisfied that it was installed properly and hopefully, when you are heating with it, you will be bloody hot, as most of us are, at the moment.

Hang in there . . . and give the company a second chance. We all deserve a second chance in life.

Glad to hear things are progressing better today!
I can't wait to see the photos and hear a review of how the stove is working out for you!

That's a nice install. The hearth pad looks good with space between it and the wall. I'm usually not a fan of that, but I would leave it alone in this case.

BrowningBAR said:

That's a nice install. The hearth pad looks good with space between it and the wall. I'm usually not a fan of that, but I would leave it alone in this case.

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+1. That's a beautiful piece of a beautiful home.

I agree with BrowningBar . . . hearth pad doesn't look bad at all as is . . . and a nice stove and install.

More importantly . . . kudos to the owner . . . for making things right and even taking the time to explain how to use the stove and how to break it in . . . guy sounds like a class act.