Advice needed.. VC Resolute with 'leaky joints' Ok deal or stay away?

I live in Phila PA. After searching for 2 months with a budget of $500 for a quality classic looking stove for my 6" SS duravent chimney.-

There is a clean 5 year old VC Resolute Acclaim (NON-CAT) for sale nearby for $500. It has 2 warming shelves, no screen.

Seller tells me it has 'leaky joints' (it was running hot) but they had it checked by a pro and there is no warpage or cracks.

Seller also says that the Combustion block is in just fair condition.

Is $500 ok?

What is the proper material/method to seal "leaking joints"?

Thanks,

Jeff C.

Well, there are many others here with a lot more experience with VC stoves than me, but I'll chip in my $.02

A replacement combustor will cost you about $200, which right off the bat puts you up to $700--and that's without chasing down the "leaky joints." Could be that all you need to do is replace some of the gaskets (complete gasket kit from Black Swan for about $30) could be that you actually need to tear down the stove and rebuild it if it is indeed air leaking in at the seams between the panels.

I'd also take a good look at the refractory box (you have to knock out the wedges that hold in the lower fireback and remove the lower fireback) as a new refractory box will cost about $300. The general consensus seems to be that the quality of the VC stoves declined quite a bit after 1995-96, so if yours is a 2002-03 model you might be in for a fairly expensive rebuild ($200 cat, $300 refractory box, gasket kit, secondary air probe, several tubes of stove cement) and a lot of hours tearing it down and rebuilding it.

Just my $.02,


NP

Seller did tell me that all gaskets were just replaced, so yes it is where panels meet that have leaks. Stove has no combustor but yes-exactly the refractory box is what he says is just ok but needs changing next year for better performance.

Q? Is it possible to seal the joints without tearing down the stove?

Thanks so much.
-JC

Sorry, I missed the part about it being a non-cat stove.......

I think it's possible to seal the joints from the outside, but A) it won't look so good, and B) my guess is that the seal won't last nearly as long. If it's an enamel stove and you're trying to reseal it on the outside, you might have a hard time getting the stove cement to adhere properly. If it's black cast iron, it might not be too bad--again there are others here far more knowledgeable about the VC stoves than I......you might try searching the forums here for "Vermont Castings rebuild" or "vermont castings leaky panels" and see what comes up.

Good luck!

NP

I have a Resolute Acclaim. I've never had "leaky joints"- simply had to replace gaskets a few times. The gasket at the bypass damper is a bit of a bugger. It takes about an hour to replace and put back together. That's when you know what you're doing! I agree that sealing the joints between the various panels would be difficult. It sounds like this stove needs to be disassembled and put back together. I'd bet you'd find a warped bypass damper frame while you're in there.

As for the combustor box. Yes, you will have to replace it soon. I've replaced 3-4 of them in my 12 years with my stove. (Hence the reason I'm looking at new stoves). If you're using the stove for occasional use and not a 24/7 burner, the existing combustor may last you another year and then expect 2-3 year replacements. As I've owned my stove, I've used it with increasing regularity until about 3 years ago when I started to run it 24/7. I'm convinced that it's not a 24/7 heater. The bypass damper has gotten difficult to operate (fairly simply adjustment) and finally burned off a piece of the "hinge" that it swings on. I'm able to use it, but it would be a $50 part to replace. All parts (except gaskets) are proprietary to V.C. That is, you can't go to home depot to buy firebrick, the combustor box, etc. Most places charge a premium for the parts.

All that said, it's a beautiful stove (what drew me to it in the first place). I think part of the downfall of it is too many parts. I wrote in another thread K.I.S.S. and really believe that's the way stoves should be. This is anything but a simple stove.

Jeff C

I ran across a material today that might help you out a little with the stove you referenced. It has been discussed a little on this forum (search for skamol or skamolex) I met with a chimney sweep today who told me about skamolex. It's a vermiculite material that is commonly used for refractory replacement. He has used it for several years with no problems. It would be suitable for the side and rear refractory in your stove. I asked "how much" and a 2' x 4' panel is under $50 (local pickup). You could cut out all 4 refractories for the VC stove from one panel.

This doesn't help with the combuster box, but every little bit helps. ($50 vs. $200 for the OEM Vermont Castings panels from most dealers)

Good luck