Defiant 1610 Fountain Assembly Failure.........AGAIN!!!!

[pbk835]

Hi Everyone, posted last year about my troubles with my non-cat defiant and failure of fountain assembly. Searched a few topicsd and see it is a common issue. Just took my stove apart again due to lots of back puffing and the assembly is degrading again. My dealer gave me a one year warranty on the assembly exactly one year, one day ago....

Anyone come up with a better fix other than replacing this costly part every year??? I chose a non-cat to avoid this issue, didn't work out so great.

Also, would it be possible to burn without the reburn/fountain assembly in place? I thought someone had said they did this, but can't find the post.

Thanks in advance!

 

[WoodpileOCD]

This is the part I don't understand about the comments I see about people not wanting a cat stove because they don't want to have to replace the cat every 5 years or so. I'm seeing lots of threads and comments about parts in non cat stoves that need replacing and in some cases, fairly regularly apparently. I don't really understand what a 'fountain assembly' is in your stove but I've heard of people replacing refractorys and burn tubes as well I think. I'm reading information now that combustors are lasting 7-8 years or more now, of course depending on how much burning you do as it's really a total hours thing not a years thing.

 

[certified106]

Been around cat stoves for 20+ years and I have never had a combustor last 8 years. The Vermont castings is unique in the way it is built and there aren't many non cats out there that are built the same way thank goodness. There are also plenty of noncats that do not need parts replaced at such as the pe products with a lifetime guarantee on the combustion systems.

To the op I wouldn't reccomed burning without the refractory assembly in there. I am sure you could do it but it would basically be an inefficient smoke dragon. I am sorry to year it broke yet again and as hard a pill as this is to swallow I would probably be thinking about replacing the stove if it was me.

 

[HotCoals]

This is the part I don't understand about the comments I see about people not wanting a cat stove because they don't want to have to replace the cat every 5 years or so. I'm seeing lots of threads and comments about parts in non cat stoves that need replacing and in some cases, fairly regularly apparently. I don't really understand what a 'fountain assembly' is in your stove but I've heard of people replacing refractorys and burn tubes as well I think. I'm reading information now that combustors are lasting 7-8 years or more now, of course depending on how much burning you do as it's really a total hours thing not a years thing.

My 2 cents is that to me tube burners seem to burn their stoves a lot hotter then cat operators.
Sure most cat stoves don't put out the btu's in slow burn...but we don't have as many peaks and valleys either.
I guess less chance for warping and mucking stuff up..I dunno.
I just know I would never go non-cat though..but to each his own.

 

[begreen]

This is not a tube burner. It's a downdraft stove with a fragile refractory assembly. The best fix I can offer the OP is to get rid of the stove and get one that has more robust innards.

 

[HotCoals]

This is not a tube burner. It's a downdraft stove with a fragile refractory assembly. The best fix I can offer the OP is to get rid of the stove and get one that has more robust innards.

Ah..so be it.

 

[pbk835]

Thanks for the responses, going to call my dealer and see if we can work on some type of warranty with the reburn chamber. If not, time to shop around for a new stove I guess. It's too bad, the stove is looks great and burns great with a new assembly....just doesn't last long at all. Thanks again

 

[begreen]

They are beautiful looking stoves. VC has redesigned this assembly using much harder material, but to my knowledge only for their newest stoves. Talk with your dealer about a trade-in on a new 2n1 stove. It sounds like they owe you a good break. That will get you a limited lifetime warranty on the new stove including the refractory combustion system.

 

[Badbob]

I have a Dutchwest with the same problem. Part failed after two years. Dealer got me a new fountain. I installed it and two years later it is also falling apart. I am getting shorter burn times. and eating up a lot of wood. still keeps the house warm but this is bullshit. The fountain assembly is made of very fragile material. They should come up with a much more robust replacement part. Let me know if you get any were with your dealer. :shut:

 

[Hogwildz]

Tubes and boards are cheaper than cats. I don't have either myself. Sounds like VC still makes crap for stoves since the buyout.