I have an 1989 Defiant Encore which has a warped upper and lower fireback. This, of course, damaged the refractory assembly and all associated parts. The cat itself has a very distorted shell. I last rebuilt this in 1994 with the same damage. I am wondering if anyone has tried a sacrificial plate in front of the lower fireback to be cheap protection for some pricey parts. Will these firebacks stay straight indefinitely if treated properly, or is warping going to happen eventually?
We have been very careful firing this store and try to always keep the stove top below 700 degrees. I wonder if using a catalytic probe, such as the Condar digital catalytic monitor would help us avoid future damage. We have never gotten more than 2 years out of a cat. It has always had thermal shock damage. We have always been careful to avoid too high a temp when closing the damper, but sometimes reload when the stove top is over 5-600 degrees. When we do this, the cat is still lit, so the damper has gotten closed quickly - - is that a problem?
I also keep reading that Elk has posted complete rebuild instructions on these stoves, but I've searched for hours and can't find anything. Mainly I would like to know where cement and where gaskets should be used. I notice that my front air manifold over the doors is gapped from the left and right wear plates, which would reduce airflow to the glass. It looks like this was cemented before, but it seems like a gasket would be more able to deal with expansion and contraction.
I would appreciate any comments and suggestions you can offer. Thanks.
Joe
We have been very careful firing this store and try to always keep the stove top below 700 degrees. I wonder if using a catalytic probe, such as the Condar digital catalytic monitor would help us avoid future damage. We have never gotten more than 2 years out of a cat. It has always had thermal shock damage. We have always been careful to avoid too high a temp when closing the damper, but sometimes reload when the stove top is over 5-600 degrees. When we do this, the cat is still lit, so the damper has gotten closed quickly - - is that a problem?
I also keep reading that Elk has posted complete rebuild instructions on these stoves, but I've searched for hours and can't find anything. Mainly I would like to know where cement and where gaskets should be used. I notice that my front air manifold over the doors is gapped from the left and right wear plates, which would reduce airflow to the glass. It looks like this was cemented before, but it seems like a gasket would be more able to deal with expansion and contraction.
I would appreciate any comments and suggestions you can offer. Thanks.
Joe
