How do you run your VC Defiant 1610

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joninvermont

Member
Oct 24, 2010
7
Vermont
Hello all,

This winter marks the start of my third season of burning with my VC Defiant 1610. I've learned a lot about how to run the stove, but still looking to perfect the process. To the fellow defiant users out there, I have some questions for you:

1. what temp do you allow your griddle top to come up to and run at?
2. Do you use a thermometer on your exhaust pipe that comes off the firebox?
3. What temps do you see when you are running your stove hard?

Since VC secondary burn outlet is low in back, how do you run the stove for longer burns? Right now we are just putting in 3-4splits in at a time and always make a clear path to the secondary burn outlet. Now we are wondering what steps we need to follow to load the stove so 5 or 6splits can go in at once and produce a longer burn. The defiant is so big, but right now I feel like we can only burn three log burns at a time. If you are filing up the box, what are you doing withthe coals and how are you stacking/loading the splits to get longer burns?

Any comments are appreciated. I just feel that with a large stove, it should be able to provide longer burns. If someone does have success with a particular method for these stoves I'd love to hear about them.

Thanks!
jr
 
I'm running the cat version. A 1945.

1. No higher than 750 for the griddle is what I shoot for on both, the Encore and the Defiant. The Defiant for me is over-sized so I tend to run it at a lower temp for the most part. Still, for the Griddle, it is best to keep it below 800.
2. I have the thermometer on the griddle.
3. On the Defiant, I will rarely run it hard. I just do not need that much heat. I need the burn times and the size so I can get 10-14 hour burns. With the Encore, when running at a high temp, it will sit between 600-750. It will sometimes creep past 750 on me when it takes off.

Again, I am running the cat version of the Defiant and the Encore, so it is a little different. For long burns I like to try to lock in the stove at the 350-450 range. If I can do that, I can load it full and get 10-14 hours from the Defiant. Not always possible as the cat system is not as good as other manufacturers. Even if it is locked into a temp with the cat engaged and the air 'shut', it can, and does climb on me at times. If the stove climbs on me overnight, I will get 8-11 hours depending upon the wood and the load.

Reload times for me is when the griddle is below 250.
 
Thanks Browning for the reply. I feel like my stove wants to operate with the coals towards the back, nearer to the secondary burn chamber in the rear (I realize that you have cat vs. my non-cat though). Does anyone use the "rake the coals forward" technique in these larger stoves? What's worked well? I'm fine with using smaller loads, but haven't really figured out how to actually position the coals/load more wood to take advantage of the true size of the stove. Perhaps there isn't one, and that's fine. I know the newer VCs are finicky.
 
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