How many first posts say, "I really wish I'd visited here before I got my new stove!"?

[Louise]

I had a VC catalytic Encore for 3 years - foolishly overfired it so the fireback and damper assembly warped badly and, when I replaced the cat combuster, I had to replace them also because I couldn't get them back in place. I ordered new parts, got them, then the guy who was going to rebuild the stove said it needed something else and was going to be a major pain to rebuild (and expensive), and wouldn't I just love to adopt a new VC Everburn that another customer had only used once, and then I wouldn't have to worry about the cat combuster, and I'd have a new stove for the price of used, etc. etc.

So, now I have a VC Everburn - and I have to build up the ash level in the firebox so that it clogs the airways to the secondary burn chamber, because I have the problem that I now find out many others have with the Everburn. The first time it happened, I brought the stove slowly up to the recommended temperature, kept it there for 15 minutes or so, closed the damper and turned down the thermostat so it was almost closed. An hour later I woke up and the surface temp on the stove was up to 700. I flipped out, but the house didn't burn down. I now keep a pail of ashes next to the stove so I can smother the coals if necessary.

When I told my stove guy about this, he didn't seem alarmed at all - he said, essentially, what's the big deal? This makes me reluctant to call him now, but I want to do something about this. Since it's a relatively new stove, it shouldn't need re-gasketing yet, and I can tell some places the gasket is still good - I'm not sure about all of it.

I'm going to start pulling my hair out. It took me a lot of effort to find someone capable of rebuilding my original VC, and then he kept putting it off because he didn't really want to do it (who wouldn't rather play with a new stove than fix a boring old one?), and I was an idiot and went along with his new lamps for old scheme, and it's a fire hazard and I'm sick of trying to find someone both competent AND trustworthy to work on my woodstoves! GRRRRRR! And the worst of it all is that I was trying really hard to make good decisions and it keeps getting worse because I'm an idiot when it comes to dealing with repair people!!

Sorry, vent over, now I'll go back and reread the VC Everburn problem thread. What I'd really like is to go all the way back and build an earth-sheltered house with a geothermal, in-floor heating system and a wood stove that I would choose only after reading this entire site.

 

[awoodman]

How many here got their first stove before their was Internet??????????

 

[Louise]

Well, my ex still has our first stove, which we got in 1983 - a VC, but I don't remember if it was a Vigilant or a Reliant (I think it was the latter). Does that count as pre-internet?

 

[BrotherBart]

I think when I got my first stove we were still using smoke signals and drums. :coolsmile:

 

[Todd]

Keep visiting this site and it will cost you. I'm on my 3rd stove plus all the other dodads that go along with it. :shut:

 

[BrotherBart]

Keep visiting this site and it will cost you. I'm on my 3rd stove plus all the other dodads that go along with it. :shut:

No kidding. I thought I was happy and safe all those years and wandered in here one night. Thousands of dollars and a bunch of man hours later I don't know if I am happy and/or safe. >:-(

Now people ask me if I have anu hobbies and I reply "Heating my house.".

 

[SolarAndWood]

I had a VC catalytic Encore for 3 years - foolishly overfired it so the fireback and damper assembly warped badly

and a wood stove that I would choose only after reading this entire site.

Don't be so hard on yourself...I warped 2 VC Encores before figuring out that just because a company has been making stoves for a long time and has a great brand name doesn't mean that their stove is right for me. And I don't have lack of internet to blame.

 

[rowerwet]

I found this site a few weeks after ordering my stove, it helped to read what others had to say about how to set up, get fuel, and run my stove. My family had a wood stove (tempwood) when I was a kid ('78-'85), and I was the wood getter so that is pre-PC or internet to me. My dad was a charter subscriber to shelter magazine, which was how you learned before sites like this I guess.

 

[Slow1]

I don't know as it was my first post, but I sure feel that way. If only I had found this site sooner... the money I might have saved. Then again, I would have had to read up on things closely and frankly I know the frame mind I was in at the time - I wanted a stove installed and was in a hurry to get it done. That probably clouded my judgement as much as anything and is likely why I didn't even look for a site like this until after it was installed. Live and learn... to recognize your mistakes.

I can totally relate to your VC everburn problems. Been there, done that. All I can say is think hard about your priorities and you may find that a new stove is worth the cost even if it does seem like a lot of up front expense. Confidence is worth a lot - nobody should have to keep a bucket of anything near their stove "just in case" (or as in my case a piece of foil to cover the OAK adapter input). Losing sleep for fear of the stove overfiring because you happen to put in some really good wood is crazy. We should have control of the fire in our homes at all times or something is wrong. Ok, off the soapbox

Anyway - this is a valuable site even if it does lead to many hours of obsessive behavior.

 

[Hanko]

I had a VC catalytic Encore for 3 years - foolishly overfired it so the fireback and damper assembly warped badly and, when I replaced the cat combuster, I had to replace them also because I couldn't get them back in place. I ordered new parts, got them, then the guy who was going to rebuild the stove said it needed something else and was going to be a major pain to rebuild (and expensive), and wouldn't I just love to adopt a new VC Everburn that another customer had only used once, and then I wouldn't have to worry about the cat combuster, and I'd have a new stove for the price of used, etc. etc.

So, now I have a VC Everburn - and I have to build up the ash level in the firebox so that it clogs the airways to the secondary burn chamber, because I have the problem that I now find out many others have with the Everburn. The first time it happened, I brought the stove slowly up to the recommended temperature, kept it there for 15 minutes or so, closed the damper and turned down the thermostat so it was almost closed. An hour later I woke up and the surface temp on the stove was up to 700. I flipped out, but the house didn't burn down. I now keep a pail of ashes next to the stove so I can smother the coals if necessary.

When I told my stove guy about this, he didn't seem alarmed at all - he said, essentially, what's the big deal? This makes me reluctant to call him now, but I want to do something about this. Since it's a relatively new stove, it shouldn't need re-gasketing yet, and I can tell some places the gasket is still good - I'm not sure about all of it.

I'm going to start pulling my hair out. It took me a lot of effort to find someone capable of rebuilding my original VC, and then he kept putting it off because he didn't really want to do it (who wouldn't rather play with a new stove than fix a boring old one?), and I was an idiot and went along with his new lamps for old scheme, and it's a fire hazard and I'm sick of trying to find someone both competent AND trustworthy to work on my woodstoves! GRRRRRR! And the worst of it all is that I was trying really hard to make good decisions and it keeps getting worse because I'm an idiot when it comes to dealing with repair people!!

Sorry, vent over, now I'll go back and reread the VC Everburn problem thread. What I'd really like is to go all the way back and build an earth-sheltered house with a geothermal, in-floor heating system and a wood stove that I would choose only after reading this entire site.

Have you ever removed the top of the stove and with a long skinny vaccum cleaned out the chambers on the back. If they become clogged, which they will a couple times a year it will cause issues as you are refering to.

 

[weatherguy]

I visited this site BEFORE I bought my stove, damn glad I did too, thanks to everyone for sharing.

 

[Jags]

After I selected my stove, had it installed and burned for a couple of years, I realized that I had done everything PERFECT. I made the decision that I must SHARE this talent with the rest of the world. So I joined this site. :lol: :lol: ;-P

 

[WoodMann]

Worry to hear of yer overfiring troubles. Not to hose down anyone's parade, but the stove I got came with the house; and yes- at the time I didn't know the difference between a smoke dragon, and EPA unit or a CAT stove, at the time I wuldda taken anything. FOrtunately the stove is an EPA unit and I coundlnt be happier. I came to this site for burning tips and how to cut efficiently.............

 

[Louise]

Thanks very much to all of you for the sympathy and suggestions! Not to mention the laughs... You're a funny bunch. ;o)

 

[efoyt]

The VC everburn takes some getting used to, but after you have used it for awhile i think you may like it.

some ideas

- let the ash tray fill up and just scoop the ash out of the stove before each use. if it is getting air somewhere it is prob the ash tray door that is doing it

- the wood you put in effects temp a lot. i use large pieces at night it will burn slower ,ash, oak, mapple, are good woods to use if your going to pack your stove for the night.

- after you get the everburn going turn your stove right down, give it just enouph air to keep the everburn going.

good luck

 

[Louise]

Thanks, Rex! I'll try that. I also need to try the suggestion to block the air intake (sorry, the terminology is escaping me). I keep wondering if there's some place it's drawing air through (that it's not supposed to!) that I could fix by regasketing or something. You think the ash drawer is the likeliest place? I also need to seal where the chimney pipe joins the stove - stove guy didn't cement that because he finds it easier to clean his stove and chimney that way.

I have a 2 story straight run of stovepipe up to a 45-60 degree bend, then straight up again. can we spell "whooosh!"? ;o)

 

[Wet1]

Do the dollar bill test around the ash door and main door, you might be leaking air. Clean the rear chamber(s) well. Get that chimney/pipe sealed. If you have excessive draft, add a flue damper, they're cheap.

 

[Louise]

Dollar bill test? Is that trying to slide a dollar bill through, or seeing if the stove sucks enough air to make a dollar bill stick to it? ;o)

 

[toejam]

I always research before i make any purchase. I wanted a pellet stove for the longest time. We recently moved into a much larger house with plenty of free firewood on the property and now I will soon take ownership of a wood stove. I found a nice deal on a new blaze king parlor. I read through many posts here before making my decision.


I only wish there were a vendor forums here so we could get answers from the people who build these stoves.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Dollar bill test? Is that trying to slide a dollar bill through, or seeing if the stove sucks enough air to make a dollar bill stick to it? ;o)

It means that if you burn a single dollar bill in your stove, and it doesn't heat up the room, your stove is broken. Or something.

 

[Louise]

Wow - who knew money could be used so efficiently? Hey, CitiBank! ;o)

 

[CarbonNeutral]

I always research before i make any purchase. I wanted a pellet stove for the longest time. We recently moved into a much larger house with plenty of free firewood on the property and now I will soon take ownership of a wood stove. I found a nice deal on a new blaze king parlor. I read through many posts here before making my decision.


I only wish there were a vendor forums here so we could get answers from the people who build these stoves.

You would think that any vendor worth their salt would be closely following these forums, chiming in where appropriate, taking notes so that they can sell more stoves... but alas, most marketing departments are just not doing what they should...