Is this broken?

[samhandwich]

My wood stove was made in 1981 and I just inherited it a couple months ago, so I'm not sure if this is a feature or a bug: The handle of my damper kinda flops down and won't stay up, so when I open the stove door it gets in the way of closing it. Probably much easier to understand visually, so here's a video:

Video

The damper also slides closed with the merest bump, which can be inconvenient when I'm adding wood and it causes smoke to start billowing into the room.

Help? Thanks!

 

[Shari]

Doesn't look right.

With the handle 'up', is there a set-screw underneath it to tighten it?

 

[Fsappo]

Ive seen a lot of stoves, but I dont any idea what the heck that one is. Any idea what the brand/model stove that is?

 

[samhandwich]

Good thought, but I don't think so. I do see a spring in there which doesn't seem particularly replaceable.









You can click on those to embigify them. By the way, I just about burned my face off taking those pictures. I guess this is one of those times that patience would come in handy?

 

[Fsappo]

If that sucker us just to pull the damper in and out with, I wouldnt geek out over it. Just yank on it when needed. If by being in the proper position it serves a different purpose, like locking a damper or keeping a door shut, than maybe...

 

[samhandwich]

It's a Vermont Stove Company "The Shelburne," made in Shelburne, VT. I believe this was a company that knocked off Vermont Castings (down to the name, apparently), and didn't do a particularly great job of it.

 

[samhandwich]

It has a full and half open position, and a closed position. I usually leave it at half when the stove is going good. The problem comes when I pull the damper all the way open to add wood (to get less smoke coming in), and then it flops down preventing me from closing the door without awkwardly lifting it up and closing the door under it (not much clearance, so my fireglove can get in the way if I'm not precise. Even worse is when the damper decides to slide itself closed while I'm adding wood and smoke starts coming out and now I have to finish getting the wood in securely, pull the damper out, lift the handle up and close the door as quickly as possible. I can (and do) do it, but if I could improve the process it would be nice.

 

[Shari]

Guess: Your spring hath sprung (lost its tempur).

Looks like a 'press fitting'....

Anyone know if there are replacement parts?

Slip some small washers in there by the spring to artificially create spring pressure, maybe? Disclaimer: I have no idea what I'm talking about!

 

[Shari]

BTW That video really explains the problem.

 

[Heem]

To me anyway, just from the video, it looks like that is there to prevent you from opening the door with the damper closed down. If you can just remember not to do that.. why not just bust the thing off and replace it with one of the spring handles that you see on some stoves. I'm sure you can find one that fits at a stove shop or even a hardware store.

 

[humpin iron]

Time to put that puppy out to pasture...........................

 

[samhandwich]

Ok! Wanna buy me a new one?

 

[raybonz]

I am wondering if there is a spring on the rod inside the stove between the stove body and a stop on the rod that you can't see that has collapsed or is broken.. This would apply tension to the latch mechanism to keep in position so you would have to pull on the latch a bit to change positions... Make any sense? Hard to explain what I am thinking in English..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

Not sure if this is your stove http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4465055.pdf

Seems like a pretty cool stove..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/2411/

This may be helpful..

Ray

 

[samhandwich]

Ayup, that's the one.

Thanks for posting that thread too. It's really helped me clarify and expand upon what I don't like about the stove, plus I've been searching for another $1000 thing that I can add to my list of stuff I want.

Thanks really though.

 

[mnowaczyk]

Hey fellas. Sure the VSC Shelburne isn't the greatest insert in the world, but I'm standing by mine. I noticed our oil tank was down to 1/8th a tank on Christmas Eve (Doh!) and then we got snow over the holiday weekend, and couldn't get oil delivered until Tuesday. The stove kept us warm from Friday to Tuesday with our nice and dry wood from last year.

As for the handle, yes, there's a spring to create friction on the right side of the pin, pressing the left side of the handle up against the rod. If you can't get the pin out without breaking it, just use a skinny nut and bolt with a new spring on it. That's a lot less expensive than a new stove.

With how much folks bash these VSC Shelburnes, you could do like I did and pick up a parts stove next to nothing.

I've got a parts VSC Shelburne in my garage, so I'm married to this unit. Life is good.

(Glad to hear the fella that bought my Vermont Castings Fireplace Insert 0044/0046 over the summer was able to fix the broken second fan and tune that baby up.)

 

[RNLA]

I do not mean to be sarcastic but who wants to have an extra wood stove around? This question will probably generate death threats but so what! Just save up some money and get a new unit as soon as you can, lots of old stoves are not EPA certified and hog wood. The parts stove idea will work for a while but it is probably worth more in scrap money right now than you could find one on CL or anywhere else.

 

[mnowaczyk]

I do not mean to be sarcastic but who wants to have an extra wood stove around? This question will probably generate death threats but so what! Just save up some money and get a new unit as soon as you can, lots of old stoves are not EPA certified and hog wood. The parts stove idea will work for a while but it is probably worth more in scrap money right now than you could find one on CL or anywhere else.

Booo. Go green, and use things to their full potential. (Or support the economy and buy, buy, buy!)

My parts stove is under the workbench in my garage there for me if I ever smash a log through the glass door, need a fan replacement, need some extra fire bricks. Gotta love craigslist! (I'm probably not making the site sponsors too happy with my comments.)

 

[samhandwich]

Mild necessity is the mother of half-assed invention.

 

[mnowaczyk]

Nice to see there's at least one other person in the world burning in one of these inserts.

Did you manage to get a liner in yours?

I think I might have the manuals around somewhere. Let me know if you need a copy.

You've lost all your brass mesh, at least up top. Do you still have it on the piece that covers the ash pan?

Good to see you still have your universal tool.

Nice to see you use the same thermometer setup as me. I've got one on each side like you show there. I also have another cheap one that I leave attached to the right side door to gauge the temp in the middle of the stove. It's not all necessary, and I have a laser beam style from Home Depot ($30) too, but I like to know if it's hot enough. That's one thing I really like about this stove is it is such thick metal that there seems to be no chance of over firing the stove. For me, the hotter the better. Coals can build up if I don't clear the ashes.

Of course the largest design flaw in the stove is the air intake immediately below the doors, so ashes fall into the blower and blow back into your face.

Your stove must have received a lot more use that the one I use. It was only used a single season before the owner stopped using it, and sold it to me nearly 30 years later. I'm sure he was happy to get $350 for it. I bought another a few weeks later for $50, but it needed some work. I was lucky to have it though as the fan went kaput on the $350 one after just about a week of use. Parts stove to the rescue!

You planning on fixing up your stove? Or just getting rid of it? I could be the helper guy if you need some stuff here and there. Just let me know. Maybe we could exchange parts for a couple of pieces of wood next time I drive through CT.

 

[mnowaczyk]

Anyone know if there are replacement parts?

Yes. My garage, where I have a parts stove that appears in better condition than samhandwich's.

Time to put that puppy out to pasture...........................

BOOOOO! Go hump some iron... probably thin cheap iron that over fires easily.

Not sure if this is your stove http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4465055.pdf

Seems like a pretty cool stove..

Ray

Thanks RayBonz! It is a cool stove, made of super thick steel. Neither of the two I own show ANY signs of overfiring and are 30 years old. Not too shaby IMO.

Too bad that the fan is loud and the air heating intake is immediately below the doors, and ash can get sucked in there if you are not careful and/or don't turn off the fan before dumping ashes on the floor.