Will get it's first feeding of the year this weekend. It's all decked out with new gaskets and a vacuumed out back chamber. Rockin' that 1977 technology.
littlalex said:Digging it -- doing first real burn with the same beast. This year much better prepared than last year when I did intermittent fires. This year will do all wood when it's freezing and lower.
Wood all set, my knowledge much better from hanging here and my own screw-ups. Actually cleaned the stove for real this year and unlike last season getting horizontal burns and have more control of the old girl.
Stove still too big for this space so I have a door cracked open and a small 9" fan on the floor kind of deflecting some of he blast from giving me an indoor sunburn.
Enjoy the warmth, colder weather on the way.
Littlalex
Remkel said:BB- as with women, I was very happy with the new stove until the old stove came around again (in your post) and I began thinking "Wow, she looks great, what was I thinking". Enjoy the old girl, I had many years of great warmth around the VC Defiant and Vigilant....and although I still sometimes second guess myself, I always come to the realization "Well, they took the other stove away, too late now".
Battenkiller said:Just fired mine up for the first time last week. I got real sad because I wanted one of these beauties for about 30 years and only finaly one in near-mint condition just two years ago. I'm sad because I already agreed to sell it to the landlord when we leave here. Some cow hand is not only getting my house, he also gets to use my gal to stay warm at night. I meant the Vig, not Lady BK. :shut:
I have her dialed in good by now. Even with the poor natural draft this time of year, I get that flue temp up to 600º in no time and she draws real nice and throws out some serious heat with that 12 month-old black birch. Let her run for about half an hour with the bypass open, fill her up, char the load for about 10 minutes and shut her down and she goes right into secondary mode, with flue temps stable in the 400º range.
I'll eventually discover the joys of a cleaner and more efficient stove, but these things were the best to be had in their day. Burn 'em hot and they burn smoke-free, and the heat? Well, all I can say is we've never been warmer in the last 21 years than we've been in the two years we've had this stove.
BrowningBAR said:Will get it's first feeding of the year this weekend. It's all decked out with new gaskets and a vacuumed out back chamber. Rockin' that 1977 technology.
Kenster said:BrowningBAR said:Will get it's first feeding of the year this weekend. It's all decked out with new gaskets and a vacuumed out back chamber. Rockin' that 1977 technology.
BrowningBAR, did you also replace the gasket in the back where that 45 degree angle connector fits to the back of the stove? That connector is oval shaped on top. I need to replace the gasket where that piece fits against the back of the stove. Not sure what size gasket I need.
I only noticed it last winter with a fire raging in a pitch dark room and I could see light coming out there.
Thanks!
Ken
Kenster said:I'm not sure there is any gasket material at all in there anymore. Other than the griddle gasket that I replaced last year, I doubt there has ever been any gaskets or caulking replaced since it was new in 1985. We've only been here about five years.
BrowningBAR said:Kenster said:I'm not sure there is any gasket material at all in there anymore. Other than the griddle gasket that I replaced last year, I doubt there has ever been any gaskets or caulking replaced since it was new in 1985. We've only been here about five years.
You should get a flashlight into the firebox and see if any light shines through. If it does, break out the furnace cement. Also, while you have the flue collar off, get a shop-vac hose down the back chamber and suck out all the ash build up (you'll need to close the damper to reach the area).
Kenster said:BrowningBAR said:Kenster said:I'm not sure there is any gasket material at all in there anymore. Other than the griddle gasket that I replaced last year, I doubt there has ever been any gaskets or caulking replaced since it was new in 1985. We've only been here about five years.
You should get a flashlight into the firebox and see if any light shines through. If it does, break out the furnace cement. Also, while you have the flue collar off, get a shop-vac hose down the back chamber and suck out all the ash build up (you'll need to close the damper to reach the area).
I've done the light leak test. The only leak is at the aforementioned 45 degree connector on back of the stove.
The stove was professionally cleaned just prior to last burning season and I've kept it raked out with a sawed off yard stick, which fits perfectly back there through the back right opening (for horizontal burn.) However, I'd definitely clean it out once I had it opened up.
Any particular tips on disconnecting from the flue?
Remkel said:Kenster said:BrowningBAR said:Kenster said:I'm not sure there is any gasket material at all in there anymore. Other than the griddle gasket that I replaced last year, I doubt there has ever been any gaskets or caulking replaced since it was new in 1985. We've only been here about five years.
You should get a flashlight into the firebox and see if any light shines through. If it does, break out the furnace cement. Also, while you have the flue collar off, get a shop-vac hose down the back chamber and suck out all the ash build up (you'll need to close the damper to reach the area).
I've done the light leak test. The only leak is at the aforementioned 45 degree connector on back of the stove.
The stove was professionally cleaned just prior to last burning season and I've kept it raked out with a sawed off yard stick, which fits perfectly back there through the back right opening (for horizontal burn.) However, I'd definitely clean it out once I had it opened up.
Any particular tips on disconnecting from the flue?
Watch those screws, especially if you think they have never come out. They can be a bi---!
Good luck!
BrowningBAR said:Remkel said:Kenster said:BrowningBAR said:Kenster said:I'm not sure there is any gasket material at all in there anymore. Other than the griddle gasket that I replaced last year, I doubt there has ever been any gaskets or caulking replaced since it was new in 1985. We've only been here about five years.
You should get a flashlight into the firebox and see if any light shines through. If it does, break out the furnace cement. Also, while you have the flue collar off, get a shop-vac hose down the back chamber and suck out all the ash build up (you'll need to close the damper to reach the area).
I've done the light leak test. The only leak is at the aforementioned 45 degree connector on back of the stove.
The stove was professionally cleaned just prior to last burning season and I've kept it raked out with a sawed off yard stick, which fits perfectly back there through the back right opening (for horizontal burn.) However, I'd definitely clean it out once I had it opened up.
Any particular tips on disconnecting from the flue?
Watch those screws, especially if you think they have never come out. They can be a bi---!
Good luck!
I would take Remkel's advice as it sounds like he's talking from experience. For me, the screws unscrewed easily. My setup is a top vent which meant I disconnected the flue collar, thenI disconnected the first section of single wall pipe, and removed the collar with pipe as one piece.
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