VC defiant Damper issues

[Crabbypatty]

So mom and dad called me last night. Aparrently the damper fell into their '77 VC defiant. I told them to shut the thermostat down and starve the air so she wouldn't overheat, and that worked fine. now I have to go over and take a look at it for them and see if i can repair it. Anyone have this happen before? What do you think i am gonna find? How does the damper attach to the stove? I am thinking it may be broke in half, but i gotta get over there and see.

 

[DAKSY]

Without any pix, it's hard to diagnose, but I think you'll find that it's probably
time for a replacement. There may still be repair parts available, but when
you start to add up the numbers, & with the tax incentive available, it may
make more sense to upgrade to an EPA CB stove.
My $.02 (USD)

 

[peakbagger]

If you download an exploded parts drawing from any of the VC parts companies on the web, there isnt much to the damper, bascially a cast plate with a pin cast in on two of the corners. One of the pins pivots in a cast hole in the stove , the other pin sticks out through the exterior of the stove where the damper lever attaches. If you are really lucky, the screw on the damper handle loosened up and the damper fell down in bypass mode (damper handle horizontal). Then all you need to do is tighten the screw. When the damper handle is rotated up into bypass mode, it is sticking straight up, it it encounters any resistance it will not go full upright and will fall back down to bypass.

If you need to replace the damper, due to total failure or one of the pins broken off, the stove needs to be taken mostly apart and resealed. This is just about 1/2 way to a full rebuild, which if you have all the parts and the right tools is about an 8 hour event with instructions. By the way its a messy project.

Be aware that the chances of loosening up the four tie rods and salvaging them are pretty poor, so avoid taking the top off if at all possible (work through the flue opening and the front doors. By the way, the stove really should be cleaned once per year to remove ash buildup behind the fireback, odds are if it hasnt been cleaned, the fireback is warped/cracked which will need to be replaced and that definitely makes it time for a new stove. If they run the stove most of the time with the stove not in bypass, you could probably remove the pieces of the damper and run it like a conventional stove until it can be replaced. I have seen several people who run old defiants not worth the repair that way, which is basically about as efficient as an old frankin type stove.

 

[Fsappo]

Things could have changed the damper angle if the fireback warped. Bring The stove to NY with the new parts. I can rebuild that puppy in 5 hours and it will look like a new stove.

It is a long and messy job to replace the damper. One thing you can look at though:
The damper is a cast plate that leans up against the cast top of the stove. If there is a lot of creosote built up on the underside of the top, it could be keeping the damper from going into the full closed position, thereby altering the balance point. You'll probably have to inspect this thru the flue exit on the stove.

 

[fraxinus]

As peakbagger wrote, about the only way for the damper to fall into the stove is if one of the pivot pins actually broke. This is not at all likely as there is not a lot of stress on these. What can and does fall, although not frequently, is the removable cast iron plate that fits between the fireback and rear casting. The edge of the damper rests against this plate when the damper is closed - damper handle pointing down. Creosote and/or ash buildup can cause the damper to move this plate enough so that it falls down between the fireback and rear casting. You can retrieve it and put it back in place with a lot of patience and bad words - it's a fussy job. If it is the actual damper pin(s) broken, I'd agree it's probably time for a new stove or a complete rebuild.

 

[Valhalla]

Crabby,

Give us a status report when you get a chance.

I burned a '80 Defiant for over 20 years downstate and
loved it. Even though the repair may be simple or complex,
it may be time for a new stove for your parents.

The Defiant was great in it's day. Really loved it!

In my opinion, Jotul now makes a superior stove.

 

[Crabbypatty]

Allright i inspested the damage today. the right inner wall, where the right side of the damper pins into is cracked at the base near the back of the stove. this shifted and allowed the damper to fall. the fireback is warped and my father handed me another piece of cast iron he bought to replace, i assume it goes near the bypass chamber, it is aproxamately the same as the depth of the stove. He couldn't get it in place, I assume because the stove needs to be dissasemled. Looks like major surgery or scrap it. I hate to throw the baby out with the bathwater but it may be more work than i want to take on. and more than he may want to spend. That baby put out her share of BTU's! They don't make em like that anymore for sure.

 

[Battenkiller]

If you have all the parts, it will at least be fun to rebuild it. I re-built my old stove after a buddy gave it to me, and I was pretty proud of how good it came out. Used it for another 18 years after that.


My local stove shop printed out two copies of the original operator's manual for my used Vigilant along with schematics and a complete set of instructions for re-building it and just handed them to me for free. They said VC actually expected you would re-build your own stove every five years or so. The repair guy there said that if I want to re-build my Vigilant at some point, he would help me get all the parts and talk me through the entire operation for free. He feels that a good stove should last a lifetime with periodic re-builds - a pretty cool philosophy AFAIC. I'll bet they'd even do that for you if you called them. Or the good folks here I'm sure would help you.

 

[Crabbypatty]

Update. My father found a guy who works for himself in the business. He inspested the stove and determined the seals are all good. he said he was surprised, normally they need a total rebuild. He is going to repace the fireback and the other parts inside that are broken or warped, for a fair price imho. It should be good for another 30 years or so

Thanks all for your comments and help

 

[Battenkiller]

Fantastic! Another great classic stove lives to eat wood and breathe fire once again.

I've been wanting a VC for almost 30 years and I finally got my wish this year. Wonderful heater IMHO. Finally, we are warm all the time.