Vermont castings aspen

[Kdizz]

I recently replaced the top bricks in my vermont castings aspen and now the stove burns horribly! The stove was in the house when we purchased it and had only 2 bricks on top. One broke so we were burning with just one. The stove worked fine. After replacing the bricks I can't get the stove hot enough to burn properly and it is now back drafting smoke out of the back of the stove whenever the door is open. I'm thinking about just removing the bricks as it worked fine without them. Not sure if they serve an important purpose or not.

 

[Old puffer]

There are a total of 10 bricks on an VC Aspen. There should be three bricks on the top alone with three air tubes.

 

[Squisher]

I'm in the field today wresting with one of these aspens. The top bricks seem as though they cannot come out without possibly removing the top? I've got shielded single wall connecting pipe to the ceiling with no slip joints and sheilding on the walls too so it's tight in the back. No chance of cleaning up the rear flue exit plate even if I wanted to. I've got to much ice and snow to clean top down and I'd still have to sort removing the pipe to clean the stove out.

Any tips or advice are appreciated. I have looked at the manual and I read an old post on hearth.com here that said the top bricks should move out of the way but it doesn't seem like they will?

 

[defiant3]

So there are only 4 bolts that hold the top on and it is gasketed, not cemented. Might take all of 5 minutes to get it off, bout the same to reinstall. Aspen's an easy one to work on, and if there's a problem with it not burning well it's gonna be either wood not fully seasoned OR insufficient draft. Not too much can go wrong in an Aspen.

 

[Squisher]

Yah. The problem is taking apart all the pipe with no slip joint and with shielding on it so that I can then remove the top. and of course it's all filthy. So I can either clean top down which will be a pita, class A sticking up aways, with one support so not at all easy to access from above for cleaning. Or I have to remove the pipe from below and clean up. No slip joint and overlapping single wall shielding.

Seems crazy to me that this would be engineered and then installed in such a manner. I appreciate the input but I really need to suss out a solution that is going to work annually. I guess replacing some pipe, which it needs to be anyways with a slip section would be my best bet? But seriously no way to clean above the baffle without removing the top of the stove? I know that it's just four screws and a gasket.

So the problem isn't so much taking the top off. It's the cleaning and connecting pipe PITA that whoever installed it created. I just can't fathom why someone would engineer a stove that the top has to come off in order to clean above the baffle. Yah it's four screws and easy, as long as the connecting pipe isn't attached. and taking this connecting pipe off is going to be a giant PITA with risk of soot/creosote falling all over.

I do appreciate the input, I'm just frustrated with this.

 

[Squisher]

@bholler and @webby3650 curious if you guys see many of these stoves and if so if it's just SOP to remove the connecting pipe and the top for servicing?

 

[bholler]

curious if you guys see many of these stoves

nope I dont think I have ever worked on one

 

[Squisher]

Ok. Thanks for piping in.

I'll be back there tomorrow am with some gasket and even if I have to take all the shielding off and wiggle everything around a ton to get the pipe off I'll get it cleaned. And cleaned out properly.

 

[defiant3]

I totally get the frustration of a poorly thought out installation, but the advantage you have over us service guys is that you can change it. Maybe grab a 6" slip while you're out and about, maybe even switch over to double wall. Best of luck, lots of deep breaths, eh? We all feel your pain.

 

[Squisher]

Thanks. I'm sure I'll get it today. I've done it already about a 100 different ways as I slept last night. lol.

 

[webby3650]

@bholler and @webby3650 curious if you guys see many of these stoves and if so if it's just SOP to remove the connecting pipe and the top for servicing?

For some reason I never saw this post..
I work on a few Aspens. I hate them..
The top does in fact have to be removed to access the area above the baffle, and as you know, the pipe has to be removed first.

The stove is poorly designed. There is about 1" between the front of the baffle and stove front, and only 1" inch above the baffle. It's too restricted and in turn, builds creosote badly. To operate properly I think the front baffle brick needs to be cut in half. Not surprising the Ass Pen has been discontinued.