Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove, ever heard of it?

Hello all, downstairs in my basement i have a Vermont Castings Defiant stove. It is not used and has been there since i bought the house. It was hooked to the same chimney as the furnace (as it was in the old days). The tag says safety inspection was 1980. It is a beast 8" flue and HUGE firebox. It has automatic draft control with the little flipper hooked to a a small piece of wire rope that closes as the stove temp increases. Neighbor says it used to heat the entire house no problem, and i dont doubt it! Anyone still running this jewel!!??

Yes, there are a few that run an old Defiant. I run a Vigilant which is a little smaller than the Defiant.

Thanks for the info guys! I figured id post it here since i dont know much about it. I do however need to get it out of the basement. I was thinking scraping it out, it does need some work.

Defiant heats my house in Northern N.H., sees 4-5 cords per year. I usually avoid cliches like the plague, but they don't make 'em like that anymore!

It's worth "a hundred or two" to me, and depending on where you are, I may come fetch it.

I may craiglist it i suppose that may be a good idea... would be nice to see someone put it too good use than to melt it down. As they dont make em' like they used too!

defiant3, I live in southern york county in maine. About 20 mins from Rochester NH.

Open the front doors and look at the fireback ,it should have a pattern cast in it with a date. If is flat from side to side with no cracks, the stove is worth a lot more than if the fireback is warped and cracked. If the fireback has a seam running side to side then its a two price fire back which is also worth more (if not warped or cracked). Depdending upon condition of stove, they get from $100 to $400. Given the increase in oil prices, I expect the prices may be on the high end later in the summer. If the fireback is damaged, expect a lot of "tire kickers" as they will come to llok a the stove and then decide they dont want it as the fireback is gone.

If no cracks and in good shape that stove should fetch $500 bucks or so easily. Oil is way up, tax credit is much less now, both those things will up the value on used stoves. If the fireback is cracked, $100 is a fair price.

I am in the portsmouth nh area.....if the stove is in good shape PM me ...Iam interested. Thanks

Ah, the stove I grew up with- was actually in my bedroom (the old family room) after my parents put an addition on the house. Needless to say, i was always warm when i went to bed. It is still heating my parents house after 31 years.

I am about to go feed the old Defiant right now. This is a great stove and worth rebuilding to use. Throws enough to heat my house, a cape.

I am happy to see this post! I am currently negotiating on a Defiant made in 1980 or 1981 (should be confirmed soon). The price listed is $500. I will check for cracking and warping when I check it out. Is there anything else I should check on?

However, I am concerned that it will not work in my home without some serious changes and have not been able to find a manual to check the specs. I am currently running a Breckwell Big E Pellet Stove into a round 6" clay lined flue. The entry point is surrounded by plaster and I'm using a Durock/cinderblock/Durock hearth (not the prettiest, I know). This installation is up to code for a pellet stove but I am concerned it isn't for a cast iron wood stove. What will I need to do to make sure the installation is up to code? I have a 1800 sqft two story farm house built in 1912.

All input is welcome!

Ok, the seller sent me pictures of the fireback. Looks okay. It's from 1975. My liner is 6 inch. I don't have a thimble. The liner comes right out to the wall. I can't just go from 8 inches to 6 inches using an adapter?

Yes, but it's a poor idea. A very poor idea, indeed.

Unless you have an exceptional flue configuration, you most likely will be posting in a month or so, about all the problems you are having getting the stove to start drawing and wondering why the stove goes out when you engage the secondary damper. With a 6" flue you really need to look for a smaller stove like a vigilant or resolute.

If you insist on buying the defiant, very dry wood (kiln dried or split and under cover for a year minimum (2 if you are burning oak) or possibly bio bricks may limit issues.

Neither Defiant nor Vigilant are supposed to be vented with 6". An Encore can be converted to 6" with an optional flue adaptor. I'd pass on the Defiant for $500 anyway, regardless of the very probable flue issue!

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I'll keep looking for another stove better suited for my application.