Vermont Castings Merrimack

I have had my Merrimack for about 14 mos. Has been working great and we love it. Last nite the blower stopped working. The intake was really clogged and we unclogged it and it still doesn't work. The manufacturer never said anything about cleaning the intake in the owners manual. We ordered a new blower fan, it will take 2-4 weeks to arrive. Has anyone replaced one themselves? How hard is it? I tried taking off the lower grate to get to the fan motor, but the screws are in so tight and I don't want to strip them. Has anyone had this issue before?

Hi Blackdog,

I'm sure you already replaced your blower/fans.
Those two phillips head screws (behind each magnetic door) that hold on the lower grate do come from the factory fairly tight.

For others.....make sure you use a good sized Phillips screwdriver to fit the head properly.
Stripping those heads is not an option and would really stink.

I take my lower grate off every month or so to give the fans a good vacuum cleaning.

Other than that...the blower assembly is simple to remove/replace.

how is everyone dealing with fan noise these days??? i know it used to be a problems a few years back but i can't seem to find any info about current fans...if there was a fix..or if it's still a problem. i'm down to either a VS Merrimack or a Jotul C550 for our new house...and i've got to make a decision by April 29th when we close on the house.

i'm still torn...love both stoves...but that fan noise would drive me nuts if it's as loud as everyone says it is.

Riggs,
Hi, welcome to the forum. We had a Merrimack installed about a month and a half ago and love it. The fan is a variable speed fan and is quiet even when turned up 3/4 to top speed (we usually run it at about 1/3-1/2 speed and it really throws the heat). The view to the fire is huge and beautiful. In the first month we saved a little over $300 off our heating bill and we loved the nice dry heat. Since we started using the stove we have stopped using our open fireplace. I'm sure either stove will be a great investment for you and give you great warmth for years.
Mike

The Jotul 550 and Merrimack were my two final choices. I liked the look of the Jotul better, but the Merrimack won for 3 reasons.
1. The mantel clearances were shorter for the Merrimack since it protrudes a bit. Otherwise, I would have had to redo my mantel if I went with the Jotul.
2. The firebox on the Merrimack allows you to load East/West and North/South. North/South loading is a big bonus imho.
3. The Merrimack is bigger and can hold more wood. Bigger is better in my opinion.

My Merrimack had a March 2012 date on it. I don't know if VC ever did anything to quiet the fans or not.
I did not have the LOUD fans that others have mentioned, but I would get a vibration from them when the stove got real hot.
In my case, it was a very easy fix. I just added some door gasket under the blower assembly and some insulation tucked in to some other metal on metal locations.
I typically keep my fans on full blast and you can definitely hear them, but the stove room is also our TV/family room and it's fine.
If I put the fans on 50% or lower, they are dang near silent.....especially with the TV on.

Here's what I did to eliminate the vibration that would happen occasionally at high stove temps.

Thanks dsheehan, awesome review. Sort of what I was looking for. What sort of warranty does the merrimack come with? Parts and service or just parts? Also...if you dont mind my asking...what did you pay for the unit?

The warranty info is on the last page of the manual.
http://literature.mhsc.com/vermont_castings/manuals/30004671_Merrimack_6.pdf

I paid $4600 installed. $280 of that was tax. So, just over $4300.
Stainless liner, cap, damper blockoff plate, electrical outlet install inside fireplace firebox.

I bought mine in December though. You can most likely do better now.

just some info about the Merrimack i figured i'd share....since i've been tearing up the net searching for reviews.

ok so i just spoke with a local store owner in my area that has a very solid reputation...and she carries VC, Jotul, Avalon, Mendota and a few other manufacturers...and i figured i'd share our conversation and what she told me and why i've decided to go with the Jotul C550 over the VC Merrimack. now keep in mind...she sells both and services both..and has been a VC dealer for over 25 years. when i asked her about her thoughts between the two models..she said hands down go with the Jotul...and her biggest concern was customer service and parts/maintanance. she said for every replacement part she orders for the Jotul stoves...she orders between 8-10 parts for VC. she noted that Monesson just isn't using quality parts inside the stoves anymore to control costs. she did confirm that the castings are still made in Vermont...but that the parts are low dollar cost efficient and just not holding up very long and maintanance is costly on the VC units. she mentioned she was really sad about the whole thing because VC is the company she got started with and without them..she noted that her company would NOT be what it is today. she also mentioned that a lot of the time they had to go above and beyond to service customers when VC would not help...and they did this to keep the customer and do the right thing even though VC would not step in. she noted that the customer service and warrenty behind the Jotul stoves is top notch and that they just make as really solid stove and she's had great success with them.

so that's the story that pulled everything together for me. she did say she's had a handful of customers that have Merrimacks and other VC stoves/inserts and that they have ZERO problems and are thrilled with the stove. but unfortunately...it's a small percentage of her VC customers that are happy. it seems if you end up needing any support....that's when things get hairy.

hope this helps...

riggs

Hi Riggs,

That could all be true....or she was simply trying to sell the Jotul 550 she had in stock in the back room.

Either way, good luck with it.

Possibly...but I have to order the Jotul...she had 2 Merrimacks in inventory and one on the floor :/

I'm definetely not trying to piss in anyone's Cheerios...and I know there are some very happy VC owners out there...a few of which are my best friends. There is just an odd trend im seeing, which is people steering clear of VC becuase of customer service and shoddy manufacturing of internal parts...it's just popping up all the time... And that many people cannot ALL be wrong.

The Jotul is a great looking east/west stove.
Good luck with it!

you have no idea how badly i wanted that merrimack for the reason of the big firebox and just being able to shove a huge pile of wood into it just totally terrified of bad service...with my luck..i'd be the guy who has problems

i had also looked at the hearthstone Clydsdale...just because it's such a huge firebox...guess the 550 will have to do.

You should send the diagram to the manufacturer along with a invoice for consulting services.