Vermont Castings Stove Questions (PICS)

[carlschmarl2]

My wife and I recently bought a house with a nice red Vermont Castings Intrepid II 2070 stove. Our primary heat comes from a propane furnace, and propane is expensive so we'd like to use the wood stove to add some supplemental heat. Upon further inspection of the stove, I found this "plate" laying in the bottom of it along with these two handle things. It appears the plate fits in a channel at the back of the stove. I have tried numerous times to get it to fit in the track and stay upright on its own. However I have no idea which side is supposed to be where and what side is up. It also appears that it's been melted some.

Questions:
1). What is correct term/name for the plate?
2). Where can I find a replacement?
3). What else should I inspect before firing this baby up for the first time this fall?
4). What are the handle things called?
5) The "fire cord/gasket" (no idea what's called) around the top and in other places is almost gone. How do I replace this?
6) We also have a nice wooden desk (can been seen to the right of the stove in the pics) that sits next to the stove, how close can we keep the desk to the stove without burning it or warping the paint?

Pictures:

 

[geoxman]

That has seen some better days. It probably needs a complete rebuild which gets VERY expensive on these stoves.
Defiant will be around and can give more extensive advice. good luck

 

[begreen]

It definitely needs work. First thing you need to do is download the manual for this stove. That will help you identify parts. The "handle" things are the front andirons. They stop logs from rolling toward the glass. I think the plate is the catalyst throat hood. Does the stove have the catalyst in it still? If so you will need to check its condition as well as a thorough inspection for other issues. Browning Bar may be able to help you out with the actual parts location and cost.

 

[argali66]

The 2 "Handles" are the Front Pieces that hold the logs back from the door.

 

[Woody Stover]

Welcome, carl.
The manual will give you the required clearance to combustibles, but it looks like you have a ways to go before you'll be concerned with that.
If you do get to that point, you'll also need to have the chimney inspected to insure that it is safe. Good luck!

 

[BrowningBAR]

1). What is correct term/name for the plate?
Looks to be part of the fireback called the Throat Hood or the upper fireback.

2). Where can I find a replacement?
I use blackswanhome.com, ebay, and a local VC Dealer

3). What else should I inspect before firing this baby up for the first time this fall?
Gaskets. Top griddle, both doors, and the fireback.

4). What are the handle things called?
Andirons. They prevent the wood from resting on the glass or falling out when you open the doors.

5) The "fire cord/gasket" (no idea what's called) around the top and in other places is almost gone. How do I replace this?
Pull out the gasket, chisel out the remaining gasket cement

6) We also have a nice wooden desk (can been seen to the right of the stove in the pics) that sits next to the stove, how close can we keep the desk to the stove without burning it or warping the paint?
I believe the side clearances are 18 or 24 inches.

You seem to need a new refractory assembly and a new catalyst.

Refractory assembly:
http://www.blackswanhome.com/product/refractory-assembly-various-models1

Catalyst:
http://www.blackswanhome.com/product/catalytic-combustor-various-models

Throat Hood:
http://www.blackswanhome.com/product/throat-hood-intrepid-ii

Upper Fireback:
http://www.blackswanhome.com/product/upper-fireback-intrepid-ii

 

[begreen]

Side clearance is a minimum of 24", though they recommend 48" from any movable items like furniture, curtains, clothes, etc..

 

[BrowningBAR]

Side clearance is a minimum of 24", though they recommend 48" from any movable items like furniture, curtains, clothes, etc..

Thanks for the clearance, Clarance.

If everything was made out of cat or dog, no one would ever have any clearance issues with stoves ever again.

 

[begreen]

Shirley you gest!

 

[BrowningBAR]

Shirley you gest!

I was being sincere. And don't call me Shirley.

 

[elmoleaf]

I answered you on the other forum you posted at.....glad you found here, as you'll get much more information and responses.
Please also have the chimney cleaned and inspected. Also, if I recall the manually correctly, unless your hearth is built on a concrete slab on grade, you'll need to get a bottom heat shield installed.
I can't tell if your fireplace is fake or a real masonry fireplace. It appears all the trim is wood and does not meet the minimum clearances from the firebox, so I'm assuming the firebox is fake/decorative? Did your home inspector comment on the stove installation? If that trim is wood, the stove appears much to close. Consult the manual for rear clearances...it looks like stove is placed to meet clearances for rear heat shield installation, but no rear heat shield present?
Get a flashlight and look up into where the stovepipe disappears above the "fireplace". Make sure it's all sealed, so heat is not exiting up a chase around the stove pipe.
Do a search on this forum for that stove model. You'll find lots of good info.

 

[carlschmarl2]

Thanks for all the replies, guys!

Initially my wife and I were going to use up what little wood was left behind by the previous owners this year, then look to replacing the stove with an insert of some sort. More than likely we’ll get a pellet insert. I was hoping you all would say the stove was GTG and that we could start using her right away without putting much money into it this year.

We have a few acres here, but not much wood to cut/burn. So either way, between wood/pellets, we'll be buying the fuel. Hopefully we’ll offset the cost of burning propane a little.

I like the stove itself, but my wife doesn't like how it sticks out of the fireplace and she calls it an "eye-sore." The ease of pellets and being able to load it up and have it burn all day have me sold on pellets.

How much do you think this stove will sell for sold as is?

Is it going to be too much of a hassle/cost effective to replace stuff only to use it for a year?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Is it going to be too much of a hassle/cost effective to replace stuff only to use it for a year?

As-is, at this time of year, $200-400, depending upon your location. The parts you need will run the new owner about $350-400.

 

[elmoleaf]

The stove would likely fetch at least $400 in New England, especially because you have two warming shelves and the enamel is in good condition. While the enamel red may be a drawback for some, you can maximum re-sale value by overpainting with flat black stove paint and reassembling the interior.
We don't know if it requires any new parts....you haven't told us if there is a combustion chamber present and its condition. The throat hood, while not pretty, is functional. At a minimum you likely needs the catalytic combustor, which runs about $120 from Firecat. With a minimal investment in gaskets, you can may still be able to burn with this stove....while not ideal, it can be operated without the catalytic combustor.
As to sticking out into the room, that helps it throw off heat without requiring any blowers like an insert and is useful if you lose power.
You might consider holding onto the stove and selling after you see if pellets/pellet stove work out ok for you.
In either case, you may have hidden costs with upgrades to that "fireplace", depending upon how your flue inspection/hearth pad/wood surround issues turn out.
Best of luck.

Oops, just noticed the front metal loop on your griddle is broken off, so there's no practical way to lift open the hot top to re-load. The griddle is steel and can be welding, or easily pulled out and replaced. But that's still more added cost.

 

[BrowningBAR]

While the enamel red may be a drawback for some, you can maximum re-sale value by overpainting with flat black stove paint and reassembling the interior.

You can not paint over enamel. The paint will not hold and will create quite a mess after the first burn.

We don't know if it requires any new parts....you haven't told us if there is a combustion chamber present and its condition. The throat hood, while not pretty, is functional. At a minimum you likely needs the catalytic combustor, which runs about $120 from Firecat. With a minimal investment in gaskets, you can may still be able to burn with this stove....while not ideal, it can be operated without the catalytic combustor.

The refractory assembly will also need to be replaced, which is another $240-280 in cost. Which means the stove will need $350-400 in parts, plus gaskets. Operating the stove without the assembly and catalyst is incredibly inefficient and worse than running a non-epa stove as the heat loss will be extreme.

Oops, just noticed the front metal loop on your griddle is broken off, so there's no practical way to lift open the hot top to re-load. The griddle is steel and can be welding, or easily pulled out and replaced. But that's still more added cost.

The griddle is cast iron and not steel. So, welding will be an issue. But, you can still use the top loading even with the broken handle. It would require the use of gloves, though.

 

[elmoleaf]

You can not paint over enamel. The paint will not hold and will create quite a mess after the first burn.

It certainly can be done, with proper preparation. I've done it with high temp flat black over the black enamel top on my own stove. That was about 4 years ago and there's been no mess or failure.
Black over red enamel would require careful preparation.

The refractory assembly will also need to be replaced, which is another $240-280 in cost. Which means the stove will need $350-400 in parts, plus gaskets. Operating the stove without the assembly and catalyst is incredibly inefficient and worse than running a non-epa stove as the heat loss will be extreme.

The OP has not mentioned if the refractory chamber is present, and if so, its condition. It is unclear from the photos if it's present.
Assuming the refractory chamber is present, operating without a catalyst or a dead catalyst essentially makes his stove function like the 1302, the original non-catalytic Intrepid. The stove may consume a bit more wood, but would still be an effective heater. If he doesn't have the refractory chamber, then such operation is less advisable.

The griddle is cast iron and not steel. So, welding will be an issue. But, you can still use the top loading even with the broken handle. It would require the use of gloves, though.

BB is correct. The ground surface always makes me think steel, but obviously the loop handle wouldn't have snapped off if it was steel. Another option is to drill the top near the broken handle and bolt on some steel that can be lifted with your poker, etc.

 

[begreen]

I don't think it will function like the 1302 if the stove is missing the catalyst. The difference is in the secondary burn path which is not present in the cat stove. Without the cat it will function like an inefficient heater .

 

[defiant3]

what part of the world is the stove in, Carl? Could be there's a stoveman nearby who could help!

 

[carlschmarl2]

Dang, guys, I miss this topic for a day and you keep helping out. This site is great!

I'll try to answer your questions...this one will be a long one.

House is located in Geauga Co, OH....just east of Cleveland...

The part of the house/room which the stove sits in is on a slab, there is no basement under it. This room is more or less the entryway from the garage. Heat shield still needed?

The previous owners left all manuals behind for most of the appliances/furnace/water heater/etc...including this stove, that's why I know what make and model it is. I've read through it, but didn't really learn much other than dimensions for installation...I need to measure the areas to make sure they are correct...I just figured whoever installed it did it right...(but you know where "assuming" things get you).

The trim around the fireplace itself is in fact wood. To me, the fireplace appears more decorative than functional. No comments were made on the stove/fireplace by the home inspector. There is metal flashing around the stove pipe and used to fill in the space around the pipe and chimney. (I'll post a few pics later). Though I don't know how well it needs to be "sealed".

I do not know if it has a cataylist. Where is it supposed to be, and what does it look like? What's the purpose of this?

I figured the gaskets would be an easy fix. I didn't realize the stove needed more work.

We had already planned on having someone come out to inspect the chimney and give it a cleaning prior to using it. Maybe I can get them to inspect the stove too. My parents heat primarily with a wood furnace which is in the basement. I've always helped them clean our chimney a few times a year. But with my new set-up, the chimney extends past our roof line a good 12'-15' taller. So I can't stand on the roof to clean it, or lean a ladder up against it...it's just a galvanized pipe. (I'll post a few pics of this later as well).

I guess my main concern at this point is, is it worth it to put money in it? Like I said, we were looking at putting in an insert (if possible) of either pellets or possibly even replacing the stove with a larger one. How much heat will this little stove give off? We don't need to heat the whole house (~2300sq/ft) but I'd at least like the downstairs/main area warm to offset the cost of running the propane. Maybe that's just wishful thinking though.

Also, for those of you guys who have your stoves inside your living areas, how much dirt, soot, smoke, etc do you get inside from burning wood? Like I said above, my parents have a furnace in teh basement. We stack wood for the winter in the basement floor to ceiling. Obviously you get bark, dirt, and bugs all over, but since it's downstairs it's no big deal. Every spring or whenever all the wood is gone, it just gets swept up. Also, there's always ash, and smoke and soot whenever you open the door to stoke the fire. How much of this is a problem when you have the stove in the living areas?

 

[Woody Stover]

We had already planned on having someone come out to inspect the chimney and give it a cleaning prior to using it. Maybe I can get them to inspect the stove too. My parents heat primarily with a wood furnace which is in the basement. I've always helped them clean our chimney a few times a year. But with my new set-up, the chimney extends past our roof line a good 12'-15' taller. So I can't stand on the roof to clean it, or lean a ladder up against it...it's just a galvanized pipe. (I'll post a few pics of this later as well).

Yes, post some pics of the flue, inside the fireplace and above the roof. That sounds like a funky setup...galvanized pipe outside, etc.

I guess my main concern at this point is, is it worth it to put money in it? Like I said, we were looking at putting in an insert (if possible) of either pellets or possibly even replacing the stove with a larger one. How much heat will this little stove give off? We don't need to heat the whole house (~2300sq/ft) but I'd at least like the downstairs/main area warm to offset the cost of running the propane. Maybe that's just wishful thinking though.

That little stove doesn't appear to give off a lot of heat. Maybe someone who's run this stove will have a better idea of its performance. If the home isn't well-insulated, it will be even harder to heat. Out of the heat sources you listed, I would choose a larger free-standing wood burner. You get more heat out of that than you would from an insert. I think pellet stoves are kinda noisy, and wouldn't be nearly as much fun to run. If you have to re-do your chimney pipe, plus a stove, it could run into some serious money unless you install the chimney yourself and find a good used stove. That never stopped me, though...
Here's a link to EPA output ratings. The Intrepid puts out even less than my Dutchwest Small Convection, according to this...
http://www.epa.gov/oecaerth/resources/publications/monitoring/caa/woodstoves/certifiedwood.pdf

Also, for those of you guys who have your stoves inside your living areas, how much dirt, soot, smoke, etc do you get inside from burning wood? Like I said above, my parents have a furnace in teh basement. We stack wood for the winter in the basement floor to ceiling. Obviously you get bark, dirt, and bugs all over, but since it's downstairs it's no big deal. Every spring or whenever all the wood is gone, it just gets swept up. Also, there's always ash, and smoke and soot whenever you open the door to stoke the fire. How much of this is a problem when you have the stove in the living areas?

I carry the wood inside in a canvas log tote so any mess is limited to the immediate stove area. I've got a little shovel and whisk broom at the stove to periodically clean up any bark chips, etc. You shouldn't have much ash flying around if you take care in removing the ashes from the stove...even less if you have an ash pan in your stove. If you have an adequate flue, at the height recommended for your stove, you should have good draft and shouldn't have any smoke spillage into the room when reloading, so no smoke smell in the house. I used to get the creosote smell in the house sometimes, but that was when I was burning wet wood and had a flue with a lot of seams and joints where condensate could leak onto the surface of the pipe. Now that I have a better liner and drier wood, no objectionable smells in the house. When it's up to temp, the stove burns so clean that there's no smoke coming out the flue, so other than a little smoke at start-up, there aren't any odors outside either. I've always liked heating with wood, and what I've learned from the folks here has made the experience all the more enjoyable.

 

[begreen]

The stove is in need of a full rebuild. It doesn't make sense to do it part way. An internal poor fit or leak can cause overheating of interior parts. Figure $375 for parts plus a couple drill bits, a tap and some replacement bolts + a weekend project. This is assuming that the bypass damper mechanism and thermostatic damper still work well. If you do a good job, with a fresh catalyst and gaskets, it could be a nice little heater again.

Whether this is worth it or not will depend on several factors including how much burning and how often. If we can get a better sense of the house layout in relationship to this stove we can help determine how good a job it will do when in good working order. It's a small, but capable stove, though there's only so much it can realistically heat. As a chill chaser and supplement it could be fine. Whether it's the best stove and location to heat the core of the house will require more information. Are there other locations, perhaps more central where a larger stove could be placed?

 

[BrowningBAR]

The stove is in need of a full rebuild. It doesn't make sense to do it part way. An internal poor fit or leak can cause overheating of interior parts. Figure $375 for parts plus a couple drill bits, a tap and some replacement bolts + a weekend project. This is assuming that the bypass damper mechanism and thermostatic damper still work well. If you do a good job, with a fresh catalyst and gaskets, it could be a nice little heater again.

Agreed. I would actually put the parts at about $450 if the stove also needs a new fireback and throat hood. Definitely will need a new throat hood.

 

[begreen]

You would have a more accurate accounting for sure. I just added up all black swan's prices you listed and then added $25 for gaskets. Add tax and shipping and it will be over $400 I would guess.

 

[BrowningBAR]

You would have a more accurate accounting for sure. I just added up all black swan's prices you listed and then added $25 for gaskets. Add tax and shipping and it will be over $400 I would guess.

You're right. I was adding $240 for the refactory assembly which is the cost for the Encore/Defiant.

 

[carlschmarl2]

I sincerely hope no one is using dial-up/56k because of all the pictures...

Chimney Pipe Extends above roof

Room is built on a slab and is part of the garage (right side of pic)

This is looking up. It appears to me that it's well sealed:

I assume this is a "fake" fireplace due to the tiling

Rear of inside:

Catalyst: Is it still good?