So my dad bought a Vermont Castings Vigilant for her house. First of all the it was shipped across the country, and was not at all in the condition described. The thermostatic damper spring is broken, the flap that attaches to the thermostatic spring is homemade (poorly) and catches sometimes not allowing it to close all the way, the pin the the flap is on is a piece of copper, bent into place since to actually replace the pin the entire stove needs to be disassembled. And the back chamber for exhaust gasses was full of wet clay-like silt. Also she has a 6 inch metal chimney and this stove requires and 8".
So we cleaned it all up, set it up with a manual damper till the new one comes, and installed it, hoping it would work with the 6" pipe, it works ok once warm but when building a fire it pours out smoke. My dad thinks replacing the interior pipe with 8 inch will solve the problem, but I am skeptical since the outside pipe will still be 6 inch.
Peronsally I think we should sell it and cut our losses. Unless someone here has run one into 6 inch pipe and had it work. I have a Jotul 118 (older model) and it heats so much better than the Vigilant. There is an Atlanta 27 box stove on good shape for $150.
Also the Vigilant is such a short woodstove the tile under her stove gets extremely hot to the touch. The hearth is tile, over duroc, over wood, is it safe if the tile is getting that hot?
So we cleaned it all up, set it up with a manual damper till the new one comes, and installed it, hoping it would work with the 6" pipe, it works ok once warm but when building a fire it pours out smoke. My dad thinks replacing the interior pipe with 8 inch will solve the problem, but I am skeptical since the outside pipe will still be 6 inch.
Peronsally I think we should sell it and cut our losses. Unless someone here has run one into 6 inch pipe and had it work. I have a Jotul 118 (older model) and it heats so much better than the Vigilant. There is an Atlanta 27 box stove on good shape for $150.
Also the Vigilant is such a short woodstove the tile under her stove gets extremely hot to the touch. The hearth is tile, over duroc, over wood, is it safe if the tile is getting that hot?