2021/22 VC Owner thread

[RandyBoBandy]

We will move through it. I just couldn't handle the snow portion thrown in.. Couple years and im done for good.. Were working 6 days a week this month..

More power to you. I lost motivation to pound the pavement 6days a week about a month ago. It just seems to rain more days than it doesn’t and now the snow is starting to fly. Tired of slopping around in the mud.

 

[dmccoole]

I have the AT100 and the 6" WRNK-191 wired and connected. Before I hand drill with a 1/4" bit the hole into the plug, what do you use to fasten the probe to the stove so it stays put?

 

[Woodsplitter67]

my stove came with the bimetal probe so mine is fastened to the factory bracket. I would make a bracket to screw to the heat shield before you drill

 

[dmccoole]

Has anyone tried to lengthen the wire to the WRNK-191? Would that effect the accuracy? I have a large stone fireplace and I'd like to run the wire across the base and up the side of the fireplace(mostly out of site) to locate the AT100 another 3-4 feet from where it currently ends.

 

[Rusty18]

You can but may affect accuracy. Best to use type k thermocouple wire for the extension but I doubt you’ll have any. Next best would be shielded pair of copper wire, also not likely to have that laying around. Least best is to use regular stranded copper wire. The thermocouple couple generates a mV signal so adding in more junctions and unshielded wire can cause error. All of that being said we have 1000’ runs of romex being used for thermocouple extension wire at work and still get +\- 5C accuracy. Make sure your wires do not touch where you do your splice. If you do it’ll read room temp not stove temp like mine did when they got twisted at the display.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

I believe the AT100 can be calibrated as well. If you end up doing it please post your results. I also wish the display was a little farther away from the hearth.

 

[TravBot]

It has become clear who likes our new stove the most in this household 😂

 

[Dobish]

Just wanted to say hi, its been a while! we have been roasty and toasty, but it has been quite warm this year. Bring on the snow!

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Yes bring on the snow. It’s been raining here more than anything which is annoying as all hell. One day of rain this time of year makes it extremely difficult to make money at all. Mud during the day and frozen mud by morning. It’s get old having to clean out tracks on equipment constantly so they don’t freeze up. At least if it snowed I could make money pushing it. On the brighter side the house is toasty and the stove is working great. Glass and cap are staying cleaner. Just have to fine the right moment to give the stove a coat of paint.

 

[Jimmy C]

For those who have sealed up the secondary air:

Anyone ever see the CAT temps start dropping extremely quickly when it should be rising or stagnant? This usually correlates with much more smoke then normal coming out of the chimney. I am assuming the CAT is getting starved for air and stalling or something like that. It usually drops to the 1100s before slowly climbing back up to the 1200s and eventually settling in the 1300s again. I'm worried I am causing other problems, ones that could be worse than the over-firing of the CAT. Any one have any thoughts on this or run into a similar scenario?

Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

[Diabel]

I would not call temps dropping extremely quickly. Once I plugged the secondary air, the behavior of the stove changed a bit for sure. I did notice more smoke/steam from the stack for sure. The cat temp definitely will go up and down few times in the burn cycle. Between 1000 and 1400 would be correct. My BK cat temp will fluctuate many more times during the burn and I will also see plume out the pipe at times during the cycle.

 

[WhatDayJob]

Hi folks. Posting here for advice on my VC Encore stove. Let me know if it should go somewhere else.

Background:

House is 2400 square feet, single story ranch
I live at 10k feet, it's currently...9° outside
Original wing (right side of house) build in 1979, Living room/bedroom added in 1996
House has forced air in all rooms
Gas stove (2) in living room that vents to outside on wall
Wood fireplace (3) in the shared wall between dining room and office
Living room has a vaulted ceiling, everything else is about 8' ceilings
Chimney pipes swept in October
This is the first winter with the stove
The pipe has one 90° turn right after the thimble, then runs vertically for about six feet in the cleanout closet, passes into the attic, then runs another 10-12 feet in the attic before exiting the roof
Burning lodgepole pine

Pictures and layout

I'm about to give up on this stove. It worked fine in the fall, when temps were in the 40s, but lately it hasn't been burning well. I've tried most of the solutions I've found on these forums, preheating the pipe, opening windows, sealing leaks, etc.

It's an old stove that hasn't been well-maintained, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a lost cause, but I'd love to get the opinion of more experienced owners. It seems like it won't be cost-effective to buy replacement parts.

Is it possible to run it (in a less efficient mode obviously) without a working catalyst and a crap damper? I'm only looking to burn during the day—at night I'll let the forced air or electrical heat the house.

Anything else I should be doing to make it draw better? My partner is pretty sick of the campfire smell. It's entirely possible that this is still just user error.

 

[clancey]

What a wonderful thread addition and I think you should start your very own thread in the right category--maybe multiple stoves or something..I am not experienced with stoves for I just started myself to light my wood stove but your variety is quite something for one home...Your at very high attitude in colorado I imagine and do you have a wood shed to keep your wood dry --need to burn dry wood...I bet you know that--lol...I can just suggest maybe a air filter--a good one for your partner but others I hope join the thread to sort out your problem they have much more experience with these type of things...With all your choices of stoves which one do you like--is it the cat one?..maybe if you could consolidate somehow and have just one stove--just suggestion here --nothing that much in the way of experience that I can offer but someone will eventually come on to help you...I live in CO too welcome to the forum...old mrs clancey

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Hi folks. Posting here for advice on my VC stove. Let me know if it should go somewhere else.

Background:

House is 2400 square feet, single story ranch
I live at 10k feet, it's currently...9° outside
Original wing (right side of house) build in 1979, Living room/bedroom added in 1996
House has forced air in all rooms
Gas stove (2) in living room that vents to outside on wall
Wood fireplace (3) in the shared wall between dining room and office
Living room has a vaulted ceiling, everything else is about 8' ceilings
Chimney pipes swept in October
This is the first winter with the stove
The pipe has one 90° turn right after the thimble, then runs vertically for about six feet in the cleanout closet, passes into the attic, then runs another 10-12 feet in the attic before exiting the roof
Burning lodgepole pine

Pictures and layout

I'm about to give up on this stove. It worked fine in the fall, when temps were in the 40s, but lately it hasn't been burning well. I've tried most of the solutions I've found on these forums, preheating the pipe, opening windows, sealing leaks, etc.

It's an old stove that hasn't been well-maintained, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's a lost cause, but I'd love to get the opinion of more experienced owners. It seems like it won't be cost-effective to buy replacement parts.

Is it possible to run it (in a less efficient mode obviously) without a working catalyst and a crap damper? I'm only looking to burn during the day—at night I'll let the forced air or electrical heat the house.

Anything else I should be doing to make it draw better? My partner is pretty sick of the campfire smell. It's entirely possible that this is still just user error.

Hi.. so all i got out of this was its an old stove that is not running well, Its probably a better idea to tell us what you think is wrong with the stove and how its running, the model of the stove would be a good starting point, is it not drafting. what is the moisture content of the wood your burning.. do you have a moisture meter and do you know how to check the moisture content of the wood properly. do you not get enough heat, cant get a fire established.. a detailed description of what is wrong...

 

[Diabel]

Hi.. so all i got out of this was its an old stove that is not running well, Its probably a better idea to tell us what you think is wrong with the stove and how its running, the model of the stove would be a good starting point, is it not drafting. what is the moisture content of the wood your burning.. do you have a moisture meter and do you know how to check the moisture content of the wood properly. do you not get enough heat, cant get a fire established.. a detailed description of what is wrong...

^^^^^^ what he said

 

[WhatDayJob]

Hah, thanks everyone. I can't believe I missed adding the model. Still getting the hang of forums.

It's a 1986 VC 0028 Encore, as Diabel sorted out for me earlier.

Moisture meter - Don't have one yet, but I'm burning pine that's been on the property and under cover for at least a year. Recommendations for a good model?

It ran fine this fall, but lately with the lower temps, we've been getting a strong campfire smell while running it.

Here's what happened last time, best I can remember:

• Left the doors open for about an hour and put a small heat source in the firebox to help pre-heat the pipe. House was at 65°, firebox was high 70s when I started the fire. I think it was about 25-30° outside. Ash tray and firebox were cleaned out prior.
• Turned off the forced air, gas stove, and appliances to hopefully avoid drawing a suction. Shut off unused rooms.
• Started a small kindling fire, slowly added small bits to keep it going. Seemed to burn ok.
• Added larger chunks (still learning terminology), about 1-2 inches in diameter.
• Allowed the griddle to get to about 450 on an IR thermometer.
• Went to add 3-4"+ chunks over a layer of smaller bits to help it catch.
• Burned ok for a bit, then seemed like it was dying out. Couldn't maintain (dropped to 350 in an hour), and gave the room a smokey smell. Fully opened exterior doors just to clear the smell.
• Left it to burn out since I didn't see any other option.

I'm wide open to suggestions. I'll have the house to myself tomorrow, so I could test out some theories if anyone can point out some obvious mistakes I'm making.

Thanks again.

 

[Diabel]

Oh yes, I remember you asking about replacement parts for an old VC 0028. I thought you decided not to spend ~ 800 of replacement parts plus hours of your free labor/sweat/bloody knuckles……

 

[WhatDayJob]

Oh yes, I remember you asking about replacement parts for an old VC 0028. I thought you decided not to spend ~ 800 of replacement parts plus hours of your free labor/sweat/bloody knuckles……

Yup, my limit is gaskets and sealant. But realistically I won't be able to remove the stove until the summer, and I hate it when inanimate objects win, so I'm willing to give it another shot.

I'm also pretty inexperienced, so I'm not discounting the fact that I could just be doing things really wrong.

 

[Diabel]

Yup, my limit is gaskets and sealant. But realistically I won't be able to remove the stove until the summer, and I hate it when inanimate objects win, so I'm willing to give it another shot.

I'm also pretty inexperienced, so I'm not discounting the fact that I could just be doing things really wrong.

All good.

One thing you are doing correct in the process of figuring out why the stove temp goes down while your are into the burn is eliminating the competing appliances that need for indoor air. The symptoms of your stove behaviour is unseasoned fuel and dead or clogged cat or blocked air channels right past the refractory box.

 

[WhatDayJob]

All good.

One thing you are doing correct in the process of figuring out why the stove temp goes down while your are into the burn is eliminating the competing appliances that need for indoor air. The symptoms of your stove behaviour is unseasoned fuel and dead or clogged cat or blocked air channels right past the refractory box.

Thanks. I spent a bit of time vacuuming out all of the internal ash that I could, including when I pulled the cat for cleaning. Basically if I could fit the nozzle in it, I hoovered it.

What's the best way to inspect the spaces around the refactory box? Pull the firebreak plates? Something I noticed when I had the rear heat shield off—the little air inlet door seemed to be stuck open, regardless of the position of the control lever.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

The thing that I am keying in on and I could be wrong is that the stove is running ok until you add the larger wood and then your running i to isseus. That totally sounds like a wood issue. Id get an inexpensive moisture meter off Amazon. its doesn't have to be the best.. middle of the road model will do.. Split open one of the splits and check the moisture on the freshly split face with pins going with the grain. DO NOT CHECK ON THE OUTSIDE OR END that is the driest area.. if the wood is wet its wet in the middle. You should not be struggling with burning pine in your stove.. pine goes up really quick when seasoned so I think part of your issue is the wood.. I am not super Familiar with your stove so Ill let someone else guide you through that. I can say this.. My stove and everyone else who runs a VC stove like to keep ash in the bottom of the stove. When I clean mine every so often I dont clean all the ash out. I leave a layer of ash at the bottom of the stove always.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Thanks. I spent a bit of time vacuuming out all of the internal ash that I could, including when I pulled the cat for cleaning. Basically if I could fit the nozzle in it, I hoovered it.

What's the best way to inspect the spaces around the refactory box? Pull the firebreak plates? Something I noticed when I had the rear heat shield off—the little air inlet door seemed to be stuck open, regardless of the position of the control lever.

Is it possible the “little air inlet door” is the secondary air shutter? This will not move with the primary air control. It’s run by a probe in the refractory box. I’m going with poor fuel or a clogged cap or a flue that needs cleaning. I would inspect the flue pipe at the 90 and also inspect your cap.

 

[RandyBoBandy]

Also with the colder temps your draw will stronger than it was in the fall. So like others said about checking your wood. Bring a piece inside for 24hrs. Then split and check MC on the freshly split face. Also check your pipe and cap.

 

[Dobish]

I have noticed that even though pine burns hot, it will burn very quickly and will not coal up as nicely. It does sound like you have some wood issues as well. I am in colorado as well, and have had some pine that refuses to dry out, unless it is getting plenty of air flow around it. I would suggest cleaning out the chimney and looking at the moisture content. You will be surprised what you find! The other part is to not cut down the air too quickly, and keep an eye on your temps.

That being said, if it is an older stove that needs work, there could be a lot of issues. With a long chimney and other appliances, you are most likely fighting to get the proper air movement.

 

[WhatDayJob]

Thanks everyone. I had the chimney cleaned and inspected in October. He also installed a wire mesh wrap on the cap for animal deterrence at the same time.
Also bought a moisture meter. The first split I tested came in at 7%, which seems ridiculously dry. I don't have a ton of confidence in the meter, since the pins are already bending and the screen flickers, so more testing is needed.