2013 VC Burning Thread

[Reckless]

Yes blocked and disconnected and I am now getting 10hr over night burns and cat never really goes over 14-1500 and the stove is operating flawless. I really suggest you try blocking it like I did thus eliminating the need to purchase new secondary probes in the future.... blocking is easier than adjusting the probe somewhere between 3-6 o'clock and hoping to not overfire and really takes 5min if it don't work pull the tin foil out.

Another 9hr burn on 5 splits of ash only about 2/3 full man I loving my new stove!!

 

[Excavator]

We gotta keep these stoves tamed

 

[BrowningBAR]

Another 9hr burn on 5 splits of ash only about 2/3 full man I loving my new stove!!

9 hours from the Encore in milder weather is not unheard of. During mild temps the 0028 will produce 8-10 hours of temps over 300 with the occasional 11-12 hours of heat over 300 degrees.

 

[Reckless]

9 hours from the Encore in milder weather is not unheard of. During mild temps the 0028 will produce 8-10 hours of temps over 300 with the occasional 11-12 hours of heat over 300 degrees.

The 10 hr burn was in a low of 14 through the night till 8am or so. Yes the 9hrs on 2/3 a stove was a low of 30 or so.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The 10 hr burn was in a low of 14 through the night till 8am or so. Yes the 9hrs on 2/3 a stove was a low of 30 or so.

It's a shame VC never worked out the kinks with these stoves. They look amazing, and when you have them working well, they really work well.

 

[jharkin]

It's a shame VC never worked out the kinks with these stoves. They look amazing, and when you have them working well, they really work well.

Agreed. Tweaking the secondary seems to be really helping for mine..

And I know in years past Ive been able to coax the fire back from coals at as long as 14 hours if I started on an extra packed load of really dense wood (oak etc). Not getting much of any heat the last few hours but .......

 

[BrowningBAR]

Agreed. Tweaking the secondary seems to be really helping for mine..

And I know in years past Ive been able to coax the fire back from coals at as long as 14 hours if I started on an extra packed load of really dense wood (oak etc). Not getting much of any heat the last few hours but .......

The Defiant on a full load with a firebox full of thick, rolling secondaries is really great looking. The best looking stove I have owned.

 

[Charles1981]

My flexburn is doing alright. I just have ash and cottonwood to burn. Get 8 hours of 300+ degree stove with the air control turned all the way down (starts at 500 first 2-3 hours, then 400-450 for next 2-3, then 300 by hour 8). I've restarted on tiny little nugget coals before at 10-12 hours but that is pushing it.

Wish i had tons of well seasoned oak.... oh well. It heats the whole house (even when it is 7 degrees and negative 15 windchill outside) from the basement with multiple fans so I can't complain.

I didn't find this site until about a year after i got the stove and had i known probably would have gone with a BK or PH... always jealous hearing about their burn times...

 

[Excavator]

I am still burning the 0028 with the secondary coil set at 3 o clock and I am very pleased the way the stove has been performing since the adjustment. It's a pleasure to have it behaving

 

[jharkin]

My encorejust did it again!! Stalled mid load.

2 hours in cruising at 1250 cat on low air and suddenly drops to 850. This time I caught it, go outside and see billowing smoke. Its 24f out, good draft. I'm on bypass heating it back up, the load is half coals so its certainly dy.

Ugh I don't know what's causing this and its really annoying!

 

[jharkin]

Well a couple minutes on bypass and it took right off again so all is well for now... But I really want to understand why this happens. Don't want it to happen while I'm asleep or away....

 

[BrowningBAR]

Well a couple minutes on bypass and it took right off again so all is well for now... But I really want to understand why this happens. Don't want it to happen while I'm asleep or away....

The problems I have:
I can have the Defiant closed down at 500 and the temps will hold for an hour or so, and then climb to 700 on the griddle. No air leaks. No bad gaskets. The bastard just runs.

The Encore: I can have rolling, thick, slow moving secondaries with a stove top of 600 and I will still see smoke from the chimney.

 

[Charles1981]

Sometimes i don't pack the stove very well due to irregular split sizes. Temp will hover around 450 or so and then I have seen the logs fall down as they burn and settle into a tighter formation and the stove will increase in temperature 100 degrees.

 

[Excavator]

My encorejust did it again!! Stalled mid load.

2 hours in cruising at 1250 cat on low air and suddenly drops to 850. This time I caught it, go outside and see billowing smoke. Its 24f out, good draft. I'm on bypass heating it back up, the load is half coals so its certainly dy.

Ugh I don't know what's causing this and its really annoying!

I can't understand it stalling at 850 and then all the smoke.
Mine has dropped from 1250 range many times too 850 and I have been checking outside when this happens but no smoke. Mine does this when I cut air down all the way too soon but I just open air up a few minutes and it climbs back up. Do you think there is a clogged screen on top of chimney hurting draft?

 

[jharkin]

In the 4 years I've burned this stove, I've never seen it drop below 1100 cat before the coaling stage of the burn... Not till now.

After the 5 minutes of bypass last night it took off again and went to 1500 and stayed there an hour or two. One thing I recall is that it started with an episode of secondary explosions in the firebox ( backpuffs I guess but not enough to smoke the room).

I'm wondering if smehow a backpuf blew out the catalyst flame? Is that possible?
Im wondering if setting the secondary to 3 oclock is causing this somehow. That should reduce the oxygen to the cat at very high temps but increase oxygen to the cat at low temps which logic would say should help prevent stalls???? I don't get it.

 

[Excavator]

Mine is at 3 and I just dont have the smoke problem or stalling of cat at 850. I don't have steel cat, I have ceramic. You might have partial clog on new cat but why?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Sometimes i don't pack the stove very well due to irregular split sizes. Temp will hover around 450 or so and then I have seen the logs fall down as they burn and settle into a tighter formation and the stove will increase in temperature 100 degrees.

With the Defiant I will get some nice slow secondaries and then things start to pick up steam. The fire box gets more active and the temps rise. Rarely can I connect it to splits shifting. It just seems to grab hold and run. Tops off at 650-700 every damn time.

 

[jharkin]

Mine is at 3 and I just dont have the smoke problem or stalling of cat at 850. I don't have steel cat, I have ceramic. You might have partial clog on new cat but why?

I pulled the hood off to look last week, no clog.

 

[jharkin]

T
The Encore: I can have rolling, thick, slow moving secondaries with a stove top of 600 and I will still see smoke from the chimney.

Same here... This was an hour ago, air control straight down (~1/4 open) and cat probe reading 1200.

Its mostly steam and dissipates quick but you can see there is some faint smoke.

My glass has been staying remarkably clean this year even after all night low burns, so I dont htink its a wet wood issue.




What I saw the other night was like 10x more than this.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Same here... This was an hour ago, air control straight down (~1/4 open) and cat probe reading 1200.

Its mostly steam and dissipates quick but you can see there is some faint smoke.

My glass has been staying remarkably clean this year even after all night low burns, so I dont htink its a wet wood issue.


View attachment 119815 View attachment 119816

What I saw the other night was like 10x more than this.

The problem is; the Heritage and the Englander would/will show no smoke while burning. The Defiant has used the chimney the 30 is using and the same chimney the Heritage used. The Defiant will still show smoke, even if some of it might be steam. Meanwhile the 30 will show no smoke or steam in the same weather with the same wood.

 

[Charles1981]

As far as back-puffing is concerned I am pretty sure this is something I see frequently with the stove turned completely closed. If I open a quarter turn from closed, it typically goes away but you see a more constant small flame. I got a video today of the stove really cranking after I came back after 2 hours after closing the stove. When I came back the stove top was 550 and the stove closed all the way.

So just to be sure this is my stove backpuffing (finally got around to recording it and dumping it on youtube)? There is a small one at the beginning and one where the flame goes out and you can hear the wooshh starting around the 30 second mark...

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[BrowningBAR]

I have never had a back puffing problem. Which I am glad. Last thing I need is a back puffing problem when I own two VC stoves.

 

[Reckless]

In the 4 years I've burned this stove, I've never seen it drop below 1100 cat before the coaling stage of the burn... Not till now.

After the 5 minutes of bypass last night it took off again and went to 1500 and stayed there an hour or two. One thing I recall is that it started with an episode of secondary explosions in the firebox ( backpuffs I guess but not enough to smoke the room).

I'm wondering if smehow a backpuf blew out the catalyst flame? Is that possible?
Im wondering if setting the secondary to 3 oclock is causing this somehow. That should reduce the oxygen to the cat at very high temps but increase oxygen to the cat at low temps which logic would say should help prevent stalls???? I don't get it.

Dont forget mine is closed completely so I dont think this has to do with your secondary air. As for a back puff knocking out the cat flame?? If you didnt see/smell smoke I dont think it would be strong enough but idk. Personally I would check your damper seal, maybe enough hot exhaust is leaking out bypassing the cat?

 

[jharkin]

My damper seal is good, it passes the dollar bill test just fine.

Thing is, before I did the rebuild - I would see a small amount of smoke even with the cat active - same as BBar. That plus the chimney buildup I had last year is what prompted my rebuid quest. I had really hoped that the stove would be burning a lot cleaner this year.

Now I am coming to the same conclusion as BBar and others have... this just may be the way the stove works, and its just never going to produce "nothing but heatwaves" or go 3 years between cleanings like 'ol Dennis Fireview does..... the downside of downdraft operation

The thing that I wonder about and am going to watch closely... by altering the secondary air are we slowing down the burn rate by just throttling the flow of gasses up the stack?; or by forcing the fire in the catalyst chamber to burn cooler by starving it of oxygen? If its the latter case than we probably are sending more unburned smoke up the stack which is the potential for more creosote buildup.

Id be interested to see a mid season comparison of stack buildup between a

• stock 4-5 o'clock secondary setting
• modified 3 o'clock secondary setting
• blocked secondary

 

[Burner]

Sorry to digress but I was just wondering if my 2550 is the only stove that has a primary air flap with about a quarter inch gap on the bottom. This means that I can never completely close off air to the stove. Before I put magnets with tin foil along the bottom I could never get the stove to cruise at 200 - 300. After adding the magnet setup it greatly improved control. The stove also burns pretty clean at about 200 - 300 degrees with a CAT reading of about 1000 depending on how much is smoldering.