damper for pre1990 resolute

[ptgilland]

My new to me resolute did not seem to want to keep the fire going when I put it into the horizontal draft mode. I would start in updraft until the griddle thermometer read 500 degrees. After about a half hour in the horizontal draft I would have bright red coals, but little or no flame the the griddle temp of around 400 degrees. I have to admit that I'm new to this and should have opened up the main air more. However I only had a 12 foot chimney straight up, and thought I probably could use more draft. Especially since I am in a very sheltered area. Yesterday I added a four foot section of double wall on top to bring my length up to 16 in hopes of increasing performance. I still have not had the chance to try it.

While I was at the store purchasing the extra length of pipe a gentleman told me that I would get allot more heat by putting a damper in the flue, so I purchased one. After looking around this sight it seems that many seem for and against putting in a damper. I don't think it's a necessity right now, as I wanted more draft not less. On the other hand I read that some feel that a flue damper is an added measure of safety in case of a chimney fire. For this reason alone I thought I would put one in, but would like to know if that would really be a mistake for any reason? As long as I leave it wide open, wouldn't it be like it wasn't there anyway? Does anyone else use a flue damper with an older Resolute?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[ptgilland]

Anyone on this one? I see that some say that a damper on air tight stoves aren't necessary, but I like the idea of an extra safety feature. So basically is there any negative to having a damper in the flue, even if it is always left wide open?

 

[Sandor]

PT,

Return the damper, thats the last thing you need.

What you need to do is clean the stove.

I burn a Resolute Acclaim (1988) at the womens house, and the back of the stove is removable by two iron wedges. When I remove the wedges, it exposes two secondary air channels on both sides. If yours is like mine, they are packed full of ash and you are not getting enough air for secondary combustion.

Find a manual for the stove you have, and inspect for points you need to clean.

I know when this unit needs to be cleaned, because the "horizontal" combustion mode will simply not work.

When its clean, it works like a charm.

Also, there is a "space age" material that aids in secondary combustion. Its behind the back of the firebox, and it may have (actually, it probably crumbled long ago) fell apart and is blocking the rear lower flue exit. Stick your fingers in there and make sure its open... pull out any loose material and trash it. Stove works fine without it.

 

[webbie]

Sandor, I think he has a Resolute I or II, not an acclaim! That means no space age material, but a cast iron fireback assembly.

Still, the advice holds. the damper is only for overdraft - this is an underdraft. Also. make certain all stovepipe is tightly fitted - with furnace cement between joints.

 

[ptgilland]

It is a older Resolute, not an Acclaim. I do have a manual that I have downloaded from the Vermont Castings website. However, it is a operaters manual and has no information about removing parts for cleaning. I would like to do it, but where could I find the manual for this type of cleaning? I thought it would be clean enough by running the shop vac through the holes in the fire back and the secondary air inlet, I guess not.

Also, using furnace cement in the joints of the stove pipe doesn't seem like a bad idea. However, I talked to a good number of people trying to make sure I did the installation correctly and this was never mentioned. Is this a common practice? Well I have issues taking the stove pipe apart to clean the chimney later?

 

[Sandor]

Can you post a link to the manual? I can't find it on the VC website.

In the mean time, take a look in the back of the firebox to see if the back is held in by two metal wedges. On the Acclaim, the back comes off and exposes two air channels that feed the secondary burn. Yours may be different, but the concept is the same... they preheat the secondary combustion air.

Also, if you use cement on the pipe joints, it will fall apart when you separate the pipe for inspection/cleaning. Clean up and reapply.

 

[fraxinus]

If I remember correctly, the Resolute is exactly like the Defiant: ashes need to be removed from behind the fireback. With the stove pipe removed and the damper open, you will see a cast iron plate that can be removed to gain access to the area between the fireback and the back of the stove. The drawing in your manual should show this. Removing and reinstalling this plate is difficult and tedious, so I use a 1" diameter tube ducttaped to a vacuum house and stick it through the opening on the left without removing the plate. This needs to be done yearly. Failure to clean this area leads to a build up of very fine fly ash which interferes with the draft and is probably the number one cause of cracked firebacks - the build up of ash eventually causes overheating.
Sealing stovepipe joints with cement always looks bad and the cement fails quickly. A damper in the pipe is not needed.

 

[ptgilland]

Thanks for the tip on using the shop vac with tube. Will this completely make disassembling the back unnecessary, or only and intermediate fix? I also thought about using a long wire pipe cleaning brush, and then vacuuming residue. Would you say there are areas that I wouldn't get to with this method?

I'm not sure exactly how to attach a link so I'll start by just typing it in.

The vermont castings site:

http://www.vermontcastings.com/

This would be the link to the manual for the Pre 1990 Resolute:

http://www.vermontcastings.com/catalog/elements/files/Defiant_Vig_Res_Intre_Pre88-0029.pdf

 

[Jack33]

I will try to offer some advice since I use the same stove as you. First, your stove and chimney may be physically fine. Second, do not install a damper in the pipe. This stove operates efficiently through controlled air intake not restricted exhaust. Reading your initial post I believe the problem is air supply. If your stove is holding 500 in updraft and you close the stove damper you will not hold that temp without increasing the air intake. You need to add more air for the secondary combustion to take place. If your house is super airtight it is possible there is not sufficient inside air to feed the stove. You can try cracking a nearby window to check for this. Also the thermostat is not always a simple set it and forget it deal. Depending on the type of wood, dry/semi-dry, wind, inside air, outside air temp, etc will all effect how much air you need to adjust. I often adjust my thermostat to the load of wood. Also, there is little flame with this stove when burning horizontal, maybe just the bottom few inches of the wood. This can be deceiving if you have the glass pane option on your stove.

To clean behind the damper area, you need to unscrew the plate on top or rear of the stove. Mine is setup for rear exit so I don't have to mess with the pipe, I just pop the top plate off. If yours is a top exit, the plate will be on the back of the stove but it is far easier to clean it from the top. There are a couple of hex head screws that hold the plate and exhaust collar on. Scrape behind and under the damper area and then shop vac out all the build up and be sure the gasket stays in place when you reinstall. Shop vac all the air ports while your there. You can expect to do this at least a couple times each season depending on wood quality and burn temps.

You probably already know all this but maybe it is a simple operational issue since this stove is new to you. You should have the round air port (on the left side of the stove) all the way open. There needs to be a bed of ashes on the bottom of the stove, about an inch below the 6 air holes in the fireback. Ashes should not get above the holes, but cinder will during operation (that is OK). You need a good bed of cinder before you close the stove damper. Use some small stuff to get a good cinder bed before putting in your normal size pieces. When you load the stove, let it run up to around 500 before closing the damper since it will die down as it adjusts to burning horizontal, then adjust to your liking after 15-30 minutes. When you first light the stove, slowly get the temp up to 500-600 in up-draft and hold it there for 30- 45 minutes. This will warm the stove, burn off build-up in the back of the stove and firebox, and warm your flu. Measure temp from the top griddle, you want to stay between 300 - 600 when operating.

I have been picking away at this from work in between actually working so I apologize if some else has replied with the same info since I last looked at the original message.

Jack

 

[ptgilland]

Thanks for the procedure. after cleaning I tried the stove out again. I kept it open in the updraft mode for about an hour, and held the temp between 600 and 650. I then put it into the horizontal draft and kept the air wide open. It died down a bit and held at 500. This all seemed good, but I thought I should be able to make to raise the temp if I wanted to. Ofcourse, I could just go back to updraft, and the unburning wood ontop probably insulates the griddle top while in horizontal mode giving a decieving temp reading. I also tried opening and closing the window next to the stove for a period of time, but had no effect.

Prior to burning again I tried the previous mentioned cleaning procedures. I vacummed through the flue colar after removing the stove pipe, it was actually rather clean. I was surprised that you can't access the air holes in the fire back from the area under the flue colar. They must run in a channel between that area and the fireback. I tried hooking a small diameter hose to the shop vac to clean inside the secondary air hole. I was also surprised that the air channel in there gets small and I couldn't get in as far as I would like. I then used an old wire coat hanger and pushed it down through the secondary air hole. I thought I would see the hanger wire pass through the air passage by looking through the holes in the fire back, but no such luck. That must be yet another passage way. Well, all seemed clean as best I could tell. Is there any good source out there to help better understand the air flow and where these passages go in this particular stove? Or maybe a disassembly procedure for future maintenance?

 

[Jack33]

Sounds like your stove is working fine. 500 in horizontal is a pretty good and safe setting for the top end, but you can adjust the thermostat to get more air. The chain clips onto the intake door so you can move the chain length to your desire. If you shorten it, you will be able to swing the lever farther to the right. Keep in mind small adjustments make a big difference. I don't see the manual available online but you can probably get it direct from a VC dealer. I do have the original manual that came with my stove somewhere. I'll see if I can locate it.

 

[begreen]

Older VC stoves manual:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/Vermont_Castings_Older_Stove_Models/