Damper Gasket- Intrepid Flexburn 2115-CAT

[steveintx]

Hi- I'm new to wood stoves and this forum. I purchased this VC Intrepid Flexburn 2115 a few months ago and have just started using it this month. I was surprised when I opened the damper in my Intrepid and found this 26 inch gasket hanging down. It doesn't look like it has any sealant on it's surface. Tried for some guidance in the owner's manual (nothing specific about damper gasket) and my dealer (who lost credibility when she told me I could attach the gasket to the damper or the damper housing--- whatever's easier). While the other gaskets on this stove appear to be easy to replace, this damper gasket is hard because I will be working by touch. I can feel an indentation inside the damper housing. Before I try to spread the sealant on the housing and reattach the gasket, I'm trying to get advice from folks on this forum who have re-installed damper gaskets on VC stoves. (I suspect the other models of VC Flexburns have the same set-up with larger dimensions.) By the way, even without the gasket, I'm still able to engage the catalyst after the stove reaches 500 degrees & reach the operating range on the temperature probe

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Im not sure why your doing this yourself.. Your dealer should be helping you with this.

If you do this yourself.. your better off taking the top of rhe stove off and removing the damper.. all of the existing cement will need to be cleaned out of the channel

 

[Kevin Weis]

I've done this on my Intrepid flexburn 2115. Best to put on the damper housing. Wait till the high temp cement is a little tacky then press into place and close the damper to hold it in place till dry. Tips are don't use an excessive amount of cement. You don't want the cement to bleed through the fiberglass gasket to the other side and stick to the damper flap when you close it. Also measure the length needed prior to applying the cement. Not the easiest gasket to fix but not rocket science. Patience is a virtue here. Are you sure the gasket found laying was on the damper? Looks a little short. Good luck!

 

[steveintx]

Im not sure why your doing this yourself.. Your dealer should be helping you with this.

If you do this yourself.. your better off taking the top of rhe stove off and removing the damper.. all of the existing cement will need to be cleaned out of the channel

Thanks Woodsplitter. The dealer is about an 80 minute drive from my house. They never mentioned being responsible for repairs to the stove, & there's no contract saying such. I'm wondering, because this seems to be a manufacturing issue, if the dealer has some type of agreement with VC that they do the repair and get reimbursed by VC. Also, I was referred to the installer by the dealer, but I paid the installer directly.

 

[steveintx]

I've done this on my Intrepid flexburn 2115. Best to put on the damper housing. Wait till the high temp cement is a little tacky then press into place and close the damper to hold it in place till dry. Tips are don't use an excessive amount of cement. You don't want the cement to bleed through the fiberglass gasket to the other side and stick to the damper flap when you close it. Also measure the length needed prior to applying the cement. Not the easiest gasket to fix but not rocket science. Patience is a virtue here. Are you sure the gasket found laying was on the damper? Looks a little short. Good luck!

Thanks Kevin. I'm so glad you've actually done this very task. I'm assuming you reached into the gasket assembly and worked by feel (without disassembling the stove.) So I apply the cement, affix the gasket and I close the damper till it's dry. I then start the 2 step curing process which will require me to open the damper, correct?
Regarding the gasket, I'm pretty certain it's the damper gasket because there is no gasket in the housing now... and the gasket is the right dimension to fit around the entire housing.
Regarding the cement: Looking over some replies there seems to be a choice of Rutland High 2000 deg F High temp (which requires curing at a low temp, followed by curing at a high temp. Or, Rutland EZ spread (which seems about the same but is advertised as easier to apply.) OR-- RTV type sealant which doesn't require curing (but most tubes I see for sale online have about a 600 degree rating. Leaning toward Rutland 2000 degree EZ spread, in the flexible tube.

 

[Eman85]

If you get a little happy or sloppy with the cement place a piece of wax paper between the damper and the housing before you close it. This way the gasket stays glued and the way paper stops it from sticking to the housing. I disassembled and removed my damper on my stove as you have to clean the old glue/cement out.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Thanks Kevin. I'm so glad you've actually done this very task. I'm assuming you reached into the gasket assembly and worked by feel (without disassembling the stove.) So I apply the cement, affix the gasket and I close the damper till it's dry. I then start the 2 step curing process which will require me to open the damper, correct?
Regarding the gasket, I'm pretty certain it's the damper gasket because there is no gasket in the housing now... and the gasket is the right dimension to fit around the entire housing.
Regarding the cement: Looking over some replies there seems to be a choice of Rutland High 2000 deg F High temp (which requires curing at a low temp, followed by curing at a high temp. Or, Rutland EZ spread (which seems about the same but is advertised as easier to apply.) OR-- RTV type sealant which doesn't require curing (but most tubes I see for sale online have about a 600 degree rating. Leaning toward Rutland 2000 degree EZ spread, in the flexible tube.

I just did a rebuild on my stove.. use the rutland

As far as the dealer is concerned.. they should be doing and warranty work for VC and getting reimbursed for it.. The stove shop should make it right.

Unfortunately sometimes you need to get a little nasty.. I had an issue with something I ordered over the summer.. someone sent me the wrong part.. I asked to have the correct one sent in which they told me sorry.. that is what they had.. and sorry your out of luck even though the product description on the internet was correct and what they sent was different.. I was told that I had to pay a restocking fee and pay to have it shipped back to them .. and from the time they received it .. it would be 21 days for the refund.. so basically I told them that I would I would let others know how poor the customer service is and I got the runaround for them sending me the wrong part.. that got to the manager and somehow.. they sent a free shipping label and refunded me within 3 days.. sometimes you just cant stay nice and need to push back..

 

[Kevin Weis]

I used the Rutland in the flexable tube from Ace Hardware. Good call with the wax paper. And yes, make sure there is no old cement or atleast loose cement in the gasket channel. And yeah, let dry with the damper closed for 24 hours than open up and burn away. Did mine last season and so far no issues.

 

[Earlnemo]

I had this exact experience with exact same stove ( Intrepid Flexburn) when my stove was exactly 5 days purchased, on about my second day of real burn after the break-in process iirc. The dealer initially offered to give me a free bottle of glue if I would come pick it up. I called VC customer service and they "fixed" the problem by telling the dealer to also give me new gasket material for free. I do not believe there really is any warranty on VC stoves. If you can remove the flue collar access from behind seems much better? I have not been watching this forum much recently but came here today to see if there was any information about this very thing, as I clumsily rubbed my gasket with flue brush a few days ago and partially detached it. Attaching a view from the rear side of damper door, and another of gasket material I pulled out pretty easily by hand. I remember last time, scraping the brand new glue out of the groove was really tedious. I second the suggestion of using wax paper between door and gasket to initially dry as I glued mine shut last time.

 

[steveintx]

If you get a little happy or sloppy with the cement place a piece of wax paper between the damper and the housing before you close it. This way the gasket stays glued and the way paper stops it from sticking to the housing. I disassembled and removed my damper on my stove as you have to clean the old glue/cement out.

Thanks Eman, this was paper idea is something I wouldn't have thought of.

 

[steveintx]

I used the Rutland in the flexable tube from Ace Hardware. Good call with the wax paper. And yes, make sure there is no old cement or atleast loose cement in the gasket channel. And yeah, let dry with the damper closed for 24 hours than open up and burn away. Did mine last season and so far no issues.

Kevin: All great advice which I'll use.

 

[Stevepupnorth]

I’ve been burning without that gasket for a few years now. My dealer suggested it was unnecessary.

 

[Earlnemo]

So what are the consequences of less than perfect seal here? Anyone else have an opinion?

 

[Kevin Weis]

Would think you would get some leakage by which may cause more creosote? Maybe also dilute the flow through the combuster with no gasket.

 

[sargeott]

I’ve been burning without that gasket for a few years now. My dealer suggested it was unnecessary.

Your dealer is wrong and I am surprised that was an acceptible answer they gave you.

So what are the consequences of less than perfect seal here? Anyone else have an opinion?

Poor draft when bypass is enabled, the stove will try and pull the heat through the gaps instead of through the downdraft refractory design. Increase in creosote build up in the chimney and less than ideal stove performance.
Use the gasket, they put them in for a reason.

 

[Eman85]

I'd say most manufacturers don't spend any money on things that are unnecessary. I that gasket didn't effect performance there would be no gasket there from the factory.

 

[steveintx]

I’ve been burning without that gasket for a few years now. My dealer suggested it was unnecessary.

Thanks for your input Steve. I like your answer because it's the easiest to implement. I've had a few fires without the gasket and they seemed ok. But, one reason I bought this particular stove was the great ratings in terms of efficiency (77 with CAT, and 74 without) and cleanliness (.3 gm of smoke per hr with CAT, & .6 gm per hr without CAT). I think without the benefits of secondary and tertiary burn you wouldn't get these figures. And, without closing the damper with a good seal, you are getting less of these burns. Other folks have written about this in shorter form. ((I will say that re-looking at these numbers--- if my CAT dies--- I may do without it--- but that's probably a subject for another post.))

 

[Blue Ridge Lou]

Im not sure why your doing this yourself.. Your dealer should be helping you with this.

If you do this yourself.. your better off taking the top of rhe stove off and removing the damper.. all of the existing cement will need to be cleaned out of the channel

My Intrepid II lost the damper gasket too a few months in. The dealer said "oh dear" "good luck!". I bought the cement and rope on a certain amazonian marketplace, and replaced the original rope that had fallen south. I don't use the catalyst so don't use the damper. Didn't take the top off or clear out the existing cement. Just pasted over. don't feel it is an issue, but my danger level has gone up since I moved rural.

 

[Kevin Weis]

A Dremel with wire brush will work well to clean out the channel. Wipe clean after with mineral spirits.

 

[steveintx]

So what are the consequences of less than perfect seal here? Anyone else have an opinion?

Earl--- I saw an email that you had posted a question... but didn't find the question on this thread... so I'm answering here. Your question was: steveintx, do you mind if I ask how your gasket came to be missing? And the answer is: When I opened the damper door, it was loose and hanging. At first, I had no idea what it was, but when I pulled at it gently , the remaining part that was still attached to the damper housing came free. I'm still surprised that there is no sign of glue or wear on the gasket.

 

[steveintx]

My Intrepid II lost the damper gasket too a few months in. The dealer said "oh dear" "good luck!". I bought the cement and rope on a certain amazonian marketplace, and replaced the original rope that had fallen south. I don't use the catalyst so don't use the damper. Didn't take the top off or clear out the existing cement. Just pasted over. don't feel it is an issue, but my danger level has gone up since I moved rural.

Thanks for this encouraging reply Blue Ridge Lou. I'm just learning the stove, but I'd think you'd be opening the damper to start the fire, and closing it when you reach a hot temperature (over 450 on the stovetop) to take advantage of the secondary burn chamber (even if you don't have a catalyst.) Am I missing something?

 

[Earlnemo]

Exactly my experience, Steve. The gasket came out clean as a whistle. There was a good bead of clear hardened glue in the channel, perfectly imprinted with the gasket weave. I suspect they are just sticking these gaskets on and not closing the door on them to compress the gasket into the glue, or that glue is somehow faulty. I've never seen gasket glue that is clear/slightly opaque, but I aint no eggs pert. ( I deleted that prior question about your gasket as I thought I'd misunderstood your post, sorry)

 

[steveintx]

Exactly my experience, Steve. The gasket came out clean as a whistle. There was a good bead of clear hardened glue in the channel, perfectly imprinted with the gasket weave. I suspect they are just sticking these gaskets on and not closing the door on them to compress the gasket into the glue, or that glue is somehow faulty. I've never seen gasket glue that is clear/slightly opaque, but I aint no eggs pert. ( I deleted that prior question about your gasket as I thought I'd misunderstood your post, sorry)

Good to know we had the same exact experience, Earl. And, glad to know why I couldn't find your post.

 

[Earlnemo]

Ha! I'm not sure how good it is - seems like the Damper Door Gasket Guy at VC factory owes us all a beer or six? If three of us just happened to turn up here, there must be dozens more out there with the same problem? ( I'm curious now to know how many Intrepid Flexys sell annually) I wonder if stove dealers have any sort of network the way tractor & chainsaw & other machinery folks do, where they notice trends like these?

 

[steveintx]

Ha! I'm not sure how good it is - seems like the Damper Door Gasket Guy at VC factory owes us all a beer or six? If three of us just happened to turn up here, there must be dozens more out there with the same problem? ( I'm curious now to know how many Intrepid Flexys sell annually) I wonder if stove dealers have any sort of network the way tractor & chainsaw & other machinery folks do, where they notice trends like these?

Maybe we can start a movement.