Dauntless flexburn woes

[Omg saved]

Bought dauntless October 2021
Had the crazy propane inferno sound
Had the blackened windows
Asked for help from dealer, they were very little help and started hanging up on me.
I persevered and found I could mostly avoid the inferno (which is super dangerous for your stove and you because it is air super heating the combustion area) when I cross crossed my seasoned wood with average moisture meter read of 16 and kept it more centered. Still acted up and still had black windows, then my damper opened as I was falling asleep. Wedged a metal rod to keep it closed. Called dealer, they said VC aware of problem and I’d get new one. I dealt with wedging to hold damper closed till end of season. I was exhausted over the winter with nerves about stove and late nights of worries for my safety.
In June got call my damper had arrived. But they told me I, yes me, had to install the damper!! I argued about this but got no where, so we installed the damper, we are capable people that have built our own house and have burned a wood stove in it for twenty years no problem.
This burning season came and I hoped the new damper might change how the stove works.
The damper stays closed, so far.
Inferno still happening.
Black windows still happening.
Then glass cracked. Dealer told me not Under warranty even though it is!
Finally found way to get hold of VC customer service, the woman was nice but I’m not even at this moment going to get into the problems there. They have no answers.
I ordered and paid for new glass!
I was determined to figure out this stove!
Then we found this forum and read somewhere to STACK THE COALS AGAINST THE BACK. The manual says push back , but what we tried was really covering the bottom hole and going as high as you could and then put some wood on top of that and some forward.
It f’n worked! Sometimes the inferno acts up if stove temp to low but evens out. A little patience required but it never gets crazy. Before there were times it would get hot hot in back chamber, this is wrong, the air literally is being sucked out of fire box and going into combustion chamber.
Whoever that person was that mentioned to stack the coals high up in the back, THANK YOU!
My glass still gets black, for the moment I’ve decided to live with it since I’m not afraid of dying anymore!!
WTF Vermont castings? Are you going to figure this out and help your customers? Your dealers sure are not helping us!

 

[bholler]

The inferno sound is normal and the combustion chamber is supposed to get hot hot. That's how it works. By crisscrossing you are probably reducing the ammount of smoke produced leading to less secondary combustion

 

[Omg saved]

I do know there is a strong sound when the combusted is working, thank you for your reply but this is somewhat of the same sound but sped up and with much more force. The first time it happened I thought it was the combusted, but because of the force of the sound and the heat being created in the house I kept a good eye on the stove. As it continued and things got hotter and I knew I had followed the manuals directions for this stove, I really kept inspecting the stove and saw in the open “vents” at the back of the top of the stove my eye saw red, leaning to see the hot red small area of red hot cast iron I shut the stove down and have had to be very diligent ever since.
I am a bronze sculpture and have my own furnace that I melt my bronze in. Propane and air make it hot enough to melt the bronze. The sound of the propanes fire mixed with the air is exactly what I here when this problem occurs.
I should have been more clear about the sound that occurs.

 

[Kevin Weis]

I don’t have the Dauntless but it's little sister the Intrepid. I will get the "wosh" sound when first closing the damper on start up when the stove is warm with a good coalbed and splits are well lit. The hot stove at that point t has a strong draft so when you close the damper the refractory combuster acts like a venturi on a cars carburetor giving that sound. Very common as said and usually will settle down after a minute or two. Do watch the cat temp to make sure not getting up past 1300f. To watch for is for it not to continue past a few minutes or so. If it does usually means too much coals and lit splits up against the combuster. Pulling some of that away from the combuster a little will help with that.