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.

 

[Powederdaze]

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!

This “inferno” sound you speak of, is it like a distant jet you can hear? Ours makes this sound once the coals get established (but unsure of the proper temp since Ace Hdwe. only had the Rutland Single Wall Burn Indicator and our stovepipe is dbl wall), and the (full) tea kettle on top starts to hum. I read, also, to push the coals to the rear and avoid letting flames & fuel get near the glass, but how to do that when you want to load up the stove with split 2x6 cutoffs and gambel oak? Our wood supply probably needs an upgrade, plus I’m wondering if the temp gauge is now in the correct position (see attached). We are total newbies with wood stoves in general, and this 2023 Dauntless is our first, in a brand-new, tightly-built passive solar home. Have had some smoke issues, but not too bad. The inferno sound happens only when I close the damper; air supply has to remain fully open, and oftentimes damper has to also be open; problems occur more often with high winds, but am cognizant of the need to properly warm up the stovepipe to encourage a draft before closing damper, etc. Trying mightily to follow instructions and advice, but this is a pretty big learning curve.

 

[Eman85]

Don't understand what you're monitoring with the thermometer on the front of the stove. Most of us put a thermometer on the stove top. For DW pipe you need to drill and put a probe in about 18-24" up the pipe from the stove. Many of us monitor cat temps which seems to be the most important thing to monitor once you close the damper.

 

[Powederdaze]

Don't understand what you're monitoring with the thermometer on the front of the stove. Most of us put a thermometer on the stove top. For DW pipe you need to drill and put a probe in about 18-24" up the pipe from the stove. Many of us monitor cat temps which seems to be the most important thing to monitor once you close the damper.

Thanks for the advice, I had heard someplace that you could attach it to the front, but that didn't really work. Since it's a "Single Wall Burn Indicator" I wasn't certain that it could work on the griddle surface, but it does seem to. Last night's hottest reading (with small load of 1.5" gambel oak and lumber kindling in stove) was well below 500º. We also don't yet have the Cat, but might get one eventually.

 

[begreen]

The ranges are too high for single-wall. They look like they are for the stove top, though 600-650º is not overfiring. You can use it on the stove top, but due to it just having ranges, it's kind of useless. I would replace it with a good stove top thermometer from Condar, ReoTemp, etc. that has specific temperature readings.