Hi everyone. I'm a long time wood burner. 4 years with a Scandia "Vigilant" knock off, then 20 years with a "Saey" combination wood/coal stove that saw nothing but coal for approximately 4 years, then most recently a Vigilant I for this past heating season. I attempt to heat a home of 2300 square feet in South Western New Hampshire. The stove is in the basement at one end of the house. The room the stove is in is insulated to R-11. and it is pretty much open to the staircase. Directly above the stove is the living area of the house, with the bedrooms at the opposite end. It works out pretty well, with the bedrooms staying cooler. I loved the Vigilant, though I would have liked glass doors, and was tired of all the creosote it could make. It heated the house well 90% of the winter. Only in the coldest weather did the oil fired FHW system need to run.
A week ago I purchased a used Defiant Encore 2550 CAT stove. I'm actually glad to be experiencing this colder than normal weather to be able to try it out now rather than having to wait until next heating season. The stove doesn't seem to put out the heat that the Vigilant did. I believe I am running it properly, I let the griddle temp reach at least 450 prior to engaging the CAT. If I run the stove to give me a griddle temp of 500 over night, after 9 hours there are very few coals to get the fire going, if any. Also, a griddle temp of 500 just doesn't seem to be heating as well as 500 on the old Vigilant.
Last night I filled it tight with 3"-5" rounds of dry birch and maple. (the fire box feels considerably smaller then the Vigilant did) After maybe 30-40 minutes the fire was burning brightly, griddle temp was 480. I dampered it down, left the primary air 3/4 open for maybe 10 minutes, then shut it all the way down. Half an hour later when I checked on it, it was making a dull roaring sound, sort of like a chimney fire, but not as nossy. All seemed ok, temp was 500, stack was at 350, climbed to 400 then settled back to 380. Finally I went to bed, but the sound was still there. Is this normal for a CAT stove? Any thoughts or comments are welcome.
A week ago I purchased a used Defiant Encore 2550 CAT stove. I'm actually glad to be experiencing this colder than normal weather to be able to try it out now rather than having to wait until next heating season. The stove doesn't seem to put out the heat that the Vigilant did. I believe I am running it properly, I let the griddle temp reach at least 450 prior to engaging the CAT. If I run the stove to give me a griddle temp of 500 over night, after 9 hours there are very few coals to get the fire going, if any. Also, a griddle temp of 500 just doesn't seem to be heating as well as 500 on the old Vigilant.
Last night I filled it tight with 3"-5" rounds of dry birch and maple. (the fire box feels considerably smaller then the Vigilant did) After maybe 30-40 minutes the fire was burning brightly, griddle temp was 480. I dampered it down, left the primary air 3/4 open for maybe 10 minutes, then shut it all the way down. Half an hour later when I checked on it, it was making a dull roaring sound, sort of like a chimney fire, but not as nossy. All seemed ok, temp was 500, stack was at 350, climbed to 400 then settled back to 380. Finally I went to bed, but the sound was still there. Is this normal for a CAT stove? Any thoughts or comments are welcome.
