Dutchwest 2461 stove inner top assembly replacement

[erikrocks]

Hey folks, I bought this Dutchwest 2461 a couple of years from Craigslist for a steal, so I knew I was going to have some work to do on it at some point. Well, that some point has come. The damper adjuster fell off the damper the other day, and when I took the top off to put it back on, I noticed that the inner top was warped to hell. As a result, I've decided to replace the entire inner top assembly.

My question: has anyone done this? And if so, how do you get the inner top out of the stove? I'm guessing, by the looks of the diagram in the manual, that I should take the sides off and lift the inner top out. Thing is, the sides aren't coming off easily after loosening the top nuts that hold the side to the front and back. Is this simply the cement or is there something I'm overlooking? Anyone have any tips or techniques to help loosen the top of the sides from the front and back?

Here are a few photos. You can see that the bottom side is coming out but the top of the side isn't budging.

 

[begreen]

Bump, has anyone done a rebuild of this stove. Offhand I would guess it needs a complete breakdown with the sides removed, but could be wrong. Are the sides thru-bolted to the base?

 

[erikrocks]

Well, I just finished taking it apart. The only way I saw to do it is to take the front off first because the sides slot into the grooves in the front and back. So take all the bolts out of the front panel and lift it out. Then take the bolts out of the back, detach the pipe and push that back. Then I just wiggled the top out of the grooves in the sides. I can send and/or post photos if you want. The stove will sit in my living room in pieces until my new inner top assembly and refractory gets here.

 

[begreen]

There you go. Take pics for sure. Anything you learn is bound to help someone else down the road.

 

[Ktbrawley]

Well, I just finished taking it apart. The only way I saw to do it is to take the front off first because the sides slot into the grooves in the front and back. So take all the bolts out of the front panel and lift it out. Then take the bolts out of the back, detach the pipe and push that back. Then I just wiggled the top out of the grooves in the sides. I can send and/or post photos if you want. The stove will sit in my living room in pieces until my new inner top assembly and refractory gets here.

Where did you find the parts to replace the inter liner. Mine just cracked two days ago.

 

[Hardrockmaple]

Where did you find the parts to replace the inter liner. Mine just cracked two days ago.

(broken link removed)

 

[Rpkilgor]

Erikrocks,

How did your repair turn out? Did you have to fully dismantle the stove? Any trouble getting it back together?

I am looking at the same issue. Was going to replace the baffle and air distributor because they melted and fell apart. When I got the baffle out I noticed that the inner top was warped and starting to crack on the left side curved section where the cat sits.

I don't know that I can afford the inner top right now after buying a new damper, cat, baffle, damper adjuster air distributor and temp probe, so I'm hoping to squeeze through this heating season. It looks like the worst that will happen is air/gas will make it by the cat without going through it. I'm going to try not to worry about it unless it overfires or fails to heat my house.

Anyone else with warped inside tops care to share their experience?

 

[erikrocks]

Hey rpkilgor. I did have to take the entire stove apart, but it wasn't too bad. It came apart quite easily with the help of a rubber mallet. I wish I had taken pictures, but I don't think I did...I'll check my archives to make sure. Taking the stove apart and putting it back together seems like a daunting task, but it wasn't bad at all. Buy a tube of cement when you put it back together, though.

Here are the photos of my tear down. t's not much, but maybe they will help someone:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/erikfrank/sets/72157641064686835/

 

[Andrew A]

Hello,

I'm about to embark on replacing my inner top. Everything looks pretty straight forward (I'm mechanically inclined).

Is there anything I need to know about re-sealing the pieces as I put it back together?

Thanks!

 

[Woody Stover]

Are you taking the sides off the bottom as well? Seems like you may as well go the whole nine yards when you've got it down that far. Then again, it might be harder to get the additional seams all glued and put back together fast enough; That's a lot of pieces to be working with at one time, I'd think...

 

[Woody Stover]

@humpin iron has a lot of experience rebuilding VC stoves, and some other brands I believe...

 

[Andrew A]

Are you taking the sides off the bottom as well? Seems like you may as well go the whole nine yards when you've got it down that far. Then again, it might be harder to get the additional seams all glued and put back together fast enough; That's a lot of pieces to be working with at one time, I'd think...

I was kinda thinking the same thing - it may be harder to get all the seams glued and back together. But I guess it was hand assembled at the plant.

I haven't torn it down yet, still using it while waiting for the parts to come.

If anyone has any experiences to share, I'm all ears.

I'll try to take pics when I do this as well.

 

[Woody Stover]

I guess it was hand assembled at the plant.

I think I've read posts that suggested using ratchet straps or something to hold the sides somewhat in position.

 

[Andrew A]

I think I've read posts that suggested using ratchet straps or something to hold the sides somewhat in position.

That's a good tip! I have plenty of ratchet straps!


I have like 17 different things on my plate, so I'm not sure when I'll get to this project. Hopefully this weekend. It may be a while before I post pics, etc.

Do all modern stoves require repairs like this? I think about people on fixed budgets or people that are not mechanically inclined, they spend a lot of money on a stove and come to find out it needs repairs and maintenance!

 

[Woody Stover]

Do all modern stoves require repairs like this?

Whenever you get a used stove you're taking a chance that it's been overfired and will have damage. Welded plate-steel stoves are less prone to seam leaks but overfire damage may not be repairable. Better steel stoves will have more replaceable parts such as the baffle. In general, a plate-steel stove with burn tubes will probably be lower maintenance than other types of stoves such as cats or hybrids, but the latter have advantages like less wood usage or more even low-end output. You have to weigh the factors, then decide what's important to you.

 

[Andrew A]

Hello,

I've started tearing this stove apart.

What brand / type of furnace cement should I use?

 

[Woody Stover]

I don't know if there's a lot of difference between brands but you should follow directions, which I think include dampening the surfaces to improve adhesion of the cement.

 

[Andrew A]

Mission complete.

This is not exactly a DIY job. You need some mechanical appitude and tools. You will need one helper.

With our dutchwest I first took the lid off. Next you remove the front of the stove. After unbolting, the front will be tough to pull out as the cement is holding it in place. I had to use some body strength to pull it loose. I used a rubber mallet to tap the sides free. I also carefully used a straight screw driver to pry the pieces apart. Once the side were free, we then removed the inner top, and removed the sides, and last - the inner back.

There is a lot of cleaning and prep work involved for re-assembly. It's a dirty, dusty job. You can take the pieces off and do the cleaning outside to minimize dust in the home. We used a straight screw driver for chiseling the old cement off the pieces. And then we used a 2-inch wire brush on a drill for cleaning the mating surfaces. And last I used compressed air for blowing any dust off the pieces. The most time consuming aspect of the job is cleaning and prepping the pieces.

When executing your disassembly be sure to pay attention to what seams are cemented are what are not.

Before we applied the cement, we did a re-assembly test run, so we would know how it all would play out.

I had to replace my inner top, that's what prompted this project. The re-assembly test run went good, but one thing I did not do was make sure the rod that works the damper fit into the new top. So I suggest that when you do your test run - MAKE SURE EVERYTHING GOES BACK TOGETHER, so your Hercules cement is not improperly curing. I reused my damper rod (as there is nothing wrong with it), but the hole in my new inner top needed drilled a little larger. I did not have a drill bit that large (9/16), so I had to use a grinding disk on a pneumatic grinder and lightly grind down the rod. All this was happening as the cement was already in place. So I suggest you take the time and make sure everything goes back together BEFORE you even open the container of cement.

We used 'Hercules Regular Body High-Heat Furnace Cement', its made by Oatley. The rep at Oatley said it withstands heat up to 2500-degree.
I got a 1/2 gallon pail and only used about 1/3. We applied the cement using a 2-inch putty knife.

I had two other people helping me, so re-assembly was a breeze. We cemented ALL the pieces. Then we installed the inner back. After that, we placed the inner top onto the inner back. One guy held the inner top while the sides were put into place and the inner top was fit into the grooves of the sides. Then we installed the bolts that are on the back that hold the back and sides together.

Next, we installed the front. And did final odds and ends (connect damper, install the combustor, the refractory, etc.) and last we installed the outer lid.

There is no air curing time with the Hercules cement. They want you to cure the cement by getting a small fire stated in the stove as quickly as you can. You need to work fast. The rep told me "The LESS time the cement has to air cure, the better it will work".

I built a small fire, and very gradually allowed the fire to get hotter and hotter and very gradually built it up to the point where I could close the damper. Which is along the lines of what the rep at Oatley said to do.

I installed a NEW inner top. One thing I did not think about is the fumes from the new paint on this top! So be sure to ventilate your home when you do this

 

[Woody Stover]

Good job! Sounds like you approached it systematically and everything went pretty well. I re-glued some firebox seams in my SIL's 2460 last year, and it seems to have slowed down the amount of air leaking into the stove. It's not leaking as bad as my SIL's but I think I will attempt a complete tear-down on my 2460 next summer. Seems like air is leaking in through the ash pan area (ash door gasket is good,) and I see what appears to be a seam in there. Does it look like it could leak there, from what you saw?

When executing your disassembly be sure to pay attention to what seams are cemented are what are not.

Which ones did you see that weren't cemented?

 

[Andrew A]

Good job! Sounds like you approached it systematically and everything went pretty well. I re-glued some firebox seams in my SIL's 2460 last year, and it seems to have slowed down the amount of air leaking into the stove. It's not leaking as bad as my SIL's but I think I will attempt a complete tear-down on my 2460 next summer. Seems like air is leaking in through the ash pan area (ash door gasket is good,) and I see what appears to be a seam in there. Does it look like it could leak there, from what you saw?Which ones did you see that weren't cemented?

I'd speculate to say that air could leak anywhere on these things. I believe there is a gasket between the front and the primary air manifold. You have to pull the front off to get to it.

I'm not sure how to describe this but basically the seams that do not pertain to sealing the inner components do not get cement. But any seams that lead to the inner components do get cemented. Once you have your stove apart and can see how the manufacturer did it - it will make sense. But you need to be cognizant of where and why the cement goes.

 

[Woody Stover]

At the end of the burn when it's down to a coal bed, it looks like air is feeding the coals up through the ash grate...