Dutchwest Sequoia 455 Wood Stove troubleshooting

[bengranger]

Hello good folks. I recently inherited a Dutchwest Sequoia 455 (FA455) . After reading up on it, I realized that the bypass gate is stuck. I can wiggle it from the firebox, but the crank shaft itself is not budging. I am guessing this is due to creosote buildup and/or heat warping. Any tips on getting it loose?
An additional problem is that the screws that hold the top in place are pretty much seized up and start to strip if I put any muscle into turning them. Wish they would have used bolts on this model.... anyway, that limits how much access I have to the assembly.
Any tips would be hugely appreciated!

 

[bsutter01]

Hello good folks. I recently inherited a Dutchwest Sequoia 455 (FA455) . After reading up on it, I realized that the bypass gate is stuck. I can wiggle it from the firebox, but the crank shaft itself is not budging. I am guessing this is due to creosote buildup and/or heat warping. Any tips on getting it loose?
An additional problem is that the screws that hold the top in place are pretty much seized up and start to strip if I put any muscle into turning them. Wish they would have used bolts on this model.... anyway, that limits how much access I have to the assembly.
Any tips would be hugely appreciated!

There are (2) bolts inside the firebox (top) that need to be removed. Then the entire stove top will be able to be removed making access to the damper, cat, refractory etc. This was on my old VC Sequoia 2160 which I think is the same.

 

[bengranger]

Thanks for looking into my issue! I believe my model is built differently that yours (Sequoia 455)
After removing the 4 exterior side screws (the top ones don't serve any discernable purpose), the top came off easily. I was able to force the door mechanism open, but unfortunately it is still seized up where the handle joined the baffle and the metal bar broke. I will have to figure out how to remove it as it is very well stuck and will probably need to be drilled out. In the meantime now I can start a fire without smoke billowing into my living room, and although it isn't utilizing the catalyst it is still more functional than it used to be.

 

[stoveliker]

This seems like the same mechanism as my old (sold) DutchWest fa264ccl. Maybe you can find info in old manuals of that stove. I once downloaded one someplace (can't remember where ...)