Encore Defiant stove problem

[mtathome]

Our sweep used to do the maintenance on our stove, but he retired and we haven't found anyone else to help out, so I'm hoping someone here can give me an idea of what to do with this problem. The stove is 13 years old and it has never had this problem before.

The problem is that the hood that covers the catalytic converter keeps falling off. It only falls off when there's a fire going. Once the fire goes out and it cools down, we hang the hood back up. It just hangs from two little metal things that jut out. I can't find a way to hold it up better so that it doesn't keep falling off. Nothing looks broken, though I noticed that the hood itself is curved, but I don't know if that's its normal shape or not.

Any idea why it keeps falling off all of a sudden and how to keep it from doing it?

Thanks

 

[seaken]

Our sweep used to do the maintenance on our stove, but he retired and we haven't found anyone else to help out, so I'm hoping someone here can give me an idea of what to do with this problem. The stove is 13 years old and it has never had this problem before.

The problem is that the hood that covers the catalytic converter keeps falling off. It only falls off when there's a fire going. Once the fire goes out and it cools down, we hang the hood back up. It just hangs from two little metal things that jut out. I can't find a way to hold it up better so that it doesn't keep falling off. Nothing looks broken, though I noticed that the hood itself is curved, but I don't know if that's its normal shape or not.

Any idea why it keeps falling off all of a sudden and how to keep it from doing it?

Thanks

Yep. Heat. And age. It is probably time to replace that throat hood piece, and maybe the firebacks also. The cast iron has been stressed to it's limit. Replace the worn part and you'll be back to normal. Do you have a VC dealer nearby? Does this dealer have a stove technician on staff? If not, you may have to learn how to do these parts replacements yourself.

Good luck,
Sean

 

[mtathome]

Thanks very much for your reply, Sean.

I was afraid it would need to be replaced. I think the catalyst converter needs to be replaced again as well. I can't find a dealer nearby so will have to order them and install ourselves.

I'm wondering if it might be cheaper to just buy a new noncatalytic stove? This converter has to be replaced every few years and is expensive.

Thanks again.

 

[jpl1nh]

While you do have to replace the combustor somewhere in the vicinity of every 10-12000 hours of use, it's not hard to do. I imagine the hood is not hard to replace either. If your stove has always worked well for you, I'd put the small amount of money and effort in to bringing it back to shape for the next 13 years. That's a nice stove you've got there.

 

[seaken]

Thanks very much for your reply, Sean.

I was afraid it would need to be replaced. I think the catalyst converter needs to be replaced again as well. I can't find a dealer nearby so will have to order them and install ourselves.

I'm wondering if it might be cheaper to just buy a new noncatalytic stove? This converter has to be replaced every few years and is expensive.

Thanks again.

I can't say for sure if it would be cheaper to replace your stove. Sometimes that works. But most of the time it makes sense to repair your existing Encore. The features and the efficiency of that stove make it a great choice for many folks. If you don't care about the extra features and the maximum potential efficiencies you could switch to a simple box stove with only a front load door. Many here are very satisfied with those types of stoves and they do cost less to maintain on an annual basis.

The cost of repair materials on a cast iron model, like the Encore, should be analyzed as part of your annual heating costs. Yes, you will pay about $200 per year more to operate an Encore when compared to a steel box stove, like an Avalon Rainier or similar. But the Encore is a more efficient burner and has many added features that may be better suited to your tastes. Don't think of the parts replacements as "expensive" unless it is more than you can afford. $200 per year is not a lot and works out to about $25/month. If you just set that amount aside for maintenance and repair you will be fine. If you can't justify that extra $25/month than you could consider changing to a steel box stove non-cat. A stove like that should fall below the $50/year annual repair costs. But, if the Encore's efficiency allows you to burn a cord less than the other stove you will only break even.

 

[MarcM]

+1 to what's been said so far.

With my experience with the Encore, it pays to watch the operating temperature as well. After warping the damper plate, I was told the stove and various component will really last much longer if you keep the temperature as measured on the exterior of the top door below 550F. Above that will lead to warped compenents and a shorter cat life.

Also told to avoid burning glossy inked paper when starting the fire. I've seen converters live around 5-6 years here, burning around 4 cords of well seasoned hardwood per year.

 

[mtathome]

Don’t think of the parts replacements as “expensive” unless it is more than you can afford. $200 per year is not a lot and works out to about $25/month. That's a good point. I didn't think of it that way. Thanks.

This Encore does keep our house warm, and we've always enjoyed it a lot, except for replacing the converter so often, and with all of your information here, I think it's best to just maintain this one rather than switch to a noncatalytic. And we should watch the temp better to keep things from warping too.

Thanks everyone, you've been very helpful!

 

[MarcM]

I'd also add that it pays to verify your thermometer every now and then. The bimetallic strips will experience drift over time and fall well out of needed accurate limits.

The old one we had was measuring about 50 deg F cooler than the temp as measured with a brand new one, verified with an IR gun.

 

[swestall]

I am with the others in that replacing the parts on this stove is a good move. One question that comes to mind is do you see the converter glowing> If so then it is working. If that is the case, then you might order the cover only and see if it has become warped and is just short enough that it is falling off when it gets hot. If you got it hot enough with a torch you might be able to flatten it out again. But, if you replace it and that solves the problem, all the better.
Whatever you do DON'T make the mistake of purchasing an EVERBURN stove from VC as a non-CAT solution unless you are prepared to live with a device that requires significantly more attention than what you are use to..enough said about that.
Monitoring stovetop and stovepipe temps is very important so as said above, if you are not doing that you should learn how to as a way to get even more from this stove.

 

[mtathome]

I am with the others in that replacing the parts on this stove is a good move. One question that comes to mind is do you see the converter glowing> If so then it is working. If that is the case, then you might order the cover only and see if it has become warped and is just short enough that it is falling off when it gets hot. If you got it hot enough with a torch you might be able to flatten it out again. But, if you replace it and that solves the problem, all the better.
Whatever you do DON'T make the mistake of purchasing an EVERBURN stove from VC as a non-CAT solution unless you are prepared to live with a device that requires significantly more attention than what you are use to..enough said about that.
Monitoring stovetop and stovepipe temps is very important so as said above, if you are not doing that you should learn how to as a way to get even more from this stove.

Thanks for the tips, great information!

I'll make sure the thermometer is accurate too.