Hearthstone II Top Vent to Rear Vent Conversion

[Nostrum]

Recently picked up a Hearthstone II Brownstone 6" oval top vent woodstove. The stove is in need of some overhaul. Cracked and warped inside plates etc.

While the stove is apart I'd like to convert it from a top vent to a rear vent. Hearthstone manual shows the required parts as 6" Round Rear Flue Collar 2211-12 and Inner Flue Plate 2211-13. These parts of course no longer available.

I can fabricate the parts perhaps if I had some idea of what they looked like. Exploded drawings of the parts are poor.

Wondering if anyone has any ideas and or good photos of the rear vent on an H-II?? Maybe parts from another model Hearthstone??

 

[DAKSY]

Contact Hearthstone & see if you can talk to Jim Casavant.
He knows more about the Hearthstone wood burning products
than almost everyone else on the planet...He can tell you what will or won't work &
maybe even supply you with a copy of the actual component drawings...

 

[Nostrum]

I already sent Jim an email. He sent me a very short reply saying nothing more than "the parts are no longer available."

Didn't seem to want to offer any help.

Was hoping someone here might have some photos of the rear vent.

 

[Fsappo]

He probably cant or shouldnt advise someone taking a UL listed stove and making modifications to the stove itself. Hearthstone is normally very helpfull. Jim and Ray have helped me out countless times. How about rebuilding it, sell it for $1000 and put that towards a rear exit stove...maybe a new Heritage by Hearthstone which retails for $2829, -10% discount they have going on now for a total of $2546 x the tax rebate of 30% you'd end up with a net cost of $1800 or so. So if you can indeed sell your HII for 1k, you'd be laying out another 800 or so and having a much better stove

 

[Nostrum]

Apparently the H-II was sold as both a top and rear vent, so the modification isn't really dangerous if the correct parts were still available.

If I really thought I could get a $1000 for it rebuilt, I'd consider selling it as you suggested. Unfortunately I've seen a bunch of these on Craigslist lately selling for $200 -$750. Granted they're not rebuilt, but everyone wants a deal these days.

I'm currently the unhappy owner of a one year old Defiant non-cat that I paid $2600 for. I'm tired of fighting with that stove and want something that actually works. I know the H-II has a decent track record.

 

[Nostrum]

Update:

Well the Hearthstone II brownstone top to back vent conversion is complete and works beutifully. Ordered reversable flue collar 2020-900 brown and reversable flue plate 2421-250 matte (no longer available in brown). Flue collar is the same as that used on the Mansfield. Reversable flue plate is exactly the same size and is used on the American Heritage and Harvest. I fabricated Inner Rear Flue Plate 2211-13 from 1/4 inch plate steel. Removed and cut the rear top center stone with a wet tile saw to allow mounting of the rear flue collar. Blocked off the old top flue collar with the flue plate.

Honorable mention goes to the guys at Wood Heat Stoves in California. They were very helpful and great to deal with. Will order from them again in the future.

Back and side plates were badly cracked so I replaced them with 3/8 plate steel that were fabricated locally. Recemented the entire stove with Hearthstone stove cement.

Finished my last break in fire on Friday night and have been running the stove 24/7 since. Great stove!! I can't believe how well it heats and how easy it is to run. Getting a consistant 450 degree stove top. Thermostatic air control is really cool too.

Photo attached. You'll see the back of my VC 1610 to the right of the photo.