I guess first visit 2025. Vermont Castings Reliance 2220

[tbear853]

Our 1992 Vermont Castings 2220 Reliance stove is all Harmon inside. We were getting down in one stack of pellets, normally good pellets. I picked up a few bags off the concrete and placed them on top of a stack of maybe 60, near 70 bags. Then we had a power burp. Was after that, after getting into bags that were on the carport floor, the stove started feeding pellets a little fast, I was tossing half burned pellets. Normally when it does that, it was pellets it didn't like, but these are Mamer Hot Ones, but they were on the concrete a year plus.

We shut it down, relied on house heat for a few days. unplugged the stove, did a deep clean, retried as a really cold snap, no better.

Yesterday, I pulled the back off, moved the stove out after loosening clamps, got to thinking about a thermocouple that was replaced in 1996 because the stove place said try it, but then I was using various pellets. A couple years ago, I tested that OEM thermocouple that I still had, tested good. So in the last couple days I swapped back. I also moved the stove 6" further out from it's corner to make access easier, using connector adapter that was just over 6" longer. I also redid my cold air inlet.

Finally, today, I did something I never had touched. I loosened the wing nut and turned the feed gate control one turn inward, to decrease the feed rate, and marked it. I added a handle to the rear cover and put her all together again. Runing well now, so far. Flame is crisp again, not lazy.

Fingers crossed.

I do have new gasket material for doors, but I'll try that next if need be.

 

[tbear853]

Well, is running great after 8 hours, better than it was, and hardly anything in the ash pan. A week ago, I dumped the pan sometimes twice a day. Just on low, like idling. Glass looking good too, where it was smudging up bad last week. I'm wondering if maybe those pellets had maybe just absorbed some moisture content, we did have some really humid cold low foggy days.

 

[tbear853]

Just updating / recapping after the work mentioned. Seems that thermo couple they sent me in the early years was not so much needed (as stated above, I had removed it a few days ago and put OEM TC back in.) and it must have been some poor quality pellets back there 30 years ago, I don't recall when burn got better then, but it was then that I decided that the Hamer's Hot Ones seemed to do the best.
I recently:

• replaced the burn pot a few years ago OEM had some split seams.
• turned the pellet feed rate 1 turn towards decrease, and logged it. I might back it up 1/2 turn as a test..
• added 6 feet of horizontal flue to what was outside
• added 6 inches in the house for better access

Tonight I decided to crank it up to where I used to run it in these frigid temperatures before it started over feeding, before those changes. Recent years we run it mostly on idle depending on space heaters and house heaters as needed. It may act up again, but running up near about 10:00 on the dial, it's been running super all evening and no faint exhaust smells drifting through my log end wall as was.

Pleased we are.

 

[bigealta]

6 ft of Horizontal, .....or did you mean Vertical flue?

 

[tbear853]

6 ft of Horizontal, .....or did you mean Vertical flue?

Horizontal

Is now 3.5 feet out from stove horizontal through a wall to a cleanout tee 2 feet from the wall outside, straight up 5 feet to a 90 deg elbow, then I just added 6 feet horizontal, and reused the horizontal tapered velocity inducing cap. I also added a new stove connection that added 6" there, for service ease.

Have run over a bag of pellets since last ash dump just after doing the job, ain't enough ash in it to fill a coffee cup now, and virtually no partially burnt pellets. Glass stove door window is staying clean too. Edge of burn pot floor has some fine ash, no unburnt pellets either. Flame is snappy. No stove smells.

 

[tbear853]

Just to keep it together with pics there too. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/best-3-duravent-compatible-horizontal-vent-end.206483/

 

[Ssyko]

Manual. Pgs. 12-13 has no recommendations for 6 foot horizontal pipe. You have 2 devices in 1 chimney?

 

[tbear853]

Manual. Pgs. 12-13 has no recommendations for 6 foot horizontal pipe. You have 2 devices in 1 chimney?

Yes, is clean.
Manual is both on my PC and in my book drawer. 1 device only on 1 flue.
No prohibitions either, but come warmer weather I likely will move the elbow, & just go up again. I did some looking today, I just like it better going up ... but might be a slight angle outward. 17 degrees out from straight up is OK ... and I can get to it without walking on that metal roof. Just adjust the elbow angle, put it on the tee top, then 11 feet of straight pipe, and a suitable cap. The old cap I had got bent up in a drop, but one like it would be fine keeping rain out.

 

[Ssyko]

Id go to the 90 and come out and terminate

 

[tbear853]

Id go to the 90 and come out and terminate

How I had it, and tried a few different directions. Worked fine except for the wind blowing the exhaust back up over the carport and some seeping through the log gable end into my loft. Wasn't bad, but just mildly annoying.

I Just realized that
Are you SURE you cleaned it good?
Where is your manual?
is maybe a signature.

 

[tbear853]

Just updating.
Putting the original thermocouple back in after testing and that 1 turn CW inward on the feed adjustment that slightly reduced (1 turn inward CW to reduce feed) feed block draw back have combined to transform my 1992 Reliance into the near perfect running stove I have long worked toward. It might be perfect, I will not know unless it suddenly runs with no pellets at all.

That flue since extension, is doing what I hoped it would too, even in the face of high winds. It's out of the weather too, no smoke smells, but I might need to clean bird poop off of it from time to time. I have an idea for that too, maybe come Spring, in time for next year?

 

[tbear853]

Just to update, guess it was the TC causing issues, as since reverting back the flue removing that 6 feet horizontal run, and putting the original TC back in (one that was replaced in the '90s at suggestion of tech on a phone call then), this old stove runs at least as well as ... or better than ... even when new.

Monday, did go pick up another load of Hamers Hot Ones at my Co-op, $6.75 a bag. Wasn't short, but figured good to have extra on hand.

 

[tbear853]

Well, I'm back .... it looks like I forgot some of what I did last year. Last year I had some issues I see. Some of that above was about thermocouple issues and I see my adjustments and the flue change I made. There is no way this old guy is gonna get up on that slick, dusty, metal roof to run the flue straight up now, but was a time I would have.

My remaining issue is in this place, living here now 35 years, I know the horizontal termination gets hit by prevailing winds. I'm tempted to cut, bend, strap on a deflector of sorts for windy days. Not altering the flow like on a calm cold day, just diverting wind. I will take a brush and soap up there & clean that bird poop off.

Also, since that power outage and the stove not shutting down so cleanly, we added a battery backup that will run the blower long enough to shut it off cleanly. Was an outage one windy night and I suspect the wind hitting that termination straight on or nearly so didn't help evacuate the flue. I also need to take the door off to clean and change the seal, I have what I need.

I see was 02-10-2025 I removed the long horizontal extension.