Making my VC Montpelier insert more efficent.

[Wildman_fab]

I have the benefit of being able to base my opinions on the previous insert (smaller Lopi) It used to be able to cook you out of the living room. I am trying to get the VC to do the same, as it fits the space better, has a larger fire box, looks nicer, and I dont have the Lopi anymore.

My VC Montpelier dosnt seam to get as hot as the Lopi. I was burning some of the left over wood, mixed with some semi-seasoned stuff. I installed it using the same liner, but with out a block off plate. I did notice that changing to dry cut up palate wood last year made a difference in heat output, but not significantly.

The VC was bought lightly used, then I used it all last year. After doing the "dollar bill gasket test" proved that the gasket is marginal, I can pull the dollar through but with some resistance. With nice dry wood the glass stays clean. I have tightened up the handle a bit also, if I snug it up too much its almost impossible to close! I think the gasket has gotten compressed to the point of being flattened out.

My plan of attack is:

Build a block off plate using 1/8in steel and insulation over the top.
Replace the door gasket.

Is there anything else I should look for anything else I can do? I also noticed that the damper on the top can be almost completely closed and the fire still burns quite bright. Should I disassemble the stove and look for an air leak??

 

[allhandsworking]

Block off plate will help big time insulate it with fiberglass or mineral wool!
I would not alter the stoves damper.
Resplit your wood keep them under 4"/3" they will burn hotter! This insert loves good seasoned wood!!
If you load first splits north south then east west on top of that this seems to work well also. Air comes in threw three holes in the front brick thing. It also lifts out for cleaning every month or so. They don't seem to get blocked though.

The Monte heats my 1800 Tudor in NYC very nicely! I have good insulation and some new windows. I load up at 11pm and will have a coal bed in the morning to throw some splits on around 630 am! I try to burn 24/7 my wife is starting to get into it also so this will help! Women don't have the pyro gene though so it will only help so much. I burned about 2 cords last year maybe more I put about 1000$ oil savings in my pocket last year! Nice! Enjoy

 

[begreen]

Make your block off plate out of something much easier to work with like 24 ga sheetmetal. There's no benefit to using thicker 1/8" steel.

 

[Wildman_fab]

The 1/8in plate was some scrap that I had kicking around, took me less than an hour to make a template, plasma cut, grind to fit and tack it into the flue. My plan is to use something to seal it to the rest of the metal fireplace. Stove cement maybe?

I need to double check, but I am pretty sure the holes under the tile are clear.

I did notice that the male side of the adapter between the liner and the stove has 'caved in' a bit creating some air leaks would this have an effect on how efficient my insert is?

I popped the door off and I am going to reseal it today.

Side question, I need to clean the chimney, after all the thrashing around I have a nice pile built up. I am assuming that Its not good to let the creosote fall into the stove while I am cleaning. Will I need to move the stove every year to clean the liner? I have access to a brush and extensions.

 

[allhandsworking]

The 1/8in plate was some scrap that I had kicking around, took me less than an hour to make a template, plasma cut, grind to fit and tack it into the flue. My plan is to use something to seal it to the rest of the metal fireplace. Stove cement maybe?

I need to double check, but I am pretty sure the holes under the tile are clear.

I did notice that the male side of the adapter between the liner and the stove has 'caved in' a bit creating some air leaks would this have an effect on how efficient my insert is?

I popped the door off and I am going to reseal it today.

Side question, I need to clean the chimney, after all the thrashing around I have a nice pile built up. I am assuming that Its not good to let the creosote fall into the stove while I am cleaning. Will I need to move the stove every year to clean the liner? I have access to a brush and extensions.

I don't, any creosote that lands in the stove will be vaporized. Some will settle on your block off plate though. I remove it and clean it every 2 years now. I have about a 1/4 cup of creosote when I sweep the chimney so I will be doing it every other year! Burn dry and hot and you will have a clean flue also!

 

[coulombe208]

This is my first winter with the Montpelier, installed early 2011. I spent a lot of time going through the Heath.com threads before buying. Many of the concerns discussed here were thrown at the potential vendors/installers before a decision was made. Most of them did not have a clue of what I was saying. Finally found the right guy who was willing to take the time to discuss the cons and pro of the VC unit. For a no brainer operation, he suggested a Jotul unit, but without the nicer look and the larger glass of course. In general he knows that people who buy those units are not returning to him for help or complaints. For the VC, he will take time to educate the customer because this unit is nicer, but needs more pampering (type of wood, preheating. etc). So thanks to all the posters for helping me finding the right vendor.

Installation was standard, but with the following details
A block off plate was not installed at the base of the full 25’ liner. Instead, approximately 1 foot of insulating wool was tuck tightly between the flue liner and the chimney masonry. This does 95% of the job of a perfectly air tight plate (which is almost impossible to achieve anyway)
To avoid any deformation of the liner while going through the damper area, a hydraulic jack was used to remove the cast iron damper assembly. This allowed plenty of space to avoid any kinking of the liner during installation (we saw quite a few horror stories in the threads), and enough play to insure an easy connection to the insert outlet. Of course, the original fireplace is now dead …
And most important thing, I was there during the whole installation process.

Initially, I had the reported problem of the door bottom rubbing on the front table while opening. As suggested, I played with the door adjustment, but a simple tightening of the bolts was sufficient to solve the problem, and improve the dollar bill test results. Seems that the unit was shipped with partially tightened bolts. The noisy fan problem was also easily solved as per suggestions in the forum.

With time, I found out the best loading instructions were in the VC user manual. Yes it takes time to build a good coal bed (2 to 3 small loads, 60 to 90 minutes) but only then can a full load be considered (otherwise poor operation and dirty glass). After that, operation with full air until 300deg is measured above the door, then operation with reduced air. This has been very successful for me. Thanks again for the tip on temperature monitoring.

I am still experimenting with the type of material to burn. The ecologs are practical but they tend to lose flame after a while and form a bed of red hot coal. Probably very efficient for night heating, but when I’m there I want to see FLAMES. So I will return to wood.

Overall experience with the unit has been good, mainly because I got good advices from this forum. Uninformed users must be quite desperate ….

Here are some pictures, one with nice secondary combustion. For those who might worry, the mantle is made of light concrete, so is non combustible.

 

[rover47]

Oooooo the enamel finish I like it! Install looks really nice! We are really enjoying our VC.

 

[firebroad]

This is my first winter with the Montpelier, installed early 2011. I spent a lot of time going through the Heath.com threads before buying. Many of the concerns discussed here were thrown at the potential vendors/installers before a decision was made. Most of them did not have a clue of what I was saying. Finally found the right guy who was willing to take the time to discuss the cons and pro of the VC unit. For a no brainer operation, he suggested a Jotul unit, but without the nicer look and the larger glass of course. In general he knows that people who buy those units are not returning to him for help or complaints. For the VC, he will take time to educate the customer because this unit is nicer, but needs more pampering (type of wood, preheating. etc). So thanks to all the posters for helping me finding the right vendor.

Installation was standard, but with the following details
A block off plate was not installed at the base of the full 25’ liner. Instead, approximately 1 foot of insulating wool was tuck tightly between the flue liner and the chimney masonry. This does 95% of the job of a perfectly air tight plate (which is almost impossible to achieve anyway)
To avoid any deformation of the liner while going through the damper area, a hydraulic jack was used to remove the cast iron damper assembly. This allowed plenty of space to avoid any kinking of the liner during installation (we saw quite a few horror stories in the threads), and enough play to insure an easy connection to the insert outlet. Of course, the original fireplace is now dead …
And most important thing, I was there during the whole installation process.

Initially, I had the reported problem of the door bottom rubbing on the front table while opening. As suggested, I played with the door adjustment, but a simple tightening of the bolts was sufficient to solve the problem, and improve the dollar bill test results. Seems that the unit was shipped with partially tightened bolts. The noisy fan problem was also easily solved as per suggestions in the forum.

With time, I found out the best loading instructions were in the VC user manual. Yes it takes time to build a good coal bed (2 to 3 small loads, 60 to 90 minutes) but only then can a full load be considered (otherwise poor operation and dirty glass). After that, operation with full air until 300deg is measured above the door, then operation with reduced air. This has been very successful for me. Thanks again for the tip on temperature monitoring.

I am still experimenting with the type of material to burn. The ecologs are practical but they tend to lose flame after a while and form a bed of red hot coal. Probably very efficient for night heating, but when I’m there I want to see FLAMES. So I will return to wood.

Overall experience with the unit has been good, mainly because I got good advices from this forum. Uninformed users must be quite desperate ….

Here are some pictures, one with nice secondary combustion. For those who might worry, the mantle is made of light concrete, so is non combustible.

Wow, I think you just answered a boatload of questions I had running around in my head about my Alderlea. I am going to check the bolts on my door when I get home as well.

My installer also opted to shove a lot of rock wool between the flue liner and the chimney, and I wondered if it were sufficient without a block off plate. I also think I am not building the fires properly, because I find a lot of "clinkers" sometimes in the morning.

 

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

There's another thread that deals with this topic here:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/86075/

It appears that VC customer support advised the fellow to wrap the Monte in mineral wool to increase efficiency when not using the fan.

I wonder if wrapping in mineral wool would help WITH the fan too?

 

[Jagtec1]

I'm gonna follow this one. Interested in the wrapping thing.

 

[coulombe208]

This wrapping approach makes sense. The only reason I did not go ahead before was fear from overheating the unit. But since VC is OK with it, then I will consider doing it. One inch insulation seems a good compromise, but more could be hazardous.

 

[budman]

This post was back in 2010 :lol: