New stove - comments and questions

[Gark]

This new VC Encore 2550 replaces a Fisher (Papa Bear) non-airtight that we used for 10+ years.
Yep, it exhausts to the rear into single-wall SS 6-inch rigid about 27' straight vertical. The SS liner
is in clay-lined 8 X 10 masonry stack that used to service the Fisher smoke dragon.
COMMENTS: Boy, does this unit throw heat for ALOT LESS WOOD than the Fisher (pre-EPA) did!
Big learning curve for a new stove/flue system. It takes more 'break-in' burns for a
new stove to cure the paint than the manual says- the first time that the CAT is fired on the 2550,
it heats the stove's backside. We set off all the smoke alarms with the stinkin' paint. (Do all your
break-in burns *then 3 cat burns* in warm weather with doors/windows open, heheh).
-We're still going through the learning curve, so-
QUESTIONS: This 2550 is top-loading capable so how do you open the griddle to load it without
escaping smoke filling the house (yes we open the by-pass damper first)? Have achieved 4-hour
cat burns with 3 big ash logs, what's the secret to longer burns?
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I engage the cat after the stove is at 480 degrees, loading big logs on a 3" coal-bed and getting the temp.
back to ~480 degrees. It takes 20 minutes after cat engagement for smoke to disappear out the
stack. Good draft (even in 50 degree temps) that will improve when colder. It pumps out BTU's
but has a smallish (2.3 cu. ft.) firebox. The manual claims 9-hour burns (yeah-right...).
Thank you for your ideas. Great site. Glad to have a cleaner & more efficient stove.

 

[Chettt]

Those brick shims beneath the stove feet seem kind of risky to me. Are they temporary?

 

[Arlo]

Yeh, those brick shims look like a disaster waiting to happen. Build high hearth under that buetiful stove pronto!

 

[elmoleaf]

With the bypass damper open, you should be able to open the top to load while the fire is burning. Typically the draft is strong enough that you'll see the smoke being sucked away horizontally into the flue pipe as you look down into the firebox.
The firebox isn't that small...I have about a 1.5 cu.ft. or so firebox and can get about 4-5 hours max. I'd think at your size, you should get 7 hours or more. I'd try using more than 3 logs....longer burns usually requiring you to fill the firebox once you have a good bed of coals/established fire. You also might want to look at your air adjustment. If you have a really strong draft and are burning at high temperatures, you can probably reduce the air going into the fire while still maintaining a good but longer burn.

I agree about the brick piles. Look into a longer term solution like raising the hearth or lowering the flue pipe. You could also build a tiled pedestal using metal studs and concrete board directly under the stove and have that sit on your existing hearth.

 

[Gark]

Thank you for the feedback and for noting the brick pyramids too. Indeed
plans are to build a raised floor beneath the stove, but the bricks are not just
piled like that. The blocks of each pyramid are bonded together with 700 degree RTV/silicone between
every mating surface (clamped until the silicone cured). It's stable-
each pile is a solid unit & each sits atop 1/2 inch fiberboard foot to 'flatten'
surface variations of the tile. Ugly, but stable and temporary.
Thanks again. Happy heating!

 

[Valhalla]

Gark,

Congrats on your new Encore!

You are on the right track, so when time and budget permits, that new hearth will be a big improvement to secure and showcase your stove really well.

Enjoy your fine new Encore and always use this Hearth.com as a huge information resource.

 

[struggle]

Good for sticking the bricks together but just remember stove can and will walk as they go through heat cycles. My old Vigilant would move on its own over time. I eventually let it run free out the door and replaced with an EPA approved installed stove and you are right they do use less wood.

One key to helping you dial a stove in would be the addition of a flue probed thermometer. It can give great feedback on fine tuning your long burns. They are easy to install.