Rookie Wood Stove Guy

[Scooter37]

Glad to be here.
I recently bought a house and it came with a Vermont Castings Intrepid ii model 1990. I plan to get surgical with it but I have to walk before I can run.. when using the catalyst, it will not hold temperature and cannot keep itself lit. I believe that the stove has never been gone through in its lifespan and needs a good once over. I can tell that the gaskets on the doors and the griddle need to be replaced, and I assume the catalyst will need a good cleaning at the very least. Can any experienced Intrepid folks tell me in layman's terms how to remove and replace both of these parts?

I have tried working with the local stove dealer, they will not give much advice as they want to make a house call. $$$
Looking to grow my knowledge..

thank you,
Scooter

 

[kennyp2339]

Glad to be here.
I recently bought a house and it came with a Vermont Castings Intrepid ii model 1990. I plan to get surgical with it but I have to walk before I can run.. when using the catalyst, it will not hold temperature and cannot keep itself lit. I believe that the stove has never been gone through in its lifespan and needs a good once over. I can tell that the gaskets on the doors and the griddle need to be replaced, and I assume the catalyst will need a good cleaning at the very least. Can any experienced Intrepid folks tell me in layman's terms how to remove and replace both of these parts?

I have tried working with the local stove dealer, they will not give much advice as they want to make a house call. $$$
Looking to grow my knowledge..

thank you,
Scooter

There are many videos on youtube showing how to replace a gaskets on woodstoves, generally they are all the same technique, buy a new catalyst and start off fresh, also down load the pdf of the stove manual, some manuals show a parts list and a break down of the entire stove which is very valuable.
If your going into surgery on the stove, then I would say get your waiting room ready now for dry wood, there's only 6 - 7 months left to have dry wood ready, green wood wont season in time, so look for dead standing ash and maple, split smaller and stack in a neat criss cross (crib stack) on pallets only 2 rows deep, top cover only in a windy sunny area (more wind is better than sun)

 

[Scooter37]

There are many videos on youtube showing how to replace a gaskets on woodstoves, generally they are all the same technique, buy a new catalyst and start off fresh, also down load the pdf of the stove manual, some manuals show a parts list and a break down of the entire stove which is very valuable.
If your going into surgery on the stove, then I would say get your waiting room ready now for dry wood, there's only 6 - 7 months left to have dry wood ready, green wood wont season in time, so look for dead standing ash and maple, split smaller and stack in a neat criss cross (crib stack) on pallets only 2 rows deep, top cover only in a windy sunny area (more wind is better than sun)

Thanks for the reply! I plan to stack 5 to 6 face cord in my garage for next season. Do you burn with a catalyst? What's a typical year for you to when it comes to quantity of wood

 

[jetsam]

Price out all the parts you need. Before you buy, ask yourself if it's a better deal to fix up a 27 year old wood stove that was maybe not ideal to start with, or if you'd be happier with a different stove. (The answer will depend on your budget and how much you want the stove to do for you.)

Also, nobody knows how much wood a "face cord" is (which is why it's a popular unit of measure for wood sellers).

You can't really compare someone else's wood usage to yours. Even if you had the same stove and the same wood, you don't have the same insulation or the same windows. One guy burns a few hours a day a few months a year to help out the furnace; the next guy burns 24x7 9 months a year and never lets the furnace run. Lay in as much as you can, and after the first year you'll have some feel for what you need.

 

[Scooter37]

Price out all the parts you need. Before you buy, ask yourself if it's a better deal to fix up a 27 year old wood stove that was maybe not ideal to start with, or if you'd be happier with a different stove. (The answer will depend on your budget and how much you want the stove to do for you.)

Also, nobody knows how much wood a "face cord" is (which is why it's a popular unit of measure for wood sellers).

You can't really compare someone else's wood usage to yours. Even if you had the same stove and the same wood, you don't have the same insulation or the same windows. One guy burns a few hours a day a few months a year to help out the furnace; the next guy burns 24x7 9 months a year and never lets the furnace run. Lay in as much as you can, and after the first year you'll have some feel for what you need.

Ok so let's go down that road. I appreciate the good advice.. Being that I have 6 months to think about what I'd like to do, what are the top brands of stoves out there? I understand that every scenario is different.. But a basic 1,000 sq ft cabin, insulated well.

I have almost unlimited access to wood as it cross paths with my line of work, I plan to burn wood for life, so I see a good stove as a solid investment. Open to any and all opinions!

Much appreciated
Scooter

 

[HisTreeNut]

The next question to answer is do you want the stove to supplement a heat source or be the primary heat source? That can make a difference in recommendations.

 

[Scooter37]

The next question to answer is do you want the stove to supplement a heat source or be the primary heat source? That can make a difference in recommendations.

I want it to be the primary heat source. I will always have natural gas as a backup. (For when I'm out of town) but I'd like to burn 24 hours a day whenever possible

 

[jetsam]

You want to burn 24/7, so you want the biggest firebox you can get. You have 1000sf with good insulation, so a big stove may cook you out of there in the winter.

My solution: A Blaze King freestander. The thermostat takes care of the 'too big' problem if it has good draft. I'd put a King in there if I could get the 8" liner run. (Lots of people are going to call that overkill, but I call it 48 hour reloads!) They have multiple good choices for a 6" liner, too, which would be a more in the normal size range for 1000sf.

You could also make it work with just about any medium sized stove (you don't have a heavy workload for the stove), but the BK is going to give you the lowest burn and the best shoulder season utility.

 

[kennyp2339]

This is what I mean by criss cross or crib stack, it allows air to penetrate to the middle pile better imo

 

[kennyp2339]

I also burn 24/7 from the beginning of November till about mid April, in early fall or late spring it's not uncommon to lite small "shoulder season" fires to take the edge off.
I generally go through about 4 cords a season, this past winter was mild and I only burnt about 3 1/4 cords worth of wood.
I will burn wood as my primary heat source until my family puts me in a nursing home, luckily I'm only 32, so I have many good years ahead of me

 

[bholler]

Honestly before you put any money into that stove I would read reviews of it here. They are pretty expensive to maintain hard to run correctly and just not a very good performer. There are plenty of people who are happy with them but there are much better stoves available.

 

[Scooter37]

Honestly before you put any money into that stove I would read reviews of it here. They are pretty expensive to maintain hard to run correctly and just not a very good performer. There are plenty of people who are happy with them but there are much better stoves available.

Are you a blaze king supporter as well? If not, what kind of stove do you run?

Thanks for all the good advice
Very much appreciated
Scooter

 

[bholler]

Are you a blaze king supporter as well? If not, what kind of stove do you run?

Thanks for all the good advice
Very much appreciated
Scooter

Blaze kings are great stoves they have some insane fan boys that think there is no other stove company that can heat a house. But if you want or need low slow burns they are the stove for you. But there are many other good stoves out there. I have a regency 3100 it works well for me but it all depends on your needs

 

[dafattkidd]

Hey Scooter, welcome to the forum. Does your current set up include a liner? Replacing the old VC and installing a new insulated liner kit with proper block off plate and top plate is probably your best bet.

There are tons of options. Blaze Kings get excellent reviews on this forum, but they are very expensive. There are lots of brands that will serve you well, heat your house efficiently, meet the esthetics of your house and cost you significantly less than a Blaze King. Not a knock on Blaze King by any means, just putting out some helpful advise.

 

[Excavator]

I also burn 24/7 from the beginning of November till about mid April, in early fall or late spring it's not uncommon to lite small "shoulder season" fires to take the edge off.
I generally go through about 4 cords a season, this past winter was mild and I only burnt about 3 1/4 cords worth of wood.
I will burn wood as my primary heat source until my family puts me in a nursing home, luckily I'm only 32, so I have many good years ahead of me

Now I am only 64 and feel the same way you do. Going to burn for many years

 

[Scooter37]

Thanks for having me to the forum. I think being that my vc is installed properly (including the liner) that I'm just going to run it next winter. The gaskets absolutely need it (falling out of the door). And as far as the catalyst goes, won't I get a better idea when there is a good cold draft? Chances are I will start fresh with a new one, whatever the brand of they may be

 

[bholler]

Thanks for having me to the forum. I think being that my vc is installed properly (including the liner) that I'm just going to run it next winter. The gaskets absolutely need it (falling out of the door). And as far as the catalyst goes, won't I get a better idea when there is a good cold draft? Chances are I will start fresh with a new one, whatever the brand of they may be

Yes absolutly if you can get it running eith little money go ahead and try it for a year but if it needs rebuilt i personally would not put the money into that stove

 

[Marshy]

I have a King for sale but I'm in NY unfortunately. I'll likely have to take a large loss. I love the stove but it's just too small for what I'm doing. I would recommend them to anyone why wants an easy to use stove that has the ability to burn for a long time. As long as you have an insulated stainless liner in a masonry chimney or use the prefab tripple wall chimney pipe you will have nothing but great success with them.

 

[begreen]

I have a King for sale but I'm in NY unfortunately. I'll likely have to take a large loss. I love the stove but it's just too small for what I'm doing. I would recommend them to anyone why wants an easy to use stove that has the ability to burn for a long time. As long as you have an insulated stainless liner in a masonry chimney or use the prefab tripple wall chimney pipe you will have nothing but great success with them.

Please post for sale items in the Classifieds/For Sale forum here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/forums/classifieds-for-sale-wanted-etc.10/

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

View attachment 197373
This is what I mean by criss cross or crib stack, it allows air to penetrate to the middle pile better imo

I think a traditional single row stack will pass more air than that. That looks pretty dense and the air passageways are blocked by adjacent pieces that are aligned 90 opposite.