Scandia 308 loose legs

[lifeofriley]

On the Scandia 308 I have (very similar looking to the older Vermont Castings Defiant model
of the 70s) the legs are loose. The stove sits level and secure but when you go to lift or move
the stove the legs wobble. Is this normal or should they be tight all the time?

 

[webbie]

They should be fairly tight.....
You might be able to tighten them in place by putting wood blocks under the stove to take most of the weight off - and then reach under and snug them up...

 

[lifeofriley]

Thanks Much. So I take it there should be a little play? Being that it is an older stove, should
the bolts be replaced at some point? I am just looking at this stove (any stove actually) and
thinking what a single point of failure that would be if one of the legs gave way...yeesh.

 

[VTSR5]

On the Scandia 308 I have (very similar looking to the older Vermont Castings Defiant model
of the 70s) the legs are loose. The stove sits level and secure but when you go to lift or move
the stove the legs wobble. Is this normal or should they be tight all the time?

Ha ha ha. You're having all the same issues I did, four year ago! Let me save you four years of work and get you to the conclusion fast: Your Scandia is not a finished product -- it is a kit-stove. Some assembly, grinding and sealing required!

My Scandia is a shameless copy of the Defiant to the point that I suspect many of the parts are interchangeable between the two stoves. However, the fit and finish of the castings on the Scandia compared to Vermont Castings is relatively poor. Three of my legs fit tight after I switched them around to find the best leg for each corner. The forth required some light grinding here and there. I found it useful to use chalk as a transfer medium to figure out where things were interfering. This job is much easier with the stove taken apart and upside down on your workbench! But blocking it up will also work.

One issue you may have with the legs is that the leg bolts may be a tad too long. I recently had my stove apart, so I can tell you that the tapped bosses that receive the leg bolts go clear through the stove bottom, but when the stove is assembled, the side panels of the stove sit over these holes. This means that if the bolts are too long, they will bottom (or push on) the other parts of the stove. This is not good. So use a washer to effectively shorten the leg bolts a bit, and you may get the tightness you need. For the love of all that is holy, do not overtorque these bolts. Use some antiseize lubricant, and tighten a TINY TAD more than finger tight. Wiggle the leg, and tighten again.

 

[begreen]

Good post VTZJ. Thanks for helping out and sharing your experiences with this stove.

 

[lifeofriley]

Thanks very much for the information. Most helpful! I hope to get down to the
cabin in a week or so to be able to tighten em down. So great to have someone
who has experience with this stove! and I really appreciate the reply on my other
question (vent pipe) as well. I am at work now so can't follow-up properly/fully
but I have more questions where those came from