Should I repair or replace my Vermont Castings Encore 1450?

[WoodstoveJoe]

We moved into a new-to-us house in June and at this point we've had maybe a dozen fires in the wood stove that came with the house. It's a Vermont Castings Encore 1450 (non-catalytic). The more familiar I've gotten with the stove, the more I'm realizing it has some issues. It's been many years since I've lived in a home with a wood stove, so it's taken me a bit to get more comfortable using it and figure out all the various parts and components. Well, yesterday, while closing the damper, the handle jammed and I wasn't able to close the damper. Today, with the stove cool, I was able to examine more closely and realized the damper had shifted out of place. I was able to get it back in position, but it forced me to notice how warped the damper housing is. And how cracked the refactory is. So, now I'm wondering if I should bother trying to fix this stove (it looks like I can get replacement parts) or if it's not worth the hassle and money and I should invest in a new one. I know there are some similar threads out there on this, but I figured I'd see if anyone has any thoughts on my particular situation. Thanks!

Warped damper housing:

Cracks:

 

[armanidog]

From 2013:

Defiant Encore ?1450? (non-cat) repair?

Inherited a defiant encore (early 2000's, model 1450?) non-cat stove with my 300 year old home. The refractory unit in the rear has started to fall apart, and it appears the damper door is warped (either that, or the damper housing itself is warped). I'm located near Cape Cod, Mass. None...

www.hearth.com

 

[WoodstoveJoe]

From 2013:

Defiant Encore ?1450? (non-cat) repair?

Inherited a defiant encore (early 2000's, model 1450?) non-cat stove with my 300 year old home. The refractory unit in the rear has started to fall apart, and it appears the damper door is warped (either that, or the damper housing itself is warped). I'm located near Cape Cod, Mass. None...

www.hearth.com

Ah, thanks! Someone with the exact stove and same problem. Appreciate you pointing me to it.

 

[begreen]

That's going to need a complete rebuild. Fixing it properly is going to be expensive and there may be delays in getting parts. If the goal is to heat soon then I would replace it. Even working properly, this was not VC's shining moment.

 

[Diabel]

^^^^ What he said 100%!
Not a good stove to begin with.

 

[WoodstoveJoe]

That's going to need a complete rebuild. Fixing it properly is going to be expensive and there may be delays in getting parts. If the goal is to heat soon then I would replace it. Even working properly, this was not VC's shining moment.

Thanks for the advice. As it is currently, it's not unsafe to use, right? It's just not going to perform well? I'll replace, but in the meantime, I might continue to use it to heat the house as best it can.

 

[Diabel]

Thanks for the advice. As it is currently, it's not unsafe to use, right? It's just not going to perform well? I'll replace, but in the meantime, I might continue to use it to heat the house as best it can.

This stove was not safe to use new. From my experience

 

[peakbagger]

Prop it up in the backyard and use it for outdoor fires.

 

[JamesGuido]

it truly is a shame what has happened to the name Vermont Castings.
when we bought our first stove in '90, VC, i was told, was the top of the line in wood burning... We loved our encore defiant!
but we wore it out. tough to get replacement parts and service was not there...
when time to replace it, naturally we looked at VC...
everyone told us to look away from them.
and after seeing (and hearing about) the lesser quality compared to BK, Jøtul, and others, our decision was tougher than expected.

 

[peakbagger]

As long as there are no holes open to the outside, you can run it but at best its a smoke dragon with low efficiency.

 

[Mattocks]

I have an Encore 1450 that I also inherited with a home purchase. I rebuilt it last summer. Did you decide to repair or replace your stove?