In case anyone is interested (or needs help getting to sleep)...
I found this site shortly after noticing I had some serious problems with my Vermont Castings Encore 1450 non cat. We purchased it in the fall of 2008 and started burning it in January of 2009. Burned it 24/7 during the cold months since and it did an outstanding job of heating our house. Fast forward to a October of this year... I was doing my annual cleaning of the stove and chimney in preparation for heating season and noticed that the 'fountain assembly' (secondary burn chamber) was badly disintegrated. Having found this site in search of answers and advice, I found out what so many others already knew about this stove. When we took delivery of the stove, I immediately noticed a crack from top to bottom on the refractory shoe. Called the dealer in Michigan and they said no worries... just a cosmetic blemish that won't affect performance. The manufacturer recently told me in an email that that was a poor response from the dealer and that it likely expedited the demise of the fountain assembly by introducing too much combustion air. The original dealer was also quick to blame me for improperly operating the stove, never mind that they made that diagnosis over the phone. I contacted Vermont Castings and they advised me to work with a local dealer on repairs and possibly warranty coverage, since the refractory parts are warranted for life (depending on when the stove was built since the company had changed hands around the time I bought the stove). The lower refractory had also come out in two parts during disassembly. So I contacted a local dealer and they agreed to help me process a warranty claim. I never had high hopes since I had learned so much about the stove and the history of the company but I figured it was worth a try. 3 weeks went by without a call back. Every time I called the dealer, they said they were waiting to hear from the distributor (BAC). I finally contacted VC directly and expressed my frustration to them again and they agreed to examine my claim directly. The day before Thanksgiving, I received an email back from VC that they would not be able to help me because the stove was manufactured in 2007, when the company was under different ownership. On that same day, I got a call from the local dealer saying that BAC had agreed to replace the parts under warranty. Even the cracked rear casting that was not covered under the lifetime warranty. Wow!
So today I got a call that my stove had been rebuilt and was ready for pickup. All parts were covered and labor cost me $413. I suppose I could have rebuilt it myself but I guess the local dealer needed something for all their troubles, especially since they didn't sell me the stove originally. I have mixed feelings, obviously, since I know the new fountain assembly will not last forever.... but this should give me a cushion of several years to plan for a replacement and for EPA compliant stoves to make that much more progress. It's too bad that a stove as beautiful as this one (midnight blue) is such a problem child.
Reminds me of the super hot girl in high school who seemed to have it all, except for being crazy.
I found this site shortly after noticing I had some serious problems with my Vermont Castings Encore 1450 non cat. We purchased it in the fall of 2008 and started burning it in January of 2009. Burned it 24/7 during the cold months since and it did an outstanding job of heating our house. Fast forward to a October of this year... I was doing my annual cleaning of the stove and chimney in preparation for heating season and noticed that the 'fountain assembly' (secondary burn chamber) was badly disintegrated. Having found this site in search of answers and advice, I found out what so many others already knew about this stove. When we took delivery of the stove, I immediately noticed a crack from top to bottom on the refractory shoe. Called the dealer in Michigan and they said no worries... just a cosmetic blemish that won't affect performance. The manufacturer recently told me in an email that that was a poor response from the dealer and that it likely expedited the demise of the fountain assembly by introducing too much combustion air. The original dealer was also quick to blame me for improperly operating the stove, never mind that they made that diagnosis over the phone. I contacted Vermont Castings and they advised me to work with a local dealer on repairs and possibly warranty coverage, since the refractory parts are warranted for life (depending on when the stove was built since the company had changed hands around the time I bought the stove). The lower refractory had also come out in two parts during disassembly. So I contacted a local dealer and they agreed to help me process a warranty claim. I never had high hopes since I had learned so much about the stove and the history of the company but I figured it was worth a try. 3 weeks went by without a call back. Every time I called the dealer, they said they were waiting to hear from the distributor (BAC). I finally contacted VC directly and expressed my frustration to them again and they agreed to examine my claim directly. The day before Thanksgiving, I received an email back from VC that they would not be able to help me because the stove was manufactured in 2007, when the company was under different ownership. On that same day, I got a call from the local dealer saying that BAC had agreed to replace the parts under warranty. Even the cracked rear casting that was not covered under the lifetime warranty. Wow!
So today I got a call that my stove had been rebuilt and was ready for pickup. All parts were covered and labor cost me $413. I suppose I could have rebuilt it myself but I guess the local dealer needed something for all their troubles, especially since they didn't sell me the stove originally. I have mixed feelings, obviously, since I know the new fountain assembly will not last forever.... but this should give me a cushion of several years to plan for a replacement and for EPA compliant stoves to make that much more progress. It's too bad that a stove as beautiful as this one (midnight blue) is such a problem child.
Reminds me of the super hot girl in high school who seemed to have it all, except for being crazy.
