VC Defiant missing a chunk of back insulation near temp probe in the catalyst refractory. How does this happen?

[DullAxe]

I cleaned my stove this morning in preparation for the season - looking forward to getting the house toasty. While I was cleaning out the catalyst refractory area, I removed the catalyst and vacuumed in there and noticed that the insulation around where the probe enters was missing. It's a chunk about five or six inches in length (see the pictures). How would this happen?

What am I looking at for replacing this? Am I going to have to disassemble the stove or is this an easy fix?

I believe this is what I need (
Vermont Castings Back Insulation Board (30005269) - https://www.stove-parts-unlimited.c...nVLxPEnp6mmfRJuo8hLEadsm1qdINVL2BbThCHpORqi_c) as it looks like it has the probe hole already in place.
If somebody could verify I'd appreciate it before I dump $70 on a piece of insulation.

 

[DullAxe]

I ended up ordering the piece of back insulation - now I have to figure out how to install it when it gets here.

Does anybody know how this stuff is attached? Is there some type of cement used, an adhesive backing, other?

 

[DullAxe]

I ended up ordering the piece of back insulation - now I have to figure out how to install it when it gets here.

Does anybody know how this stuff is attached? Is there some type of cement used, an adhesive backing, other?

Would something like Rutland Stove and Gasket Cement work for this?

 

[DullAxe]

I took the stove apart yesterday to take out the refractory so that I could get access to the back insulation - it is held in place with a bolt that goes through the back of the stove. The pattern of the insulation looks like it starts with the circle in my original picture and then has a channel upward through the insulation. I'm still at a loss how this happens or how long it has been occurring. The new piece is in place and I pre-drilled a small hole where the temperature probe goes through (just to make sure that putting in the probe and later the Auber probe didn't cause the issue).

Our stove is stil in pieces on the living room floor as the refractory gaskets were gossamer like and crumbled when we removed it. So I've got some Lynn gasket material that I'll have to cut the gaskets from since one of the Defiant 1975 CAT-C gaskets is no longer available. At least this will leave me with extra material for the next time I have to take my stove apart (hopefully not for a few years).

Here's a picture of what the old back insulation board looked like.