VC Defiant NC Shoe Refractory Question

[Corbon]

Hello Friends,

For a long time now I have been wanting to own a wood stove and enjoy the benefits of low cost heat. Well last spring we finally purchased our home and just yesterday I bought a used stove off of my neighbor. While I was reluctant to purchase this used stove I will take my chances and assume all the risk. The stove is a Vermont Castings, Defiant Non-Catalyst Model 1610 in black. I have done the disassemble and inspection process and find one problem (to date) with the Shoe Refractory. The left end of it has cracked off (see attached picture). As the part is $200 bucks, I was wondering if a Refractory Cement (such as Rutland 610) could be used to cement it together?

The prior owner was complaining of having to leave the ash pan door open in order to keep the fire burning. Would this cracked shoe refractory be the culprit of this problem?

Also, since he had this in his garage there is some light surface rust. What will be the best way to remove it without scratching the surface to prepare it for new paint?

 

[Diabel]

Welcome to the forum Carbon.

As a temp. fix you can pin it an glue it together, it might last until the end of the season (or may not).
How is the rest of the refractory box? Have you taken the whole thing out? Chances are there is more damage inside the box.

Is this a flat black color? If so, you can use steel wool to remove the rust and repainted it using proper stove paint. Make sure to use a well ventilated space and a mask.

 

[Corbon]

The Fireback looks okay but I have not yet been able to figure out how to remove it so I can see behind it into the Fountain Assembly.

You got me thinking, so I took my camera and took a picture up inside the Fountain Assembly and around the backside of it. After reviewing the photo's I noticed a whole on each side of the Fountain Assembly from the back of the stove where the chimney attaches. These tall chambered cavities were filled with ash when I took the Flue Collar off. I vacuumed this out. But I now know that this chamber is where the hot gases travel to go up the chimney when the Damper is closed. This could have been causing the prior owners issue with a lack of air coming in due to poor draft when he closed the damper. Please review the pictures and let me know your thoughts.

 

[Corbon]

Here are some more pictures.

 

[sean b]

I have a VC Encore that is similar in construction. If you can determine from the boilerplate what year your stove was manufactured, and download a manual to ascertain warranty info, you might be lucky enough to get the broken shoe replaced under warranty. I recently went though this, and while the manufacturer denied my claim, the distributor honored it. VC went through some ownership changes in recent years so some warranties were honored and some were not, depending on what year the stove was manufactured.

Your fountain assembly looks to be in relatively good condition. Treat it like a newborn infant as it is very delicate. and doesn't have a reputation of lasting more than a few years. I got 6 out of mine but by the time I discovered it was cooked, the rear casting was also cracked from over-firing. Keep those two chambers clean or you might be hearing a CO2 alarm going off at a very inconvenient time in the middle of winter. Clean once a year and you'll be okay.

 

[Corbon]

I will look for the year it was manufactured. Do you think I can get the shoe replaced under warranty? I'm not the original owner. Seams to me that the VC stoves are like a Ferrari, very expensive to use and require a lot of maintance. Are you planning on replacing yours or just keep fixing it? I like the way it looks so perhaps I will just plan on spending 200 to 300 dollars per year on parts replacement. I live in a relatively mild climate not at all like the cold long winters of mid Michigan. So is your recommendation to not let it get to hot? Will this help with all the delicate parts in the heart of the box?

My neighbor got it off his father-in-law who bought it new, used it one year and then passed away. He took it out of his house and installed it in his garage to only use it two times in like six years. That's most likely why it is good condition.

When I get done cleaning, repairing and painting the stove I will post some picture for you. Also, I plan on getting a complete gasket kit for it, where do you suggest I purchase from?

 

[sean b]

I will look for the year it was manufactured. Do you think I can get the shoe replaced under warranty? I'm not the original owner. Seams to me that the VC stoves are like a Ferrari, very expensive to use and require a lot of maintance. Are you planning on replacing yours or just keep fixing it? I like the way it looks so perhaps I will just plan on spending 200 to 300 dollars per year on parts replacement. I live in a relatively mild climate not at all like the cold long winters of mid Michigan. So is your recommendation to not let it get to hot? Will this help with all the delicate parts in the heart of the box?

My neighbor got it off his father-in-law who bought it new, used it one year and then passed away. He took it out of his house and installed it in his garage to only use it two times in like six years. That's most likely why it is good condition.

When I get done cleaning, repairing and painting the stove I will post some picture for you. Also, I plan on getting a complete gasket kit for it, where do you suggest I purchase from?

Download that manual and check the warranty. Mine says lifetime warranty on the refractory parts. I was very lucky as my stove was built in 2007 when CFM out of Canada owned the company but I submitted my claim under the new owner. I also got the rear casting replaced at no cost, since they determined that the defective refractory parts likely led to overfiring. I noticed the shoe on my stove was cracked upon delivery. I notified the dealer and they said it was only cosmetic and wouldn't affect the performance (and I didn't know any better so I took them at their word) but the manufacturer said that the stove should never have been put into use in that condition.

A bit of VC company history... http://www.vnews.com/home/13877114-95/stoking-the-fires

All in, I love the stove. It heats our house very well and it very attractive. I'm not sure if I'll buy a different stove when the fountain goes again or not but if it's just the fountain and I can do the work myself, I'll only be out $300 and change every few years.

I would go to the VC site and find out where your local dealers are for parts. Any stove shop should have gasketing though; just pay attention to the different sizes of gaskets within the stove. And make sure you cement them in. Mine were not cemented from the factory.

 

[Corbon]

First, I want to thank you for all the advice and good ideas. I have completed the repair job on the shoe refractory and I am surprised on how strong the repair is. Very solid feeling but We will see how well it works when I put heat to it.