VC Encore 1450 setup and questions

[DonTee]

I have a new to me VC encore 1450. I’ve been using wood stoves off and on for about 10 years, but only older models.

So I have the Encore setup in a cabin I’ve been working on for a while. The setup has the stove in the corner, then 4’ of vertical stove pipe going up to a 90, then 4’ horizontal pipe through the wall. Finally 21’ of triple wall outside. Of course the horizontal section going through the wall is mostly triple wall also, with just the small section of stove pipe after the 90. The pipe is all 6” flue.

So maybe it’s the everburn system on this stove, but it’s hard to get a consistent temp. Most of the time I get the griddle to around 450-550 degrees (measured via IR thermometer), and the piece on the back of the stove that the stove pipe mounts to around 400 or so degrees. But sometimes the piece in the back gets really hot. Up to 650 degrees. During these burns the griddle is usually only around 400-450 degrees.
I feel like maybe this is the way the everburn system is supposed to work? Reburning some of the smoke/gases in the back section of the stove and creating more heat. It’s just not consistent. The back part gets hot like this maybe once every other day.

Also I feel like I don’t have any control of the temp after a certain point. It’s to the point that I put in a flue damper so I can start to shut it down if I feel like it’s getting too hot. I’ve also covered half the air intake with aluminum tape as per another thread on an everburn stove.
When it wants to the back will heat up to 600-650 degrees and sit there for about an hour.
If I put a couple pieces of wood in it it’s more predictable. It’s when I load it up too much that I lose control.

A couple things I want to mention. While I’ve been burning wood for a while, this is the first stove I’ve ever used a thermometer on. It does feel hotter than the older stoves I’ve run though.
Also on the older stoves I’m used to having almost complete control over the air. I could basically shut the stove down by turning off the air. The Encore isn’t like that.

I asked VC what a safe stove top temp is for this stove. They say 650-700 degrees or above is overfiring. From what I’ve read on this forum that sounds like a low number.

And finally I want to mention that in my quest to tame this stove I have replaced all the rope gaskets, and the stove seems pretty tight. I think one issue I have is maybe I have too much draft.

I’m burning ash and beech right now. I have some maple also but it’s not ready yet. The ash and beech are all between 16-18% moisture.

 

[DonTee]

Another question I have is about the horizontal chimney run. Is 4’ too much? Basically I wanted to clear the eve of the house without notching it or using 45 degree pieces.
It goes 4’ vertical, 4’ horizontal, and then 21’ vertical.
I don’t have any issue getting a good draft, but I worry about creosote build up in the horizontal run.

 

[begreen]

Another question I have is about the horizontal chimney run. Is 4’ too much? Basically I wanted to clear the eve of the house without notching it or using 45 degree pieces.
It goes 4’ vertical, 4’ horizontal, and then 21’ vertical.
I don’t have any issue getting a good draft, but I worry about creosote build up in the horizontal run.

Yes, that can end up being a real problem. Note that 45º chimney elbows are not permitted in the US and many chimney companies do not allow any chimney offsets to be used in exterior applications. How deep is the eave? If it's 2' or more the chimney can pass through it without notching.

If you can avoid a 90 on the interior and use 45s to create an offset, that is better too.

 

[DonTee]

I was mistaken on the angle of the chimney. The kit I was looking at was either a 15 or 30 elbow kit for the Duravent chimney I used.
I’ll have to measure it to be sure, but I’m pretty sure the overhang is 18”. The chimney is on the gable end of the house.

I hadn’t thought about using 45 degree pipe on the inside stove pipe. That’s a good idea.

So does no one use these everburn stoves? I wish I had done more research before I bought it. It seems a lot of people have problems with them.
I had an old Timberline stove that the Encore replaced. My wife wanted a stove that had a window....

 

[DonTee]

I still wonder about the temp differences between front and back. Right now I have a griddle temp of 530, and the flue collar (I think that’s what it’s called) is 315.
Earlier the flue collar was 550 and the griddle was 350.

Air handle in the same position (all the way down), and about the same stage in the burn cycle.

It only does it when the stove has been running for a while though. Like after my first wood reload.
I reload when the stove is about 425, and the temp drops down to around 375 for a little bit until the new wood gets going.

 

[DonTee]

In reading about this stove I might have found my issue. The rear fountain in my stove has two vertical cracks, and looking at pics I think it’s missing the bottom corners. So I’m wondering if that’s letting air in the back where it shouldn’t be. Or causing the everburn to not work properly.

I wish I had done more research before I got this particular model. It’s all hooked up in the house right now, and wondering whether it will make it through the winter or if I should try to find a replacement now. I don’t know that I want to put the 800$ or so into a new fountain assembly.

We do plan to heat with this stove this winter. There is backup heat but this is the primary source. Makes me kind of nervous. It works now, but I don’t know what the failure mode is if the fountain cracks or crumbles more.