VC Encore throat hood falls off constantly

[gthomas785]

Hey everyone,

I have a brand new VC Encore 2040 (the 2020 compliant one) that I bought last fall. It's really a great stove and I have enjoyed the heat output and ability to do overnight burns.

However there is one thing that frustrates me to no end, and I'm looking to see if anyone has any suggestions or comments. Sometimes when I am raking the coals getting ready to reload, I will accidentally catch my poker on the throat hood (at least I think that's what it's called, the refractory plate right in the back covering the catalyst) and it just falls down onto the hot bed of coals. It falls down so easily, sometimes I feel like I barely touched it. And it's a real pain to put back while the stove is hot. This morning my wife and I did manage to get it back into position after about 20 minutes by having her hold it vertical with one poker while I used the ash shovel and tongs to lift it and prop it up onto it's little ledges. Wasn't a great start to my Saturday morning, haha.

Anyway, is this a common problem? What can I do to keep that thing in place? Or maybe I just need to be more careful with my tools? Any and all feedback is appreciated.

 

[Diabel]

Not sure if mine is designed the same way as yours. I had mine fall once in 5yrs. I have heard that the throat will deform over time from over heating and then be very difficult to hang it back up. Your stove being new it should not be the issue. When the stove is cold try to position it so it is snug.

 

[gthomas785]

Not sure if mine is designed the same way as yours. I had mine fall once in 5yrs. I have heard that the throat will deform over time from over heating and then be very difficult to hang it back up. Your stove being new it should not be the issue. When the stove is cold try to position it so it is snug.

Is your plate made of metal? Mine is made of refractory brick but I think that may be a new thing. Maybe therein lies the difference. I can't think of a way to make it "snug" without wedging some pieces of metal under it, but then I'd be worried about the expanding metal cracking the brick.

 

[Diabel]

No, both the fireback and the throat are cast iron. It must be the new design that you have.

 

[gthomas785]

No, both the fireback and the throat are cast iron. It must be the new design that you have.

Well, guess I am the guinea pig then. Once this cold snap passes I will let it go out and try different ways to make it fit a little tighter.

 

[alivegas99]

Just bought my 2040 Encore and have the ceramic back I think you are talking about (tho could be a diff piece?). It has never fallen out and I hit it all the time with wood, pokers, ash shovel, etc. I agree that trying to place it back snugly when cold is a good idea to try. If not, it seems like an unacceptable defect and I would call the dealer you bought and from and make sure they fix it.

 

[ajayabb]

Hey everyone,

I have a brand new VC Encore 2040 (the 2020 compliant one) that I bought last fall. It's really a great stove and I have enjoyed the heat output and ability to do overnight burns.

However there is one thing that frustrates me to no end, and I'm looking to see if anyone has any suggestions or comments. Sometimes when I am raking the coals getting ready to reload, I will accidentally catch my poker on the throat hood (at least I think that's what it's called, the refractory plate right in the back covering the catalyst) and it just falls down onto the hot bed of coals. It falls down so easily, sometimes I feel like I barely touched it. And it's a real pain to put back while the stove is hot. This morning my wife and I did manage to get it back into position after about 20 minutes by having her hold it vertical with one poker while I used the ash shovel and tongs to lift it and prop it up onto it's little ledges. Wasn't a great start to my Saturday morning, haha.

Anyway, is this a common problem? What can I do to keep that thing in place? Or maybe I just need to be more careful with my tools? Any and all feedback is appreciated.

I had the exact problem. I bet the throat cover has deformed and become concave in shape making it prone to falling out of position. I would ask you to take a pic were it not so difficult to reset into position. I ended up buying a new one

 

[Diabel]

Warranty claim?

 

[Kevin Weis]

I had a 2017 Encore that had that problem from new. That is the refractory frame was cast too big for the cover whereby the catch on the frame will just barely engage the indent on the cover. Contact the dealer you bought it from to have it replaced. It's a factory defect. I found out that apparently there was a production run for a few months with this defect. In 2017. Apparently it's happened again. That ceramic frame is an expensive part. Between the cover and refractory when in place should be less than an 1/8" gap ideally. Otherwise fit a metal cap where the catch is on the cover and that will help hold it in place. You shouldn't have to do that though.