VC Montpelier

[FritzK]

My wife and I bought a Vermont Castings Montpelier insert in October and had it installed professionally. We picked the Montpelier due to it's classic design and large glass area. We don't use it as a major heat source but the ambiance is perfect on a cold night while watching hockey on TV (and doing few other things) in Western NY! I know the insert can be a little fussy and I think we have it working very well. We always start up with Fire Starters, using newspaper is not recommended. Well seasoned wood with smaller splits mixed in and cross stacked so it burns great even with the air completely shut down. We run it hot (enough it cooks us out of the family room without the fan) by getting up to temp quickly followed by a slow burn with quite often a nice blue flame. Only issue is a black buildup we keep getting on the far right (hinge) side of the glass that only burns off on a very long burn. I'm constantly cleaning it off. If the rest of the insert is burning itself clean why isn't this one area? Any of you Montpelier owners having the same problem and found a solution?

 

[1ruralmailman]

could be any number of things.probably the most common would be a small air leak near there,especially if it is always in the same spot.could check the door gasket closely ,and next time it is burning hold a small incence stick near where it shows and see if it draws the smoke in.

 

[mcd]

My wife and I bought a Vermont Castings Montpelier insert in October and had it installed professionally. We picked the Montpelier due to it's classic design and large glass area. We don't use it as a major heat source but the ambiance is perfect on a cold night while watching hockey on TV (and doing few other things) in Western NY! I know the insert can be a little fussy and I think we have it working very well. We always start up with Fire Starters, using newspaper is not recommended. Well seasoned wood with smaller splits mixed in and cross stacked so it burns great even with the air completely shut down. We run it hot (enough it cooks us out of the family room without the fan) by getting up to temp quickly followed by a slow burn with quite often a nice blue flame. Only issue is a black buildup we keep getting on the far right (hinge) side of the glass that only burns off on a very long burn. I'm constantly cleaning it off. If the rest of the insert is burning itself clean why isn't this one area? Any of you Montpelier owners having the same problem and found a solution?

I have the same stove purchased this past Aug. and the same problem. I've noticed and as noted by other VC Montpelier owners is the quality of wood that is used, the drier the better, and less blackening on the hinge side. This past week I have started my fires top down, and noticed less black, just some light amber hazing, which wipes off easy with a wet warm cloth. I've noticed with the top down method there is also less smoke and burns cleaner. Had the stove cranking today at 76 degrees in stove room, and glass is fairly clean. This seems to be the most common complaint about this stove, but I love the stove looks and heat output.
Mcd

 

[Charlene Kravec]

I have a 2005 VC Sequoia and we always get blackening on the lower horizontal edge of the door glass. On ours it's because, I think, we have an ash lip that must be insulating cooler air to the bottom part of the glass. Happens on both sides. Gaskets are tight. Just the design in our case, I think.

 

[Fod01]

Hi - 5 years with the Monte...same problem, looking at a crescent-shaped deposit as we speak. My wood is oak, could be a bit drier, so I can't complain. It flames well, but when it gets down to coals, I need to open the air a bit so they burn efficiently. If you're noticing black coals after a burn, then the wood is not as dry as it could be.

Sometimes I try to load with a bias towards the right-front of the stove. The stuff can burn off, so why not make it hotter over there? Give that a shot.

Happy Holidays!
Gabe

 

[missedbass]

My glass darkens up after about 3 days pretty even across the glass. I think its the how seasoned the wood is and maybe the 3 air holes in the front are getting clogged with ash.

 

[Charlene Kravec]

Gabe, Hi! Yes, this is our second year of burning and at this point we have been using other wood species, trying to avoid using the oak. It's getting tense because: a) other wood doesn't have the BTU's, so it's consumed quicker, although it's dry. b) We may well use all of the 3.5 cord we put by last season, although I hope not. Ecco bricks have been used to supplement.

I've been adjusting the air as you've been doing for the complete consumption of the coals. The learning curve on this whole process is really something. It's all good, though.

Thanks for the post and Happy Holidays to you and yours! BTW we moved from the tri-state region two years ago.
Charlene

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Hi all, this is what I have found that has cured this problem for me. I now use a top down starting method. By doing this the black smoke stays away from the right side of the glass and stays crystal clear for me now...
Load the bottom of the box with 2-3 splits, then put a few skinnier splits on top of them, then put some skinny kindling on top of that, place your favorite fire starter on top of kindling near the baffles at the top of the box, I use fatwood wrapped in a piece of newspaper, light the newspaper, leave the door cracked and you should be off and running in a few minutes. The idea is that the starter flame is way up top this helps the smoke avoid the glass and go straight out the flue, also make sure the fire brick on top of the baffles is pushed all the way back touching the back wall. I hope this works for you as well as it did for me.....

 

[Charlene Kravec]

Looks like a good idea to me. Will have to try this method. Thanks.
Charlene

 

[mook1302]

I also get the dirty glass in that part as well.. How are you guys running your Mont. to get the most heat out of it on cold nights and how often are you reloading? im putting in 4/5 medium splits every 3 hrs or so running it with the air at 1/2 to 3/4 open and fan at the 3 o'clock position.. seems to be where I am getting the most heat...

 

[Fod01]

Hey Mook - pretty much the same here, but I might close my air a bit more. Once a load is burning well, I immediately go to half air for while. I'll let the load get really cooking then go 3/4 then almost fully closed in shorter intervals. My glass seems to cloud only in the coaling stage....so less than prime wood in my case.

Gabe

 

[Fod01]

Regarding the top down method....I tried it a few times for cold starts, but it seems to take too long for the stove to come up to temp. I usually just use a firestarter with 4 or so splits. They catch fast enough. If I want a more aggressive start, I 'll use a log cabin method with some splits on top.

 

[glennm]

I have had the Monty for quite a few years. I get a bit of black along the bottom of the glass but it is below the viewing area. I feel it is from the andirons insulating the glass. Sometimes a bit of white haze but it will wipe right off.

I have tried the top down start but it takes a long time to get to full heat output.

Once the Monty is going well I completely close the draft. I have coals 13-14 hours later every day. One problem I do have is when burning on really cold days the coals are hard to manage. I believe the stove is a bit too small for my house. The fire is spectacular to watch, great secondaries!

Before anyone comments, I am a 40 year wood burner and my I am 7 or 8 years ahead on my wood supply with current wood in the shed that is 4 years old. I think I can give Dennis a run for his money with antique splits !

 

[FritzK]

Hi - 5 years with the Monte...same problem, looking at a crescent-shaped deposit as we speak. My wood is oak, could be a bit drier, so I can't complain. It flames well, but when it gets down to coals, I need to open the air a bit so they burn efficiently. If you're noticing black coals after a burn, then the wood is not as dry as it could be.

Sometimes I try to load with a bias towards the right-front of the stove. The stuff can burn off, so why not make it hotter over there? Give that a shot.

Happy Holidays!
Gabe

Thanks, Gabe. I wasn't finding an air leak, sounds like it's something inherent with the insert if many of you Montpelier owners are experiencing the problem as well. We had a very long burn going last night for New Year's Eve and it cooked all the black off but left a little in the same side of the glass with the cool down overnight. Otherwise the glass and wall panels are perfectly clean and I'm still looking at hot coals 12 hours later. The wood I'm burning is all mixed hardwood - oak, cherry, ash, maple by the looks of it. I split it down a little smaller, stack it in a single row on a pallet under a tarp in such a way it gets plenty of air, little rain and bakes under the hot summer sun. I've been burning wood for over 30 years (just a rookie with an insert) and have found the system to work well. The wood I'm burning now is at least two years old and seems very dry though I don't have a moisture meter to quantify it with; possibly not at seasoned as I might think? Once the unit is fully heated up I can shut the air down completely for some great blue flame. I'll try shifting the burn more to the right than usual and see if that helps.

 

[FritzK]

Hi all, this is what I have found that has cured this problem for me. I now use a top down starting method. By doing this the black smoke stays away from the right side of the glass and stays crystal clear for me now...
Load the bottom of the box with 2-3 splits, then put a few skinnier splits on top of them, then put some skinny kindling on top of that, place your favorite fire starter on top of kindling near the baffles at the top of the box, I use fatwood wrapped in a piece of newspaper, light the newspaper, leave the door cracked and you should be off and running in a few minutes. The idea is that the starter flame is way up top this helps the smoke avoid the glass and go straight out the flue, also make sure the fire brick on top of the baffles is pushed all the way back touching the back wall. I hope this works for you as well as it did for me.....View attachment 121773

I'll try the top down and see what happens. Thanks!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Thanks, Gabe. I wasn't finding an air leak, sounds like it's something inherent with the insert if many of you Montpelier owners are experiencing the problem as well. We had a very long burn going last night for New Year's Eve and it cooked all the black off but left a little in the same side of the glass with the cool down overnight. Otherwise the glass and wall panels are perfectly clean and I'm still looking at hot coals 12 hours later. The wood I'm burning is all mixed hardwood - oak, cherry, ash, maple by the looks of it. I split it down a little smaller, stack it in a single row on a pallet under a tarp in such a way it gets plenty of air, little rain and bakes under the hot summer sun. I've been burning wood for over 30 years (just a rookie with an insert) and have found the system to work well. The wood I'm burning now is at least two years old and seems very dry though I don't have a moisture meter to quantify it with; possibly not at seasoned as I might think? Once the unit is fully heated up I can shut the air down completely for some great blue flame. I'll try shifting the burn more to the right than usual and see if that helps.

Sounds like you got things under control, longer burning helps out as well as keeping up on the dry wood....I took off my surround to test flue temps and I tell ya,the room gets hotter for sure....

 

[FritzK]

Sounds like you got things under control, longer burning helps out as well as keeping up on the dry wood....I took off my surround to test flue temps and I tell ya,the room gets hotter for sure....

I can't put the fan on until we go up to bed. If I did the family room would get so hot we would be wearing shorts and a T shirt around the house this winter.
The long burn really makes a difference. We don't use it for a major heat source so it may only burn 4 hours in the evening. That doesn't help the problem.
Happy New Year!

 

[windchaser]

It seems a problem more common to the Montpelier - I also have an Enerzone Destination - both inserts use the same source of seasoned firewood but the Montpelier glass requires more frequent cleaning for whatever reason.

 

[toomerh]

I'm having the same foggy glass issues. Its a real pain getting the razor blade out 2x a week, I'm trying a hotter fire now. Ordered the infrared thermometer and the moisture meter from Amazon. We'll see how it goes!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I'm having the same foggy glass issues. Its a real pain getting the razor blade out 2x a week, I'm trying a hotter fire now. Ordered the infrared thermometer and the moisture meter from Amazon. We'll see how it goes!

Try doing a top down fire start, you should never need a razor blade to clean the glass......
Your wood must be too wet..... Do your fire bricks get back to being factory white? Or are they always black?

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

It seems a problem more common to the Montpelier - I also have an Enerzone Destination - both inserts use the same source of seasoned firewood but the Montpelier glass requires more frequent cleaning for whatever reason.

The problem with the montpelier is that it is almost 100% glass front, ( that's not really a problem ) that's why there are these issues, but by burning dry wood, hot, the problem goes away, and on top of it this weather is difficult to keep dry wood......

 

[etiger2007]

Looked at the Monty when we were looking for an insert but went another route, how long do you guys get useful heat out of a load of wood?

 

[toomerh]

Try doing a top down fire start, you should never need a razor blade to clean the glass......
Your wood must be too wet..... Do your fire bricks get back to being factory white? Or are they always black?

They are white now, but they were black before. I def think its a combo of the top down fire needed and I need to burn it much hotter before I shut it down.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Looked at the Monty when we were looking for an insert but went another route, how long do you guys get useful heat out of a load of wood?

My maximum length of time is 4 hours, I can't and don't do overnight burns, that is the one negative thing for me with this unit, I have issues with no insulation, many single pained windows in the room, I always tell people that its not a house heater, but it fits my needs very well, looks great so im not sorry I got it, but it is not for everyone....

 

[FritzK]

I'm having the same foggy glass issues. Its a real pain getting the razor blade out 2x a week, I'm trying a hotter fire now. Ordered the infrared thermometer and the moisture meter from Amazon. We'll see how it goes!

I've changed the way I am starting fires and it really seems to have helped. I use a firestarter and let it burn for several minutes with the door open. I place a 3" split on either side of the firestarter then cross stack fatwood sized splits in three layers on top of the side pieces, then put two 3" splits on top of that. I do not close the door all the way until it's really burning then lock it down with the air intake wide open until the unit is up to temp. What I found is when the door is almost closed you can turn the handle and it catches enough to leave a small crack for air to get in. Works just like a bellows and fans the fire into a frenzy with great air circulation inside the unit. I get a little of the fogging during the cool down but that wipes right off with a damp paper towel. It's several fires before I need to clean off the black near the hinge now and a damp paper towel with ashes works like a charm. Problem didn't go away completely but it is considerably better.