I am brand new to the forum and have been doing some research for the past few weeks on an older (circa '89-'92) Resolute Acclaim wood stove that came in a house I purchased a few years ago. The previous owners did not use the stove often, and I only average 6-8 fires a year in the stove. The arches in the back of the stove are warped and need to be replaces along with the combustion package, as it appears to be disintegrating. I also noticed that burn times are nowhere near the spec'd time and the right side panel seems to be separating from the stove which I'm assuming is letting air leak into the stove.
I am new to the wood stove world, but do have strong mechanical ability. I am not sure if it is worth purchasing all new parts and gaskets and completely pulling the stove apart, of if I should just replace the stove. I have noticed from the posts on this forum that VC stoves have some problems and that older models are difficult to get parts for, and they are often expensive.
Does anyone have a rebuild manual for a resolute acclaim, I think it is a model 0041, single door, side hinge, bottom shaker grate?
Also, any recommendations for repair vs. replacement ?
Yr old forum at this point, on a Generation 1 Resolute, but valuable info can be found.... Now 2016, just bought a house that has a 2490 Resolute Acclaim (Gen 2) in need of a complete rebuild. Stove has clearly been abused...damper and back looked like someone set off an m80 inside, definitely been over fired due to damper issue, they obviously rarely ashed it out, so the damper is shot and exploded, warped, wouldnt open but would close with the damper rod, combustion chamber disintegrated, all the handles missing, rear grate warped from being submerged in coals for extended times, both andirons in rough shape.
$450 in parts from stove parts unlimited to fix a $2250 stove to "new" condition including a brand new $225 combustion chamber. Tedious yes. Difficult, not really. Worth it, yeah I think so.
Had it done in 2 days, not including the 10 days waiting on the parts. Day 1 tear it down to the base, gently and with lots of pb blaster as to not break bolts, then painstakingly chip out all the old cement from each part. Set it all aside while you wait on what you need to arrive.
A side note to the wise....replace every bolt, washer, nut you remove with a new one. 5-8 yrs from now you'll be glad you did, cuz you'll be back doing this again if you do it right the first time and like the results (and the savings....stoves are damn expensive, and wood aint cheap anymore)
Day 2, after attaching any new parts, for example a complete upper back and damper assembly ($133) and armed with a container of Rutland stove cement and some pop sickle sticks or putty knife, do one panel at a time. Rear to base, left side to base and rear, right side to base and rear, front to base and both sides. Put a moving elastic (a massive rubber band, inch wide and several feet in diameter) around the 4 pieces twice to hold it all together. Cement Top to all 4 vertical panels and tighten the 4 rods. You can now remove the rubber band. Add the Ramps, ash pan base and 2 screws, brick to rear and sides. Install the rear and front grates, the two andirons, ash pan, and the front door. . All that's left is the side dress up panels and rear flue pipe outlet panel, griddle and back plate. Add those and recheck all your bolts for tightness.
Hook it up to the flue and build a small fire to cure. You need to do this small fire 2-3 times before you really crank 'er up.
Enjoy for many more years.
