Vermont Casting 0044 / 0046 Fireplace insert

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mark lanctot

Member
Oct 28, 2012
29
NW, CT
Just picked up an old 80s vintage insert. It was in a barn for a long time not being used. Comes with all the original connecting flue pipes. Maybe someone could offer a couple of suggestions.

1) Where to purchase new fire brick. Three are broken.

2) Thinking of putting SS Flex liner in chimney, 18' in length. The chimney is on the outside of the building. Where to purchase the adapter from oval to round. What size round should be sufficient for this insert.

Thanks
[email protected]
 
Welcome to the forum!

Firebrick can be purchased from your local concrete yard for around $2.50 each. If you need to you can cut them down with an angle grinder or a tile saw.

I'm not sure on the oval to round adapter. Typical liner sizes are 6" and 8". I'm not sure where you are located, but it never hurts to look into insulating that liner for better performance.

You might want to check that stove over carefully to make sure it is ready to burn. It's much easier to replace parts before the insert is installed.

Matt
 
Hi Matt,

I'm in Pleasant Valley, CT. I've taken most of the stove apart today. Seems in relatively good shape. Surface rust from sitting for years. Damper frozen, needs cleaning and paint. Haven't checked the blower motors yet. And yes it has a few cracks in the bottom grate.
 
If you have trouble finding parts, let me know. I still have some oddball stuff for those old '44's.
 
Sorry for the late reply. Sandy has knocked Connecticut good. Still without power. Our generator is keeping things going.

Hmm interesting. What do you have?
Everything seems here minus the front handle, a few fire bricks are broken and the bottom grate has cracks in it.

My big question is to install a chimney liner to help with the burn. Our chimney runs out side the house and getting a fire going is a little difficult sometimes, until the warm air moves up the chimney. It has the 3 foot section of the 13 x 5 duct. The instructions say that is sufficient.
 
I'm a bit confused on what you have.

I think you have a chimney up the outside wall of the house with a flue that is 13x5. What is the 3 foot section? How tall is the chimney?

Liners are installed from the top down. It sounds like you would have a T on the bottom of the liner that reaches through a thimble to your stove.

Matt
 
We keep losing internet service here due to Sandy. We have a traditional fireplace and chimney. The Vermont casting insert 0044 came with the original 13" X 5" X 36" SS flexible stove pipe. The instructions detail only placing this section up the chimney along with a SS plate to replace the damper. My question is since this is a 25 year old insert, it seems opinion today is to install a chimney liner throughout the entire length. Hopefully I'm making myself clear.
 
If you have trouble finding parts, let me know. I still have some oddball stuff for those old '44's.
Hey this is probably a longshot but I just got an old Vermont casting 044 and am looking for parts. The fireback and the special curved bricks. Im willing to pay what ever you think is fair plus the shipping Let me know I would appreciate it. Thank you,
Danny
 
Hey this is probably a longshot but I just got an old Vermont casting 044 and am looking for parts. The fireback and the special curved bricks. Im willing to pay what ever you think is fair plus the shipping Let me know I would appreciate it. Thank you,
Danny

What I did was purchase standard "Fire Brick" and cut them to size. When I purchased mine, many of the bricks were broken but I used them as a template. I used a tile cutter then finished with a composite blade. Worked out pretty well. I was unable to locate any of the bricks designed for the stove. Good luck. Mine is on right now.
 
Danny, what curved bricks do you mean? If yours doesn't have regular rectangular bricks and a middle support leg, then you may need a fireback replacement kit. The old style fireback and custom brick is no longer available. I can probably locate a kit though if you're interested.
 
Danny, what curved bricks do you mean? If yours doesn't have regular rectangular bricks and a middle support leg, then you may need a fireback replacement kit. The old style fireback and custom brick is no longer available. I can probably locate a kit though if you're interested.
Absolutely interested in fireback kit. Please email [email protected] with details. I feel like im not getting the btus i should. Thanks so much. Danny
 
You may be able to by the parts originally included in the replacement fireback kit from Cozy Cabin: http://www.cozycabinstoveandfireplaceparts.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=0044-0046 . The weakest link in the updated fireback design is the support leg in the center, which breaks down over time due to being the hottest point in the firebox. I bought a replacement leg from Cozy Cabin a fewyears ago, though I notice they have increased the price 2.5x since then. You can find all the manuals here (including fireback replacement kit) here: http://www.mknconsulting.com/ftp/files/vc_0044/ . I bought this insert new 28 years ago. I only burn around a cord a year, as it can not hold a fire overnight which means a cold start everyday... so I just use it when its really cold.
 
You may be able to by the parts originally included in the replacement fireback kit from Cozy Cabin: http://www.cozycabinstoveandfireplaceparts.com/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=0044-0046 . The weakest link in the updated fireback design is the support leg in the center, which breaks down over time due to being the hottest point in the firebox. I bought a replacement leg from Cozy Cabin a fewyears ago, though I notice they have increased the price 2.5x since then. You can find all the manuals here (including fireback replacement kit) here: http://www.mknconsulting.com/ftp/files/vc_0044/ . I bought this insert new 28 years ago. I only burn around a cord a year, as it can not hold a fire overnight which means a cold start everyday... so I just use it when its really cold.


I cleaned the stove up a bit and its running better. So im satisfied for now. Im thinking maybe its possible to fabricate the fireback. But thanks for the replies. This is my first year solely using woodheat to warm the house. So im learning.
 
Very good, though from my experience you may find that the limited fuel capacity of this unit makes it less than ideal as your sole heat source, unless you are willing to get up in the midddle of the night to reload, and are around during the day to keep it going. I recall VC used to sell a short legs option for their free standing stoves, to allow them to be installed into fireplaces. I once heated a house with a Vigilant for a time, but the Vigilant had almost twice the fuel capacity of the insert and greater heat output. If you do decide to buy the cast iron fireback parts from Cozy Cabin, I would source the firebrick locally and the "BRICK RETAINING LIP (1604220)" could be fabricated fairly easily.

One of the things I am considering doing with my insert in the off season is removing the shroud around the back of the insert, which is used for fan-forced air circulation. I got tired of the fan noise and haven't been using them anyway, and since I have a central fireplace (i.e. no exterior exposure) it could benefit from the increased amount of heat into the masonry mass. If anyone has ever done this, I would like to hear how it worked out.
 
If you have trouble finding parts, let me know. I still have some oddball stuff for those old '44's.
I have a Vermont Casting 0044 fireplace insert and am looking for parts - do you still have some?
I need the spanner bar, support leg and front grate bars.... I have the numbers from the list if you need them... please let me know
 
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