Vermont Castings Defiant Questions

[Ozarknana]

Good early morning to everyone....newbie here with a Defiant question. Seems I'm either "instructionaly challenged" or just freaking out! We purchased and installed the Defiant, and although it's still in the high 70's here, thought we would start a break-in fire to ready the old girl for the fall....we didn't notice it at first, but during the evening, when I opened the stove top, I could SEE THE FLOOR through about a 3 to 3 1/2" round hole in the floor at the very back of the stove! Really freaked over that...I mean, hot coals were laying outside the stove on the heat shield!

It appears, from the instruction book, that this is a fresh air intake....but we're not using it as such because we have an older home that's as drafty as all get out! There were no instructions that said anything about this needing to be covered up or what-not...

Is there something "missing" from our stove? It just doesn't seem very safe to have this gaping hole where everytime you poke the fire your sending ashes and burning coals out of the stove?

Can someone shed some light on this for me?

Much appreciate your time in reading this....the stove will NOT be used until we feel safe with it!!

Ozark Nana (and Mr. Nana too)

 

[fraxinus]

No, hot coals should not be dropping out of the bottom of the stove! In order to help:
What is the approximate year of manufacture for this "old girl"?
All Defiants as far as I know were front or side loading, but you refer to top loading - ???
There is an air intake opening on the bottom left of Defiants (near the side loading door), but it is much smaller than 3-31/2" in
diameter. There is also no way "not to use" this.
It sounds as if there is a major cast part missing or broken. I can't think of any other way to account for the hole or the escaping coals.

You definitely should not use this stove until the various mysteries are resolved.

 

[Ozarknana]

It's a brand new Defiant model #1610....only front or top loading, not side loading...the "hole" in questions is dead center, very, very back of the floor of the stove. It's definantly the fresh air intake, and I agree, it should be covered but with what? If one was not using the fresh air intake something should of come with the stove to block this opening...part of the beauty of the VC stoves is that they are "air tight", or so to speak...we had a Vigilant back in the early 80's and she was a workhorse...never turned the furnace on for 5 years!

 

[Catskill]

I'm guessing that you're missing your fresh air intake door (mechanism). Contact the dealer where you purchased it from ASAP.

 

[Ozarknana]

When reading the blow-out of the parts listings it never mentions any "door", or "cover", in fact, the only mention of "said hole" is that it is an "outside air cutout"...it just says that if you are going to use it to purchase the "kit" from your dealer.....but it doesn't say there should be anything covering it....I'm finding the "instructions" for this to be poorly written and very vague...

 

[fraxinus]

Sorry Ozarknana, the "old girl" phrase led me to believe this was a vintage Defiant. Someone else will have to help you out on the new models.

 

[Brian VT]

I'm not familiar with the Defiant but I looked at the parts explosion. It seems to me that part #9 "Shoe Refractory 30002243" would sit over the air intake hole ?

 

[Ozarknana]

Brian, you posted this just as my Darling hubby and I looked at each other and said "I wonder if that bunch of broken pieces were something that went over that hole....and lo' and behold, part #9, shoe refractory is the winner!! Good thing the driver noted that being broken when he was here....but he also said "that just looks like packing material of some sort"....NOT!! So, we'll call the place we bought it from tomorrow and see about getting a replacement...

Mystery solved!! Although, from a female perspective, why didn't they call it "the thingy that goes over the hole in the back"....THAT I would of understood!! (hubby is laughing hysterically right now).....

Thank you all for your help!
Ozark and Mr. Nana!!

 

[Brian VT]

I bet it'd be an hour or so job to replace that if you've never taken that stove apart before and if all goes well.
I'd ask them to do it rather than them just getting the part to you. That is unless you'd prefer to see how your stove goes together and functions.
I'm glad it's resolved. That could have turned into a nightmare.

 

[begreen]

By all means have your dealer, not hubby, do the replacement so that it is documented for warranty purposes. As you have seen, this refractory ceramic is fragile, it can crack if not correctly installed. The dealer should also carefully inspect this area for other damage and assert that there are no fragments left that might obstruct airflow when the new part is installed. When running the stove, be careful not to slam logs against this area.

 

[Brian VT]

...have your dealer, not hubby, do the replacement...

Presumptive and politically uncorrect ! lol

...for warranty purposes.

For whatever that's worth. lol

 

[begreen]

Whatever, don't do it yourself. We've had other posters that did the installation and then later had the dealer questioning their install as it failed again.

 

[BrotherBart]

That is scary Nana. :ahhh:

And yes, Lake of the Ozarks is a beautiful area. LOTS of beautiful area.

 

[jeff6443]

Ozark You gotta a single sister ?

 

[Ozarknana]

Nope....

 

[fossil]

...Although, from a female perspective, why didn't they call it "the thingy that goes over the hole in the back"....

There is such a device for certain applications, but it's not a stove part. Rick

 

[begreen]

LOL, good one. What do they call that flap?

 

[fossil]

Looks like maybe it's called a Jim. Rick

 

[begreen]

Can you describe the flue on this stove in detail. That may be where the problem lies. Also, how well seasoned was last year's wood?

This may seem like a silly question, at what point are you engaging the bypass damper, or are you not using this? Not being sarcastic, but trying to establish why the extremely short burns.