Very Early 2005 QF Mt Vernon question

[BurninMan]

Hello,
I was given a working April 2005 Mt Vernon pellet stove and am in the process of cleaning it. The previous owner said it made a lot of noise so she didn’t use it any more. I discovered that was probably due to the two marbles that I found in the blower fan assembly. I’ve got most of of the stove cleaned up except I am unable to remove the top panel in the fire box. It lacks the 5/32 drive Allen screw mentioned in the earliest manual I can find. Looking at it, it appears the top panel is supported in place by the right side panel. I unscrewed the Allen screw on the right side panel (image attached) but am unable to remove the right panel either.

Does anyone have any recommendations how I can remove either of these panels?

 

[jzm2cc]

The top right side of rear panel has a little cast nub on it that can prevent right panel from moving inward. Pry side panel forward lightly while pulling side panel inward through the bolt hole. I use a S or L shaped wire hook through bolt hole to pull panel inward. Once right panel is removed the rear panel can be unscrewed and tilted downward and removed (while holding rear of top panel up). Now the top panel can be removed. PITA design all around.

 

[BurninMan]

Thank you very much for the explanation on how to take this apart. A PITA design is an understatement. A simple hook wouldn’t move the right side plate so I ended up using a small slide hammer with a hook end to gradually pull it out. The front of the top edge of the side piece is unbelievably tight against the top. Once I got that out, the rest went well. (I see what you mean about the back piece and the side piece- lots of fun there). Judging from all the accumulated ash behind the plates and difficulty taking it apart, I’m guessing it was never taken apart.

Again, thank you!

 

[jzm2cc]

You are welcome. I'd use the leaf blower clean out method on this stove if I were using it. Hard to believe how bad the design is with regard to burn area. The rest of the stove is similar to a Castile. The next iteration of Mt Vernon ( AE) was a breeze to disassemble in the firebox, but they went haywire with complexity with regard to all the electronics (thermostat controller, power supply board, and very expensive control board) and caused all sorts of other issues.

 

[jzm2cc]

Found manual describing how to remove and install cast iron brick.