VT Defiant Encore Smoking my house

[mattbrandon]

Hi this is my first post and my first wood stove. I have an older VT Castings Defiant Encore 2550. It was in rough shape when I bought it used. I took most of the insides apart, cleaned it replace the Cat and the refractory. I also have replace the door and griddle gaskets. For the last month it’s been burning like a charm. But over the past week the room seems to be getting smoky. I am also hearing a clicking sound coming from around the secondary air plate and flap. In fact I have a strange screw in it. That just doesn’t look like it belongs. Look like the previous owner rigged some thing up for some odd reason. Photo attached.

Can any one give me some advice? Where would smoke come from. I don’t open the doors hardly at all. Just to stick wood in and I open the flew (turn off the cat) before I open them.

 

[Eman85]

I have an older Encore model 0028. If I smell smoke it's generally a flashover in the firebox from turning the primary air down too much too fast and it pushes smoke past the griddle. Check all of your gaskets to see if they are sealing. I just replaced all of mine and the flue adapter gasket was in bad shape.
As far as that screw and the secondary air you are about to go on a journey. I can't get a straight answer from VC on the proper operation of the secondary. Searches on this site will describe many modifications some have done and that screw might be an owner mod. Just for grins take you secondary cover off and monitor what the spring and shutter do and let us know.

 

[Woodwringer]

I think the screw is in a position that would keep the secondary air flap close to the casting to help prevent air from going around the end and top of the air flap. I put the same type of screw on mine based on a recommendation that I saw on the forum several years ago.

 

[Eman85]

I think the screw is in a position that would keep the secondary air flap close to the casting to help prevent air from going around the end and top of the air flap. I put the same type of screw on mine based on a recommendation that I saw on the forum several years ago.

I gather you were trying to prevent air from getting to the cat when the stove was at temperature. Have you ever observed your secondary coil with the stove in bypass and the cat hot? Mine will pass to the other side and reopen the shutter.