A beautiful wood stove...

[Sandhill Crane]

There is an optional screen that can be used in place of the front doors, fireplace style, but we don't have that, or ever had a desire to do that. There are also wings that can be added to the top for a tea pot, or water pot, and still have access to top load. Another advantage of top loading is being able to make full use of the firebox capacity.

 

[mijdirtyjeep]

Another advantage of top loading is being able to make full use of the firebox capacity.

How do you keep the glass looking as good as it does on your stove?

On my FIL's the glass was so black from top loading and logs burning up against it, that you could hardly see the fire through the glass. He tried a lot of different methods for cleaning the glass and nothing would remove that buildup. Every time they came to my house they always marveled at the ability to sit and watch my fire though the glass.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

The glass gets black at low temp burns, at the end of a burn, then clears when back to temp. That is why we burn three, four, five splits at a time when we are home in this huge stove, and burn very hot, so the wood coals, or burns a glowing red with little to no flame. It doesn't heat us out that way either, yet still burns for hours on very little fuel.

 

[CaseyForrest]

Another advantage of top loading is being able to make full use of the firebox capacity.

I found this to not be the case with our deceased resolute. 16" firebox but I had to cut everything just under 15" to get more than 2 splits in through the top opening. The opening was shorter in width than the firebox which meant that wood needed to be angled to get in.

Perhaps the opening on your VC is the same width as the firebox....

 

[CaseyForrest]

How do you keep the glass looking as good as it does on your stove?

Yep, gotta get it hot. Itll burn everything but the fine ash off the glass. I will normally let our appliances cool off once per week during heating season to take a wet papertowel to the glass to wipe off the fine ash, Wipes right off.

The nice thing about dirty glass is its an indicator of one of 2 things. Either you aren't burning the stove hot enough or your wood is too wet.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

The top opening for loading is narrower than the firebox. I cut 16". To fill, fill firebox half way and off to one side. Place two three large split on end at the opposite side, and fill the rest to the lid.

To get complete burns the ash needs emptied every two, or three days at most. Deep ash restricts the internal air flow and the ash pan will need emptied several time. That mean ash also gets behind the ash pan, and spills onto the heat shield beneath the stove. So although emptying less, the ash makes more of a mess. We bought an ash vacuum this year to pick up the small stuff.

The ash vac works great, but creates another device to clean.

 

[Wood Doctor]

Never in a million years will I ever forget the Vermont Castings Defiant stove that I bought in 1976. Unfortunately, I had to sell it with the house when I moved out. When it came to heat, that stove was a beast! I even designed a removable swing-out grill for it and cooked up some dang good food. Memories, memories...

 

[SS396driver]

Nice stove . I have a 1977 vigilant wood/coal burner . It looks it's age the porcelian is comin off in spots and there is a crack in the top. Doesn't effect the performance as it's on the outer lip and doesn't go to the firebox. I took it out last fall and put a pellet stove in. I'm not at this house often and my daughter didn't like loading the wood. Plan on getting the crack welded up blasted and paint it. Then use it in my garage

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

The top opening for loading is narrower than the firebox. I cut 16". To fill, fill firebox half way and off to one side. Place two three large split on end at the opposite side, and fill the rest to the lid.

To get complete burns the ash needs emptied every two, or three days at most. Deep ash restricts the internal air flow and the ash pan will need emptied several time. That mean ash also gets behind the ash pan, and spills onto the heat shield beneath the stove. So although emptying less, the ash makes more of a mess. We bought an ash vacuum this year to pick up the small stuff.

The ash vac works great, but creates another device to clean.

That would be a huge pain. I clean my stove out every 4-6 weeks, holds over a 5 gal pail worth of ash.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Valley Firewood. You right...it's a bit of a pain when the ash pan gets to full.

Removing the lower heat shield would make it somewhat easier, but ash still gets behind the ash pan. This happens when the pan is too full, and swinging the ash pan door open, as it is hinged on one side, the ash pan gets leveled off like scraping off a cup of flower. The ash end up on the front of the ash pan 'pocket', then little by little gets pushed back in, behind the ash pan. After several uses, the ash builds up and the ash pan door can no longer close. Thus a flat handled shovel, or the ash vacuum. I empty twice a week, sometimes more depending on if burning Oak or Maple, Oak being less often. We could go much longer but as the ash builds up it does effect the length of burn times over night.
Things need cleaned. I'm guessing a top load stove is pretty clean compared to some. I'm guessing ash is the biggest issue with most stoves. Our ash pile this year is quite small for two stoves. Mild winter but we are still burning full time. I do let the stoves go out to clean the ash but it is not necessary to do so.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

It looks it's age the porcelian is comin off in spots

Plan on getting the crack welded up blasted and paint it. Then use it in my garage

I do not know if anyone will sand blast enamel. Hopefully you can find someone to do it..

We put our old ('92)enameled stove in a garage and moisture got in the cast and destroyed the finish the first year out there. We still used it of course, for many years, until the glass cracked when it was twenty three years old. The glass was obviously replaceable, but the interior was beginning to show signs of fatigue where gaskets were beginning to leak around the cat. by-pass door.
I gave it away to a neighbor, and replaced it with the same stove in black, no enamel. The animals stay out of the house, but I don't hear them complaining.

 

[SS396driver]

I have a large sand blaster from my uncles body shop. Should eat it up. We used to blast porcelain exhaust manifolds on some of the restorations we did.