This is the last time.....

[CaseyForrest]

I am going to rebuild this stove. We got 2 seasons on the last rebuild and this is what's left.

The combustor alone is just over $200. The new 2 years ago arch bricks are cracked. I think those were $150 or so. The side bricks need to be replaced because using my custom cut firebrick isn't working very well, there's another $120.

Never mind the gaskets.

I over it. May be over it this year. I'm looking at roughly $500 and 2 years ago I put $700 into it.


Sent from a field

 

[sawjunky23]

I would turn to a new (new to you stove) stove. Last fall I bought a lightly used Jotul on Craigslist with a bunch of metalbestos chimney for somewhere around $350. All the bricks were good and it worked like a champ after a good cleaning.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Is that a Vermont Casting? Legs look like it, but did not know if they use fire brick in their stoves.

 

[Streblerm]

I paid less than $700 for my Englander 30-NC from Home Depot five years ago and so far maintenance costs have been $0. It uses standard firebricks and I think the secondary tubes and baffle are under $150. Of course it fails in the looks department compared to the VC defiant it replaced. That was one good looking stove. By every other measure the Englander is a winner.

 

[Marshy]

Sounds like you could have paid for a Blaze King by now at this rate.

 

[TimberWolf530]

I just saw a Blaze King in person for the first time last week. Dayem!!! Those things are built like tanks.

 

[sunfish]

This is the main reason I sold our VC and bought a Jotul! That was 8 years ago. Very good move!!!

 

[sunfish]

Is that a Vermont Casting? Legs look like it, but did not know if they use fire brick in their stoves.

It is a VC, but that's not fire brick.

 

[fiasco]

The VC stoves with the fiberglass-ish refractory are crap. I found a rebuilt Vigilant to replace my Encore non-cat. Five seasons and it was junk, needed $1,000 in parts and the completely restored Vigilant was $1,100. Uses a little more wood and I miss the ash tray on the bottom, but I can deal.

 

[CaseyForrest]

It is a VC.

We inherited it with the house so I haven't been having to put money into it since it was installed, just starting 2 years ago.

I love the idea of a Catalytic stove. We have a unique set of circumstances and I haven't found one that fits ALL the criteria. If I can talk the boss into it, because she loves the VC, it will either be a Hearthstone or a Jotul. The Jotul may get the nod because they can be had in the ivory enamel like what we have. But I like the hearthstone because they are finished on all 4 sides and it sits basically in the middle of the room.

We went around this issue last year when I noticed how "used" the refractory was getting. I didn't expect to see it this year falling apart as I was cleaning the stove.

 

[CaseyForrest]

It is a VC, but that's not fire brick.

The original owners ran the stove with no care to maintenance. When all the original stones broke he replaced them all with 1" plate steel custom cut to fit. As I was rebuilding it the first time I replaced all the steel but put the OE stones in the rear, the arch brick. But on the sides I used regular fire brick cutting the bottom one to fit the angle of the stove.

 

[fiasco]

It is a VC.

We went around this issue last year when I noticed how "used" the refractory was getting. I didn't expect to see it this year falling apart as I was cleaning the stove.

Once the stove gets run with compromised refractory, it's only a matter of time before the outer shell develops cracks. My Encore had cracks in the rear iron. Scrap metal it became.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

Which VC is that?
What does your parts list look like?

 

[CaseyForrest]

Resolute.

I started a thread last winter or the winter before about possibly getting rid of it.

Now it's a no brainer.


Sent from a field

 

[cuinrearview]

Now that I have three seasons with it I love how easy my i2400 is to use, it just works. I have to dig the ash out a little more often than I'd like but I may be a bit OCD. That being said, I helped my friends absolutely steal a secondhand Blaze King Princess insert on CL and if I were buying new I have little doubt I would spring for that. The NC-30 looks intriguing as well if cash and ease is an issue. All my opinions and $.02

 

[CaseyForrest]

Leaning towards a Jotul. Main criteria is the stove be aesthetically appealing.

Nice thing about the hearthstone is they are finished on all 4 sides.


Sent from a field

 

[Del_]

Leaning towards a Jotul. Main criteria is the stove be aesthetically appealing.

Nice thing about the hearthstone is they are finished on all 4 sides.


Sent from a field

I've been using a Jotul wood stove for the past 20 years.

Avoid fast start ups, avoid over firing and never leave the Jotul unattended with the ash pan door open. You will find the ash pan door aids in startup. F600CB here.

 

[husqvarna257]

We have a Vermont castings Dutch west stove for over 16 years with no trouble. I replaced the catalytic in it once with some knock off. I clean the catalytic once a season by boiling it in white vinegar. IT was our source of heat until we got a Central Boiler OWB. I also have a Vermont castings vigilant coal stove that does have a few cracked bricks. That is what I get for leaving the ash door open to start it and I forgot it. Stove was cherry red and the front grate was warped . But now Vermont castings is owned by Majestic and gas grills are the big thing so they may now suck.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

We have two VC Defiants. A one year old, and a two year old. Absolutely love them. Also have a seven year old Encore listed, with pictures, in the Tradin'Post forum. It is about seven years old and needs a complete rebuild, do to a couple improper start-ups, which if cooled too fast, as in closing it down too quickly, causes the internal parts to warp, as husqvarna257 eluded to. Operator error is a costly mistake, but not a reflection on stove quality. We bought our first VC Defiant in 1992. We used it for heat until last year, at first in the house, and then for six years in the shop. The person I gave it to is continuing to use it occasionally in a cabin.

 

[sunfish]

The Resolute Acclaim like the OP has has a very unique secondary burn system of soft refractory that is very fragile. It will last several years if everything is in good order and ya know how to run the stove. We had one for 8 or 9 years and when it worked, it worked well. It is a finicky stove and way too high maintenance for me.

We bought a Jotul 118CB 7-8 years ago and it has No refractory and only one gasket around the door. Super simple and no maintenance. Best stove we've owned since 1980.