Dutchwest vc 2461 question

[Flyfishjt]

Hi all and thanks for all useful info I have read on site.
I recently purchased a home in middle of last heating season that has a vermont castings dutchwest model 2461 in it. I am questioning how tight of seal needs to be for damper/bypass. It seemed to me that if I looked up at bypass after closed that flames were still going up into flue. Also how would I know if catalyst was not working properly. Upon examining it I see nothing wrong it looks to be clean and free from any cracks. Does anyone sell a gasket kit that will cover all the gasketed area? Thank you in advanced

 

[milkman]

I like my Dutchwest Ex Large, there's a hole in the top that holds a thermometer and it will tell you when the catalyst is hot enough to work. I just resealed mine last year, take four bolts out from under the lip of the top and it lifts off, just peel out the old gasket, clean the grove and put in new ones. There is some furnace cement in the joints at the back under the top that might need to be replaced also. It was really an easy task to replace all that and the stove now acts like it did when new.
I think you'll really like the stove once you learn how it works. When starting, or when reloading, just let it get going and then shut the bypass. Puts out good heat and will hold fire all night.
Oh yeah, there looked to be a grove for a flat gasket around the lip of the bypass, I glued in flat stove gasket, don't know if that helped or not. I've had this stove for around 20 yrs. and it's the first time I've replaced the gaskets under the top so I don't know if there was a gasket there or not. I replaced the catalyst about three years ago, but the old one still looked good so it's a spare.