Older Vigilant Stove...Am I Safe?

 
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dlj
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Post by dlj » Sun. Sep. 27, 2009 9:01 am

Bob,

Sounds like you are fine. If you want to use this stove to heat for long periods, buy the coal hopper. I don't know how long the vigilant will run with one, but probably 18 hours or more. Once cold weather sets in and you want the stove to kick out significantly more heat the entire time, you'll want the greater coal reserve the hopper gives you. The web page sent earlier has the hopper parts for a very reasonable price. If you have the spare cash to buy it, it would be a worthwhile investment.

In the coldest parts of winter. my little resolute will run 14 to 16 hours with the stove at about 550. If I drop that to about 450 it adds a couple hours to the burn time....

Enjoy!

dj
BingeBob wrote:Yes, I do not have the hopper. I started this bad boy last night at around 830 because our temp was supposed to drop down to close to freezing last night. This was the most coal I have ever loaded into it.

I got the first layer of coal going pretty good, loaded her up to a couple inches below top of firebrick and adjusted my airflow in to low. Woke up this morning at 420am (yes...im the only schmuck waking up before 5am on a saturday) and it hadnt burned through the top layer of coal yet! It was still hot with little blue flames and bright orange coal on the bottom. I checked my air flapper and it had sunken closed as it does when it gets hot...And then I gave it a shake to clear the grates.

Before I started it up last night I re-checked the gaskets and they do look pretty new (they are white)

-Bob

PS. I am in the hampstead/sandown area


 
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rewinder
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Post by rewinder » Sun. Sep. 27, 2009 12:57 pm

dj that's a good run time on a resolute, where are you reading the temp?? I keep my thermometer on the angled top sruface to the right of the hopper door. it's hotter reading on the griddle

it s a great little stove for an oldie I think

paul

 
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rewinder
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Post by rewinder » Sun. Sep. 27, 2009 12:58 pm

Also I don't think Bobs vig has provisions for a hopper, just like the newer ones don't

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Sun. Sep. 27, 2009 10:56 pm

rewinder wrote:Also I don't think Bobs vig has provisions for a hopper, just like the newer ones don't
Does anyone have a parts .pdf for his model? I think I've seen them on this forum someplace. If it doesn't use the hopper that he has on hand, I'd think he'd need the grill to keep the larger coal charge off the glass. Question is does the same grill fit the Vigilant I that fits Vigilant II. I'd bet so but don't take odds on that bet. I replaced mine last year from the dealer I bought my stove from for $65 . You guys know about the older versions better than I do. With the right parts in place, it won't be long until Bob will be filling it up and never letting it go out all winter :)

 
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dlj
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Post by dlj » Sun. Sep. 27, 2009 11:13 pm

I have my temp in the same place as you sounds like. Mine might read hotter because I have it set into a fireplace.

I will tell you, when I set the stove up to run for a long time, I really cram the coal into it. I poke it down with a poker, make sure I fill every single corner of the hopper. I'll pour coal into the hopper about 3/4's full and then tamp it down with my poker, when I get it filled up, I push all the coal out to the far edges of the hopper. I'm not gentle... In fact, once I did it too hard and almost lost my fire because the coal was so packed in the hopper, it wasn't dropping down as it should...

Go to 575 F (or above) and burn time will significantly decrease.

One other thing about my resolute that I'm not sure if it really makes that much of a difference, but seems that I don't have the same issues as others tend to have with this stove, is that it was originally build by Vermont Castings as a coal stove. Not as a wood stove. Most of the resolutes out there were built by Vermont as wood stoves and then had the coal conversion insert put in them. Vermont used to cast two different alloys in their castings, according to their literature. One was what they used for their wood stoves and the other was what they used in their coal stoves. If you read their literature, you'll see they recommended a break-in period for their wood stoves, but say it is unnecessary if you got their coal stove because of the different alloy used in the casting. I also think since all the components for the coal were factory built and installed for this stove, that it may well be slightly better put together for coal burning compared to the wood stoves converted to coal.

I do agree, these are darned good stoves for their age. I can't wait to compare with my baseheater.

dj
rewinder wrote:dj that's a good run time on a resolute, where are you reading the temp?? I keep my thermometer on the angled top sruface to the right of the hopper door. it's hotter reading on the griddle

it s a great little stove for an oldie I think

paul

 
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BingeBob
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Post by BingeBob » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 3:09 pm

Well, did some digging in the basement and found what looked like the grate...and guess what...It fit!
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Last time I ran this thing it was going for a good 12 hours without attention. But ill look into the hopper

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 4:51 pm

BingeBob wrote:Well, did some digging in the basement and found what looked like the grate...and guess what...It fit!
Last time I ran this thing it was going for a good 12 hours without attention. But ill look into the hopper
Great find and now with the grill in place you're set! You shouldn't need the hopper, it looks just like the model 2310 with the full fire brick lining. Hopefully someone will confirm this. The only apparent difference is the model you have lacks the ash drop that the 2310 has, just like someone suggested earlier in this thread. Once a good fire is going, load it up to the top of the brick. The grill will hold the coal off the door glass. Should take 40-50 Lbs on the first load. Find your thermostatic air control setting that gives you the stove top temps that work and you'll be set. Measure the temperature on this stove in the middle of the top loading cast iron griddle. This places the thermometer directly over the coal fire. The 2310 manual - quoting from memory here - recommends operating from 400-700 F when damped down. They don't recommend damping down until your at 450 and watching blue flames.

Suggestions for maintenance before the real winter weather sets in:
  • Look into replacing the cracked firebrick. They're standard size and stocked at most lumber yards. Not a real necessity if they're not falling into the fire, you could just patch'em.

    Remove the grill, grate retainer, ash pan/cover and individual grates. You should find four openings, three covered(clean outs) and one open. 2 are on the back - the left one, your left, is the air (uncovered)and on your right is a clean out port. There might be a restricting plate on the air inlet that needs to be removed for burning anthracite (keep in place for wood burning). There's two more clean out ports, one on each side. Remove all the clean out covers and clean out all the fly ash. Replace all the clean out covers.

    Keep the little fry pan thing on the side of the stove near the air control closed when burning coal. Open, it just diminishes draft the coal fire needs
Check out the frist two videos linked on my signature block. You'll get a feel for what I do with mine and it might help. Good luck! Cold is on the way :)


 
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BingeBob
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Post by BingeBob » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 5:17 pm

Hmmmm..."Fry pan thing" <--Not sure I Habla...

Are you talking about the other air hole thingy on the side?

I gave it a good cleaning today...took out the tray and vacuumed up inside

Does anyone else have this kind of ash tray thing? how do you get this thing out to empty while the stove is hot??? (see the above pic of the grate you can see it under the grate)

-Bob

 
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 7:26 pm

BingeBob wrote:Hmmmm..."Fry pan thing" <--Not sure I Habla...
Me habla tambien? Si!....
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"Frying pan" thingy. Keep it closed

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BingeBob wrote:Hmmmm....I gave it a good cleaning today...took out the tray and vacuumed up inside
Did you see the clean out ports? If they're there, and I think they will be, you must pull them and vacuum out the spaces accessible thru them. It's a double box design and the inter box space fills up with fly ash and diminishes the efficiency of the heat exchange when damped down.
BingeBob wrote:Hmmmm .... Does anyone else have this kind of ash tray thing? how do you get this thing out to empty while the stove is hot??? (see the above pic of the grate you can see it under the grate)-Bob
I think you pull it forward with the knife tool (thingy :roll: )after you lift the ash pan cover plate off with the notched hook on the end of the tool. Here's a picture of what's left of mine ....
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VC Knife w/ hooked nose

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... but I did make a template in carpet after coming home from a midnight shift :oops:
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template ... the wife was sooo happy. "What's that SMELL?!" I'm still alive =)

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My ash pan has a cover that slides over the ash pan. Once in place, just carry it out by the handle.
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VC Vigilant ash pan cover.

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Post by rewinder » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 9:02 pm

Tere ya go B Bob, you're all set for the cold now! Your stove is one of the few made inbetween the one I have with hopper and conversion kit, and the new style.

I couldn't see how you could burn it with out that grate like VigII Peaburner said. As it never was set up to use a a hopper. the only difference between yours and the new one is the ash pan is bigger and below the front cast hearh, I may be a pain to pull out the ash pan in yours as it is the same as mine, that is, under the grate and slides in on the floor.

that little beak or hook on the ash knife is for slipping in the small hole in the center of the ash pan and pulling it up and out .

Beware not to get lazy about dumping the pan, and that builds up after a shake can reach the bottom of the grates, not letting them cool by incoming air and warp them badly

paul

 
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Post by rewinder » Mon. Sep. 28, 2009 9:19 pm

B Bob, just looked at your pics, and was wondering how high and what type chimney you have. All Vig's use the same kind of flapper thermostats, and I can tell you thatwhen I starten using mine again last year after 25 years or so of using oil, I put on barometric dampers on both of them. It was like a whole different stove from the old days. (yes I'm a geezer--LOL) both my chimneys are interior 8X8 flue, and quite high. the draft is excellent even on a 60deg day. But in sub 20deg days it's a vaccume cleaner. the baro makes it draw even no mater the outside temp or winds. they look ugly on a nice stove set up, but save coal by keeping the heat in the stove and not the chimney.

I can put my hand on the pipe on the Vig pictured at the chimney (abovr the baro) easily unless it's cranking at 650.

good luck this winter!

Hey do you buy your coal at Dodges Grain In Salem??

paul

 
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Post by BingeBob » Tue. Sep. 29, 2009 10:13 am

I have an 8" flue and this stove is in the basement...the chimney goes all the way to the peak of the roof (open post and beam cape)

While I was in there trying to fit the grate I found I almost felit like I was going to get sucked into the flue.

I also have an older Defiant upstairs that we used all the time last year. (next year I was thinking of taking off the bricks and putting on some natural field stone all the way up the chimney...)
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I get my nut anthracite from east coast lumber in hampstead. I buy it by the bag because its strangely cheaper that way than to buy it by the pallet load. Ill check out salem though next time I go through there

 
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Post by stonyloam » Tue. Sep. 29, 2009 4:11 pm

BingeBob wrote:
Does anyone else have this kind of ash tray thing? how do you get this thing out to empty while the stove is hot??? (see the above pic of the grate you can see it under the grate)

-Bob
I do, in my old VC. I empty the pan before I shake it down. When I shake down into the empty pan the ashes and glowing coals have plenty of time to burn out and cool down before you have to empty them at the next fill. Much easier handling a (relatively) cool pan. Good luck with your new/old stove.

 
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Tue. Sep. 29, 2009 4:58 pm

stonyloam wrote:
BingeBob wrote:
Does anyone else have this kind of ash tray thing? how do you get this thing out to empty while the stove is hot??? (see the above pic of the grate you can see it under the grate)

-Bob
I do, in my old VC. I empty the pan before I shake it down. When I shake down into the empty pan the ashes and glowing coals have plenty of time to burn out and cool down before you have to empty them at the next fill. Much easier handling a (relatively) cool pan. Good luck with your new/old stove.
Hey Stoneyloam, I was wondering if a full shake down allows enough room between the grates and the ash in the pan to allow free air access to all the grates. I read rewinder's comment about that problem on the version you guys have. I don't have that issue cause there's a lot of room under mine whit the ash drop compartment design. I can actually overfill my ash pan depending on the ash content of the coal I'm using. I guess I'm sort of answering my question and should phrase my question differently. So here goes again ... did you ever run coal that gave you too much ash in the pan where it would close the air gap between the full ash pan and the grates? Maybe your coal source is consistent, mine changes even from the same dealer as it easily could. Thanks.

 
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Post by stonyloam » Thu. Oct. 01, 2009 1:11 pm

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:
Hey Stoneyloam, I was wondering if a full shake down allows enough room between the grates and the ash in the pan to allow free air access to all the grates. I read rewinder's comment about that problem on the version you guys have. I don't have that issue cause there's a lot of room under mine whit the ash drop compartment design. I can actually overfill my ash pan depending on the ash content of the coal I'm using. I guess I'm sort of answering my question and should phrase my question differently. So here goes again ... did you ever run coal that gave you too much ash in the pan where it would close the air gap between the full ash pan and the grates? Maybe your coal source is consistent, mine changes even from the same dealer as it easily could. Thanks.
Peaburner: No problem, couple of things going for me though: I do burn pretty good coal, so ash is not a big problem. I (try) to empty the pan every time I tend the stove. There is at least a couple of inches free space above the top of the pan. I don't think the hopper on my stove holds as much coal as your stove does. With my "old style" stove I do the majority of work with the slicer after the initial shakedown, and since the doors have to be open, the last thing I do before closing it up is take the slicer and level off the ashes in the pan to provide maximum air gap. If it gets too full (not often) I put on the gloves and empty it out. Believe me I have learned my lesson about letting the ashes get too high, and have the warped grates to prove it.Got her all sealed up and ready to go.


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