Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Wish I could get my hopper to fit. the damper is warped all to hell and the hopper won't drop in. Looks like I am going to have to rebuild her this summer, if I can get the parts. You guys have some nice looking old Vig's...enjoy the burn!

wingnut74 wrote:Wish I could get my hopper to fit. the damper is warped all to hell and the hopper won't drop in. Looks like I am going to have to rebuild her this summer, if I can get the parts. You guys have some nice looking old Vig's...enjoy the burn!

Don't know how bad your damper is warped, but one thing I found out when switching my hoppers is that the top cover of the stove has to be removed. Just mentioning this because one would think and it looks like you could just drop it in without removing the top stove lid.

Your talking about removing the griddle? If so, I tried that and couldn't get it to fit properly, due to that damper...

cntbill, thanks for the pictures. Nice fire - what temps do you get at a 10 hr burn? I've read rewinder's posts that says with the kit installed all the combustion gas goes to the viewer's right and around the fireback to the pipe adapter.

• Temperature is measured at the top's lower ledge toward the back near where the gases make the turn into the chamber between the fireback and the stove's back - right?
• I think I've read VC literature stating the coal kit kicks out 45K BTU/hr - is this correct?

stonyloam wrote:No pix just now (currently freezing in Fl). I believe that the coal kit is the only one with a hopper. Neither the 1400 (multi-fuel) or 2310 (coal) have a hopper. I believe that the coal kit should fit in any vigilant woodburner with a hole in front for the shaker rod. The newer Vigilants do not appear to have a hole pre-drilled, so you would have to do it yourself.

Thanks stoneyloam. Enjoy that cold Floridian weather. Do you want us to send you a snow shovel, just for affect?

Next list of questions:
• So the Vig. 1400 MF doesn't have a hopper but does have the three grate system with out the 2310's grate.ashdrop configuration? That would mean it has the front grill to hold the coal off the doors like my 2310 has.
• Does the vig. 1400 MF have two exits form the combustion chamber like the Vig. 2310 does?
• The Vig 2310 is rated at 50K BTU/hr. Since the Vig. 1400 is a batch burner, is this rated for the same output as the Vig. 2310?

Can anyone with a Vig 1400 MF post some pictures like cntbill did? It'd be great to see the differences. Thanks everyone.

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:
Thanks stoneyloam. Enjoy that cold Floridian weather. Do you want us to send you a snow shovel, just for affect?

Next list of questions:
• So the Vig. 1400 MF doesn't have a hopper but does have the three grate system with out the 2310's grate.ashdrop configuration? That would mean it has the front grill to hold the coal off the doors like my 2310 has.
• Does the vig. 1400 MF have two exits form the combustion chamber like the Vig. 2310 does?
• The Vig 2310 is rated at 50K BTU/hr. Since the Vig. 1400 is a batch burner, is this rated for the same output as the Vig. 2310?

Can anyone with a Vig 1400 MF post some pictures like cntbill did? It'd be great to see the differences. Thanks everyone.

Same weather as home only 30°warmer (40° would be better). I believe that the grate system of the 1400 is the same (type) as the 2310. I think the main difference between the two is the stove bottom and ash removal system. Here are diagrams of the two. http://www.stovepartsplus.com/Merchant5 ... G-1400.pdf http://www.stovepartsplus.com/Merchant5 ... I-2310.pdf . Note the differences in the stove bottom, and the ash pan-door combo. All else seems to be the same or at least very similar.

Adding to the conversation here, I think you are correct, the model before the current one had manmultiple fore and aft' grates( shakes the same as the new ones), grill to protect the doors like the new ones, but uses a shallow ash pan like the older models that slips under the grates.

As for the exaust gas path, looking at the blow ups posted above, it looks like the path is the same as the new models,

basically the 1400 is the same from the floor up, and has no swing out , below the floor ash pan.

I wa looking at a used 1400 last year, but passed it up because the ash pan was the same size as the older models, and I felt the much bigger firebox would fill the pan with one tending.

Well that's how it seems to me-LOL

I now have a cracked ceramic handle on the resolute, and the retaining bolt is starting to enlarge the threadedhole in the metal part of the handle. Have to come up with a fix for that.

I finally used up that ton of bagged reading nut that was way bigger than any nut I ever burned. some pieces were the size of half a bar of soap, or,a pack of butts. So big that a lot of times the'd bridge the hopper throat opening and stop feeding downward. picked up some different coal and all is good now.

wingnut74 wrote:Your talking about removing the griddle? If so, I tried that and couldn't get it to fit properly, due to that damper...

Yes the griddle, Just thought I'd ask, as I tried a few times to put the hopper in before I realized I had to take off the griddle

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:cntbill, thanks for the pictures. Nice fire - what temps do you get at a 10 hr burn? I've read rewinder's posts that says with the kit installed all the combustion gas goes to the viewer's right and around the fireback to the pipe adapter.
Temperature is measured at the top's lower ledge toward the back near where the gases make the turn into the chamber between the fireback and the stove's back - right?

No problem, I usually run the stove between 350* - 425*, at the end of a 10 - 12 hour burn (depending on the rear intake flap setting) when I do the slice, shake, and add coal the temp is anywhere from 275 to 300, but most of the time around 300.

I measure on the very top right corner next to the griddle but still on the stove as when I open the griddle I have to move the thermometer, as that is what I Thought was a good place.

I have a complete conversion kit for a Resolute vermont castings stove. It works on the original Resolutes from the 80s. In Fact I have 2 complete kits. Grates, shakers and everything needed for a complete conversion of 2 of these stoves. I used it last year and it works fine. The only reason I converted back to making the unit wood was I burn coal in my keystoker furnance boiler which heats the entire home through the hotwater baseboard. I found out when I burned coal in the vermont casting the coal I saved in the furnance went into the Vermont. I also used it because I got them when I bought the Vermont castings stove and wanted to experiment with them last season. So I have 4 cords of wood free which I burn now in the vermont castings on super cold days to off set the cost of the coal fuel. The wood stove heats the 1st floor nice but the 2nd and 3rd floor room still need the boiler to keep it warm. It does save on the coal I use and its nice haveing the wood burning on weekends.

Anyway that why I am selling the coal conversion kits for teh Resolute for 250 each set. I see the parts alone on line selling as much as 80 each piece. So if ya have one of these units its a good way to get some backup parts. I live near Milford Pa.

finelinevan wrote:

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I have a complete conversion kit for a Resolute vermont castings stove. It works on the original Resolutes from the 80s. In Fact I have 2 complete kits. Grates, shakers and everything needed for a complete conversion of 2 of these stoves. I used it last year and it works fine. The only reason I converted back to making the unit wood was I burn coal in my keystoker furnance boiler which heats the entire home through the hotwater baseboard. I found out when I burned coal in the vermont casting the coal I saved in the furnance went into the Vermont. I also used it because I got them when I bought the Vermont castings stove and wanted to experiment with them last season. So I have 4 cords of wood free which I burn now in the vermont castings on super cold days to off set the cost of the coal fuel. The wood stove heats the 1st floor nice but the 2nd and 3rd floor room still need the boiler to keep it warm. It does save on the coal I use and its nice haveing the wood burning on weekends.

Anyway that why I am selling the coal conversion kits for teh Resolute for 250 each set. I see the parts alone on line selling as much as 80 each piece. So if ya have one of these units its a good way to get some backup parts. I live near Milford Pa.

You should post this in the for sale section, maybe get better results.

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