Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Sat Dec 05, 2009 1:07 pm

I picked up a Vigilant 1 and it came with the coal kit and with the help of this forum I have been able to get it up and running, Thanks!

While I believe I have successfully installed the stove and to me seems to be working pretty well, I still have a couple of questions I haven't seemed to find the answer to.. but that's another topic for another time.

In the mean time I would like to know if anyone has the Install Manual (pdf file) for the Vigilant coal kit for the fine points, as I would like to see how it goes together and comes apart. I have found the info on the parts inventory and a bit about burning coal in the stove, again thanks to "Sidewinder"

Thanks,

Bill...

stonyloam · By: **stonyloam** On: Sat Dec 05, 2009 7:27 pm

As I recall (from about 25 years ago), there is no real "instillation manual" on how to put the thing together. This diagram: http://www.stovepartsplus.com/Merchant5 ... G-0054.pdf should be enough to show you how it goes together. It is critical that you seal it up really well with furnace cement, and add gaskets to seal between the doors and the front lip of the front cover (part 23). Do a search for the VC posts by "rewinder", he knows his stuff. There is also a lot of info on using the "slicer" to clean out the ashes. An old roasting pan under the stove to pull out when using the slicer is a good idea, to catch hot coals that might escape. Any questions, just ask. Welcome to the VC v1.0 club

.

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:38 am

stonyloam, Thanks for the reply and the link. Yes, I've been reading posts by "rewinder" and followed the info on sealing up the coal kit along with the addition of adding a gasket on the doors, made a big difference.

The reason I asked about a manual is that a person on ebay is selling a coal kit for $400.00 (more than I paid for our stove) and shows two manuals that comes with it and I am just curious on what the manual had in it. I sent him an question if he would be interested in sending me a copy of the installation manual and he was nice enough to reply and would supply me with a pdf file for $15.00. To be honest I am not really curious enough to pay $15 though, as the link above and others I have found on this site is really all the information one needs. But I'm still curious.

stonyloam · By: **stonyloam** On: Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:57 pm

Bill: I would send a copy of mine, unfortunately I haven't seen it for the last 20 years. In what I knew was almost certainly a futile effort I went down and took a look anyway. It was, but I did find a box labeled "Vermont Castings Coal parts". In it were two parts that I apparently removed from the wood version of the stove when I installed the coal unit. The parts were (from the diagram http://www.stovepartsplus.com/Merchant5 ... 5-0039.pdf ) #10 primary air tube, which would probably interfere with the shaker mechanism. Also #37 handle holder, which would probably block the ashpan. The only other thing that I can remember from the manual was that the hopper height needed to be adjusted (by moving the hopper throat up or down) depending on the size of coat you were burning. Low for pea, and all the way up for nut. From the photo it looks like you are set correctly for nut. Great looking stove by the way

.

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 1:27 am

Terry; Thanks for your time and effort looking for that manual and also your response. Yea, I was happy with the way the stove came out with some stove polish and some elbow grease

thanks, and your blue stove, did you paint that or is that one of the enamel ones?

As far as the hopper setting / hight, I have it set for pea I believe, set at "B1" according to the info, pdf, I found that Rewinder posted. But I came across another post about setting the hopper for nut and still use pea coal. I might try that but to me my stove seems to be working ok, although I have only been running it for a little over a week so far and it is doing a good job of keeping the house warm, 72*-74* average.

I did seal it up and did the door gasket mod and the blue flames leaned toward the right when I closed the internal dampener for the first couple of days I used it, but then the outside temps were milder those days around the mid 40's or so and now the last couple of days that the temps been 28* - 34* the blue flames only lean to the right for just a couple of minutes when I close the dampener after refilling and ash removal and then go straight up 5"-6",

One thing I noticed here though with the dampener it seems to go beyond being closed, instead of being straight up, closed, it is leaning a little forward into the firebox, so now I don't give the lever as hard of a push. Also I am wondering is there supposed to be a gasket around the top of hopper somewhere besides the griddle gasket?

I don't have no baro and have no idea what my draft is, but I've been able to go 12 hrs on a hopper load. Stove is running average about 375 to 400 measured with a regular pipe thermometer placed just off the griddle plate on the top right ( if you look hard in the photo you will see it by the red pole). At the moment stove is 375*, on the pipe just above the stove at about a foot the temp is 200*, and about 5' away it is 110*. So to me that is not too bad.... Chimney set up is a 6" pipe out of the stove 2', an elbow to the right, 6' to another elbow into a 8" clay chimney that was the gas furnace's, about 20'. So I am wondering, should the flame always be leaning?

Smoker858 · By: **Smoker858** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 9:35 am

ctnbill,
I have a tall door Vigilant, purchased directly from the factory in Randolph, Vermont. I will copy and pdf you the coal manual and associated diagrams later this week.

There is no additional gasket up in the griddle area but only directly under the griddle. I use a 1/4 rope gasket with a woven wire rope around it.

If your stove is also wood fired with the coal components removed there maybe an "L" shaped cast iron plate that blocks the rear right side of the fire box for coal. Be sure you have rolled a ''rope" of cement and sealed the stove fireback before installing the "L" shaped plate. This makes a big difference when burning coal.

I'll dig up more info in a day or three.

Smoker858

stonyloam · By: **stonyloam** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:19 pm

cntbill wrote: your blue stove, did you paint that or is that one of the enamel ones?

I did seal it up and did the door gasket mod and the blue flames leaned toward the right when I closed the internal dampener for the first couple of days I used it, but then the outside temps were milder those days around the mid 40's or so and now the last couple of days that the temps been 28* - 34* the blue flames only lean to the right for just a couple of minutes when I close the dampener after refilling and ash removal and then go straight up 5"-6",

One thing I noticed here though with the dampener it seems to go beyond being closed, instead of being straight up, closed, it is leaning a little forward into the firebox,

I don't have no baro and have no idea what my draft is,.... 375*, on the pipe just above the stove at about a foot the temp is 200*, and about 5' away it is 110*. So to me that is not too bad....

It is 1982 factory blue enamel, and has held up very well over the years.

I have seen the same thing with the blue flames, and this is what I think is going on: With the damper open you have a pretty much straight shot up the chimney, and you have maximum draft. When you close the damper,initially you have strong draft and the airflow pulls the flames to the right. When you close the damper, a couple of things are going on, the exhaust gasses take a much longer somewhat restricted flow path around the back of the stove, and the gasses are cooler when they enter the pipe, reducing draft and airflow. When the damper is initially closed the draft is still strong, but after a few minute the stove comes back to equilibrium at a reduced airflow and the flames will be more vertical. Just my theory.

I don't have a baro either. There is one rather cryptic sentence in the (Vig. II coal) manual that says: "Air must not be allowed to enter the chimney without first having passed through the stove" which seems to indicate that one is not recommended. That being said some of the other VC users use them with great success.

I think the damper just looks like it is leaning forward. It should close with a rather distinctive "clunk".

The temp.looks about like mine, I can max out about 550°.

The only other thing that I can think of is, be careful not to let the ashes build up in the pan or they will block airflow to the grates and they will warp (learned the hard way)

Have fun!

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 5:24 pm

Smoker858: Great and thanks for your time, and yes the L shaped cover is there.

stonyloam: Your theory seems to make sense to me as that is somewhat what I was thinking. One other thing though, as I was reading various posts on the Vigilant here I came across one that mentioned when sealing the coal kit something about wetting the area fist.... so re-read the directions on the tube of the Rutland black cement and sure enough the directions said to dampen the area first. So with that in mind I decided to shut it down and inspect my cemented joints and yep they didn't seal all that well.

I decieded to take the coal kit apart some what and below is a couple of pics on my process starting with the couple showing that my first attempt was not all that hot.. and the last one as to where I am at the moment.

Is the Rutland Black Cement good for this type of thing as it seems the previous owner used some other type as it appears to be like mortar?

VigIIPeaBurner · By: **VigIIPeaBurner** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:10 pm

This one comes with the manuals. Just $1,200 and its yours! :!:

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 6:26 pm

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:This one comes with the manuals. Just $1,200 and its yours!

lol

But there is no door glass. Sorry I'm too cheap to pay $15.00..

Thanks though

I use to swim in the Pequest.. when I was a kid lol

stonyloam · By: **stonyloam** On: Mon Dec 07, 2009 8:37 pm

cntbill wrote:Is the Rutland Black Cement good for this type of thing as it seems the previous owner used some other type as it appears to be like mortar?

That is what I use. I scrub the area down well with a Scotchbrite pad and apply the cement while it is still wet.

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:11 am

stonyloam: I like that Scotchbrite idea

Well as it stands the more pieces that were loose, came loose, or needed to be re-resealed, ended up getting into the stove more than I really wanted to, but guess just as well. Now to clean the pieces up and reassemble with new cement will be almost as good as new.

Unforently have to call it quits for the night, but this is what the stove looks like now and the part that need to be cleaned up...

stonyloam · By: **stonyloam** On: Tue Dec 08, 2009 12:44 am

Wow! You have it ALL apart!! :shock:

Should worklike a champ when you get it all back together.

VigIIPeaBurner · By: **VigIIPeaBurner** On: Tue Dec 08, 2009 2:14 pm

stonyloam wrote:Wow! You have it ALL apart!! Should worklike a champ when you get it all back together.

Sure am glad I've got the 2310 model II version!!! The inside bottom of the VI reminds me of my old Defiant of the same vintage.

cntbill · By: **cntbill** On: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:03 am

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:
stonyloam wrote:Wow! You have it ALL apart!! Should worklike a champ when you get it all back together.

Sure am glad I've got the 2310 model II version!!! The inside bottom of the VI reminds me of my old Defiant of the same vintage.

Yes, I understand the 2310's construction is much simpler

Well managed to get the whole stove resealed pretty much, and back up and running, just in time for the snow again.

Guess I will see if what I did will make much of difference later on in the morning.

Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual

Re: Vermont Castings Vigilant Coal Kit Install Manual