Vigilant II Is Just Humming Along!!!

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Sun. Apr. 02, 2017 12:14 pm

We're coming down to the end of the season and it seems that, for the most part, the deep cold moved back north. I finished up the coal in the bin two days ago. The last fire for this year's mine coal run, 21 hours since the last feed and shake, is just humming along :yes:

It seems that I'm having trouble adding more than one attachment per post is working. 2 pics more to follow if I can figure what's up with my files. I get the forum message "The image file you tried to attach is invalid." The one below is one two I took at the same time as the one that returns the message. Hmmm

Thanks for checking for me Fred :yes:

Attachments

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top-down after 21 hrs.

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Last edited by VigIIPeaBurner on Sun. Apr. 02, 2017 12:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Sun. Apr. 02, 2017 12:20 pm

Hmmmm--don't seem to be a problem with my cans & string set up Vig. :?

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blrman07
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Post by blrman07 » Mon. Apr. 10, 2017 7:11 pm

Well I let the coal go out two days ago as it is hitting upper 70's during the day and 50's at night. If it gets chilly I'll light up a wood fire and let it burn. Gotta get everything with a creosote coating anyway so a little wood fire is the ticket right now.

It hit 82 today... :D

 
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blrman07
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Post by blrman07 » Thu. May. 04, 2017 5:33 am

I am finding that I am messing up without my wife to keep me in check with the stove. She would have reminded me of the time I planted my garden too early and after the frost killed it I heard...." Always plant no earlier than the weekend before Mothers Day you always say." Well it appears I let my stove go out too early. I did have some wood fires in it on chilly nights only because I didn't want to burn the oil.

I payed attention to the weather report which said frost warning and lit the coal stove back off on lump charcoal and got it burning on pea in only 1/2 the firebox. I got up this morning and had a nice bed of coals on 1/2 the grate with the other half neatly ashed over. I learned how to do that a couple of years ago and it works great in shoulder months. Just have to remember to knife only and don't touch that shaker handle or you'll lose the ash cover on the other half of the grate. :baby:

39 outside,,,,,70 in the living room,,,,68 in the bedroom and upstairs. No Dino juice burned last night :P

I love my Vigilant 2310 :clap:

 
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Turbogeno
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Coal Size/Type: Anthracite, Rice and Nut
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Post by Turbogeno » Fri. May. 05, 2017 5:52 pm

I put mine out early too but it was really warm. Lit back up 3 days ago on 1/3 of the firebox. I was away 13 hours yesterday and was able to revive the fire easily. Looks like I'll keep it going through next week at least.

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Wed. Nov. 22, 2017 8:07 pm

Just lit the match for this season, and tried the Match Light approach. Previously I used chunk hardwood, after masking the grates with paper except for an opening cut in the middle to concentrate the airflow through the center of the fire. I learned both of these tips from this excellent online community. My motivation to use briquettes was the comments that the glass would stay clean. It works! I’m not crazy about using chemicals to get it done, but the trade off for clean glass is worth it!

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Wed. Nov. 22, 2017 8:22 pm

Sounds real good R. Damn chemicals!!! What don't cure ya will inadvertently kill ya at some point!! LOL


 
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drums4money
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Post by drums4money » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 12:09 pm

Good day VC owners- thought this thread would be an appropriate spot to make my 1st post as a "new-to-me" Vigilant II owner. I'm curious about surface temps at the rear of the stove where the coil thermostat is screwed directly into the body. As seems common, the stove we inherited features not one - but two spots where the threaded arm has been broken flush. I'm looking for an alternative to pulling the stove since it's not possible to easily access for a drill & tap.

Regards,
Scott
drums4money

 
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Turbogeno
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Other Heating: Oil hot water baseboard and DHW

Post by Turbogeno » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 1:10 pm

Just last weekend I was on my back squeezed between my Vigilant and the fireplace doing what you don’t want to do. It wasn’t fun but I felt the advantages of the thermostat were worth it. I’d guess the end of the threads were in the exhaust path and got gummed up. It might have come free if I got the stove hot and then tried to work it but I thought of that too late. I don't know what temps the stove runs back there. Not sure what kind of alternative you could use. If you buy a t-stat prices are all over the place. Got mine for 40 bucks and saw them as high a 100+.

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 1:39 pm

Welcome to the forum.

Damn, first post and a toughy. Whatever happened to foreplay?

To answer the first question, there is very little heat there until the stove is in the mode to circulate gasses to sides and back.

The fix I come up with requires the removal of the one screw that holds the sheet metal cover over the thermostat coil. Remove cover and thermostat coil along with disconnecting chain. Now the thermostat and cover are free and in your hand.

It makes no difference if the coil is held in place and rotated by being threaded into the stove body, or being held by the sheet metal cover and rotated.

You can bend straight the adjusting lever (it is soft) and cut so that it protrudes from the cover plate enough to mount the coil to that plate, ignoring the stove body mounting. The coil is mounted to the plate so will need about 1/2 inch long of close fitting hole in the plate to provide stability. Ideally that means a flange attached to the plate, on the inside, with the requisite hole. Where you straightened the lever also has to be pretty straight and true. Then attach knob or knob and lever and re assemble. you will need to adapt to you level of skill and ingenuity and material available, but hey, I can only provide the idea.

Good luck.
Richard

PS, A U shaped piece of light 1/16 thick metal screwed to the cover plate might hold both ends of the coil. Precision needed would be much less with both ends supported. Needs some friction also to hold the setting.

 
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drums4money
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Post by drums4money » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 1:56 pm

Thanks, Richard (& Geno)
I'm considering a high temp epoxy approach where I'd position a 10/24 thread nut directly to the stove body. Into the nut goes a 1/2" threaded standoff to receive the threaded end of a new bi-metal thermostat. Everything goes back under the stamped cover. A little anti-seize on the new t-stat threads & lord willing this one will never seize in place. That's my thought anyway.

MacGyver standard JB Weld is rated up to 500deg continuous & the extreme heat variety lists 2,400.

I've already had the doors re-tapped- all the screws were in pretty bad shape, so I've replaced them while doing gaskets all around.

Quite a hurry-up experience getting ready for the cool weather now upon us.

We'll see how it goes. I just need a temporary fix until spring when I can take it off line and get back there with a drill and tap.

Please pardon the thread-jacking. . . I can't wait to report that my Vigilant is also humming along!


franco b wrote:
Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 1:39 pm
Welcome to the forum.

Damn, first post and a toughy. Whatever happened to foreplay?

To answer the first question, there is very little heat there until the stove is in the mode to circulate gasses to sides and back.

The fix I come up with requires the removal of the one screw that holds the sheet metal cover over the thermostat coil. Remove cover and thermostat coil along with disconnecting chain. Now the thermostat and cover are free and in your hand.

It makes no difference if the coil is held in place and rotated by being threaded into the stove body, or being held by the sheet metal cover and rotated.

You can bend straight the adjusting lever (it is soft) and cut so that it protrudes from the cover plate enough to mount the coil to that plate, ignoring the stove body mounting. The coil is mounted to the plate so will need about 1/2 inch long of close fitting hole in the plate to provide stability. Ideally that means a flange attached to the plate, on the inside, with the requisite hole. Where you straightened the lever also has to be pretty straight and true. Then attach knob or knob and lever and re assemble. you will need to adapt to you level of skill and ingenuity and material available, but hey, I can only provide the idea.

Good luck.
Richard

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 2:13 pm

Assuming the epoxy holds up, you might be running out of room extending the mounting 1/2 inch. Maybe better to just thread the old broken coil rod and use that.

 
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drums4money
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Post by drums4money » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 10:59 pm

True- not enough clearance.
Ended up using a low profile jack to lift & spin the stove to gain access to the back. Got after it with drill & tap, and have it all back together with new thermostat and the stamped heat shield back in place. JB Weld stays in the tool box for now. Inching ever closer to the 1st burn.

franco b wrote:
Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 2:13 pm
Assuming the epoxy holds up, you might be running out of room extending the mounting 1/2 inch. Maybe better to just thread the old broken coil rod and use that.

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 11:29 pm

Good job and I hope you remembered the anti-sieze.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Other Heating: #2 Oil Furnace

Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Sat. Nov. 25, 2017 9:01 am

franco b wrote:
Fri. Nov. 24, 2017 11:29 pm
Good job and I hope you remembered the anti-sieze.
Yes - ditto on the anti-sieze and I'll add I've had great luck using graphite. I've use a spray can of Kaano Labs Dryphyte on friction surfaces disassembled parts. I use a lot of Kroil penetrating oil before disassembling and after shuting down in the spring. I just saw they have a pricy graphite penetrating oil, Penephite, that might be worth the price if it saves breakage.


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