Need help with Vermont castings 1980 Vigilant

Please do not send me links to the Vermont Castings webpage because the site only has specs for the newer model believe me I have looked. I recently acquired a 1980 Vermont Castings Vigilant stove (sorry cant find the model # but it has 1980 stamped into the casting) with a coal kit but it was not assembled when I got it. I have been able to figure most of the assembly out but there are three parts I am still lost on. Does anyone have a spec sheet for this stove that they would be willing to email me a copy or does someone have the same stove and they could take pictures or I could come over and take pictures so I can assemble mine correctly. I have already tried the Vermont castings web page and a local dealer but they do not have the assembly views for this particular stove only the newer ones. I found one assembly view on line but it is for the wood kit only. Thanks, David

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I think that the "half horseshoe" is an air deflector but not used with the ant kit. When used with wood, Vermont Castings call the air feed system Horizontal combustion. Air was coming from left side at the bottom from that deflector and exited at the right bottom, to the back...The long plate could be one plate going inside the back to form the long gases path a sort of Z shape???
I have a small photo showing the different parts from a Vigilant wood and coal stove. I will scan it and send it if it comes out good!
At that time the Vig was called Vigilant only. They said Coal Stove when converted to coal.

HI! Welcome to the forum!

I am sure someone will be able to help you figure this out. You might want to fill in your "Member Info" on the left and let people know your general location. You may be just around the corner from someone who can help you get this stove up and running.

The wealth of knowledge on this site is mindblowing and a better group of people you will not find.

If you get a chance watch the videos NORTCAN has about his old Vig. and the mods he created. Pierre is a certified coal burning genius. BTW Pierre.......What did you do with those videos

OD, in Freetown, that member info is on the right--damn, you Ma. guys get all the special stuff. couldn't help myself I think Pierre patented them thar video's

ONEDOLLAR wrote:HI! Welcome to the forum!

I am sure someone will be able to help you figure this out. You might want to fill in your "Member Info" on the left and let people know your general location. You may be just around the corner from someone who can help you get this stove up and running.

The wealth of knowledge on this site is mindblowing and a better group of people you will not find.

If you get a chance watch the videos NORTCAN has about his old Vig. and the mods he created. Pierre is a certified coal burning genius. BTW Pierre.......What did you do with those videos

Fred

See what happens when you live with the looney left long enough?! DAMN!!! I need to get OUT OF HERE and FAST!!!

The small plate in the middle is probably a closure for the gases exit at the rear bottom, inside of the stove. On these first models, horizontal wood burning exit was completly at the bottom right side( when the internal damper was closed) but with coal, gases must exit to an the upper port. Sending gases to a lower port when burning anthracite would have been very hard if possible so that is why I think that the small plate could cover the low right exit port.
My first stove was a VC Vigilant Wood stove, 28 Yrs ago and the horizontal combustion was not the easiest one to begin with and Vermont Castings changed that stove few Yrs later to a Coal only stove: the Vigilant ll.

PS the scanned photo is not very useful, sorry.

Welcome!

I have the same 80's vintage stove, bought it new back then.

that L shaped curved hollow casting is just for wood burning, it goes on the left bottom with a bolt I think.

the other 2 mystery pieces are needed for coal burning.

The long flat casting is the top baffle , the only baffle that is removable, and it allows vac-ing out the 2 lower baffles that are cast into the stove's rear casting and the slanted fireback. You have to place the removable baffle down through the oval exhaust casting with the damper in the closed position . It sits on 2 lips or shoulders cast into the stove read wall and the fire back.. It goes to the far left as you peek down thru the oval exhaust, right up next to the stove left hand side. Only goes one way, with the top being the flat side.

Now that small squarish casting with the small angle and slots, is the cover for the exhaust port, on the lower right of the fire back, below the grates. the small angle goes on the right, butting to the right hand insert casting, under a bolt, and is glued to both surfaces with stove cement. Mine has a other hole in it, and looks a bit different from yours, but it has to cover the rectangular opening that is used when wood burning.

You have the grated mounted correctly, but I would use a tube of stove cement in a caulking gun to glue the left hand and right hand parts to the stoves side. Just wet the mating surfaces with a wet sponge just before squirting the cement onto the removable pieces, and add more and smooth out with a finger to smooth the joints out.

I thought I posted a picture of that will check

Also search for my posts on adding a thick gasket to the doors as they almost touch the front grate--- that makes the stove really perform as no air bypass the fire box, make the stove more responsive

Ley me look around for those pictures, or I'll post some new ones

Paul

ash build up in my vermont coal stove??

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Any more questions I can help with, don't be bashful

Paul