New Guy With New VC Vigilant Stove

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tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 1:29 pm

It will get to 625 but won't stay there for very long. I need to try and figure this out. I had it at 625 last night at 8pm, by midnight it was at 500f, and at 4am it was 400f, 350 around 630am. Not sure if this is normal.

I also think some of the heat is going up the chimney because of the location (it is mostly sealed), I might get one of those fans that is powered by heat to push the air in front of the stove.


 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 2:02 pm

To maintain a high temperature over time you need:

Adequate draft. A manometer will show what the draft is.

Enough coal in the stove. Fill to level of front grill and higher toward back up to an inch of top of brick.

Coal bed has to start pretty clear of any ash after shake and slicing.

Thermostat flap should open more as ash builds up in the coal bed. See that it does and that the bi-metal coil and the piece of bent wire that the chain is attached to are not fouling anything.

Get another thermometer to put on smoke pipe to tell the temperature. You should be running the stove with the internal damper closed (handle down) for stove to have lowest stack temp. maximum heat to room.

You should get 12 hours between tending at 600 degrees but will have to empty ash pan every tending or leave pan out and empty and put back before next shake..

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 2:28 pm

When fully loaded, set to indirect draft (handle on left DOWN), and burning well, if the thermostat is working (primary air around back), and your draft is good, then your stove should burn at a steady griddle temperature for 12 hours AT LEAST! Something's wrong if it isn't. With more detailed information the pros on this site can get you (and your stove) on the right track. Someone nearby might even offer to evaluate your situation in person as a courtesy!

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 2:37 pm

Franco...I think you might be onto something with the slicing comment. Maybe the air is not getting through the grates. After I shake the coal bed, I use a rod (2 ft by quarter inch) and poke down between all grates and gently lever up and through the coal bed, assuring that air can get at it from underneath. Lack of good air flow could be the culprit, and I would expect the fire to perform this way if it were gradually starved of air. With our grate system, shaking with the handle is not enough.

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 2:45 pm

franco b wrote:To maintain a high temperature over time you need:

Adequate draft. A manometer will show what the draft is. Draft appears to be really good, if I open the damper and the ash pan it quickly ignites
Enough coal in the stove. Fill to level of front grill and higher toward back up to an inch of top of brick. I am doing this

Coal bed has to start pretty clear of any ash after shake and slicing. Doing this as well

Thermostat flap should open more as ash builds up in the coal bed. See that it does and that the bi-metal coil and the piece of bent wire that the chain is attached to are not fouling anything. At 650 the flap is closed, at 500 it is barely open, could this be part of my problem?

Get another thermometer to put on smoke pipe to tell the temperature. You should be running the stove with the internal damper closed (handle down) for stove to have lowest stack temp. maximum heat to room. I am picking up one tonight on the way home from work, I am running it with damper down, the only way to get to 650 is to open the ash pan and damper.

You should get 12 hours between tending at 600 degrees but will have to empty ash pan every tending or leave pan out and empty and put back before next shake..
I think the flap is the problem the distance between my brick and the stove is very tight, I bet there is not enough air moving around the flapper to operate correctly, can the flapper be calibrated for various installations?

At 650 what does your flapper look like?
What about 400?

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 3:01 pm

Once the stove gets to the desired temperature the flap closes most of the way to just keep it there. Then if/when the fire cools, it opens a bit more until the fire gets lively again, then holds it there. Only if you run out of fuel or air will it open up wide. If it's set up right, the stove doesn't need much space behind it for air supply.

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 3:04 pm

Rich W. wrote:Once the stove gets to the desired temperature the flap closes most of the way to just keep it there. Then if/when the fire cools, it opens a bit more until the fire gets lively again, then holds it there. Only if you run out of fuel or air will it open up wide. If it's set up right, the stove doesn't need much space behind it for air supply.
When I get home tonight from work I will document the position of the flapper and griddle temp, I will open it up to 400, 500, 600, 700 and look at the flapper position, once it is at 700 I will document the cool down with flapper position and post it here.


 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 4:25 pm

Just remember--any adjustments you make will take the stove at LEAST an hr. or so for her to settle in to them.

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 6:10 pm

Thank you for all the replies. I think I found the issue. Without excuses I will say the restrictor plate was still installed for bituminous coal. It is now out and running like a champ. I will monitor for a few hours

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franco b
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Post by franco b » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 6:17 pm

That's great. Don't forget to close that internal damper when fire is established, otherwise the stack temp. will be too high.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Mon. Nov. 17, 2014 6:59 pm

Glad you figured that one out buy yourself- congrats! Good deductive reasoning or was it the old "if all else fails, read the manual" :funny:

I suggest setting the thermostat so the control rod points straight up and leave it alone for this assessment. Fill as franko b states, and then close the internal damper after the blue flames light off (griddle on mine is ~+400F). Place your mag thermometer (you really want an Infrared thermometer!) on the middle of the griddle and wait for at least an hour. Check the position of the thermo-flap throughout the first hour after damping down and note how fast it closes and where it settles to. Correlate the flap position to the griddle temperature. After the flap gets happy and the temperature of the griddle stabilizes, note your temperature. Then move your mag thermometer to the stove pipe at a position where the heat coming off the stove top has the least likelihood of influencing the stovepipe reading - maybe off to one side as high as you can and still read it safely. Let it settle in and take your reading. After this, if your setup performs like mine, small ~1/16" movements will make the temperature change in ~ 35 degree sets (depending on how much heat is washing off) after a new feed of coal settles in for a 14-16 hour burn.

We're eager to hear your results! :)

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Tue. Nov. 18, 2014 7:14 am

At about 8 pm I got her up to 650 and left it alone for the night, at 645 this morning she was just above 600. I shook the stove down, sliced it, and topped it off for the day. We will see what the temp is when I get home.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Tue. Nov. 18, 2014 7:38 am

tjfslaughter wrote:At about 8 pm I got her up to 650 and left it alone for the night, at 645 this morning she was just above 600. I shook the stove down, sliced it, and topped it off for the day. We will see what the temp is when I get home.
She dropped 50 degrees in roughly 11 hrs, dam good for a new stove you are still breaking in. Sounds like you're on your way to a warm winter.

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Tue. Nov. 18, 2014 9:05 am

Sounds like you've nailed it! As your confidence in the settings grows you can enjoy tweaking the process a bit (size of the coal, size of the load, running temp, etc.). I'm still running at 250 - 300 depending on the weather, and tending just once per day with a very full load. That may change tonight with teens predicted as the low temperature. Enjoy your stove!

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 11:24 am

Stove is running good. Now I need to tackle some of the drafts in the house so it can hopefully retain the heat better. This house has been a lot of work. I think with the stove I have actually increased the draft in the house.

Last night I went into the basement and the Rim joist were covered with old sheet rock. I assumed that there was insulation behind them....NOPE. So I am going to be insulating those over the next week (a little at a time).


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