New Guy With New VC Vigilant Stove

 
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Rich W.
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Location: Newport County, Rhode Island
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Castings Vigilant Multi-Fuel (coal for me); Vermont Castings Vigilant 2310 in the shop
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Other Heating: System 2000 Oil Burner; VC Resolute Woodstove (sold) Jotul 8 Woodstove (sold)

Post by Rich W. » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 11:34 am

My guess is that any perceived draft is really just the stove's convection heat moving the inside air around more. Very little air is actually drawn into a Vigilant, if you're thinking it's responsible for bringing outside air into the house. Did I understand your comment correctly?


 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 11:47 am

tjfslaughter wrote: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).
Try walking around with an incense stick or other smoking device :smoke: The drafts feel colder the warmer your house is ;)

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 12:46 pm

Rich W. wrote:My guess is that any perceived draft is really just the stove's convection heat moving the inside air around more. Very little air is actually drawn into a Vigilant, if you're thinking it's responsible for bringing outside air into the house. Did I understand your comment correctly?
When I bought the house I found out it had Zero insulation. I have done the second floor and first floor (down to the studs). I never looked into the sill plates. Last night when bringing a load of coal up I almost felt wind in my basement. I need to seal up the sill plates properly and I think that will help with the "Draft" in the basement. I was not talking about the draft in the stove.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 2:15 pm

Slow rise insulating foam, (rattle can), top and bottom of the sill plate will help also.

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Thu. Nov. 20, 2014 3:16 pm

michaelanthony wrote:Slow rise insulating foam, (rattle can), top and bottom of the sill plate will help also.
I have a bunch of R-19 still in new in bags for my next project, I should be able to get about 1/2 the basement done tonight... I will pick up incents, since my wife probably wouldn't want me to use a cigar :D

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Tue. Dec. 02, 2014 8:28 am

The stove has been running well for about 2 weeks now. I usually tend to it when I get home from work and in the morning shake it down and add 1/2 a bucket.

Still trying to get it dialed in based on the outside temps. The big fluctuations in outside temps has made for a learning experience. I put a small fan about 10 feet from the stove to move the air into the hallway so the stove could send heat to the upstairs.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Tue. Dec. 02, 2014 10:52 am

tjfslaughter wrote:The stove has been running well for about 2 weeks now. I usually tend to it when I get home from work and in the morning shake it down and add 1/2 a bucket.

Still trying to get it dialed in based on the outside temps. The big fluctuations in outside temps has made for a learning experience. I put a small fan about 10 feet from the stove to move the air into the hallway so the stove could send heat to the upstairs.
Hi tjfslaughter, I like how your stove sits back out of the path of foot traffic and looking at it has given me ideas for my install. My stove sits in front of my open fireplace, I blocked off the damper mouth but I think I am going to line the inside of the fireplace with decorative tin ceiling tiles to cover the soot covered firebrick but also gain some reflective heat.
Your opening is tall and open and one thought I have for a fan install is this: if you can get the strap on snout that comes with some barometric dampers and secure it to your pipe 3 or 4 feet above the stove you could connect an inline metal fan to it. just a thought, of course the decorating committee would need to approve. :o


 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Tue. Dec. 02, 2014 11:12 am

It looks like the decorating committee already ordered a Caframo fan as a X-mas gift. I am having my sheet metal buddy make a plate that will mount above the stove to close off the chimney to prevent heat from going up. I am also going to somehow rig my furnace to turn on blower only. It might be tricky.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Tue. Dec. 02, 2014 9:04 pm

My thermostat has a "Fan" switch on it. For my set up, it's not necessary and is costly (electricity) to keep it running for circulation. My house moves heat very well unassisted. When it's cold and beyond the ~50k BTU output needs the Vig provides, my furnace (T-stat about 30' away in another room) will run but only in 3 minute cycles, not usually more than one burn/heat/cool cycle. I theorize that the few BTUs from oil that this provides is minimal compared to the amount of air circulation that the cycle provides. I think I've lucked out with this set up!

Try moving cold air into the room. A floor level fan blowing away from the stove is working against the natural density differential between the cold floor and warm air at the ceiling. Cold air is more dense - there's more cold air per given volume compared to warm air/volume - which is why conventional furnaces provide negative pressure cold air returns and positive pressure hot air sources. Anyway, each situation is different ;)

I'd recommend not fussing with the thermostat control setting too much. Set it, get an idea of the griddle temperature, and forget it. Monitor how the temp of the house responds over a few days. The Vig's thermostat will adjust combustion air in response to the amount of heat washing (or not washing) off the stove. It simply holds the stove at a given temperature in response to your draft and how much heat leaves the stove. I don't think I adjust mine more than a dozen times during the heating season.

Just sharing' my thoughts.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Tue. Dec. 02, 2014 9:28 pm

VigIIPeaBurner wrote: ...............I'd recommend not fussing with the thermostat control setting too much. Set it, get an idea of the griddle temperature, and forget it. Monitor how the temp of the house responds over a few days. The Vig's thermostat will adjust combustion air in response to the amount of heat washing (or not washing) off the stove. It simply holds the stove at a given temperature in response to your draft and how much heat leaves the stove. I don't think I adjust mine more than a dozen times during the heating season.

Just sharing' my thoughts.
I can vouch for the above, last season I even started a thread thinking my stove's thermostat control was broke :oops: as I am finding out the stove responses to the "environment" and not just the setting, the stove seems to tell me what it will do and it's usually right unless I do a crappy ash removal. The same setting on a calm 40* day will give me 325* griddle, tonight 14* and windy 550* both times the house was 74 -76 dummy proo...ah ah fool proof :P

 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Wed. Dec. 03, 2014 11:11 am

michaelanthony wrote: The same setting on a calm 40* day will give me 325* griddle, tonight 14* and windy 550* both times the house was 74 -76 dummy proo...ah ah fool proof
Ditto on not fooling with the thermostat too much.

The thermostat is supposed to hold a fairly uniform temperature. With such a wide swing on yours I suspect it is responding to the higher draft when it is colder and windy and the ash door might have a small leak. I have found that if the right side of the ash door has settled a bit then the gasket no longer makes full contact. I have had to loosen the two bolts that hold the lower hinge and raise the door and re-tighten the bolts to correct this. Try the dollar bill test on the upper right side of the door.

 
tjfslaughter
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Castings Vigilant
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Post by tjfslaughter » Wed. Dec. 03, 2014 12:49 pm

What I was thinking with the furnace thermostat is to have a timer on the furnace that kicks the fan on for 5 minutes every hour. I thought that this would move the air around, and also filter the air. The lady is seeing a little dust from the filling/cleaning process.

My return for my second floor unit is right at the top of the stairs, I have ran this for 5 or so minutes and it really sucked warm air up the stairs.

 
tjfslaughter
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Post by tjfslaughter » Thu. Dec. 04, 2014 7:02 pm

How often do you check the clean outs on the bottom of the stove (left and right side) with the removable plates. I checked mine and they were pretty clogged up today?

 
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Rich W.
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Location: Newport County, Rhode Island
Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Castings Vigilant Multi-Fuel (coal for me); Vermont Castings Vigilant 2310 in the shop
Coal Size/Type: Nut
Other Heating: System 2000 Oil Burner; VC Resolute Woodstove (sold) Jotul 8 Woodstove (sold)

Post by Rich W. » Thu. Dec. 04, 2014 7:25 pm

Are you shaking with the damper open (direct flow)? I clean mine once midwinter, and it barely needs it. If your damper is closed (indirect) when you shake, you will send ash into the sides of the stove. I also learned on this forum that you can tell when it's filling with ash by using your infrared thermometer to measure the side temps over time. As the sides fill they will be cooler.

 
tjfslaughter
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Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Castings Vigilant
Coal Size/Type: Pea
Other Heating: 1962 Carrier FHA NG 1st floor, Goodman 96% FHA second floor

Post by tjfslaughter » Thu. Dec. 04, 2014 8:56 pm

Rich W. wrote:Are you shaking with the damper open (direct flow)? I clean mine once midwinter, and it barely needs it. If your damper is closed (indirect) when you shake, you will send ash into the sides of the stove. I also learned on this forum that you can tell when it's filling with ash by using your infrared thermometer to measure the side temps over time. As the sides fill they will be cooler.
Learned something again from the forum. I guess I will add this to my notes....


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