Vigilant II Is Just Humming Along!!!

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Wed. Dec. 06, 2017 9:43 pm

freetown fred wrote:
Wed. Dec. 06, 2017 8:31 pm
Damn Dave, you're on a roll. Cold weather, she's a comin!! :)
Yeh, something I should have rolled up 4 months ago :oops:


 
franco b
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Post by franco b » Wed. Dec. 06, 2017 9:51 pm

That old gasket sure looks bad. It looked like it was seating in the middle though. You should notice a big change in the controllability.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Wed. Dec. 06, 2017 10:10 pm

It was shot. I now recall this is the original gasket. I've only replaced the door gaskets, no others. The gasket was literally falling apart in threads when I carried it to the shop.

I started digging through the card file drawers I use to store parts and things. I found the VC kit I bought years ago that came with the armored gasket for the griddle. I've never seen the armored gasket offered in a store.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 11:14 am

Got it back together last night. When cleaning the bottom hinge I found remnants of a very worn C-clip in the crud (oil/ash). I think there was a C-clip in the top of the pin as well. I recall some years ago we found a small C-clip on the floor somewhere in the house not near the stove. I'm guessing it got caught in the vacuum or someone's shoe and fell free away from the stove. Apparently there was a clip above and below the hinge pin.

Franko - Thanks for the hint. I pulled the bottom hinge toward the front of the stove as I tightened the 2 bolts. This lifted the far edge of the door quite a bit. There's just enough play in the hinge's bolt holes to allow for adjustment.

 
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freetown fred
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Post by freetown fred » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 11:59 am

Dave, lucky ya got the ability to adjust that door--that's sweet.

 
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Turbogeno
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Post by Turbogeno » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 1:07 pm

I seems a few of us had some last minute work to do on our Vigilants, me included. Anyway, I knew it was a little warm still but I shut down the stoker in the basement and fired up the Vigilant late Wednesday afternoon. For the 1st time I used a pile of charcoal in the middle surrounded by coal. After the charcoal was hot I put a couple inches of coal on top. The coal took off pretty quickly and spread out slowly. The glass stayed clean. By bed time it was almost full of coal, 325° on the griddle and 72° in the house. In the morning it was in upper 20s outside and 78° in the house. I opened a window and closed the t-stat some. I haven’t put any coal in since Wednesday evening. At noon today it’s 72° in the house, 150° on the griddle and the fire is dying. Yup, I gotta wait for it to get a little colder. I’ll get the stoker running later today. To bad, I wanted to keep it running for a while.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 2:52 pm

VigIIPeaBurner wrote:
Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 11:14 am
Got it back together last night. When cleaning the bottom hinge I found remnants of a very worn C-clip in the crud (oil/ash). I think there was a C-clip in the top of the pin as well. I recall some years ago we found a small C-clip on the floor somewhere in the house not near the stove. I'm guessing it got caught in the vacuum or someone's shoe and fell free away from the stove. Apparently there was a clip above and below the hinge pin.

Franko - Thanks for the hint. I pulled the bottom hinge toward the front of the stove as I tightened the 2 bolts. This lifted the far edge of the door quite a bit. There's just enough play in the hinge's bolt holes to allow for adjustment.
The hinge pin on my Vig only has a grove for one C clip, located at the top of the pin. :eh:


 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 3:13 pm

Geno,
I used charcoal rather than chunks of hardwood for the first time too. Sold! Easy light; clean glass; effective. The Coalpail Community rocks!

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 4:33 pm

michaelanthony wrote:
Fri. Dec. 08, 2017 2:52 pm
The hinge pin on my Vig only has a grove for one C clip, located at the top of the pin. :eh:
As does mine! I think they used another as a shim. There was only about 40% of it left imbedded in the oil/ash paste and it was worn thin. It was no longer on the pin. I actually found it when cleaning before reassembling. I used one 1/4" flat washer coated in graphite as a shim and pulled the bottom hinge forward to lift the swing end of the ash door up. Big improvement and maintenance due after 17 seasons. About ready for my second match after running for the month of November.

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 8:06 pm

Question for the more experienced...my “new” 2310, which I installed in my shop a couple of years ago has a problem. I say new, because it was a left over in a stove shop in Maine, and I am the first owner.When I use the lever to close the damper, the upper right corner of the damper hits the cast iron above it, preventing it from achieving the vertical (closed) position. The damper is open in the photo, so the part of the damper that interferes is not showing; it’s the far end of the horizontal section of the damper. This happened last year, but with a little effort, it would push past the interference. Not so lucky this year. I’m inclined to take a file to the small area of interference, but thought I should check with the cast iron experts first. Has anyone had to make a mod like this, and if so what do you recommend? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

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franco b
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Post by franco b » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 9:27 pm

That's not an airtight fit anyway, which is good to preserve draft in bad draft conditions. Mine scrapes a little in that position. So file away. Getting at it might require removing the reversible smoke outlet unless you can reach it while flat.

 
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VigIIPeaBurner
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Post by VigIIPeaBurner » Tue. Dec. 12, 2017 10:48 pm

Does anyone have a little play if you pull/push on the damper handle? I've had mine bump there but if I pull on the damper handle, I get enough play to clear it without scraping.

 
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Rich W.
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Post by Rich W. » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 7:00 am

Good thought. I grabbed the damper with my hand inside the stove, and there is no side to side play. I’ll check to see if it’s the same with the handle adjusted or temporarily removed. It appears to need movement to the left, which is consistent with you pulling the handle. I’ll look for something inside that prevents movement in that direction, like a piece of coal or ? I get some comfort from knowing that other stoves are tight there. I guess I can rule out warpage.

 
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michaelanthony
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Post by michaelanthony » Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 7:54 am

Rich W. wrote:
Wed. Dec. 13, 2017 7:00 am
Good thought. I grabbed the damper with my hand inside the stove, and there is no side to side play. I’ll check to see if it’s the same with the handle adjusted or temporarily removed. It appears to need movement to the left, which is consistent with you pulling the handle. I’ll look for something inside that prevents movement in that direction, like a piece of coal or ? I get some comfort from knowing that other stoves are tight there. I guess I can rule out warpage.
Rich, if you take the damper handle off with an allen wrench you will have the room you need. Put a vice grip on the damper to open and close for you needs then put the handle back.
I had the same issue when I got my stove, (used), when I assembled the stove I had to adjust the handle position on the damper.

 
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Rich W.
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Other Heating: System 2000 Oil Burner; VC Resolute Woodstove (sold) Jotul 8 Woodstove (sold)

Post by Rich W. » Sun. Dec. 17, 2017 9:34 pm

Thanks guys, for the thoughts. I got back into the shop yesterday and went after the damper problem. The first thing I did was use my shop vac on all the points of possible restriction of the movement of the damper. I noticed that on the right hand side of the "hinge" there is a "seam," where two cast pieces butt up against one another. The right hand piece did not line up perfectly with the much larger left hand section, and in fact pushed the damper back a hair, closing the clearance just a bit. I wanted to see how the cast panels are assembled so I removed the firebrick from the right side wall. The firebrick was already loose, and when I removed it the damper suddenly had the clearance it needed to be easily engaged. I didn't go any farther with the disassembly, but I have to admit I don't understand what was going on to change the shape of things in there. Perhaps one of you who has gone through a complete disassembly can shed some light on how the firebrick was misbehaving. Anyway, I repositioned the firebrick, using the evidence of the old cement to place them in what I believe to be their original position. The damper still clears, and I'm back in business.


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