Vigilant II
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- Posts: 11417
- Joined: Wed. Nov. 05, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Kent CT
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: V ermont Castings 2310, Franco Belge 262
- Baseburners & Antiques: Glenwood Modern Oak 114
- Coal Size/Type: nut and pea
Might be too stupid, but you do keep the bypass flap damper in the up position once the fire is established. When down the thermostat sees little heat.
- VigIIPeaBurner
- Member
- Posts: 2579
- Joined: Fri. Jan. 11, 2008 10:49 am
- Location: Pequest River Valley, Warren Co NJ
- Hot Air Coal Stoker Furnace: Keystoker Koker(down)
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vermont Casting Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: #2 Oil Furnace
Raven, burning anthracite is nothing like burning wood. You only need to tend the stove about twice a day. Try to keep manipulations to a minimum. Forget about applying wood burning techniques when burning coal. I went thru this too - my first 25 years of using solid fuel was burning wood in a Vermont Casting Defiant. Then I wised up to coal in the Vigilant 2310.
- With a good bed of coal, load it up to within an inch of the top of the firebrick on both sides and slope it higher toward the back. Don't overflow the top of the front grill
- Once the coal is burning and the stove top is about 350*F, close the damper by turning the handle on the your left side of the stove down. This will force all hot gasses to meander through both sides and the back of the stove before it goes up the chimney.
- Set the thermostat handle straight up and monitor the stove top temperature. Don't worry about how open or closed the flap is. Give it an hour or more between any flap adjustment. Basically set it and forget it (credit: Ron Popeil!)The chain is attached to a bimetallic coil that will expand when the stove heats up and slowly close the flap. Let it do its thing and try not to second guess it. The stove top shouldn't get too much beyond 700F. It will hold the stove at a given temperature as long as it has fuel and air can get to the fuel.
- Don't shake or knife the fire bed for at least 10-14 hours.
- Raven
- New Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed. Dec. 27, 2017 6:44 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Forced air furnace
Thanks Rich, finally got it to regulate at a good temp 600° steady.... instead of nuclear meltdown modeRich W. wrote: ↑Sun. Dec. 31, 2017 9:50 pmIf by the “door” you mean the flap at the primary inlet, don’t worry if it closes. It will open when it needs to as the stove cools. Set the lever to whatever position yields the desired temp, and see if it will hold the temp. Remember it takes awhile for the stove to adjust to your changes.
The rear flap is opening and closing on its own, and I won't be touching it anytime soon... or ever again
- Raven
- New Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed. Dec. 27, 2017 6:44 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Forced air furnace
More lessons learned! Yes, I usually keep dampener open until it's re established after layering. Then shut it back down. Yesterday, the stove would hit 900° + on its own and on lock down within seconds.... remain there until I was just about to go to the ash bucket to smother it, and come back down....VigIIPeaBurner wrote: ↑Mon. Jan. 01, 2018 1:35 amRaven, burning anthracite is nothing like burning wood. You only need to tend the stove about twice a day. Try to keep manipulations to a minimum. Forget about applying wood burning techniques when burning coal. I went thru this too - my first 25 years of using solid fuel was burning wood in a Vermont Casting Defiant. Then I wised up to coal in the Vigilant 2310.
- With a good bed of coal, load it up to within an inch of the top of the firebrick on both sides and slope it higher toward the back. Don't overflow the top of the front grill
- Once the coal is burning and the stove top is about 350*F, close the damper by turning the handle on the your left side of the stove down. This will force all hot gasses to meander through both sides and the back of the stove before it goes up the chimney.
- Set the thermostat handle straight up and monitor the stove top temperature. Don't worry about how open or closed the flap is. Give it an hour or more between any flap adjustment. Basically set it and forget it (credit: Ron Popeil!)The chain is attached to a bimetallic coil that will expand when the stove heats up and slowly close the flap. Let it do its thing and try not to second guess it. The stove top shouldn't get too much beyond 700F. It will hold the stove at a given temperature as long as it has fuel and air can get to the fuel.
This process is pretty much that simple. You have to allow the heat to stay in the stove and not go up the chimney. The 2 steps that accomplish this is closing the damper after establishing a good bed of coal, and not fussing with the thermostat flap control - set it and forget it. I haven't touched mine in weeks since it began to get cold outside.
- Don't shake or knife the fire bed for at least 10-14 hours.
I wasn't trusting the rear temp control, the stove, myself, or the dampener, I just wanted it to calm down lol
After the tips received on here, I made a few adjustments to ash door, which seems to have been quite a help. As I thought, there must have been quite the draft getting through with the frigid wind. Things are much more leveled out. I sliced and shook once yesterday morning, refilled. Refilled again in PM and it was stable a couple hours after.
I found the spot where I need to keep the lever finally...the chain is definitely cut shorter on this temp control than what everyone else seems to have, still seems to work fine. It's opening and closing and doing its job. I refuse to touch it now lol
So thank you again!
- Raven
- New Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed. Dec. 27, 2017 6:44 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Forced air furnace
Well, after all of the crazy a few weeks ago. The Vigilant hasn't shut down, and proudly....we haven't burnt a stick of wood lol. Thanks everyone, for helping get it all straightened out! Couldn't have figured this out without you all!!
- michaelanthony
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- Joined: Sat. Nov. 22, 2008 10:42 pm
- Location: millinocket,me.
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant 2310, gold marc box stove
- Hand Fed Coal Furnace: Gold Marc Independence
- Baseburners & Antiques: Home Sparkle 12
- Coal Size/Type: 'nut
- Other Heating: Fujitsu mini split, FHA oil furnace
Good to hear Raven, keep that baby filled and enjoy!...now don't run off, this forum needs all! You will help a newbie one day
- Raven
- New Member
- Posts: 16
- Joined: Wed. Dec. 27, 2017 6:44 pm
- Location: Upstate NY
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II
- Coal Size/Type: Nut
- Other Heating: Forced air furnace
I'm still reading through some of the threads, so im hanging around!michaelanthony wrote: ↑Sat. Jan. 13, 2018 8:13 pmGood to hear Raven, keep that baby filled and enjoy!...now don't run off, this forum needs all! You will help a newbie one day
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- Member
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 24, 2015 11:22 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: natural gas central forced air
The manual (Google it) says 400-698 F is the standard range. Two ways to lower it--turn down the thermostat control; and close the baffle lever (this forces the gasses through the internal passageways of the stove for greater heat transfer as well as slower burn. If the baffle is open, the fire is an updraft fire and goes straight to the flue, giving you a hotter stove and stronger draft, and go through fuel faster. Burning a hot updraft fire periodically helps keep the chimney clear of some deposits.
I wonder if your raging wood fires were with the baffle open or closed?
I wonder if your raging wood fires were with the baffle open or closed?
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- Member
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Sat. Jan. 24, 2015 11:22 pm
- Hand Fed Coal Stove: Vigilant II 2310
- Other Heating: natural gas central forced air
The poker/slicer tool comes with Vigilant II stove and is used to clean out stuff in the grates--takes 2 minutes, once a day. Here is a U-Tube showing how it is done. It automatically goes to a video about refilling it while it is burning, etc.