Flexburn

I was reading that Vermont Castings has a flexburn stove with 3 burn stages. What exactly is that? I can't find info.

 

It's a bunch of marketing bull crap in my opinion. They are basically describing a burn in the fire box, a secondary combustion stage, and the a cat burn stage. So far their burn technology has been less than impressive and also proven itself to be finicky to get to burn correctly. Also, if anything goes wrong with the stove they are expensive to fix and can be a bear to tear down.

 

Thanks. Im asking from a design point of view. Getting the gritty on the guts.

 

IMO, VC used to have a decent reputation.

 

I totally agree that they used to have a great reputation however as of right now I would have a hard time recommending them to anyone. Even the dealer near us who sells Jotul, VC, PE, and Hearthstone will not recommend them to anyone. He doesn't even stock them and only orders one in if someone is totally stuck on having that stove. He said the warranty is sketchy at best depending on when and who has bought them and he doesn't really like dealing with the company. That's just his opinion though so take it with a grain of salt.

 

I've been studying combustion chambers and couldn't figure out what the third one was.

 

I'd say if thats coming from a dealer he's probably right on track.
I had an older Dutchwest when I moved into my current home and it wasn't a bad working stove for it's time
I believe VC is the parent company of Dutchwest?

 

I have yet to look up what this VC 'flexburn' is but I can tell you what exists so far today
EPA stoves have a secondary burn capability; they will either be a Catalyst, a secondary burn tube or burn plate, or a hybrid (which incorporates both burn tubes and a catalyst)
Non EPA stoves are basically smoke dragons, a firebox with a fire inside.

 

The VC is a hybrid downdraft design. There is the fire box in the stove, and the smoke leaves the top of the stove but is pulled down the back of the stove, there is a secondary combustion chamber where the majority of the smoke is burned and then below that there is a catalyst chamber where the the remainder is cleaned up by the catalyst.

 

Here is a good video clip that show the inner workings a bit more

 

Man I can't believe I actually found this video but here is the video you want to watch. This is straight from the factory and is an indepth explanation. If you browse this users photos there are 4 videos (I think). Here are the 2 that may give you the best info

Edit: If you watch the videos in the order I posted below they make more sense. I originally posted them backwards...... Sorry.

http://vid40.photobucket.com/albums/e212/sharkology/HEATING/VIDEO0068-1.mp4

 

Interesting to say the least. A very non-typical design and the downdraft system is different. I would really have to see this thing in action to make any calls on it. My initial thoughts with all the refractory parts is I don't like it, I'd prefer cast or steel. The sled (or carriage) on the IS makes the catalyst useable or not, I wouldn't have to take the cat out like the second video suggests. Is this what makes this a 3 part combustor?

 

VC's are great stoves if you are on a really tight budget and you want a cheap, used, good looking stove that will heat your home, but require ridiculous amounts of maintenance and they burn dirty.

 

The fella in the second video suggests the VC Encore burns clean in Cat mode. I dunno

 

Dumb question, why would you want or not want a stove to be a cat? Wouldn't you want a 3 stage burn?

 

If it all worked as designed, sure. I've read too many people have problems getting that stove to operate correctly. Not to mention having to replace expensive parts too often. I think Harmon has a down draft stove too, gives long burn times but is also a bit finicky, works great for some and not so great for others.

 

Yessir, and it ain't working too bad right now, either. And...it's pup-approved!

I'm not a VC expert but I get the impression that the "Flexburn" system is different than the old "Everburn" (neverburn.) The video seems to imply that as well. He's saying the parts are more durable. I wonder how long ago they changed that? I looked at the manual...lifetime guarantee on all refractory parts with 5 years free labor. I'd like to hear from someone who's bought one recently...

 

In my immediate family there are three dutch west stoves and they have always been reliable. There are very few reviews on the new style stoves but the ones I have read seem to favorable.

The stoves and the company concern me though because of the track record of expensive repairs, finicky burns and the company changing hands regularly.

My initial post came off to strong and all I was trying to say were their terms and jargon were just fancy marketing words.

 

Is that a 2641? or a medium sized dutchwest?

 

2460, small convection. It's keeping up OK now, but I can tell that if it gets much colder, I'd better put the blower on it and fire it a bit harder, or get the Keystone back in there...