Found another little Whit Prodigy

Been running an ad on craigs looking for a backup replacement for the Prodigy.

Got a call the other day and a local shop had one that came in on trade.

Pretty good shape too.

It has some weird things about it that I have not seen before.

The fire back is a 3 piece metal arrangement and not the normal fire brick panel.

All factory, but never seen one like it.

Gonna have to yank it apart and clean it real good.

My service manual shows this as an earlier model with a U- TUBE in front of the fire pot.

??????
Anyone know anything about this arrangement ????

This stove has the top draft fan as well as all the other stuff.

From what I can dig up it would seem that this stove likely used a control board that did not run the exhaust fan at full voltage, and used the air "u tube" to add combustion air.

Can't find any good details about these different changes

Any info would be sweet.

The Prodigy is all the same inside as the Waterford Erin and the Whitfield Renaissance

I did find mention of a U-TUBE removal kit

 

I did some calling around and nobody has a clue about this little Whit.

Got hold of a fella that used to sell them and we looked over his parts books, and no mention of this configuration at all.

Everything is factory so it was obviously a production option.

Will be fun to sort it all out.

 

That's what you love, Snowy >>> a challenge! You're set for a while and then comes the electrical replacement. You're in heaven!

 

Pretty much it eh.

Just very curious about the set up is all.

" IF " there was a Whitfield dealer around " WITH " techs that serviced these critters back then there would likely be answers to all my questions.

Today, answers seem scarce and not forthcoming.

Soooooooo, I shall do my way.

I scared up the U- TUBE removal kit, and that will handle part of the issue, then its a matter of installing a new Fire brick in place of the stainless arrangement that there.

Screw holes are the same in the door frame for the clips that hold them.

Might even scare up factory stuff used.

Fun times ahead

 

Changing it due to poor condition? IMO, if it's OK, I'd leave it in before you find out what the stove is all about. I had metal panels in my Astoria......worked great and never had to replace them.

 

Ahhhh, Harman ????

This is a stove just like the one in my Avatar

A Harman is only a distant dream for this kid.

The metal fireback were used on these when they had the "U-TUBE"
(Plugs into the back of the fire box and brings air up around the fire to help clean the fire up)

The best info I can find is that this idea was used when the draft fan was run as a slave off the main blower (Also adds to combustion air) and when the exhaust fan was running slow the fire needed more air.

They dropped this arrangement after stove #3775 IIRC and run the exhaust blower at full speed (120 Volt) and on older stoves (like this one) offered a kit to plug the air holes for the U-TUBE and rewire instructions along with a new fire pot.

In reading various tid bits I have scarfed up since getting the latest toy I am finding that there were many changes in this model. Some were electronics, some were mechanical.

The stoves from #1001 (likely first to go out the door) to #2282 did not have an exhaust fan at all.

Stove numbers 2283 and later had the top exhaust booster fan that really helped things a bunch.

From Stove #1001 to 3775 had the U-TUBE in the fire box the plugged into the back wall ( No fire brick, but instead a stainless panel)
The stove we just got is #3507 so it should have the U-TUBE but there is none there.

Soooooooooooooooo, the next step is to see whats behind the stainless panels ??????

I just drew up a sketch for some metal firebrick retainers (copied the ones in our other Prodigy)

I will scare up a firebrick and along with the U-TUBE removal kit (coming) I should be able to get this critter updated to the current (last specs available)

At any rate with my new controller things should be sweet.

A complete tear down is going to happen regardless and all the Li'l guys innards will get blessed and loved.

It seems that the best design on these was after about 4000 or so, maybe a tad later.

The one in my Avatar is #5458 and seems to have all the updates with the exception of the fan relay that was released in Feb 1993 and required a new solid state relay in the stove and a little wiring mod too.


The relay was used to run the main blower and is connected through the door micro switch to prevent sparks and smoke from being blown out if the door was opened while the stove is burning (Air is shunted into the fire pot by the room air blower through a little tube)

The original set up also fed power to the exhaust fan and the mod keeps that fan running even if the door is opened.

A good thing.

The room air blower feeds an air plenum and a pressure switch activates the feed motor circuit when the fan is operating (Hence the door switch)

With the great success of the Advantage series I fail to understand why they simply did not use a similar wiring and the same controller.

It would have worked great and the cost savings on using the same parts across more models would have been a good move.

I don't know ?????

But I tell ya this, my new controller adds safeties to the design and makes the thing easier to start and control.

Snowy

 

Oooooops! I had Harman on the brain I guess. No one to call about a Whit.

Edited my post....LOL.

 

When we were getting the new Li'l Whit I strolled through the shops show room and DROOOOOOOOOOOLED ALL OVER the new Harman XXV

What a sweet machine.

I just can't deal with the cost of a new one.

The $$$$ I have wrapped up in Both our Adv 2 T stoves and both the Prodigy's plus the installs on the two we are using now, then add the dumpster, barrels and other stuff would not pay for a new Harman, not even half of it

The Adv 2 T 'S $200 EACH =$400
The Prodigy's $200 EACH =$400 (One came with hearth pad)
Installs with the raised hearth =$400 (Pipe and thimbles)
Dumpster =$300
Barrels =$200
Misc =$400

Likely a little less, but in the ball park of $2100 for two stoves and two identical as backups.