There is a secondary air intake on the very bottom back, it has no manual control so it works automatically. Mine has a permanent handle on the catalist lever, but not on the front door lever. I also have a defiant encore and it is much larger than the Intrepid II. Both are great stoves. I like that my Intrepid will burn with the doors open and not smoke into the house.
Nice video. just as a point of interest : I am burning an original 1978 Intrepid right now. Still going strong after 40 years..wow, can’t believe the years have flown by but the stove hasn’t aged a bit, never had to do any repairs of any kind, ...
I run a 1979. Been restored twice and I love it. It does take a bit of learning though. It is not a stove for people that don’t pay attention. Great stove. Heats my 1200 house without an issue. Newer tight build though.
@@sagesage754 just my opinion sage so for me what I meant was simple. The stove needs to be air tight to properly manage heat. Air inlet is manually controlled by a lever so if you leave it wide open and walk away it’s design will make it crank the heat and if the stoves gaskets are not perfect it’s dangerous to get it back down in temp. In addition as pipe gets dirty creosote can fall and block the rear chamber if not cleaned regularly (very easy to clean if you have any sort of mechanical ability) Or if you don’t burn hot fires creosote can build up. It’s a stove that is great if you are around it to learn it’s behaviors and it’s in perfect working condition. If your not that person you can buy the modern version that is very affordable that is a catalytic stove that greatly reduces the risks. Feel free to ask anything else. I love gramps old stove and will continue to use it It part of the fam lol.
@@northjerseykev2835 just my experience so….. because they are small stoves that use a manual air inlet you can get them too hot if you run them wide open. You have to manage the air so you have to pay attention. Once warm you can shut down the air and let them just cook. It’s important that all the gaskets and the stove seals well. If not the air leaks make it hard to control temp. Bad seals can turn it into a “rocket”. You should be able to have a good fire shut it down reduce temp and reduce the dancing flames. If so it’ seals properly. If not air is getting in and you will not be able to control the temp. Then it’s dangerous. It take time to learn these stoves. But when you do they are great units.
You have the warming shelves with mitten drying rods...great. I have the original 1978 Vigilant I run 24/7 and had to replace the ash fettle once..keeps my entire house warm all winter- 6 cords gets me through winter. I can't find the warming shelves anywhere for mine.
Thnx much for this great video, Peter! I recently moved into a rental that has this stove and wanted to know more about the various parts. Question: The back of this stove has a full additional metal cover attached to the back of it (that extends out about 1 inch from the stove. There is also a flexed metal hose (that looks like a dryer duct hose) that runs from the bottom back of the stove into the floor. I assume this is for add'l air from beneath the house? The full handle for what you describe as the catalytic converter is missing (just the stem is visible), so I am assuming that the back cover and the venting hose I have described actually end up bypassing the catalytic converter?
Hi Melissa, I'm guessing that the additional cover on the back is a heat shield. This was an add-on you could get that would allow you to put the stove closer to a back wall. I think the hose you describe is likely an air intake just like you said. I'm not familiar with using one with this stove so I would check with a stove shop who knows. The lever for the catalytic is for some reason made the way you describe, where the handle does not stay in it. You can buy new ones and people on ebay and etsy sell them as well. We often used a properly sized punch from the hardware store.
I was reading through the intrepid user manual. When you engage the catalyst do you have best results when leaving the primary air control in the lowest position as you described in the video? Or is it just personal preference on what level the primary air control is set? In the manual it doesn't really explain/ justify what position the primary air control should be in when engaging the catalyst. I am new to using a wood stove and I think I've had issues with engaging it too soon and not having enough of a fire built up resulting in the smoke not getting burned and smoldering the fire. Thanks for your help!
As far as I have always heard, and I believe I have read, the air vent needs to be completely closed always when using the catalytic. Otherwise it’s possible that the catalytic could get too hot and be damaged. As I understand it, if it is adjusted correctly and functioning correctly, the air vent also has a heat sensing coil that will cause it to open and close as air is needed but I don’t have a clear enough understanding as to how this works whether the lever is to the left so it’s closed or to the right which has it open. Having use the catalytic many times, in my experience, it is pretty important to have a well-established fire, before engaging it. One should also never open the doors of the stove with the catalytic engaged has that much air running through the stove can damage the catalytic element, but I think it would take a little while, so opening the door for a moment I don’t think will hurt anything. If you forget, it’s kind of unpleasant, because it usually sends a lot of smoke into the room!
The model of the Intrepid looks to be a lot larger than today's Intrepid which is rather small (by comparison to the Encore and Defiant). I could be wrong. There are probably other, internal differences as well?
It's the same size. Maybe videos make them look big? :) I went by a stove store the other day, and other than being much nicer looking I think they are about the same.
Can you be more specific about what you mean by trouble? I have been using one of these stoves for 25 years and just bought a second. I have never had any trouble with the catalytic converter. They do require maintenance in that overtime Ash can collect in the channels that the exhaust must pass through and so depending on what kind of wood you burn how much burning you do and how well seasoned your wood is you will need to open up the panels at the back of the stove and clean that area out. I’m not sure if there’s a video of this process being done but if there isn’t I should post one. In my experience it’s not the catalytic element itself that gets clogged but simply the passageways that the smoke must pass through.
@@LaunchingPadma I can't find the review of course now but I think what they were saying was the stove got too hot, and burnt out the catalytic converter. No matter what they did to maintain the correct temp, the converter would burn out even at correct temps. I'm going on memory here so not quiet sure but I think that's the gist.
Patrick Dunne that surprises me. I know that this stove has been made for a long time and that Vermont castings has changed hands maybe more than once during that time but I’m not familiar with the history. I wonder if there have been any changes or periods where the stove was not made as well as other times or if the catalytic elements were not as good a quality. I suppose it could depend on what kind of wood they were burning. If they were burning nothing but extremely dry elm then there might be trouble! We always use a stove thermometer and the only time we have noticed the stove getting too hot is if we have particularly dry wood and the catalytic is not on, but as soon as I turn the catalytic on the temperature comes right down to a normal range. In the situation you described I would also wonder about the condition of the stove gaskets and being certain that the air vent is closed. Without knowing the specific circumstances under which this was happening it’s hard to say.
@@patrickdunne1150 If I might jump in here (?) I too saw the video from a gent in Canada who had trouble with 2 different Vermont Casting stoves over-firing in the refractory chamber (housing the catalyst) that caused the stove to get way too hot. I have not heard of others having this issue personally but there was another video of someone that had a similar problem - then found out it was due to someone (dealer or factory) having left the 'outside air adapter' off the stove. This allowed too much air access to the firebox. He installed the missing adapter and his issue went away. Hope this helps. I'll have 'personal' experience soon as I have just purchased a new VC Defiant stove and will be firing it up soon.
Actually, in second thought, the missing adapter was fixed by placing a metal plate over the opening in the back of the stove. You shouldn't need the adapter unless you're piping outside air (from under the house, most commonly) into the stove because your house is too air-tight to allow the stove to draw air. Most homes are not that air-tight.
We have often burned it all night when using the catalytic. I think a lot depends on many details: how cold it is outside, how large a space you are heating and how well insulated it is, what kind of wood you are burning. We have cooked on top but not so often.
Peter I don't know how to find the model of my Intrepid II stove. I bought it from a yard sale and it didn't come with a manual. When cleaning it today we sucked out something in pieces that I think it's called the baffle. Is it really that important to replace as the assembly $349 costs more than I paid for the stove?
The damper on mine doesn't reopen when you move the damper handle from up to down. It does shut when you move the damper from down to up though. Is this standard?
If I understand what you are asking, it should open. Hopefully the mechanism is fine but the gasket area may have something on it that is making the door stick? This is the door that engages the catalytic, correct?
There is a secondary air intake on the very bottom back, it has no manual control so it works automatically. Mine has a permanent handle on the catalist lever, but not on the front door lever. I also have a defiant encore and it is much larger than the Intrepid II. Both are great stoves. I like that my Intrepid will burn with the doors open and not smoke into the house.
Nice video. just as a point of interest : I am burning an original 1978 Intrepid right now. Still going strong after 40 years..wow, can’t believe the years have flown by but the stove hasn’t aged a bit, never had to do any repairs of any kind, ...
They are awesome little stoves! We have two of them.
I run a 1979. Been restored twice and I love it. It does take a bit of learning though. It is not a stove for people that don’t pay attention. Great stove. Heats my 1200 house without an issue. Newer tight build though.
@@stannelson2582 would you elaborate on “not for people who don’t pay attention? Thank you.
@@sagesage754 just my opinion sage so for me what I meant was simple. The stove needs to be air tight to properly manage heat. Air inlet is manually controlled by a lever so if you leave it wide open and walk away it’s design will make it crank the heat and if the stoves gaskets are not perfect it’s dangerous to get it back down in temp. In addition as pipe gets dirty creosote can fall and block the rear chamber if not cleaned regularly (very easy to clean if you have any sort of mechanical ability) Or if you don’t burn hot fires creosote can build up. It’s a stove that is great if you are around it to learn it’s behaviors and it’s in perfect working condition. If your not that person you can buy the modern version that is very affordable that is a catalytic stove that greatly reduces the risks. Feel free to ask anything else. I love gramps old stove and will continue to use it It part of the fam lol.
@@northjerseykev2835 just my experience so….. because they are small stoves that use a manual air inlet you can get them too hot if you run them wide open. You have to manage the air so you have to pay attention. Once warm you can shut down the air and let them just cook. It’s important that all the gaskets and the stove seals well. If not the air leaks make it hard to control temp. Bad seals can turn it into a “rocket”. You should be able to have a good fire shut it down reduce temp and reduce the dancing flames. If so it’ seals properly. If not air is getting in and you will not be able to control the temp. Then it’s dangerous. It take time to learn these stoves. But when you do they are great units.
You have the warming shelves with mitten drying rods...great. I have the original 1978 Vigilant I run 24/7 and had to replace the ash fettle once..keeps my entire house warm all winter- 6 cords gets me through winter. I can't find the warming shelves anywhere for mine.
Found mine on eBay. I created a saved search and waited til some came up.
Please make new video on building a fire
Thnx much for this great video, Peter! I recently moved into a rental that has this stove and wanted to know more about the various parts. Question: The back of this stove has a full additional metal cover attached to the back of it (that extends out about 1 inch from the stove. There is also a flexed metal hose (that looks like a dryer duct hose) that runs from the bottom back of the stove into the floor. I assume this is for add'l air from beneath the house? The full handle for what you describe as the catalytic converter is missing (just the stem is visible), so I am assuming that the back cover and the venting hose I have described actually end up bypassing the catalytic converter?
Hi Melissa, I'm guessing that the additional cover on the back is a heat shield. This was an add-on you could get that would allow you to put the stove closer to a back wall. I think the hose you describe is likely an air intake just like you said. I'm not familiar with using one with this stove so I would check with a stove shop who knows. The lever for the catalytic is for some reason made the way you describe, where the handle does not stay in it. You can buy new ones and people on ebay and etsy sell them as well. We often used a properly sized punch from the hardware store.
You'll notice at 2:29 in the video me using the punch to engage the catalytic lever.
I was reading through the intrepid user manual. When you engage the catalyst do you have best results when leaving the primary air control in the lowest position as you described in the video? Or is it just personal preference on what level the primary air control is set? In the manual it doesn't really explain/ justify what position the primary air control should be in when engaging the catalyst. I am new to using a wood stove and I think I've had issues with engaging it too soon and not having enough of a fire built up resulting in the smoke not getting burned and smoldering the fire. Thanks for your help!
As far as I have always heard, and I believe I have read, the air vent needs to be completely closed always when using the catalytic. Otherwise it’s possible that the catalytic could get too hot and be damaged. As I understand it, if it is adjusted correctly and functioning correctly, the air vent also has a heat sensing coil that will cause it to open and close as air is needed but I don’t have a clear enough understanding as to how this works whether the lever is to the left so it’s closed or to the right which has it open. Having use the catalytic many times, in my experience, it is pretty important to have a well-established fire, before engaging it. One should also never open the doors of the stove with the catalytic engaged has that much air running through the stove can damage the catalytic element, but I think it would take a little while, so opening the door for a moment I don’t think will hurt anything. If you forget, it’s kind of unpleasant, because it usually sends a lot of smoke into the room!
@@LaunchingPadma thanks for the reply Peter. Your video and info above is very helpful appreciate it
As a fire burns out, cools off and the stove temperature is below range , is there any potential for harm to be done to the catalytic combustor?
Not as far as I know. The catalytic gets damaged from too much heat, not too little.
The model of the Intrepid looks to be a lot larger than today's Intrepid which is rather small (by comparison to the Encore and Defiant). I could be wrong. There are probably other, internal differences as well?
It's the same size. Maybe videos make them look big? :) I went by a stove store the other day, and other than being much nicer looking I think they are about the same.
Could you make a video on how you build your fires
Can i use any kind of wood like pallet in my woodstove as lonh as it dry ? any advise.
Thanks for the review! I've heard that some people have a lot of trouble with the converter, have you experienced this?
Can you be more specific about what you mean by trouble? I have been using one of these stoves for 25 years and just bought a second. I have never had any trouble with the catalytic converter. They do require maintenance in that overtime Ash can collect in the channels that the exhaust must pass through and so depending on what kind of wood you burn how much burning you do and how well seasoned your wood is you will need to open up the panels at the back of the stove and clean that area out. I’m not sure if there’s a video of this process being done but if there isn’t I should post one. In my experience it’s not the catalytic element itself that gets clogged but simply the passageways that the smoke must pass through.
@@LaunchingPadma I can't find the review of course now but I think what they were saying was the stove got too hot, and burnt out the catalytic converter. No matter what they did to maintain the correct temp, the converter would burn out even at correct temps. I'm going on memory here so not quiet sure but I think that's the gist.
Patrick Dunne that surprises me. I know that this stove has been made for a long time and that Vermont castings has changed hands maybe more than once during that time but I’m not familiar with the history. I wonder if there have been any changes or periods where the stove was not made as well as other times or if the catalytic elements were not as good a quality. I suppose it could depend on what kind of wood they were burning. If they were burning nothing but extremely dry elm then there might be trouble! We always use a stove thermometer and the only time we have noticed the stove getting too hot is if we have particularly dry wood and the catalytic is not on, but as soon as I turn the catalytic on the temperature comes right down to a normal range. In the situation you described I would also wonder about the condition of the stove gaskets and being certain that the air vent is closed. Without knowing the specific circumstances under which this was happening it’s hard to say.
@@patrickdunne1150 If I might jump in here (?) I too saw the video from a gent in Canada who had trouble with 2 different Vermont Casting stoves over-firing in the refractory chamber (housing the catalyst) that caused the stove to get way too hot. I have not heard of others having this issue personally but there was another video of someone that had a similar problem - then found out it was due to someone (dealer or factory) having left the 'outside air adapter' off the stove. This allowed too much air access to the firebox. He installed the missing adapter and his issue went away. Hope this helps. I'll have 'personal' experience soon as I have just purchased a new VC Defiant stove and will be firing it up soon.
Actually, in second thought, the missing adapter was fixed by placing a metal plate over the opening in the back of the stove. You shouldn't need the adapter unless you're piping outside air (from under the house, most commonly) into the stove because your house is too air-tight to allow the stove to draw air. Most homes are not that air-tight.
How long have you been able to get it to burn ? Completely new to wood burn stoves . Also , have you tried to cook on top of it ?
We have often burned it all night when using the catalytic. I think a lot depends on many details: how cold it is outside, how large a space you are heating and how well insulated it is, what kind of wood you are burning. We have cooked on top but not so often.
Peter I don't know how to find the model of my Intrepid II stove. I bought it from a yard sale and it didn't come with a manual. When cleaning it today we sucked out something in pieces that I think it's called the baffle. Is it really that important to replace as the assembly $349 costs more than I paid for the stove?
Are you talking about the frame for the catalytic element? Was it made of a Material that looks like light weight fire brick?
Can you cook on top of this stove?Thanks.
Yes you can!
The damper on mine doesn't reopen when you move the damper handle from up to down. It does shut when you move the damper from down to up though. Is this standard?
If I understand what you are asking, it should open. Hopefully the mechanism is fine but the gasket area may have something on it that is making the door stick? This is the door that engages the catalytic, correct?