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Vermont Castings Vigilant
2000898
Maintenance
The fire must be out and the stove no longer hot before
you work on the stove. We suggest you wear gloves
and safety goggles when working on your stove.
Cleaning Cast Iron
An occasional dusting with a dry rag is usually all that is
necessary to keep your Vigilant looking new. From time
to time, you may wish to go over the cast iron surface
with a damp cloth; do this while the stove is cool, and
make sure no water remains on the stove surface.
If your stove’s paint needs retouching, allow the stove
to cool completely. Brush any areas needing atten
-
tion with a wire brush, and make sure the entire stove
is clean and dry. Remove the griddle and set it aside.
Touch up the stove with Vermont Castings High Tem-
perature Stove Paint. Apply the paint sparingly. Two
light coats are better than one heavy one.
Cleaning Porcelain Enamel
Use a dry rag or soft brush as necessary. Do not use
water or other liquids on your stove. Fingerprints usu-
ally can be buffed off porcelain enamel with a dry, soft
rag. If marks remain, allow the stove to cool com-
pletely, then buff with a slightly damp, soft rag. Dry
completely before starting a fire to avoid streaking.
Never use abrasives or harsh chemical cleaners on the
porcelain finish.
If you must remove spills or stains from porcelain
surfaces, make sure the fire is out and the stove is
completely cold before cleaning. Use ONLY a kitchen
appliance cleaner and polish especially formulated for
enamel surfaces. Apply cleaner sparingly with a soft
rag, and buff away ALL traces of the cleaner.
Adjusting The Door Latch
The front doors should be securely closed when the
handle is pointing down. If the doors are loose when
closed, adjust the latch by loosening the small locking
nut, extending the striker screw one turn, and re-tight-
ening the small locking nut. Keep making adjustments
slowly until the setting is right. The handle should resist
slightly as it is turned to the closed position, and the
doors should pull in slightly.
ST531
Door Pawl
11/00
Pawl
SmallLocking Nut
Large
Locking Nut
Set Screw
Handle Stub
Striker Screw
ST531
Fig. 24 Turn the door latch striker screw in or out to tighten or
loosen the door latch.
Check the Air Inlet Shutter
The air inlet shutter must open and close freely. If it
doesn’t, check to be sure the shutter or shutter pin is
not bent.
Be sure the gaskets are in good condition
The gaskets used in the assembly of your Vigilant Coal
Stove play an important part in ensuring consistent,
reliable performance. Inspection of the gaskets and
replacement when necessary is an important part of
routine maintenance. Gasketing is used to guarantee
that the incoming air and outgoing combustion gases
flow through the stove along the proper pathways. All
the gaskets in your Vigilant are fiberglass, secured with
Vermont Castings High Temperature Stove Gasket Ce-
ment.
Light colored streaks on the inside of the stove near the
door or griddle openings may indicate air leaks due to
worn or damaged gasketing. You may also check for
leaks by shining a strong light along gasketed seams
to see if light leaks through. While minor leaks may be
repaired by building up the gasketing in just the area of
the leak, it is usually better to replace the gasketing in
the door or griddle.
Anytime you remove or replace parts is a good time to
examine the exposed gasketing. Replace any gasket
which appears frayed or worn. Pay particular attention
to any point where a continuous gasket meets itself.
Follow this procedure to replace worn gaskets:
• Remove the old gasketing.
• Clean the gasket channel or groove with a wire
brush. Remove stubborn deposits of cement with a
cold chisel if necessary.
• Clean all parts to be gasketed. Place on a level
clean surface.