Need Help with Vermont Castings Seneca Stove

Hi All:
On my VC Seneca 2170 stove, the metal shaft that opens and closes the damper broke off at the outside end where the handle attaches to it. This makes the stove completely useless.  I contacted the company and have ordered a new shaft, but cannot get the old one out
The biggest problem is that I cannot tell if the shaft is threaded on or not, to the lever that connects to the damper. I have tried numerous times to turn the shaft using vise grips, but it seems just frozen. And I do not know for sure if it turns clockwise or counter-clockwise.
I would appreciate any and all ideas on how to remove the shaft.  I was told that it will take up to 6 weeks to get the new shaft----BOY VC has REALLY SHAFTED me on that one.  No heat for 6 weeks in dead winter?  Not fair I say.
Attached is a photo with an arrow pointing to the offending shaft.

Ja Ayres wrote:Hi All:
On my VC Seneca 2170 stove, the metal shaft that opens and closes the damper broke off at the outside end where the handle attaches to it. This makes the stove completely useless.  I contacted the company and have ordered a new shaft, but cannot get the old one out
The biggest problem is that I cannot tell if the shaft is threaded on or not, to the lever that connects to the damper. I have tried numerous times to turn the shaft using vise grips, but it seems just frozen. And I do not know for sure if it turns clockwise or counter-clockwise.
I would appreciate any and all ideas on how to remove the shaft.  I was told that it will take up to 6 weeks to get the new shaft----BOY VC has REALLY SHAFTED me on that one.  No heat for 6 weeks in dead winter?  Not fair I say.
Attached is a photo with an arrow pointing to the offending shaft.

Hi Ja,

Does this parts diagram look like it's for your stove?



It looks like one rod has a locknut and washer which might prevent it from turning, however I don't know if that's the one. If it is, your stove might requre more disassembly to get to it.

Is there any chance of limping it along with a repair of some sort without the new one? Can you describe the break in more detail in hopes of an idea surfacing?

What material is the rod made of? Dimensions?

What motion is the regular operation, sliding in/out? Turning?

Was it a weld securing the handle to the rod that failed? Or some other attachment mechanism?

I would hope that it would be possible to either drill and tap the rod to secure a new handle, or if a welder is available and the material suitable weld a handle onto it...

Good luck!

Ja Ayres wrote:Hi All:
On my VC Seneca 2170 stove, the metal shaft that opens and closes the damper broke off at the outside end where the handle attaches to it. This makes the stove completely useless.  I contacted the company and have ordered a new shaft, but cannot get the old one out
The biggest problem is that I cannot tell if the shaft is threaded on or not, to the lever that connects to the damper. I have tried numerous times to turn the shaft using vise grips, but it seems just frozen. And I do not know for sure if it turns clockwise or counter-clockwise.
I would appreciate any and all ideas on how to remove the shaft.  I was told that it will take up to 6 weeks to get the new shaft----BOY VC has REALLY SHAFTED me on that one.  No heat for 6 weeks in dead winter?  Not fair I say.
Attached is a photo with an arrow pointing to the offending shaft.

Interesting problem. Do you have the manual?  service manual page 23 vermont-casting-2170
I need to look up our stove because I need to clean the combustion chamber which this manual talks about for the Vermont Castings stove. I didn't think there was a way to get in there other than removing the stove pipe. I hope it is easier on yours.
Good luck.
Brian
     

Brian Rodgers wrote:Interesting problem. Do you have the manual?  service manual page 23 vermont-casting-2170
I need to look up our stove because I need to clean the combustion chamber which this manual talks about for the Vermont Castings stove. I didn't think there was a way to get in there other than removing the stove pipe. I hope it is easier on yours.
Good luck.
Brian

Good find Brian!

They referred to a lock nut on the shaft. That's likely keeping it from being rotated.
I'm really surprized how complex the VC stove is. I don't think my Morso has half that many parts.

Greg:  No, that is not a good diagram for my stove.

Brian and Greg:   There is no lock nut on the shaft.  The photo shows the shaft that needs to be replaced. On the right-hand end of the shaft, it goes through a plate and on the other side, at the end of the shaft there is a 1/4" square that fits into the damper bar such that when you turn the shaft it turns the damper bar which then lifts up the damper.  It is the most screwball design and is actually designed and constructed backwards from what it should be. Totally stupid.
But my problem still revolves around how to remove the shaft in the photo above. It appears to thread into something through the plate, but after soaking for two days and banging and heating I still have not made a dent in making this piece move at all.  If I knew how it went in, I would be able to get it out in a flash. The shaft is shaped like a "Z" when it goes through the plate and connects to the damper bar. The shaft must have to remove from the "Z" portion or the shaft could never go into its location.
Here are a couple of more pics.

Even though the diagram might not be specifically for your exact model, the #30 part (and not the #57 part with the locknut) appears to thread into the offset rotator which opens the catalytic convertor bypass flap.

This is just a wild guess... does the handle on the outside of the stove rotate clockwise or counter clockwise to raise the cat bypass flap. I could be wrong, but in your picture it appears to be in the open position. That would tell you the direction of the threads as tightening would work against the weight of lifting the flap. The direction the rod turns to lower the flap to its resting position would likely be the loosening direction since the weight of the flap want's to keep the rod tight.

Just ran across the post now, so I assume you have solved your problem.  My shaft actually threaded into the body of the stove itself and froze there.  I had to drill and pound it out and am now making a new part myself, without the threads on it.  What a stupid design.  I am goiing to be using a 3/4" shaft and a collar to keep it in place.