I've been away for a few weeks since posting the thread. We decided to get the Homestead rather than Woodstock. Not happy.
The entire issue of quality control I have seen on discussion boards almost scared us away. Probably should have. We wanted soapstone. That leaves two companies. We chose the looks of the Homestead.
In the order I noticed things:
1. Flimsy crate
2. Stove not bolted down to skid.
3. Heat shield scuffed up in huge sections
4. Side trim not plumb
5. Top stones not level
6. Legs bolted on crooked, out of square.
7. Two cracked stones, obviously filled and a white residue left behind.
8. Splatters of stove cement on inside glass of the door.
9. Wood shim left inside, logically used to press against stones while cement cured.
10. Completely uncured cement inside, soft as caulking.
11. Oval to round adapter fits INSIDE cast iron fitting.
1. I have no idea what kind of crates are used for wood stoves. I do know I just got an order of granite tiles in, and that crate puts the stove crate to shame. Admittedly the granite order weighed 150 pounds more than the stove, but this crate would not have protected the stove from much of any kind of strike from another heavy object in transit.
2. When we maneuvered the stove out of the van, down the ramp I built, just as we got past the halfway point, the stove tipped toward me in the crate. Now, I weigh around 235 at present, so 400 pounds coming at me was not like a Green Bay Packer linebacker coming at me at full speed, but the shock of that stove hitting me sent cold chills up and down my spine. The stove was not bolted to the skid in the back, just the front.
3. When we got the stove uncrated and took the bag off, we could not believe how much paint was scuffed off the bottom heat shield. I had seen some of it but not all of it. That is unacceptable.
4. So, the stove is sitting on the dollie and we stand back to admire it. Hmm. Being a carpenter I tend to notice angles. The left side corner trim looked off. Got a tape measure. It's an 1/8 of an inch out of plumb. That isn't much on an 8' stud, but on 20" of trim?
5. Took my hand and swiped it across the top stones. Hmm. Not level. One side higher than the other on two of three stones.
6. Looked down at the legs. Bolted on out of square. Well, I can loosen the bolts and square them up, but ... someone at the end of the assembly line was asleep when this stove came up to him for inspection.
7. My wife noticed the two cracked stones. At first it looked like it might be just the patterns in the stone, but no, you can feel the crack, and whatever was used to fill them, whoever filled them, left behind residue which looks like it is in the stone. Perhaps all it will take is some steel wool to remedie how it looks, but, no, a new stove with obvious cracked stones? How did it get out the door?
8. Well, let's take the door off to see inside. Hmm, what's this? Looks like stove cement on the glass. Well, razor blade will take it off, I guess.
9. A wood shim left inside. Why? To make sure the cemented stone stayed in place while the cement was curing in transit? First big fire just burns it out?
10. Let's see what else we can take out to lighten it so we can get it up on the hearth a little more easily. Ah, stones and firebrick. Let's see. If I take the stones out the brick will then come out. Hmm. Looks like they cemented them in place. No, this one just slid around. Uh, they are all sliding around. Uh, this glop of cement behind this stone is as soft as caulking. Huh? They sent this out before the cement cured?
11. Now, why does the adapter fit on the inside of the cast iron fitting? Just like water, smoke should travel from one pipe to another with seams enclosed inside, not open. It is no wonder people complain about smoke leaking out of the system.
Now, the stove is very beautiful. The gray stone and brown enamel look good together. It looks smaller than I thought and it looks like it will not heat our home, but that remains to be seen.
To his credit, the merchant has promised to address things to Hearthstone and do right by me. Some of these issues are small ones, including #12, the failure of the dollar bill test. And like someone before this post, I also question the integrity of the gasket on the ash pan. It's not a very tight fit sliding it back in. And I will probably end up doing something like a previous poster and just block over the ash pan and shovel out ashes. The system to dump ashes isn't very convincing just looking at it. But, I'll see what the manual states about it.
So, did we get the Monday morning lemon? If I was standing at the end of the line the stove would not have left the factory. It is one thing to attempt to keep up with demand. It is another to let quality control sleep at the wheel. Guess we'll wait on the merchant and see what he has to say. According to him, the uncured cement will solidify upon the first couple of starter fires. But cracks in the front stones? No way.
I'm looking at the stove as I type. Great looking unit. But I was afraid this would happen. It did.
