Hearthstone Clydesdale problems

[clyde1]

Are folks experiencing problems with the rheostat/blower control on their Hearthstone clydesdale? I have seen another post complaining about the problem, but wanted to see if this was common.

Anyhow mine went just weeks after the warranty expired and hearthstone is completely unwilling to work with me to to replace it. I went to them directly after my dealer didn't have any luck with them.

If anyone had this part fail and was able to replace it with a universal part from another vendor I would love to hear from you. I am very disappointed with Hearthstone.

Thanks

 

[asungtang]

From what was written on GardenWeb, too many people have had similar issues. It seems lots of folks like to hack it and do customization work on their own. If you trust your own handiwork...otherwise hire an electrician.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/firepl/msg0808455330428.html

"I've had the heartstone Clydesdale for over a year now and am thrilled with it. This being the case I did do a number of custom changes with the unit set-up. These improved a lot of the situations your all talking about.
The blowers that come with it are nearly useless. I have droped two 4x2in squirrel cage fans behind the unit. This helped dramatically. As with most ranch style homes with lots of smaller rooms and hallways, the back end of my house was cold while the living room was too hot. I ducted air from the back bedroom under the house and brought it up directly under the insert. This is powered by a 12' squirrel cage. I now have a house that is warm to the point which I have to open windows occasionally to cool it down.

The only complaint I have with the unit itself is that the blowers didn't move enough air. This being said, with all the extra blowers I have moving air past the unit I'm amazed at how much heat the unit produces. I can stand 12 feet in front of the insert and feel the hot air moving past me.

So in conclusion, the unit produces massive amounts of heat, the problem is moving it out into, and around your house. If you have the ability or resources to improve the circulation of air then you'll be happy with this unit.

Please feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions you may have."

 

[Uncle]

I noticed the link in the above post was from 2008. I have heard that the issue's with the blowers were resolved but I believe that was after 2010.

How old is your Clydesdale clyde1? I am/was considering getting one myself but now I'm not so sure.....

 

[clyde1]

My stove is from late late 2010. It does seem Hearthstone made some modifications to improve airflow, however it's clear many owners have been able to improve the system beyond what Hearthstone has done. Apparently the blower unit is the clydesdale's achilles heel. In my case the blower control failed on in the 13th month...and the warranty only covered it for 12 mos. Neither my dealer nor I could get them to budge on covering it, they simply stated that it was out of warranty and offfered no compromise whatsoever. I would advise you to do a bit more research before buying a clydesdale.

 

[Eaglecraft]

Are folks experiencing problems with the rheostat/blower control on their Hearthstone clydesdale? I have seen another post complaining about the problem, but wanted to see if this was common.

Anyhow mine went just weeks after the warranty expired and hearthstone is completely unwilling to work with me to to replace it. I went to them directly after my dealer didn't have any luck with them.

If anyone had this part fail and was able to replace it with a universal part from another vendor I would love to hear from you. I am very disappointed with Hearthstone.

Thanks

Clyde 1:

Ok then... We have been using our Clydesdale for over a year now. The only problem that we have experienced with the blower system is noise. The blower motor housing tends to rattle intermittently under certain conditions of air control, how hot the firebox is, and how high the fan speed is set. I did install the "elasomeric" block under the fan housing that is supposed to fix the problem, but it is not a permanent fix. This fix was designed/provided by Hearthstone. When I get motivated, I will remove the ash lip and study the rattle under operating conditions. Then I will have my welder or sheet metal shop fabricate an "anti-rattle" device. Maybe I will sell the patent rights to Hearthstone. Ha!!

Sorry to hear about your issues with Hearthstone. One would think that they would replace a part that was recently "out of warranty" to create customer good-will. However, such behavior is often not the current business model today.

I digress...There was a time many years ago, (in the 70's) that Eddie Bauer was a sportsman outfitter. They sold very high quality sleeping bags, down coats, boots, fly fishing equipment (Orvis). If you ever had an issue with any of the products that they sold you, they would take it back - no questions asked - no matter how old it was. Not any more. Now Eddie Bauer is just another clothing store. What a shame. By the way, if you want a high quality jacket, pants, hat, etc., buy from Filson.com. They have the same customer oriented attitude that Eddie Bauer used to have. The Filson motto? May as well have the best.

Regarding the heat output of the blower, I think you have to consider the whole installation and use of the insert. Those Clydesdale insert owners that complain about low heat output from the fan may not have optimized the stove installation. For example, is there a block off plate to prevent heat from escaping up the chimney cavity? Is the block off plate insulated? Is the chimney pipe installed? Is the space under the top plate insulated? Is dry wood being burned? And a host of other issues that should be considered.

I do know this much, we have a 2000sf ranch. If I run the blower at max speed, the insert will cook us out of the house. I normally run the blower at 1/4 or 1/3 speed to find the sweet spot where it's not putting out too much heat and the unit does not rattle.

Let us know how you resolved your blower motor problems. You could take the unit to an electrician and see what can be repaired/replaced.

Good luck

 

[clyde1]

Clyde 1:

Ok then... We have been using our Clydesdale for over a year now. The only problem that we have experienced with the blower system is noise. The blower motor housing tends to rattle intermittently under certain conditions of air control, how hot the firebox is, and how high the fan speed is set. I did install the "elasomeric" block under the fan housing that is supposed to fix the problem, but it is not a permanent fix. This fix was designed/provided by Hearthstone. When I get motivated, I will remove the ash lip and study the rattle under operating conditions. Then I will have my welder or sheet metal shop fabricate an "anti-rattle" device. Maybe I will sell the patent rights to Hearthstone. Ha!!

Sorry to hear about your issues with Hearthstone. One would think that they would replace a part that was recently "out of warranty" to create customer good-will. However, such behavior is often not the current business model today.


Let us know how you resolved your blower motor problems. You could take the unit to an electrician and see what can be repaired/replaced.

Good luck

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I certainly expected that there would be a level of customer good will that would have had me walking away singing hearthstone's praises. Instead I am dissappointed, unwilling to recommend hearthstone and out time and money. It seems I'm not alone feeling neglected by Hearthstone's customer service. I've found many examples in forums and even on their facebook page.

PS even when the blower control was functioning, I also was experiencing a noise from the blower unit. I found it to be the sheet metal enclosure under the speed control wheel. I had moderate luck shimming that piece of metal to stop it from vibrating. Hearthstone needs to go back to the drawing board with the entire blower unit.

 

[Ohm62]

Update: just found in the lengthy manual that one small sentence lost in the middle of all these install, disassembling, and operating instructions, that indicates the fan only operates when the unit is hot...


..........................
Hi folks,

I realize this is an old thread, yet considering the type of appliance concerned, there may be quite a few people using these around who could perhaps help me out?

I just had one of those Clydesdale units installed a couple of days ago, and didn't get a chance to run it just yet (hot weather still out there ;-). What strikes me is that once I found the right extension cord to plug it in, and I tried to turn up the fan to check if that works, there is no noise at all indicating of any life in there. As if it were DOA. Is there any built-in guard for it to turn on only when the unit heats up, by any chance (no mention of that in the manual)?

Or should I call service already!?

Thank you for any advice!

-- OHM

 

[gls289]

Fourth year with ours and have replaced the rheostat twice. This year part of the cast iron broke where the soap stone retainer clip screws in the back. Fortunately I was able to use a longer bolt. All told, still like the unit. Big firebox and window. As others have said, not a ton of heat but I'm using box elder and it's an insert so less heat output.

 

[webby3650]

Update: just found in the lengthy manual that one small sentence lost in the middle of all these install, disassembling, and operating instructions, that indicates the fan only operates when the unit is hot...


..........................
Hi folks,

I realize this is an old thread, yet considering the type of appliance concerned, there may be quite a few people using these around who could perhaps help me out?

I just had one of those Clydesdale units installed a couple of days ago, and didn't get a chance to run it just yet (hot weather still out there ;-). What strikes me is that once I found the right extension cord to plug it in, and I tried to turn up the fan to check if that works, there is no noise at all indicating of any life in there. As if it were DOA. Is there any built-in guard for it to turn on only when the unit heats up, by any chance (no mention of that in the manual)?

Or should I call service already!?

Thank you for any advice!

-- OHM

Until the stove gets hot there will be no blower. No noise at all. There is a thermostat that prevents the blower from coming on.

 

[mikeszak]

as Webby pointed out, the blower will only come on when the stove is good and hot. However, the rheostat (which controls the blower speed) is a weak spot in the unit. I am not sure if the "heavy metal wheel" attached to it causes wear or something else but I have replaced it once in the 7-8 years of running Clyde. the repair is NOT difficult and I think I bought a replacement part for like $60. I found the part on the internet and didn't bother with Hearthstone. the Rheostat is a small black box with a narrow white dial sticking out...similar to a dimmer box. maybe the newer units have better rheostats but even if it fails, it is no big deal, there is video