New Stove Delivered Defective

[jatoxico]

So far I don't see evidence of a defect. It looks more like damage, possibly by hitting or resting the insert front on the corner. It definitely should be fixed, but the firebox is probably unaffected. Check the air controls before signing off on the repair.

Agreed. Maybe the experts can suggest other key areas to check for damage that would necessitate replacement.

I assume the glass is intact and no bricks were damaged but I would still look to see that door is not out of whack and is seating correctly.

 

[ddahlgren]

It needs to be the dealers problem you paid them. If it left PE perfect then it is the carrier that delivered to the dealer and the dealer that delivered it to you. It is up to the dealer to make it PE's problem. Just follow the money. At the end of the day if people go deaf there is the credit card company assuming you did not pay in cash or check. You don't need to carry a balance on the card just buy it with it carry the money until delivered and inspected. If a problem inform CC company and let them know you are working with dealer to make it right so it is on record early. The CC companies have loads of buyer protection programs that are worth having.

 

[kennyp2339]

Put some chalk on the door gasket and close the door, reopen it and make sure that there's a seal all the way around it, the unit it torqued that bad, I would be very worried that other things don't line up, or wear out earlier than its suppose to.

 

[Van]

Good news, the retailer agreed to take the stove and I accepted the display model they had on the floor. I have the new replacement on my living room floor waiting to be put into the firebox.
I will give a report when I have installed it.

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Hope it all goes smoothly now.

 

[Squisher]

Great news. I'm glad it was sorted for you.

 

[Van]

Begreen, this question may be largely for you as I believe you have a PE Super like the one I have.
I am making final preparations to install it on Thursday.

But something I discovered in the stove concerns me and I hope you can respond.
Attached is a foto of the fire chamber, which I discovered has a loose baffle.
The red arrows show the free play because it appears to be missing a bolt (circled).
Is that the case or are these baffles free playing?

Thanks
Van

 

[begreen]

There is a baffle retaining pin that belongs in there. It's kind of Z shaped so that it can't fall out. The stove will run ok without it but I would have the dealer pull the one in the broken unit that was sent back and give that to you. But check in the parts and firebricks package first.

 

[Squisher]

And those side pieces are supposed to be loose. They just fit into place, if their crooked just straighten them. They should have fancy insulation on the top of them.

 

[begreen]

Yes, the upper side insulation pieces should lay against the sides of the baffle.

 

[Sprinter]

One other thing, the holes for the baffle pin must be exactly aligned or the pin won't fit. The baffle may have to be wiggled into place so the back of it sits down on the secondary air outlet with a fiberglass gasket around it. Make sure the fiberglass gasket material is there. If the the baffle has been removed, the gasket may be missing too. For some reason, mine can be quite stubborn to fit right.

 

[Squisher]

Also will caution that the baffle gasket mentioned above is quite fragile if you're poking around in there.

 

[begreen]

It's not too fragile if new and not exposed to heat. After burning though it will usually break down if disturbed. For several years I ran our stove with double gaskets there for a more positive seal. This year our stove has a gasket made out of 3/8" rope gasket.

 

[Squisher]

That makes sense. I service a lot of PE's and now carry those baffle gaskets with me. But I should try making some sometime. Did you feel you could notice a difference when you doubled up?

 

[Sprinter]

This year our stove has a gasket made out of 3/8" rope gasket.

That's really the best answer. My gasket was nothing but powder after only the first year. The rope material is thick, but thin enough so the baffle still sits down and the holes align. Just cut the rope the right length to wrap around and stitch the ends together with thin wire.

 

[begreen]

That makes sense. I service a lot of PE's and now carry those baffle gaskets with me. But I should try making some sometime. Did you feel you could notice a difference when you doubled up?

It seemed to seal a bit better, but I can't prove that. Might just be my imagination.

 

[begreen]

That's really the best answer. My gasket was nothing but powder after only the first year. The rope material is thick, but thin enough so the baffle still sits down and the holes align. Just cut the rope the right length to wrap around and stitch the ends together with thin wire.

I just knotted the two ends together, strand by strand, the same way that hogwildz did. So far it's working good. We'll see how it looks after a season of use.

 

[Van]

I am away from home currently (no internet) but I will soon post some pictures of the top of the baffle, etc. as I do not recall seeing the kind of gasket you are describing.

Begreen is this the kind of rope gasket you are talking about?

or this graphite impregnated fiberglass?

Also are you using any kind of gasket cement?

 

[Woody Stover]

is this the kind of rope gasket you are talking about?

I don't like to use anything but OEM gasket; That way you know you are getting the correct type and density for the application....but I'm not sure if you would have enough extra to easily weave and tie the ends.

 

[begreen]

Woody, have you seen the PE baffle gasket and its location? This is not a tight pressure fit like a door or bypass gasket. I used off the shelf 3/8" fiberglass rope gasket that was at our local hardware store. Post on the gasket install is here:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/quiet-day-good-time-to-clean-the-chimney.157005/

Hogwildz and others have been running with this config for at least 6 or 7 years now. I would have done it earlier but had to use up my stock of PE gaskets first.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...le-gasket-shes-cooking-now.23717/#post-325226

 

[Woody Stover]

Woody, have you seen the PE baffle gasket and its location?

Oops, shoulda thought a bit more before posting my typical canned gasket reply. All you appear to need there is a fairly decent seal with no gaps...something to keep the re-burn air moving into the baffle.

 

[Sprinter]

Oops, shoulda thought a bit more before posting my typical canned gasket reply. All you appear to need there is a fairly decent seal with no gaps...something to keep the re-burn air moving into the baffle.

That's right. It's a very simple application. No cement. Once the baffle is set down on it, it's not going anywhere. The OEM gasket is very poor, IMO, and disintegrates. The rope should be much more robust. FWIW, I used the Grapho-Glass pictured above, but probably doesn't matter much as long as it's not too thick, or the baffle won't set down far enough.

 

[Van]

Here is what i have.
The batting/insulation looks to be fine, about a 3/4 to 1" blanket at the tops of the support flanges and overlapping the baffle a bit.
I presume that this is true to factory specs.



But where are you people talking about putting the rope gaskets?

_______________________________________________________________________

On another note I started up the blowers and noticed a rattle in both.
Look what was sitting in each side!
My guess is that these wingnuts had something to do with the store displaying of the stove as there is nothing else these could belong to right?
One wingnut and washer in each blower cavity!

Also note how only one of the blowers has a "hose clamp" fastener holding the plastic fan on its axle, while the other is missing it.
I bought a similar one at an auto supply store today and now they both have them.





Finally the stove was supplied with four 5/16" x 3" bolts as adjustable footings to level the stove.
The problem is that two of the press fit nuts are defective and strip some of the bolt threads.
I am a pretty good mechanic and know how to start a bolt with a nut.
They still work but what about quality control?

 

[Sprinter]

But where are you people talking about putting the rope gaskets?

You have to remove the baffle. In the rear center, you see a rectangular air supply from the secondary tubing which engages the inlet of the secondary baffle. That's what needs the gasket. Being unsued, yours should still have the original gasket material which is thin and loose. If missing, I would suggest making a rope gasket rather than ordering an OEM from the dealer. Or even if it's not missing for that matter.

I think you should inspect everything really well before installing. I've seen floor models with missing parts, bent parts, etc. Floor models tend to get transported to shows at county fairs, etc pretty often. Hope yours is okay though.

I can't comment on the blower; I don't have one.

 

[Van]

Thanks Sprinter,

Your comments have been very helpful!