Quadrafire Mt Vernon AE/ 'Exploding' E2 Update (or lack thereof)

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Thanks for your comments.

We absolutely do not want another current E2 in our home. Having had one explode I just don't trust them.

On the other matter I can only say that we have sought advice and believe we have a strong case. How it resolves will be a matter for the small claims court to decide.

Frankly I think it's laughable to suggest that having spent over $5000 on a stove, having one explode and the other not heat is somehow us being difficult to please, but we'll see what they say. Thank you for your input! : )
 
Thanks for your comments.

We absolutely do not want another current E2 in our home. Having had one explode I just don't trust them.

On the other matter I can only say that we have sought advice and believe we have a strong case. How it resolves will be a matter for the small claims court to decide.

Frankly I think it's laughable to suggest that having spent over $5000 on a stove, having one explode and the other not heat is somehow us being difficult to please, but we'll see what they say. Thank you for your input! : )
I hear you. It's tough sometimes to get over stuff like that. I had a Volvo once that wouldn't stay on the road and I eventually totaled it after the third time it skidded off the pavement, and in not a fast or unsafe driver! It just hated the roads when there was a dusting of snow. Was the car? It was circumstances and the car. What are you seeking in your filing as a a remedy? Take all your stuff back and give me my money back? I'll tell you, it's gonna be hard for that to happen because you already accepted reimbursement by taking the new AE. That stove is now devalued because you used it for the winter. Hope it works out for you!
 
Going to court and seeking relief or a remedy isn't an open invitation to create a "wish list" for future shopping excursions. Replacing any Quad with a Hudson River Kinderhook has to be the dumbest possible remedy imaginable.
The people at Hudson River worked very hard for many years to have a good stove for a good price. They are hard working and very nice people!
The Hudson River Kinderhook is made by Enviro. Has the same parts. Is that what you think of Enviro? Then why do you sell them?
 
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:)
Thanks for your comments.

We absolutely do not want another current E2 in our home. Having had one explode I just don't trust them.

On the other matter I can only say that we have sought advice and believe we have a strong case. How it resolves will be a matter for the small claims court to decide.

Frankly I think it's laughable to suggest that having spent over $5000 on a stove, having one explode and the other not heat is somehow us being difficult to please, but we'll see what they say. Thank you for your input! : )
The people at Hudson River worked very hard for many years to have a good stove for a good price. They are hard working and very nice people!
The Hudson River Kinderhook is made by Enviro. Has the same parts. Is that what you think of Enviro? Then why do you sell them?
Sorry didn't realize you were friendly with Jack or Amanda Cohen:)
 
I hear you. It's tough sometimes to get over stuff like that. I had a Volvo once that wouldn't stay on the road and I eventually totaled it after the third time it skidded off the pavement, and in not a fast or unsafe driver! It just hated the roads when there was a dusting of snow. Was the car? It was circumstances and the car. What are you seeking in your filing as a a remedy? Take all your stuff back and give me my money back? I'll tell you, it's gonna be hard for that to happen because you already accepted reimbursement by taking the new AE. That stove is now devalued because you used it for the winter. Hope it works out for you!

Has it ever occurred that the AE didn't put out the heat it was advertised as doing? It could very well be a malfunctioning unit since the repair person agreed it didn't put out the heat it was supposed too but he didn't know what to do with it? That's the trouble with the AE it is so automated about the only recourse is reprogramming the control board or replacing the board.
The dealers can update the older boards to the latest specs but I think it was to allow another fuel to be burned.
The AE had a nasty habit of a hopper fire too when it was released and there was lots of recalls after that. Was that AE a old stock item? The new AEs are supposed to be trouble free but is it possible this could have been a carryover and not been updated? I think there was 3 or 4 board updates that involved swapping out the old board for a new one. I have a good friend that posts here who is a service tech for Quad and he kept me up to date with the changes concerning the AE so I am not just blowing smoke about the AE.
I could further argue the point of agreeing to take the AE. Yes you did but what choices were there in the middle of the winter? You had to heat your home with something.
 
I hear you. It's tough sometimes to get over stuff like that. I had a Volvo once that wouldn't stay on the road and I eventually totaled it after the third time it skidded off the pavement, and in not a fast or unsafe driver! It just hated the roads when there was a dusting of snow. Was the car? It was circumstances and the car. What are you seeking in your filing as a a remedy? Take all your stuff back and give me my money back? I'll tell you, it's gonna be hard for that to happen because you already accepted reimbursement by taking the new AE. That stove is now devalued because you used it for the winter. Hope it works out for you!

Well we tried to use it. Sadly it never worked properly.
Could you explain to me how your analogy with your volvo has any similarity whatsoever with this situation? Because right now I'm not seeing any relevance to your post although it did give me a chuckle.
 
I'm thinking Scott does not realize that you were heating with a pellet stove prior to the E2 purchase. You should have a realistic expectation of what a pellet stove can contribute to your heating requirements for your home and are not just being a difficult customer.

Did you ever get the Whitfield running again?
 
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No. I am pretty sure that someone handy could fix it. From the advice from here I think it's the eye that has a problem on that one. It never got the free update kit from back in the day and now they're pricey and I'm not sure who we would get to install it.

As for Scott I'm sure we are mutually delighted not to be doing business together! ;)
 
Well we tried to use it. Sadly it never worked properly.
Could you explain to me how your analogy with your volvo has any similarity whatsoever with this situation? Because right now I'm not seeing any relevance to your post although it did give me a chuckle.
I don't blame the Volvo though it let me down.
 
No. I am pretty sure that someone handy could fix it. From the advice from here I think it's the eye that has a problem on that one. It never got the free update kit from back in the day and now they're pricey and I'm not sure who we would get to install it. ;)

The Whitfield photo eye can be bypassed by using a snap disk on the exhaust blower housing. There is a cover that can be removed on that housing to install the snap disk, then just run a 2 conductor wire to the wire the photo eye is connected to.
The snap disk is much cheaper than a new photo eye and last much.longer and never needs cleaning :)
See my pics and info here
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...ery-anyone-try-this-see-pics-it-works.132882/
 
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I'm thinking Scott does not realize that you were heating with a pellet stove prior to the E2 purchase. You should have a realistic expectation of what a pellet stove can contribute to your heating requirements for your home and are not just being a difficult customer.

Did you ever get the Whitfield running again?
I realize they had a Whitfield. I'm skeptical whenever people say "it doesn't throw out any heat", especially when the unit is a proven monster of a stove. I not saying he's imagining things or that he's the problem....

Variables exist. Mistakes happen. Ive been around the block enough times to know that coincidences usually aren't. He had a stove explode AND the replacement was a lemon. Hmmmm. seriously....if a Mt. Vernon AE doesn't throw out any heat, how the heck did the Whitfield or the posthumous E2 manage to do the job in the same house in the same installation? I have hundreds and hundreds of customers with the AE, they kick butt.

Someone mentions taking the dealio to small claims as a solution, but it's not going to make a bad stove work better. Everyone is going to get all riled up and emotional. By the end of this fiasco you'll be even worse off because I think you're going to be disappointed yet again with the end result. I'll be surprised if HHT or the dealer cuts you back a check of any amount,most alone the full 5k and let's say they did....what stove are you going to go with next and what's to say it will perform better than the AE?

What do I know, I'm not there. It's not my bag. Shame on that dealer for not empowering you to love the AE.

My wife's 3 year old Honda Odyssey that I paid 39k for cash blew a transmission at 63,000 miles, just out of warranty. I tried to get them to replace it totally on them. In the end they prorated a new tranny at $675 and I still had to pony up about $1000 labor but when I went in to pick up the car the owner of the dealership came down from his office and shook my hand and discounted the shop labor to $300.

A year after I bought the car, and a year before the transmission failed we had a recall service done and they didn't reconnect a drain hose on the AC evaporator which caused a leak into the cabin and all of our carpet got moldy. They refused up and down to do anything for us. I took them to small claims court. Only time in my life I've been so mad. I started out wanting a new vehicle. Then wanted new carpeting, in the end I simply wanted them remediate the mold, detail and wash the interior and replace some sound dampening materials under the rug. I itemized the whole job, paid for it at another dealership and submitted a bill. We met in court and they tried to wiggle around the issue but in the end agreed to refund me 100%. Afterward, I sent a letter to the owner to say thank you. He responded with hand written note asking for another chance to be their choice for service. In the end it all worked out and I even got my tranny discounted.

In your case, Hht actually flew techs to your house. You really ought to take the high road here and find a way to continue with their products, they are good stoves.
 
Listen I would LOVE it to work. Love. It. To. Work.

But it doesn't despite two experts looking at it.

The end.
I'm not sure what btu your original stove was capable of but if your home was comfortable with it The next thought was every time a AE cycles to dump the pot it slows down the burn then runs while it is off to ensure no live ash hits the ash pan. Then of course it restarts and slowly builds up heat again. During this no heat period the heat is being drawn out of that heavy cast iron heat exchanger so it has to be warmed up again. This goes against the 60,000 btu claim and a stove that only puts out 45,000 running constantly will result in a warmer home. Lots of people have good luck with their AE but the ones I know have smaller homes. If you were boarder line like I was the AE wouldn't do the job.
Once again what were your choices when the first one blew up? The dealer probably said we have a AE in stock and can swap them out fast. Seems a win win deal for everyone if it worked right. Truth be known I know of two AEs that had hopper fires and the owner had to eat it as the store and company did nothing. One went to the metal recycling business and the other is standing in the owners junk pile in the middle of South Dakota.
 
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I don't know what the btu output on the Whitfield was - it was here when we bought the house.

When the E2 exploded we were offered a new E2 which we didn't want until they had figured out WHY the unit exploded, and then an AE. It seemed like a great solution given that the AE had the same BTU output and was a more proven model.

We're really disappointed that it hasn't worked out. We love the look of the stove and the ease of using it. The only downside is that it doesn't actually heat. Well the faulting during self clean is also less than ideal.
Ultimately we didn't spend over $5000 for a decorative fireplace. It also needs to heat.
 
The AE is faulting during it's autoclean cycle?

Silly question, was the AE installed with an OAK (outside air kit)? What type of block off was installed in place of the original fireplace damper? Realize these may be hard to answer as you were not there when it was installed...
 
OAK would have two liners within the chimney or a line going through the brick or out the old ash clean-out if there is one. OAK is a 3" line on the Quadrafire AE from the manual ... http://downloads.hearthnhome.com/installManuals/7036_188.pdf

Not sure how air-tight your home is - newer homes are generally more air-tight. Older homes can be as well depending on renovations done. Having a dedicated outside air source does overcome problems associated with that.

What got me on this train of thought was the comment on ignition failure during auto-clean cycle on the AE. Would have thought the engineer from HHT would have done some troubleshooting on this with the change-out.
 
I don't know that they were focussed on the shutting down of the E2 after it exploded and the AE started shutting down about a month after installation. Do you think they could be related?
 
Possible... Have you had servicing on the venting yet? Curious how much ash build-up there is in the venting... Manual recommends yearly cleaning or more frequent depending on fuel. Not sure what that means... For my stove recommendation is after every 1000 hours or approximately 1 ton of pellets.
 
Maybe I missed it, but did Quadrafire ever really explain why the stoves malfunctioned? We asked them for some answers on the record, for our newsletter, but got incredibly evasive answers. We went ahead and put their reply in a blog for other to see, http://forgreenheat.blogspot.com/2015/09/update-on-mt-vernon-pellet-stove-recall.html. Just seems like too many lawyers and hi levels execs involved when they should just use plain english and describe the problem.
 
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From my basic understanding and speaking with my dealer, too much fuel was the issue so the temporary fix before the new board was installed was to max air flow to offset excess fuel.
 
From my basic understanding and speaking with my dealer, too much fuel was the issue so the temporary fix before the new board was installed was to max air flow to offset excess fuel.
That is logical but cutting down the fuel supply will also mean less BTUs being provided. This will mean a cold house for people who need all the BTU's that the company said the stove would provide. Sounds like false advertising to me.
 
Yes, agree 100%!!! I tested surface temp coming out of stove vents reading 320 f before new board install on setting 3. After install, only 240 f. I must say, I am extremely concerned this winter with this stoves performance...
 
beware of stoves that have fancy high tech - stay old fashioned and mauaul beyond feeding the fire pot! Lesson learned fast with a Quad AE Mt Vernon year 2008
 
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