Returning Woodstock Keystone

[Whitman]

I am considering returning my Woodstock Keystone because I am not 100% satisfied. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with many aspects of the stove, I just think that I need a bigger stove to heat my home. I purchased the stove in October. I am considering replacing the stove with the new bigger Woodstock stove that will be available in 2011.

Has anyone here ever returned a Woodstock stove. Please share your experinece(s) with the process. Will they send packing materials? Instructions for return, etc..

 

[Highbeam]

For giggles, just how large is your home? The current woodstock line is only rated to heat something about the size of a double wide mobile home.

 

[firefighterjake]

Highbeam . . . are you baiting Dennis and Todd again?

Whitman . . . I don't have first hand experience in returning stoves, but I do know of at least one member who returned a Woodstock stove . . . like you . . . he found it too small to do the job he was hoping. Memory is bad . . . it may have been Wendell?

 

[Slow1]

Call the folks at Woodstock and ask. I'll bet they are not going to be offended that you are exploring the option and process. I'm curious what the process is as well though - I've often wondered how exactly one would go about packing one up to return after burning the crate it came in...

 

[CTburning]

I'm also interested in what size of home you are heating with the Keystone. I believe it was Wendell that returned his Fireview as it was too small for his application. There have been a couple of others as well. I was temped to return mine after subpar heating performance last winter. I knew I had a lot of improvements to do with insulation and my wood supply before I could perform a proper evaluation of the Fireview. I spent $75 on an air sealing evaluation through my utilities company, a couple dollars on weatherstripping and am burning close to 2year seasoned White Oak. I heat from the basement, 425 sq ft and 1200 upstairs. Last winter i had a hard time keeping the house at 61 degrees upstairs. Using the same amount of wood or less I can keep the upstairs at 64-66. I leave the tstat at 64 and my heat hasn't been turning on much even though it has been in the teens. I am going to upgrade my attic insulation from 5", R11 to R49-60 these next couple of weekends and I think I will be a very happy camper. My goal is 68 upstairs. I was contemplating a second Fireview for upstairs but am confident that one will be enough.

My point is you need to evaluate the whole house and wood situation before deciding if the stove is big enough for your needs. If your wood is 8 month seasoned Oak then on a cat stove you are going to have so so results.

To answer your question, it is simple to return a stove to Woodstock especially if you saved the shipping crate/bottom. Contact them and they will tell you what to do. You might also be able to return it in the spring and get the new stove if it is available.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I am considering returning my Woodstock Keystone because I am not 100% satisfied. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with many aspects of the stove, I just think that I need a bigger stove to heat my home. I purchased the stove in October. I am considering replacing the stove with the new bigger Woodstock stove that will be available in 2011.

Has anyone here ever returned a Woodstock stove. Please share your experinece(s) with the process. Will they send packing materials? Instructions for return, etc..

Whitman, just call Woodstock and there will be no problem returning that stove. This company is for real!

I hope you do get the new stove and will post a review of it. We've thought about it but are a bit afraid it might be a bit too large for use. However, after some further remodeling that is planned, it might work. It keeps sounding better and better. If so, I'll be selling a great Fireview.

 

[cptoneleg]

You can return them because you bought one too small for your home. Wow amazing, they must have alot of ( plays well with others skills)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

You can return them because you bought one too small for your home. Wow amazing, they must have alot of ( plays well with others skills)

This is just one more thing that makes this company so great. What other company could match their guarantee? Also, now you know why they build their stoves so darned good; so they don't get many back. lol But if they have to go back, away they go. This company just continues to amaze me.

 

[Slow1]

Yup - satisfaction guaranteed. Seems they take to the philosophy that they want satisfied customers far more than they want to just get stoves sold. Seems like a really good business philosophy to hold (assuming you have a product good enough to make folks happy). It seems to be working well for them. Their customer service is good enough to back it up as well.

If you think about it - if someone buys a stove that turns out to be too small but in all other ways is great and they are able to return for full refund, they will still be a happy customer. You make them keep the stove or have to sell it off at a loss to someone via CL then they will be left with a bad taste in their mouth. Happy customers (even if they returned the stove) are more likely to give good referrals.

Would be nice if there were more companies operating this way.

 

[leeave96]

If your stove is to small - then you might need to return it.

I'm finding my Keystone is a different animal since I purchased it and made a few adjustments.

I'm not sure what "to small" in your case means - if it means not enough capacity to heat the house or not enough firebox to hold a useful fire for an extended burn time - maybe both.

In my case, my Keystone is to small for holding a long useful burn time 3-4 hrs when the temps fall below 25 degs outside (which I will explain in a bit) and I might have gotton a Fireview just to have more split capacity for longer burns - but.......

In reading the threads on overnight burns, I am beginning to think that all woodstoves, regardless of size, get a useful heat output burn of 3 to 4 hours - the difference between the Keystone and a larger stove is that they throw more heat into the room. All of them seem to get an overnight burn such that they only have to add some wood and the fire is going again without lighting a match.

Once I get my drafty house buttened-up, I am very confident the Keystone will cook us if we crank it up. I think that I'll be able to burn it between 450 and 500 with great burn times and plenty of useful heat too. Last night the indoor temp was 82 degs and outside was 25 degrees, glass was clear and life is good. But what I will never get with the Keystone - and likely any other stove is an extended burn - like 8 hrs with useful heat near the end of the burn.

So what are you not getting out of your Keystone? How big is your house? Are you well insulated?

Also, if you are returning, you might consider a Fireview or another make stove purchase before the end of the year to get the tax credit.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[jeff_t]

Tax credit is a one shot deal. Stove was purchased in October. I wonder how would that work if you returned one and purchased another?

 

[Highbeam]

If you buy and sell the stove in the same tax year then you never "got" the credit. Woodstock didn't give you the credit, the feds will give it to you with your tax return. Indeed, buy the new one pronto.

Not baiting Dennis and Todd, I actually kinda like the Keystone and am curious about what it can't do as much as I am about what it can do.

 

[Todd]

From what I heard, returns don't have to be as pretty as they came. I would secure it to a pallet and box it up to protect it best you can. I still have the pallet and most of the boards for my Keystone but don't think I'm returning it, it does everything it was advertised to do.

I also think you need to pick our brains some more to see if you can get that stove burning better, you may just need a little more time?

 

[KevinG]

In reading the threads on overnight burns, I am beginning to think that all woodstoves, regardless of size, get a useful heat output burn of 3 to 4 hours...

Hi Bill,

When I stack my Fireview full with 3-4 splits of 8-9 month seasoned poplar, I'm getting very significant heat 3-4 hours into a burn cycle. I'll load it about an hour before bed and watch the stove hit 450 or so. But in the morning, the tinfoil V on my stove-top thermometer shows that I hit 600-625. This happens pretty consistently every night. In the morning, about 7-8 hours later, the stove top is still 275-325 most mornings.

Our house was built in 1866 with all brick walls and zero insulation anywhere. We installed new windows though and I've been working on air gaps around doors. We've hung a blanket over the upstairs doorway and that helps keep our downstairs at 70 during the day. But bedrooms are 45-55 depending on the outside temps. We've been in a cold snap recently so it's pretty chilly in the morning!

Hope this helps. And I'll bet we get some Blaze King owners chime in on this thread as well....

Kevin

 

[fire_man]

If your stove is to small - then you might need to return it.

I'm finding my Keystone is a different animal since I purchased it and made a few adjustments.

I'm not sure what "to small" in your case means - if it means not enough capacity to heat the house or not enough firebox to hold a useful fire for an extended burn time - maybe both.

In my case, my Keystone is to small for holding a long useful burn time 3-4 hrs when the temps fall below 25 degs outside (which I will explain in a bit) and I might have gotton a Fireview just to have more split capacity for longer burns - but.......

In reading the threads on overnight burns, I am beginning to think that all woodstoves, regardless of size, get a useful heat output burn of 3 to 4 hours - the difference between the Keystone and a larger stove is that they throw more heat into the room. All of them seem to get an overnight burn such that they only have to add some wood and the fire is going again without lighting a match.

Once I get my drafty house buttened-up, I am very confident the Keystone will cook us if we crank it up. I think that I'll be able to burn it between 450 and 500 with great burn times and plenty of useful heat too. Last night the indoor temp was 82 degs and outside was 25 degrees, glass was clear and life is good. But what I will never get with the Keystone - and likely any other stove is an extended burn - like 8 hrs with useful heat near the end of the burn.

So what are you not getting out of your Keystone? How big is your house? Are you well insulated?

Also, if you are returning, you might consider a Fireview or another make stove purchase before the end of the year to get the tax credit.

Good luck,
Bill

I have thought about this statement a lot - extended burn times with a different stove. The Fireview is small for us on the cold 10 degree nights.I think the bigger stoves get longer burn times because you don't have to run them wide open to heat the house. I can heat my house when it's 10 degrees out with the Fireview, but I have to open up the draft so much that my fuel is gone in 6 hours instead of the usual 10-12 hours in warmer weather. A bigger stove should let me run at a lower draft setting since the stove would burn more wood than a smaller stove in the same amount of time, thus a longer useful "burn time". Even though there is less useful heat at the end of any stove's burn cycle, the bigger stove already dumped more BTU's into heating the house.

 

[fire_man]

I am considering returning my Woodstock Keystone because I am not 100% satisfied. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with many aspects of the stove, I just think that I need a bigger stove to heat my home. I purchased the stove in October. I am considering replacing the stove with the new bigger Woodstock stove that will be available in 2011.

Has anyone here ever returned a Woodstock stove. Please share your experinece(s) with the process. Will they send packing materials? Instructions for return, etc..

Whitman, just call Woodstock and there will be no problem returning that stove. This company is for real!

I hope you do get the new stove and will post a review of it. We've thought about it but are a bit afraid it might be a bit too large for use. However, after some further remodeling that is planned, it might work. It keeps sounding better and better. If so, I'll be selling a great Fireview.

WOW Denise - this is big news! I had no idea there was a possibility of the Frankenstove in your house! You'll have to keep us posted on your remodeling plans - expected square footage increase and all. I have been hinting with my wife that the bigger stove would increase our quality of life - longer burn times so fewer feedings, and higher house temps. She is not convinced. Guess we'll have to see what the new stove goes for and if there is any buy back plan from Woodstock for the older stove. I'm not much for CL.

 

[raybonz]

Does anyone know what Woodstock does with their returned stoves? Seems they would check them out and resell them as used? That could lead to a good deal.. Hmmm

Ray

 

[Todd]

Does anyone know what Woodstock does with their returned stoves? Seems they would check them out and resell them as used? That could lead to a good deal.. Hmmm

Ray

They check them out, clean them up and resell them for a big discount. They had a sale last July for a dozen or so and I think they were going for about half price but you couldn't get the tax break.

 

[BrotherBart]

I seem to remember before the season started a person from Woodstock posting here pointing to the inventory of refurbished returns that they were selling.

 

[VCBurner]

If I could sell my stove for what I paid for it I would think about buyng a used one from the Company. I love the look of these things. Their dedication to providing a good product and custumer service speaks for itself.

 

[agartner]

Woodstock's very high on my list if I ever decide to replace my Kent or add a second stove to the house. The fact that they're local (to me), they participate in these here forums, and look to have some really good customer service just about seals the deal. Now that I know they have "seconds" sales...damn, now that's really tempting.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yes, Woodstock does sell the older stoves at a discount. I talked to Lewis and others about this and it sounds like they almost take them apart and rebuild them. It all depends upon the condition of the stove when it is returned. After talking to the people who do the actual building, I would not hesitate to recommend anyone buying a refurbished unit.

agartner and Ray, give Woodstock a call and see if you could perhaps get on a list for one.


Tony, yes, we have already considered the larger stove. No decisions have been made though.

 

[raybonz]

If I could sell my stove for what I paid for it I would think about buyng a used one from the Company. I love the look of these things. Their dedication to providing a good product and custumer service speaks for itself.

Hi Chris,
If I recall correctly didn't you pay $600.00 for your stove? Would you really sell it for $300.00? It's something I would consider as your stove seems to be in decent shape.. Did you get the short legs for it yet?

Ray