VC Montpelier Cracked Refractory Tiles. A problem?

[jgriffith]

Hi all-

We purchased this insert last December and have been generally pleased with the stove's performance, looks, etc. One issue I am wondering about though: cracked refractory tiles. After burning it pretty regularly (every other day at least) last season, I began to notice the tiles cracking, and the cracks growing bigger over time. The skinny tile right behind the andiron actually cracked all the way through into two pieces. I returned the cracked tiles to the dealer and they replaced them, no questions asked. The problem is now that I am starting to burn again this season, the new tiles are already starting to crack (hairline right now, do not appear to be going through the tiles). Have others experienced this? Am I doing something wrong, or is this normal and should be ignored? I usually burn it pretty hot to keep soot buildup to a minimum, but am by no means overfiring it or using green wood. Any thoughts, opinions, or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[begreen]

Greetings Jason. That certainly doesn't sound right. Fortunately they are guaranteed for the life of the stove, but what a hassle.

 

[jgriffith]

Thanks, didn't seem right to me either, but I thought I would put it out there and see what other folks experience was. Otherwise, I'm very happy with the stove. I guess if VC will keep warrantying the tiles I won't complain . . .

 

[DiscoInferno]

Refractories do break down over time, although one year is a little quick. My Ultima took several years. If they are really guaranteed for life then you're set. Mine are not, and they are expensive, so I patch them each year with either furnace cement or refractory mortar. Works pretty well.

 

[jgriffith]

Is it true that they are warrantied for life? I didn't know that - I thought that VC replaced them because it was less than a year from when I purchased it- but I hope BeGreen is right!

I'm curious on your repair technique, though. Do you wait till the tiles crack all the way through, or do you smear cement/mortar on the hairline cracks? Thanks for the idea!

 

[begreen]

Last page of the manual:

Limited Lifetime Warranty

CFM Corporation warrants that all refractory brick
and material used in this product will be warranted
against deterioration not resulting from physical
damage or overloading of the woodstove for the lifetime
of this product.

 

[98dingo]

The biggest problem I have come across with customers that have broken brick is the way they put wood into their firebox. Make sure your not throwing or slamming wood into, especially when hot. They are a wear item but a year of use shouldn't be enough to do it. I would expect you will have a issue with warrantying them, unless they have great customer support, they will blame you for it. Who knows thou its worth a try and I hope for you that they replace them free of charge.

 

[jgriffith]

Thanks! I just went back and confirmed the text in my manual, that's good news. I am pretty darn careful about putting wood into the stove, so I really doubt it is a case of too much force. I'll wait and see how long it takes these tiles to crack all the way through and give the warranty route another try (now that I know they are covered). Like I said, the first time they replaced them no problem, so hopefully that good CS continues . . .

Thanks for all the help, this is a great site!

 

[DiscoInferno]

My primary issue isn't cracks, although the rear panel did crack through (still held together by embedded metal strips though). The faces of my back and side panels started to crumble. So in the summer I pull them out, wash them good, scrub off any loose bits, then do a skim coat of cement/mortar over the crumbling regions. In the past I used either sanded or unsanded furnace cement; it works pretty well for shallow repairs but will also crumble if applied too thick. (Sanded works a little better I think.) This year I got a bucket of Rutland castable refractory mortar; it seems to be more durable for deep repairs but it's thick and lumpy and not well suited for skim coating. We'll see if it's really more durable after this year.

 

[diodeduster]

my montplier also had a crack in the bottom refactory panel about a 1/16 inch after the first year. i had it replaced and after another year burning i see multible hairline cracks again so i will keep my eye on it. the factory rep told me that the crack must be a least 1/8 thick before they will replace them.

 

[allhandsworking]

[quote author="diodeduster" date="1288622251"]my montplier also had a crack in the bottom refactory panel about a 1/16 inch after the first year. i had it replaced and after another year burning i see multible hairline cracks again so i will keep my eye on it. the factory rep told me that the crack must be a least 1/8 thick before they will replace them.[/quote

This is my fourth season with the Monty I have had cracks on the back and sides since the first season. Cracks have not really gotten any worse. The brick at the andiron is still intact along with the bottom brick. I could see the andiron brick being a problem because the air intake is under this. The insert function's great and I have been gentile placing my splits so I think the cracks are pretty normal. I have had experience with other manufactures of refractory brick and they all seem to crack over time. It's great that VC is honoring there warrenty. It looks like VC is on there way to recovery.

 

[DiscoInferno]

I have been gentile placing my splits

Oy Vey!

 

[allhandsworking]

Spell check gets me in trouble sometime! I am from NYC after all.

 

[sullystull]

My primary issue isn't cracks, although the rear panel did crack through (still held together by embedded metal strips though). The faces of my back and side panels started to crumble. So in the summer I pull them out, wash them good, scrub off any loose bits, then do a skim coat of cement/mortar over the crumbling regions. In the past I used either sanded or unsanded furnace cement; it works pretty well for shallow repairs but will also crumble if applied too thick. (Sanded works a little better I think.) This year I got a bucket of Rutland castable refractory mortar; it seems to be more durable for deep repairs but it's thick and lumpy and not well suited for skim coating. We'll see if it's really more durable after this year.

I am not familiar with this stove or the size/shape of the refractory bricks. That said, if you search for a post Tradergordo submitted on how he cast his own refractory brick for a Dutchwest, it may be helpful in this case as well. He used the rutland castable material. I followed his directions to a T for my old DW and it worked great.

 

[sullystull]

http://www.gordosoft.com/woodstove/refractoryDIY.htm

here's a link to his website which goes into detail about the process. Again, I'm not sure if its applicable in this case and apologize if it isn't.

 

[DiscoInferno]

I will go that route if one of them ever becomes unserviceable. The back piece would be fairly straightforward to duplicate, at least if I didn't worry about the slight tapers around the edges and the fake brick outlines. But the side pieces have both a major taper from front to back and semicircular cutouts for the burn tubes, it would be a real pain to make the molds. Luckily the deterioration is mostly limited to the inner surface, so I can probably use sacrificial patching fairly indefinitely.

 

[azsteven]

I also have the VC Montepelier, which has seen about 4 cords worth of service so far (mostly last season).
Just the other day, I noticed a small crack on one of the side panels. There's a hairline crack, and then a 1/8" "chip".
I figured I would keep my eye on it and get concerned if the whole panel splits. Is this any kind of safety hazard?