Started out with a low end builders box (heatilator E36) fireplace. It would add warmth if you fed it like a madman for three hours.
Dad passed and mom moved in - Oil bill hit close to $700/month at 63° inside temps, so I did my research and ordered a Hampton HI200 for the fireplace.
Why the Hampton - only two stoves would fit in the box the Hampton and a Quadrafire. But I in my infinite wisdom had raised the hearth 1" too high to fit the blower on the Quad so the smaller box was the only option.
With the SL300 chimney having an offset a 6" liner was going to be very tight, so I checked and a 5.5" was fine with my 3 chimney height even with the offset (30° offsetting ~2').
Get quotes from the two local distributors, one won't give a written quote and his price keeps changing (a visit to his shop reveals his installers don't seem to speak English either). The other is a well respected place with two stores and did a pellet install for a buddy.
Research in hand I go place the order and the salesman tells me not to worry that 'we done hundreds of 6" liners in sl300 with offsets'. Order the stove with a 35' liner kit and install - $3100 later I'm dreaming of being warm.
Guys show up to install and they have a 25' liner, a 10' cut off and a coupler. Didn't I order a 35' liner? Installer says no way to get the liner past the offsets. He calls the shop - $800 for a 5.5" liner kit. I call the shop after they leave and pose the question -"I can get a liner kit to my door in 5 day for $360, what are you giving me for $800?" I did not question the $575 price at the shop for the 6" kit - it's a brick and mortar so I expect to pay more but not >2x more. Guy at the shop drop the price to $650 for the liner kit - I need the stove so I give up and pay.
After calling many times with promises of a call back for the install, one of the guys make the mistake of giving up his cell number - killed his battery over the next week trying to get a call back. All I was trying to get was a return call that was promised on every call and visit.. Install finally gets scheduled when I suggest that if it's not installed soon then I can wait another year...
Guys show up, pull the liner down in about 20 minutes - call back to the shop amazed that 'we can do a lot more installs with this liner' - Am I the only one who has ever heard of a 5.5" liner?? Who's the expert?
Stove is installed - they pack up with a have a good day, no help with a break in fire just a see ya later...
So I've been burning it as installed - stove would take off if I wasn't carefull and need the damper fully closed to keep from over heating. Not having a stove before, assumed learning curve issues and a tall chimney with high draft causing the difficulties.
Since the install the damper rod was hitting the blower assembly causing it to stick - not enough for a call back but annoying.
Yesterday the wife let the stove go cold so that I could clean it while she was off at school.
So while it was cold why not pull the surround and realign the blower? Pulled the stove out a few inches, remove the surround and mess with the blower alignment. Find the damper rod is a little bent - looks like normal slop from tolerances so I straighten it a bit and the binding is now gone - great.
So I get the great idea that seeing I've never done a dollar bill test I should do one now with the surround off so I get used to the feel of a correctly set door with new gaskets. Cut up a strip of paper and start going around the door and find that the installers did not set the door properly to start with. Pull the manual out, read.... read some more, adjust the door and WOW the latch has a positive feel now and the paper has a decent amount of drag all the way around now.
Fire off the stove and now I can control the burn AND I can get secondary burns resembling the ones in pictures/videos post here.
After all that here is my question
If by performing due diligence research during a large purchase you find that you obtain vastly more knowledge (not experience) of the product than the processional, why pay the exorbitant markup? And this applies to most purchases a homeowner is involved in.
Aaron
Dad passed and mom moved in - Oil bill hit close to $700/month at 63° inside temps, so I did my research and ordered a Hampton HI200 for the fireplace.
Why the Hampton - only two stoves would fit in the box the Hampton and a Quadrafire. But I in my infinite wisdom had raised the hearth 1" too high to fit the blower on the Quad so the smaller box was the only option.
With the SL300 chimney having an offset a 6" liner was going to be very tight, so I checked and a 5.5" was fine with my 3 chimney height even with the offset (30° offsetting ~2').
Get quotes from the two local distributors, one won't give a written quote and his price keeps changing (a visit to his shop reveals his installers don't seem to speak English either). The other is a well respected place with two stores and did a pellet install for a buddy.
Research in hand I go place the order and the salesman tells me not to worry that 'we done hundreds of 6" liners in sl300 with offsets'. Order the stove with a 35' liner kit and install - $3100 later I'm dreaming of being warm.
Guys show up to install and they have a 25' liner, a 10' cut off and a coupler. Didn't I order a 35' liner? Installer says no way to get the liner past the offsets. He calls the shop - $800 for a 5.5" liner kit. I call the shop after they leave and pose the question -"I can get a liner kit to my door in 5 day for $360, what are you giving me for $800?" I did not question the $575 price at the shop for the 6" kit - it's a brick and mortar so I expect to pay more but not >2x more. Guy at the shop drop the price to $650 for the liner kit - I need the stove so I give up and pay.
After calling many times with promises of a call back for the install, one of the guys make the mistake of giving up his cell number - killed his battery over the next week trying to get a call back. All I was trying to get was a return call that was promised on every call and visit.. Install finally gets scheduled when I suggest that if it's not installed soon then I can wait another year...
Guys show up, pull the liner down in about 20 minutes - call back to the shop amazed that 'we can do a lot more installs with this liner' - Am I the only one who has ever heard of a 5.5" liner?? Who's the expert?
Stove is installed - they pack up with a have a good day, no help with a break in fire just a see ya later...
So I've been burning it as installed - stove would take off if I wasn't carefull and need the damper fully closed to keep from over heating. Not having a stove before, assumed learning curve issues and a tall chimney with high draft causing the difficulties.
Since the install the damper rod was hitting the blower assembly causing it to stick - not enough for a call back but annoying.
Yesterday the wife let the stove go cold so that I could clean it while she was off at school.
So while it was cold why not pull the surround and realign the blower? Pulled the stove out a few inches, remove the surround and mess with the blower alignment. Find the damper rod is a little bent - looks like normal slop from tolerances so I straighten it a bit and the binding is now gone - great.
So I get the great idea that seeing I've never done a dollar bill test I should do one now with the surround off so I get used to the feel of a correctly set door with new gaskets. Cut up a strip of paper and start going around the door and find that the installers did not set the door properly to start with. Pull the manual out, read.... read some more, adjust the door and WOW the latch has a positive feel now and the paper has a decent amount of drag all the way around now.
Fire off the stove and now I can control the burn AND I can get secondary burns resembling the ones in pictures/videos post here.
After all that here is my question
If by performing due diligence research during a large purchase you find that you obtain vastly more knowledge (not experience) of the product than the processional, why pay the exorbitant markup? And this applies to most purchases a homeowner is involved in.
Aaron
