Baby Magnum Hopper Fire

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

We bought this stove after the salesmen at Lawson's, 194 Killam Dr, Moncton, NB E1C 3S4. talked us into buying this POS pellet stove! We were looking to buy a wood stove chimney and am very sorry we stopped in to see our old school buddy. We found out after the store had to hire outside to get the unit installed.

After we called for support we have not heard again from the firm.

We are currently heating with electric.

We have dissembled the unit to find lots of build up in the combustion motor but not enough to cause to fire we did find leaking air input caused by no retainer installed and am not sure if this could have caused the problem. The auger feed tube has become deformed by the fire and we cannot believe such a device is certified in Canada.

We are looking for input to take this company to small claims as we believe they sold us the unit in bad faith.

Basically we believe the stove which was supposed to be a floor model had caught fire before as new paint that does not match the original color.

 

[DneprDave]

Do you have a question or are you just venting?

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Do you have a question or are you just venting?

My question is how to determine if the stove is salvageable or should be scrapped?
The auger feed tube is distorted enough the feed screw cannot turn. I believe the temperature sender must be bad as when we woke the unit was still feeding. I believe the distortion of the feed happened when we doused the hopper with water. The computer looks like it has also been repaired in the past. What really bugs me is that I have not found a reason the unit did this.

 

[gfreek]

If you continue to get no response from the dealer to your satisfaction then I would contact the manufacturer direct, American Energy Systems.. Best of luck..

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

If you continue to get no response from the dealer to your satisfaction then I would contact the manufacturer direct, American Energy Systems.. Best of luck..

I have tried by phone only to find out the mailbox was full and no one answers. They also have not replied to emails

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I have tried by phone only to find out the mailbox was full and no one answers. They also have not replied to emails

We finally got the unit disconnected from the chimney and turned it around to see the name plate. One thing we noticed is there is no certification number on the unit. Wondering how this was ever even sold here in Canada. Anyone happen to have the certification number?
We bought this under the impression it was certified and installed by a wet certified dealer.

 

[gfreek]

Post on their Facebook page that you need to contact them

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Post on their Facebook page that you need to contact them

We had a long talk with Rob at American Energy Systems a very smart man. Following his instruction we removed the hopper to find the unit was most definitely doctored before we were sold the unit. The flat black over spray that we found jamming the high limit thermal relay closed is likely the reason the stove did not shut down as it was designed to do. We took the Auger to our local mill right shop where they welded and ground the tube back to tolerance. As the fire was hot enough to melt the plastic steady bearing away we are on the hunt today for that part which we may just have machined out of brass so it will not fail again.

I realize that the unit was running bad quality fuel (high dust content) and likely leaned out to far (not enough air) which caused the burn back however the unit not shutting down was not caused be design flaw or lack of maintenance. Paint build up on a critical component which was not designed to be painted.

As a consumers we thought we were purchasing a floor model being installed by a wet certified factory trained technician.

I would like to thank the support team at American Energy Systems with out there help and the input from the people who contribute to these forms my stove would be a total loss.

 

[gfreek]

Hope you get up and running again. Keep updating..

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

We had a long talk with Rob at American Energy Systems a very smart man. Following his instruction we removed the hopper to find the unit was most definitely doctored before we were sold the unit. The flat black over spray that we found jamming the high limit thermal relay closed is likely the reason the stove did not shut down as it was designed to do. We took the Auger to our local mill right shop where they welded and ground the tube back to tolerance. As the fire was hot enough to melt the plastic steady bearing away we are on the hunt today for that part which we may just have machined out of brass so it will not fail again.

I realize that the unit was running bad quality fuel (high dust content) and likely leaned out to far (not enough air) which caused the burn back however the unit not shutting down was not caused be design flaw or lack of maintenance. Paint build up on a critical component which was not designed to be painted.

As a consumers we thought we were purchasing a floor model being installed by a wet certified factory trained technician.

I would like to thank the support team at American Energy Systems with out there help and the input from the people who contribute to these forms my stove would be a total loss.

Anyone know if the hopper is supposed to be glued to the top?

Hope you get up and running again. Keep updating..

Chasing for a suitable lower auger bearing I would prefer one I could pump with high temp grease helping with the air leaks than the self-lube melting type. It looks like a standard 1/2" bearing but I am know bearing specialist.

 

[gfreek]

So you'll need to know dimensions,Bearing ID, Bearing OD, length, is there a flange. I know my ACE Hardware has some brass bushings in stock. Do a Google search for brass bearings, etc..

 

[rona]

I have tried by phone only to find out the mailbox was full and no one answers. They also have not replied to emails

Good luck on them responding or helping you. Friends of mine had their stoves and nothing but junk and no satisfaction if you have problems. They hire the best snake lawyers available.

 

[Lake Girl]

http://www.eastcoasthearth.com/coll...cts/baby-countryside-auger-bushing-set-rp2091

http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/product-p/p1179.htm

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

http://www.eastcoasthearth.com/coll...cts/baby-countryside-auger-bushing-set-rp2091

http://www.pellet-stove-parts-4less.com/product-p/p1179.htm

After hearing the bushing only has a lifespan of 4-6 years and figuring in the costs but mostly because this should be much safer.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I am wondering what type of gasket material to help seal this area we found sawdust just below where the auger was bolted to the plenum. Also would be good to know what torque to apply to the mounting bolts for the auger.

 

[Icemanxxxv]

I am wondering what type of gasket material to help seal this area we found sawdust just below where the auger was bolted to the plenum. Also would be good to know what torque to apply to the mounting bolts for the auger.

Take the size and pitch of the bolts and cross reference the torque specs from Google. (broken link removed)

Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk

 

[Icemanxxxv]

As a professional aircraft mechanic for the last 34 years my elbow is calibrated, but a torque wrench is still required.

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[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

As a professional aircraft mechanic for the last 34 years my elbow is calibrated, but a torque wrench is still required.

Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk

When I took this apart the bolts on the bottom were not much more than finger tight and there was no gasket in place. I am wondering if this gasket not in place could have caused not working to it's full potential. I am no mechanic or firemen but have worked around I find it better to ask then assume. Could the gasket be formed with a piece of header wrap there is a few pieces left over from when I wrapped the headers on a friends 1978 NOVA.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

When I took this apart the bolts on the bottom were not much more than finger tight and there was no gasket in place. I am wondering if this gasket not in place could have caused not working to it's full potential. I am no mechanic or firemen but have worked around I find it better to ask then assume. Could the gasket be formed with a piece of header wrap there is a few pieces left over from when I wrapped the headers on a friends 1978 NOVA.

 

[Icemanxxxv]

Header wrap would make a good gasket!

When I took this apart the bolts on the bottom were not much more than finger tight and there was no gasket in place. I am wondering if this gasket not in place could have caused not working to it's full potential. I am no mechanic or firemen but have worked around I find it better to ask then assume. Could the gasket be formed with a piece of header wrap there is a few pieces left over from when I wrapped the headers on a friends 1978 NOVA.

Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Header wrap would make a good gasket!



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that's cool for the hopper / plenum

Header wrap would make a good gasket!



Sent from my SM-G900T3 using Tapatalk

The web site for this product has enough info to solve almost any problem a person could have with this appliance which is very good.

This file describes the Auger assembly and specifies a gasket.

So one of the problems was there was no gasket in place.

 

[Lake Girl]

Glad you found the info you needed. (broken link removed to http://www.americanenergysystems.com/owners-manuals.cfm) Is this the link? Technical Bulletins are listed under the Magnum Baby... lots of them there! Found the file you uploaded under Operational/Troubleshooting Thanks for the heads up!

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Glad you found the info you needed. (broken link removed to http://www.americanenergysystems.com/owners-manuals.cfm) Is this the link? Technical Bulletins are listed under the Magnum Baby... lots of them there! Found the file you uploaded under Operational/Troubleshooting Thanks for the heads up!

OK I am reassembling this unit and have found 1/4 seam below the split collars it seems a lot of glue to fill the hole so I asked my brother he said ya it was like that just a large line of silicone. Does that seem right?

 

[Lake Girl]

Not real familiar with the Baby but it sounds like they do not spare the high temp silicone on assembly... that would compensate for poor tolerance values. There is supposed to be insulating materials on the back wall ... have you got replacement insulation and replacement heat sensor?

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Not real familiar with the Baby but it sounds like they do not spare the high temp silicone on assembly... that would compensate for poor tolerance values. There is supposed to be insulating materials on the back wall ... have you got replacement insulation and replacement heat sensor?

I have got it almost back together and am about to drill an air port to be able to clean the horse shoe area and have been reading about it.

I hate to complain but if we would have known the unit would need any parts besides maybe a door gasket we would not have bought it. At this point we would have been way further ahead with a wood stove. I very happy that to have found this and other forms with out them would have been a total loss. I cleaned the high temp manual reset and will test it on the electric stove to be sure it is working