Big cracked weld in Summit Insert

[marquisvii]

Hi All,

Well, how bad is it? This is the beginning of the 8th season of a Summit Insert Series C. This season I’ve noticed that when starting a fire (low/no draft in flue) there has been a little smoke coming out of the blower exhaust port, top of unit. At first I thought it was an illusion and that the smoke was just coming out of the open firebox and catching the lip on the bay top making it appear as if it’s coming out the blower exhaust. Nope. Today I pulled the bay top off which revealed this huge cracked weld stretching almost all the way across the top front on the unit.

Is this covered by the lifetime warranty? I can tell this weld was laid a touch too cold.

Overfired? Of course….anytime there are any issues the manufacturer claims overfire. That said, should I bother calling my local PE dealer (HORRIBLE service and incompetent laborers that can’t even install a door gasket properly) or just weld it myself? If I weld it myself, any advice on doing it safely in my living room hahah????

Since it only emits smoke from a cold firebox, it must be sucking in a lot of air once good draft is established. Side note, first baffle sagged and was replaced under warranty, but this second baffle is warping UP in the middle, about a half inch. Still works fine though.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You could always ask about the warranty. Worst they could say is no, it isn't covered. You may want to look the rest of the stove over closely too. Its better to find out any surprises now. If it's just that spot, I'd reweld, but if there's more, it may be time to replace it.

 

[begreen]

How tall is the liner on this insert?

 

[marquisvii]

How tall is the liner on this insert?

It's about 13-14 feet.

 

[EbS-P]

That is a long cleanly cracked weld. Maybe heat cycled welds fail differently but if it was welded with good penetration I would have expected to see some pullout of the parent metal and not just the bead pulling away. It worth following up on a warranty claim.

 

[begreen]

Looks like a warranty issue. Time to get the dealer involved.

 

[marquisvii]

Dealer has forwarded the info (picture) to the distributor. Conciliatory tone in his email.... I post when I get an answer.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Hi All,

Well, how bad is it? This is the beginning of the 8th season of a Summit Insert Series C. This season I’ve noticed that when starting a fire (low/no draft in flue) there has been a little smoke coming out of the blower exhaust port, top of unit. At first I thought it was an illusion and that the smoke was just coming out of the open firebox and catching the lip on the bay top making it appear as if it’s coming out the blower exhaust. Nope. Today I pulled the bay top off which revealed this huge cracked weld stretching almost all the way across the top front on the unit.

Is this covered by the lifetime warranty? I can tell this weld was laid a touch too cold.

Overfired? Of course….anytime there are any issues the manufacturer claims overfire. That said, should I bother calling my local PE dealer (HORRIBLE service and incompetent laborers that can’t even install a door gasket properly) or just weld it myself? If I weld it myself, any advice on doing it safely in my living room hahah????

Since it only emits smoke from a cold firebox, it must be sucking in a lot of air once good draft is established. Side note, first baffle sagged and was replaced under warranty, but this second baffle is warping UP in the middle, about a half inch. Still works fine though.

View attachment 302159

It looks like an improperly placed weld, not a crack. This is a QC issue. It appears the weld has not penetrated the lower steel except at the opposite/outer edges of your photo. Definitely a warranty issue if they honor it.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Any updates on this?