Castleton air intake defect?

[wetwood4life]

I just cleaned packed ash out of the primary air hole on my Castleton. When I looked in there afterward, I saw what looks like a hunk of metal partially blocking the hole. It would explain why the ash built up in the first place. I can't budge it with a coat hanger. Can anyone confirm if this is normal, or a manufacturing defect in my stove? It might be the same design on the Heritage and Manchester, not sure.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Is it actually metal? My Mansfield they got pretty wild with the sealant.

 

[wetwood4life]

Could be! It's very hard like cast iron or a rock. At first I thought it was a piece of char that I could break up. I figured it couldn't be a rock, but sealant/cement makes sense.

I don't know what to do about it if it's not supposed to be there, especially if it's down inside the cavity. I've had problems with draft & incomplete burns since getting the stove, now I wonder if this has been a factor...

 

[Pinesmoke]

It could be the issue. I would think the air hole would be open by design. The sealant on mine is a whitish material they apply with some kind of gun. It had fallen onto the CATs and then hardened. (They were replaced since it couldn't be cleaned)

If you can, I would start with your dealer or if it's not too far show up and look at another stove to compare.

 

[wetwood4life]

Emailed the dealer pictures, they checked the floor model and it's not there. They're checking with Hearthstone. I'm dreading what a warranty claim would look like here. I think you're right about it being sealant, the blockage is right at the seam of 2 stones. Thank you!

 

[Pinesmoke]

Hopefully it goes smoothly for you. Look at the upside, now you know why you couldn't get a good burn. Let me know how it sorts out. You very well cold end up with a new stove out of the deal.