Does Englander "test" their pellet stoves?

[Sakislayer]

Hi -- I picked up a Summers Heat/Englander pellet stove at Lowes. It was out of the box but the assure me it is brand new and never used. The back plate in the burn area sure looks like it was "fired" at least for a couple minutes. The stove looks new, but I'm curious is this stove has been used and returned, or perhaps Englander/Summers Heat "tests" them before they leave....

Anyone know?

 

[Skunk]

ESW goes through a test procedure to test each component (inside there's a "tested / inspected by" tag), but all the new ESW stoves I've seen looked brand spanking new with no indication they were actually burned.

Sounds like a test-fire somewhere along the route, maybe just a handful of pellets thrown into the burn pot? You should be able to tell if it was actually used for any amount of time, checking for soot and grime anywhere inside above + beyond what you'd expect from a quickie 5 minute fire.

 

[Sakislayer]

Kinda hard to explain, but that plate on the back of the burn area (it's removable) and sits behind the burn pot... well, there is a "V" looking discoloration that sure looks (to me) that is may have been test burned. Everything else looks brand new.... Ummmm

 

[Skunk]

I can visualize what you mean, and it sounds like the guys at Lowe's threw some pellets in for a second to roast marshmallows. Maybe ESW tests every *hundredth / whatever* stove (Their tech on here can chime in). But the fact that it was out of the box.

 

[BrotherBart]

I have seen their QA line for the pellet stoves while they were inspecting them. I saw them doing diagnostics but no burning in any of them. Hard to have chimneys connected on a conveyor belt. :coolsmirk:

 

[doghouse]

Yes. Every time someone buys one, they're tested. ;-) (couldn't help it)

 

[breklaw]

I bought my stove from Lowes as it was being brought back to the store because it was not big enoough, saw the Lowes guy helping the guy returning it, and was given the choice of this slightly used one, or a couple that were also returned but serviced by a stove tech before being re-sold. I actually spoke to the guy returning mine, and he told me it was just not big enough and I saw him grab a larger model. Paid for my stove and it never made it to the resale floor. Found out after a bit that it was missing the fire back plate, stopped in to Lowes and grabbed one from a floor unit. As far as fire testing a unit, you don't need a stack for that! I have fired 25 GPH oil burners, and very large gas burners into the air during flame tests, with flames running 20-30 feet long, just not something you would do at home. Hopefully.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

we do test fire a percentage of our units (we have a different place to do that BB) usually there will be a sticker on the box that says somthing to the effect of "test fired at factory for quality assurance" or somthing like that. its possible that sticker was covered by somthing else or just plain didnt get put on the box, or it may have been reconditioned however if it was crated , it would have been a testfired one as the store certainly would not have banded the unit down and put on a new box