hairline crack on stove top, water to blame?

[My Oslo heats my home]

After prepping the stove for some new paint today I noticed a hairline crack on the top, no more than 1 inch long and hardly visible. Can water placed into the steamer be to blame? Occasionally, on a refill, water hits the top of the stove. It's all I can think of due to it's location.

 

[pen]

It's possible. I'd have an experienced welder drill the end of that crack then weld things up.

pen

 

[cptoneleg]

Wow, hate to hear that, which stove, just asking because I have a Oslo myself. Take pictures why would you paint?

 

[cptoneleg]

It's possible. I'd have an experienced welder drill the end of that crack then weld things up.

pen

Need to be an old Welder, kind of a dying art, welding cast LOL

 

[Frostbit]

Welding cast iron is a crap shoot, even for an experienced welder. Just a plethora of variables that are hard to control, including identifying what type of cast to come up with a filler rod, grinding/cleaning, preheating, weld area stress relieving after welding, and very important, source time cooling.

I have tried it many times, on several different species of cast, and my success rate is still perfect: Zero.

So years ago I put cast iron on my list of two things I won't attempt to weld, period.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Wow, hate to hear that, which stove, just asking because I have a Oslo myself. Take pictures why would you paint?

here it is, just on the back side of the top plate at the seam where the oval is

 

[fossil]

There are welders who know how to repair cast iron. You might want to look around your area to see if you can find one to come take a look. I'm not familiar with your stove, nor can I tell from the close-up pic exactly where this crack is, but if it's in a part that's replaceable, that may end up being the way you need to go. I think if I were in your position, I'd start by talking with the dealer who sold me the stove in the first place, because that person might have some good leads on how best to proceed. Rick

 

[Shari]

Wouldn't this be a warranty issue?

 

[begreen]

The rust makes it look like a spill zone. Hard to say whether they would consider this a defect or user caused event.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Thanks Shari, just sent out an email a few minutes ago along with the photo. I read the warranty and I'm not sure it will be covered if the water was to blame.

 

[madison]

Sorry to see the rust and crack.

--IMHO, Another reason to avoid kettles and steamers on steel/cast stoves.

 

[summit]

I see by your sig that the Oslo in question is a 2007. If that is the case, then the top is still covered under wtty, but only 'till 2012. I would wipe the rust off a little with a paper towel and some wd-40, and file a wtty claim w/ your dealer or distributor. Jotul is pretty good about replacing parts under wtty. The top itself should go for @ 150 maybe (I'd have to look it up), and shouldn't have cracked unless you continuously pour cold water on it when it's running full bore. I spilled drops of H20 on my F600 all the time, when I had it, while filling the steamer.... they sizzled off and didn't cause problems. The only crack it has had has happened since I gave it to my father, and he started using the ashpan door to get the fire going for 2 yrs straight (against my better advice). Then the inner baseplate cracked on him. You will probably have to pay for some labor to have dealer replace, but the replacement is easy enough to handle on your own. part should cost nothing. Make sure you remove the oval in the middle b4 you give it back for wtty claim: the top and middle oval are seperate part #'s, and you will only get the cracked part under a wtty replacement.

 

[leeave96]

I don't think a little drop of water on the stove top would crack it. I'd say warranty should cover it.

Let us know how Jotul handles it and we just read about Pacific Engery and one of their stoves with cracked welds. The feedback you give would be helpful too.

Bill

 

[Elderthewelder]

There are welders who know how to repair cast iron. You might want to look around your area to see if you can find one to come take a look. I'm not familiar with your stove, nor can I tell from the close-up pic exactly where this crack is, but if it's in a part that's replaceable, that may end up being the way you need to go. I think if I were in your position, I'd start by talking with the dealer who sold me the stove in the first place, because that person might have some good leads on how best to proceed. Rick

Yeah but to do it correctly in someones living room is a different story with the pre heat / post heat / proper cool down rate requirements, not to mention that crack runs through those relief cut, decorative areas like that.
As suggested contact your dealer and see what he has to say, you can always stop drill it yourself to contain it and keep a eye on it, or get in the phone book and find a shop that specializes in welding cast.

 

[fossil]

There are welders who know how to repair cast iron. You might want to look around your area to see if you can find one to come take a look. I'm not familiar with your stove, nor can I tell from the close-up pic exactly where this crack is, but if it's in a part that's replaceable, that may end up being the way you need to go. I think if I were in your position, I'd start by talking with the dealer who sold me the stove in the first place, because that person might have some good leads on how best to proceed. Rick

Yeah but to do it correctly in someones living room is a different story with the pre heat / post heat / proper cool down rate requirements, not to mention that crack runs through those relief cut, decorative areas like that.
As suggested contact your dealer and see what he has to say, you can always stop drill it yourself to contain it and keep a eye on it, or get in the phone book and find a shop that specializes in welding cast.

Yeah, Elder, I hear ya. I didn't say it was easy. Nor did I imagine it being done in place. I think if it were going to be weld repaired, the cracked piece of the stove would most certainly have to go into the welder's shop. Rick

 

[Shari]

The other thing to think about: You are concerned that water may have caused this. Well, Jotul also sells a 'cooktop' oval top plate. You don't happen to have that cooktop oval installed, but if you had one would think Jotul would expect some water to come in contact with the top of your stove - and not just on the oval cooktop.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

A quick change in temperature can crack cast iron, so it's possible the steamer did it but I've never heard of that happening before. If you spilled some cold water on it, that would be more probable. The best solution would be to replace the top, either under Warranty or ordering the part and replacing it yourself.

 

[cptoneleg]

Do you spill so much water on it to make it rust? I don't even let dust settle on mine, last winter I shut it down twice and each time I detaied it out to shoroom floor looks, I treat it like the fine piece of furniture it is.

LOL

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Do you spill so much water on it to make it rust? I don't even let dust settle on mine, last winter I shut it down twice and each time I detaied it out to shoroom floor looks, I treat it like the fine piece of furniture it is.

LOL

When the heating season began my wife placed a used all copper kettle on the stovetop to be used as a steamer. The kettle has to be removed to refill so I know the water didn't come from spilling on the stove. What happened was the thin copper membrane on the bottom corroded from the hard water and leaked into the top. This has been the only source of water making it to the stoves hot surface. The amount of leaked water still doesn't seem like it should have caused the damage, but this is my first experience with anything like this.

As of now my jotul dealer has the pics I submitted by email. They have been good to deal with in the past on other issues and I have continued to go to them for my stove needs. The cracked top will surely be a test for my relationship with them.

 

[remkel]

I don't think a little drop of water on the stove top would crack it. I'd say warranty should cover it.

Let us know how Jotul handles it and we just read about Pacific Engery and one of their stoves with cracked welds. The feedback you give would be helpful too.

Bill

Yes, having just bought am F 600, I too would be very interested in how they handle this.

 

[begreen]

Do you spill so much water on it to make it rust? I don't even let dust settle on mine, last winter I shut it down twice and each time I detaied it out to shoroom floor looks, I treat it like the fine piece of furniture it is.

LOL

When the heating season began my wife placed a used all copper kettle on the stovetop to be used as a steamer. The kettle has to be removed to refill so I know the water didn't come from spilling on the stove. What happened was the thin copper membrane on the bottom corroded from the hard water and leaked into the top. This has been the only source of water making it to the stoves hot surface. The amount of leaked water still doesn't seem like it should have caused the damage, but this is my first experience with anything like this.

As of now my jotul dealer has the pics I submitted by email. They have been good to deal with in the past on other issues and I have continued to go to them for my stove needs. The cracked top will surely be a test for my relationship with them.

That's a bummer, but it could explain the problem. There might have been a significant cooling in a small location if the leak increased as the kettle warmed up.

 

[BrotherBart]

If it was a steady leak cooling that one spot while the rest of the casting came up to temp that would do it.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

If it was a steady leak cooling that one spot while the rest of the casting came up to temp that would do it.

Time for a curveball fellas. After a thorough cleaning today of the top of the stove I found the same exact hairline crack on the opposite side of the original crack, this one is in the front. Now, water would not have affected this area because the kettle leak was at the rear. Would the water leak in the rear also affect the front of the top to crack as well? Now I'm really confused as to what happened. Any ideas?

 

[BrotherBart]

Nope. But since it is on the other side with no continuous connection because of the separate oval piece in the middle it is a head scratcher. My position would be a bad casting with impurities in it.

Any way it goes if they don't replace the piece it ain't all that expensive and really easy to replace labor wise. After the dealer broke my F3 and went broke before he fixed it the whole front casting only cost me $165 thanks to a great member here who was a dealer at the time.

 

[Highbeam]

The thread title makes me laugh. That crack is anything but hairline. It is a real, no jokes, crack just as sure as the crack you'll see when a plumber bends over.