hearthstone customer service

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Are there any reps/hearthstone techs on this forum? There's no way to contact them through their website and I'm working with my dealer, but having to go through a middle-man which is always a pain.

Looking at the exploded parts list I believe my stove has always been missing a gasket under the catalysts. I don't see anyway to purchase this part without buying a complete catalyst replacement kit for $500.

I also just realized that gasket that is supposed to seal the by-pass door is hanging off. I can't find the part # for that part (doesn't exist in the BOM), and I can't find a replacement procedure either. It might entail removing the tie-rods, which seems ridiculous on a 1 year old stove.

 

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https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/recommendation-on-gasket-adhesive-for-cat-bypass-gm60.185925/

Take a look at this old thread. @cabinwarmer has a GM60 and i believe it's the same bypass door and gasket setup. It sounds like his fell out of the groove and he just stuck it back in with some cement/gasket sealant.
There's also some conversation in here about the catalyst gaskets. I don't think there's a gasket under the catalysts, it's just one flat gasket that wraps around them?

 

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https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/recommendation-on-gasket-adhesive-for-cat-bypass-gm60.185925/

Take a look at this old thread. @cabinwarmer has a GM60 and i believe it's the same bypass door and gasket setup. It sounds like his fell out of the groove and he just stuck it back in with some cement/gasket sealant.
There's also some conversation in here about the catalyst gaskets. I don't think there's a gasket under the catalysts, it's just one flat gasket that wraps around them?

the exploded view makes it look like it's on the bottom; either way I've never had a gasket underneath/around the cats.

the gasket for the by-pass door looks like it may have had the tiniest amount of sealant applied, or that's just rust. The gasket itself looks pretty new. It looks like it could be reused as I highly doubt this is an air-tight seal as the by-pass door just rests on the gasket.

I was about to light a break-in fire with the new chimney setup when i noticed this hanging down. Figured I should sort everything out before starting to use it.

 

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https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/recommendation-on-gasket-adhesive-for-cat-bypass-gm60.185925/

Take a look at this old thread. @cabinwarmer has a GM60 and i believe it's the same bypass door and gasket setup. It sounds like his fell out of the groove and he just stuck it back in with some cement/gasket sealant.
There's also some conversation in here about the catalyst gaskets. I don't think there's a gasket under the catalysts, it's just one flat gasket that wraps around them?

It does not look like the standard wraparound gasket to me. #48 in this illustration.

 

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It does not look like the standard wraparound gasket to me. #48 in this illustration.

View attachment 300748

Exactly my point

 

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according to that bill of materials this is the gasket that is denoted by that part. is this similar to other catalyst gaskets? if so how is this applied; underneath the catalysts? on the sides?

https://www.rockymountainstove.com/3-4-x-1-16-tape-gasket-per-foot/

 

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nevermind; i found this https://www.rockymountainstove.com/hearthstone-96-75400-replacement-catalyst-kit/ it looks like it is wrapped around the catalyst.

i ran the stove all last year without this gasket; would this cause weird burning characteristics or possible damage to the stove?

 

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in case someone stumbles upon this thread the official response from the hearthstone tech is:

1. they no longer use the flat gasket on the catalysts in newer models
2. the gasket on the by-pass door is there so it doesn't slam closed metal on metal
   1. i put cement in the channel and popped the gasket back into place for peace of mind

my .02:
is that i played around with stoves that had the catalyst gasket in the store today and from an engineering POV I don't see how they add any value. the gasket doesn't "seal" the catalysts in any real sense. there's still room for side to side movement with the gasket on within the catalyst area. the gasket also isn't on the bottom of the catalyst so it's still a metal on metal interface with or without the gasket.

the seal on the gasket for the by-pass door is provided by gravity and would definitely fail a dollar bill test.

 

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nevermind; i found this https://www.rockymountainstove.com/hearthstone-96-75400-replacement-catalyst-kit/ it looks like it is wrapped around the catalyst.

i ran the stove all last year without this gasket; would this cause weird burning characteristics or possible damage to the stove?

Seems possible if there is smoke leakage around the cat.

 

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Seems possible if there is smoke leakage around the cat.

Hearthstone's response was they don't use the gasket anymore in new models

 

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Yes, I read that. Curious. Is there a flame shield before the cat? How frequently does it plug up with ash?

 

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Cat sits in that recess. Below it is the baffle. There was some build up of ash on the bottom of the cat after last year but I wouldn't have classified it as plugged. Build up on the fins but you could still see through it.

 

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Thanks, user feed back on the new Hearthstones is much appreciated.