Hearthstone Mansfield Handle Issues

[mikeathens]

Wow...can't believe I haven't posted on here for about 10 years. That's about 40 cords of wood and a divorce.

I searched and can't find much about this on the forum - after 11 years or so with my Mansfield, the handle hole on the door has worn into an egg-shaped mess. I didn't notice this over time, and last weekend was the breaking point - the door latched too loosely and apparently overfired, cracking multiple stones (not a single crack up until this time).

So, folks who use your Mansfield 24/7 during heating season - if your handle is wobbly after years of use, check it closely and repair/replace your door if necessary. It could result in an unsealed door and too hot of a stove. Mine was luckily covered under warranty, but I still have cracked stones that I'll have to live with. Since they're not cracked all the way thorough, no warranty coverage.

 

[begreen]

Hey, welcome back Mike. I've missed that spaghetti monster. Sorry to hear about the worn door handle, but thanks for posting. Highbeam had his hinges wear out on his Heritage. Good to keep an eye on them too.

 

[Highbeam]

I just explained to the 13yo daughter the story of the fsm, she’s not sure if I’m being honest.

The soft cast iron of my heritage that held the hard steel hinge pins wore quickly resulting in a sagging door. It was clear to me pretty quickly, about 30 cords into it, that this stove was not made to last. Unfortunately the worn part was part of the stove so a tear down would have been required to repair it. I replaced the stove.

Never cracked a stone and it sure was pretty.

Also keep an eye on the door frame where the latch catches. That was looking scary thin on my heritage too.

 

[mark cline]

I've had my Mansfield for 6 years and have not had any issues with the hinges or door latch but I will look at it closely. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[mikeathens]

Holy cow, you guys have been hanging around here forever.

Unfortunately FSM didn’t warn me about the latch. So, I don’t know what to believe anymore. Sorta makes me question everything. My oldest daughter is also 13. Probably time to explain the FSM to her, too.

I have not noticed any worn hinges, and the latch point still appears to have plenty of “meat”. So, hopefully I’ll get a few more years out of this stove. I just bought another used Mansfield a bit over a year ago that appeared to be gently used, so I was able to replace the gasket on that one and swap doors to get me through. A little high temperature grease on the latch made operation smooth.

I’ve been wanting a PE T6 ever since I got the Mansfield (the ex wanted soapstone, so I had to compromise) and I almost bought one a year ago...but something always comes up, like “hey, I know an elderly couple that has a Mansfield for sale...you could probably get it for a steal”. And I did.

So, looks like hearthstone will have a place in my home for the foreseeable future.