Heatmax 2 rust

[Secondaryburns]

Second season with my new heatmax 2 and noticed some scale on the back of the firebox steel.Did a little digging and it is starting to rust out already.It appears the fiber backing between the brick and the steel is retaining moisture.Has anyone else experienced this?Basement is dry,wood is dry etc.
Looks like i caught it in time its just begining to surface rust.Id like to dig in further but wondering if i can use the furnace without the fiber between the metal and the brick.

 

[sloeffle]

I had a Caddy for 12 years, and I never saw any rust. It has a similar blanket between the brick and steel. I never unhooked my chimney in the summer time until recently. I did always put some desiccant bags in the furnace before summer though. Makes you wonder if might have changed the grade of steel they are using on these furnace vs the older ones to meet the price point.

You'll probably be interested in this thread

Drolet Heatmax 2 rust hole

Hey guys, Anyone have thier Heatmax/tundra rust out on the back air inlet to the firebox? I just took a good look because I swear my furnace was burning a lot hotter than usual and noticed this hole rusted out. (See picture). Also, yes, I did replace that firebrick after seeing it. Now my...

www.hearth.com

 

[Secondaryburns]

I had a Caddy for 12 years, and I never saw any rust. It has a similar blanket between the brick and steel. I never unhooked my chimney in the summer time until recently. I did always put some desiccant bags in the furnace before summer though. Makes you wonder if might have changed the grade of steel they are using on these furnace vs the older ones to meet the price point.

You'll probably be interested in this thread

Drolet Heatmax 2 rust hole

Hey guys, Anyone have thier Heatmax/tundra rust out on the back air inlet to the firebox? I just took a good look because I swear my furnace was burning a lot hotter than usual and noticed this hole rusted out. (See picture). Also, yes, I did replace that firebrick after seeing it. Now my...

www.hearth.com

Thank you.It appears im not the first.Going to call Sbi this morning

 

[brenndatomu]

Thank you.It appears im not the first.Going to call Sbi this morning

Good luck with that...last I heard they told the other guy to pound sand

 

[brenndatomu]

.Id like to dig in further but wondering if i can use the furnace without the fiber between the metal and the brick.

I had a Heatmax that I was having trouble getting to heat the house right, I peeled that insulation out of there to see if that would help, I didn't notice a difference in heat to the house, but it did affect how well the firebox would do the secondary burn...I ordered new insulation (its called ceramic fiber paper) and replaced it then

 

[Secondaryburns]

Good luck with that...last I heard they told the other guy to pound sand

Least i am trying.What else would you do?

 

[brenndatomu]

Least i am trying.What else would you do?

Oh I am not trying to discourage you, just literally saying hope you have better luck than the other fellow...I think it's ridiculous that 1-2 YO units are rusting out and you just get "sorry about your luck"...hope you don't though

 

[Secondaryburns]

Still waiting to hear back from sbi.I have a new home with a dry basement,and i burn 2 year seasoned hardwood.3K spent on a wood furnace that is rusting out after 1.5 seasons.
Disappointed beyond words

 

[Secondaryburns]

Just incase anyone is wondering and perhaps purchased a heatmax 2.This is what it looks like inside the firebox after a 225lb man struggles and gets in there removes the brick and scraped all the fiber and rust down to the metal on a 2 year old stove.
I ordered new fiber and sent pics to sbi.Will update

 

[Gbawol42]

I just sent you a message, but your rust and burning practices mimic mine. Even installed in the same spot.

So what is the cause of this is still my primary question. Because even if I somehow get this fixed I don't want it to happen again!

 

[Highbeam]

I just sent you a message, but your rust and burning practices mimic mine. Even installed in the same spot.

So what is the cause of this is still my primary question. Because even if I somehow get this fixed I don't want it to happen again!

Is there a high temperature paint that might survive here? And limit corrosion? Header paint is good to 1200. Behind the bricks of my stove at 700, the metal is under 500 degrees. I would hate to not try some coating before putting the bricks back in.

 

[Secondaryburns]

Is there a high temperature paint that might survive here? And limit corrosion? Header paint is good to 1200. Behind the bricks of my stove at 700, the metal is under 500 degrees. I would hate to not try some coating before putting the bricks back in.

Perhaps.But thats not fixing the problem.Why is it rusting to begin with?Been burning wood for over 30 yrs never had a rust problem in any of my other heating units?

 

[Gbawol42]

Perhaps.But thats not fixing the problem.Why is it rusting to begin with?Been burning wood for over 30 yrs never had a rust problem in any of my other heating units?

I actually makes me feel better knowing that there is someone with the same excact symptoms as me. I know it sucks, but perhaps we found a design flaw.

I have never had a wood burner rust like this. Heck my dad has had the same wood stove for the last 25 years and never had a rust issue, and he burns wood he just cut in the spring.

 

[Secondaryburns]

I actually makes me feel better knowing that there is someone with the same excact symptoms as me. I know it sucks, but perhaps we found a design flaw.

I have never had a wood burner rust like this. Heck my dad has had the same wood stove for the last 25 years and never had a rust issue, and he burns wood he just cut in the spring.

Exactly.Something isnt right

 

[brenndatomu]

there a high temperature paint that might survive here?

POR15 high temp

 

[woodey]

Does anyone know what country SBI is purchasing their steel from?

 

[Highbeam]

Perhaps.But thats not fixing the problem.Why is it rusting to begin with?Been burning wood for over 30 yrs never had a rust problem in any of my other heating units?

Correct, it shouldn’t rust like that but it is and a coating can only help. The prep work is done.

I know different alloys of steel are more prone to corrosion and I’m guessing we have a situation of the wrong alloy being used whether intentional or not.

 

[Gbawol42]

I know different alloys of steel are more prone to corrosion and I’m guessing we have a situation of the wrong alloy being used whether intentional or not.

This is the reason I am leery of spending the time or money fixing the stove up. I do not want to mess with this every 2-4 seasons.

I also don't want to paint the steel every season.

 

[Highbeam]

This is the reason I am leery of spending the time or money fixing the stove up. I do not want to mess with this every 2-4 seasons.

I also don't want to paint the steel every season.

What if the paint lasted for 5 or 10 seasons? My truck’s paint is 23 years old.

 

[Secondaryburns]

Correct, it shouldn’t rust like that but it is and a coating can only help. The prep work is done.

I know different alloys of steel are more prone to corrosion and I’m guessing we have a situation of the wrong alloy being used whether intentional or not.

What if the paint lasted for 5 or 10 seasons? My truck’s paint is 23 years old.

Why on earth should a homeowner have to go thru the misery of cleaning and scraping rust out the firebox of a 2 yr old woodstove they paid 3-4K for??I can tell you i just did it and its not enjoyable.Took me at least 6-7hours and now trying to heal my back and the rest of my body from trying to get into the firebox to clean and expose all the metal.Not to mention what those fiber papers are made of but im guessing they arent healthy to ingest even while wearing the appropriate breathing devices.
Firewood is dirty enough as it is,and to spend this kind of money on a new stove with these results makes me sick.

 

[Highbeam]

Why on earth should a homeowner have to go thru the misery of cleaning and scraping rust out the firebox of a 2 yr old woodstove they paid 3-4K for??I can tell you i just did it and its not enjoyable.Took me at least 6-7hours and now trying to heal my back and the rest of my body from trying to get into the firebox to clean and expose all the metal.Not to mention what those fiber papers are made of but im guessing they arent healthy to ingest even while wearing the appropriate breathing devices.
Firewood is dirty enough as it is,and to spend this kind of money on a new stove with these results makes me sick.

You shouldn’t have to do any of this. If SBI tells you to pound sand as it appears they may then you have to make a decision to go on with your life in the best way possible. If you coat it, you may solve the problem. If you don’t then you’ll be looking for a new furnace soon. Coating it now only costs you the paint.

You were sold defective equipment. I’m not trying to minimize that, but to come up with a plan for tomorrow.

 

[Gbawol42]

You shouldn’t have to do any of this. If SBI tells you to pound sand as it appears they may then you have to make a decision to go on with your life in the best way possible. If you coat it, you may solve the problem. If you don’t then you’ll be looking for a new furnace soon. Coating it now only costs you the paint.

You were sold defective equipment. I’m not trying to minimize that, but to come up with a plan for tomorrow.

But the point of a forum and bringing this up is to try and figure out why it happened.

Because if it is the equipments fault we need to be telling everyone who has this furnace the issue.

Also, I mentioned it before. If the firebox steel/design didn't change much from the heatmax 2 to the Heat Commander, I am leery of upgrading to that as well.

 

[Secondaryburns]

Update to this thread.Sbi replied saying as long as it is surface rust and there are no holes all is ok and to coat the firebox with oil.That it may have been caused by damp ceramic paper or brick during installation.Not really an option for me as the furnace is used daily and the oil would just evaporate.A member of sbi is trying to help,offering to possibly send paint,new paper and a stainless cover to go over the air tube at the back of the firebox.This is appreciated however it isnt going to fix the extensive corrosion that has already begun.I believe myself or others with this problem,while still under warranty should at least be given the option of having the firebox repaired or replaced.However it appears like im stuck with a new furnace that will likely be inoperable within another year or two.I suggest any heatmax 2 owners to check for corrosion at the back of their fireboxes,around the air tube at the bottom behind the brick and paper insulation.I dont believe myself and one other are the only ones with this issue.Some have mentioned bad steel,which could be as our serial numbers are not far off.Looking for others thoughts and opinions on this

 

[Tonty]

Interesting thought, coat the firebox with oil…why not just turn it into an oilburner?! 😵‍💫Seems like weird advice for the firebox of a wood burner. Although I’m not sure what smoke point is of oil (lower) the boiling point is quite high, so maybe it would work, but I wouldn’t want to try. I suppose this is all behind fire brick or insulation?

 

[Secondaryburns]

Interesting thought, coat the firebox with oil…why not just turn it into an oilburner?! 😵‍💫Seems like weird advice for the firebox of a wood burner. Although I’m not sure what smoke point is of oil (lower) the boiling point is quite high, so maybe it would work, but I wouldn’t want to try. I suppose this is all behind fire brick or insulation?

Correct.Firebrick,insulation,then steel.Not sure how hot the steel gets...but i figure the oil wouldnt be long burning off?
I want folks to know im not trying to discredit Drolet or Sbi.Just very disappointed and looking for some strait answers.