Heritage 2024 too much air issue

[SuperDK7]

We've had our stove going on 3 full years now. Near the end of last winter, we had a constant and noticeable flame at the right side front of stove. The technician recently added extra sealant at the bottom of the stones on the right side even though he didn't think there was any issue. He also tightened the bolts where the ash pan would go if we had one. They were all lose, but one was more than the others. He changed all of the door gaskets and said the front door gasket was completely gone. We're finding that the slow burn setting on the primary air control does not seem to be working as much as it should and burning too hot. We also had the technician look at the lever and he said they are always loose, but we had always had a bump in ours when sliding to the right, just before it was all the way to the right. Now it freely slides all the way to the right.
We can tell that the lever is connected because it notably changes the amount of flame, but there's way too much flame when it's turned all the way down.
It's learn as you go for our technician. The first time 2 years ago he took the entire stove apart and didn't connect a spring in the left side door, so it fell open many times as we got used to it no longer opening hard and staying where we left it.

I'm concerned that maybe parts were removed and not re-installed or not re-installed correctly for the air intake(s)? Is there any place I can check?
Dollar bills do not pass though the doors when they are closed, not even a little. Incense candle reveals no leaks. We do not get any smoke smell in the house. Yet, there's too much air getting in somehow and the primary air level no longer cuts the air down to almost nothing like it always has.

We live near large farm fields and added a damper that is only used when absolutely necessary and is the one the manufacturer recommends for high wind areas. We've had to close the damper a few times while the stove was on slow burn to keep the stove from overheating. This is when it's put into slow burn and an 30-60 minutes later the stove went up 300F further.

Do you know of any YouTube videos or instruction that cover the air intake and how to inspect it? Someone suggested an issue with the air intake flow inside the stove and said it's supposed to come up the bottom back (behind a metal cover) and then evenly flow to both sides of the stove. They also said there's a secondary air intake on the bottom right, but again I have not been able to find any information on how to inspect it.

 

[VirginiaIron]

We've had our stove going on 3 full years now. Near the end of last winter, we had a constant and noticeable flame at the right side front of stove. The technician recently added extra sealant at the bottom of the stones on the right side even though he didn't think there was any issue. He also tightened the bolts where the ash pan would go if we had one. They were all lose, but one was more than the others. He changed all of the door gaskets and said the front door gasket was completely gone. We're finding that the slow burn setting on the primary air control does not seem to be working as much as it should and burning too hot. We also had the technician look at the lever and he said they are always loose, but we had always had a bump in ours when sliding to the right, just before it was all the way to the right. Now it freely slides all the way to the right.
We can tell that the lever is connected because it notably changes the amount of flame, but there's way too much flame when it's turned all the way down.
It's learn as you go for our technician. The first time 2 years ago he took the entire stove apart and didn't connect a spring in the left side door, so it fell open many times as we got used to it no longer opening hard and staying where we left it.

I'm concerned that maybe parts were removed and not re-installed or not re-installed correctly for the air intake(s)? Is there any place I can check?
Dollar bills do not pass though the doors when they are closed, not even a little. Incense candle reveals no leaks. We do not get any smoke smell in the house. Yet, there's too much air getting in somehow and the primary air level no longer cuts the air down to almost nothing like it always has.

We live near large farm fields and added a damper that is only used when absolutely necessary and is the one the manufacturer recommends for high wind areas. We've had to close the damper a few times while the stove was on slow burn to keep the stove from overheating. This is when it's put into slow burn and an 30-60 minutes later the stove went up 300F further.

Do you know of any YouTube videos or instruction that cover the air intake and how to inspect it? Someone suggested an issue with the air intake flow inside the stove and said it's supposed to come up the bottom back (behind a metal cover) and then evenly flow to both sides of the stove. They also said there's a secondary air intake on the bottom right, but again I have not been able to find any information on how to inspect it.

Not sure if this applies to your stove. My stove developed a ball bearing feel under the supply damper plate and I noticed the stove did not seem to bank down to the point it would almost shut off (under temp) as it would when it was new. We took everything apart and found bugs and welding slag all in the air tube channels. Probably some PM that should have been earlier, especially since the welding slag/beads were found (a QC issue). The debris was vacuumed out and compressed air was shot up the air tubes and channels to clean everything out. and the stove noticeably behaved now as if it were new again. AND, now the air supply damper plate (one function x 2 openings) slides across the openings like a razor scraping the surface rather than rolling/sliding on debris.

 

[SuperDK7]

Thanks, I've been trying to find a YouTube video on how to remove and clean the air channels. The only thing I was told was that the air runs through the metal cover in the center back of stove and then out sideways in air pipes. I took the bottom cover off the stove and where the primary air control lever was a .5" square chunk of black plastic that looked like it was broken off of something. It did not appear to be a part that went to the stove, as if it fell into it during manufacturing.

I think the wrong size door gasket rope was used on the front and side doors, just because they close so easily and had always felt like a cushion was there when closing. They pass the dollar bill test easily, so no air leaking in. I tightened the glass screws which were all a but loose.

The technician said all of the top stones were lose because he could lift them up with a screwdriver. He cemented them back on. When I was looking at the inside of the stove I tried to move the two bottom stones and they moved with my hand as if only the weight was holding them in place. There's only a thin line of cement squiggled on the bottom of them, and they sit on the edges of two metal rectangles, so I can't imagine how anyone would expect cement to hold them in place when they only have a very thin edged rectangle to site on top of.

Oh, when he removed the top stones there were one or two rods that hold the top and bottom right side together. He tightened those up a lot in case air may had been getting in through the frame. There's non on the left side because the door is there. Now when I look at the stove the top right side is noticeably lower than the left side. I do not know if it was this way before it was tightened, but the gap is doubled where the top sits on the left side than the right side now.

One more thing that I forgot to mention. When I look into the stove pipe connector on the back of the stove there was a handful of cloth material. He removed it all. He cut a new piece and just left it is sitting where he thought it might go. We looked in the parts manual but neither one of us could tell how it should have been installed.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I’m so sorry you are experiencing these issues with your stove. I’m sure the stove was NOT out of square before the technician made those adjustments.

Is the top level and square? I’d have him come back and square it up.

Does it operate properly now?

The cloth like material is probably (item 22) a fire-wool blanket and may have rested above/behind the baffles.

Pictures of the gaps, blanket, plastic piece, etc. would be nice.

Is this your stove?

Heritage IV Wood Stove (8024)

 

[SuperDK7]

We're about to give up and discard the stove. I just emailed the manufacturer with the complaints and to see if they could find an experienced and certified technician to see if the stove can be repaired. I spent a week finding part numbers of what I think the stove needs and the springs are over $100 each. It turns out my stove was the very first stove the technician serviced and they had him disassemble and reassemble the stove to learn on.

• 5240‑142 — Side Door Torsion Spring (Qty: 2)
• 3120‑025 — Rear Baffle Blanket
• 90‑58230 — Full Gasket Kit
• 90‑58313 — Catalyst Gasket Kit
  

From my findings with the original air leak, there was an air leak somewhere between the frame and stones. It could have been anywhere, but found it's outlet on the right side of the stove near the bottom. Tightening the stove's right side caused the stove to be out of square which is noticeable. The door gaskets on both doors did not "feel" normal, more like metal on metal after they were changed last time. There was no cushion feeling closing the doors. The technician showed me the top stones lifted up with a screwdriver, so he cemented them back down and had to stand on top of the stove to push them down into place to ensure a good seal. Yes, he walked and stood on top of the stones. He said they must have came lose when the stove backfired a couple of years prior when we didn't know how to use it correctly. Last season, every time the stove hit a specific temperature, I think it was 500F, it would give a loud metal expansion bang sound. The sound happened at the same temperature each time.

With a 6" long finger size flame constantly present through the entire last season we no longer trust our local dealer which is why we may discard the stove and purchase a normal steel wood stove that is simpler to service. The constant flame burns that portion of the stove hotter and the wood burns in that area first. It is as if someone has a lighter with a 6" long flame 1/4-1/2" round shooting in from the right side , about top hinge level of the front door, a couple of inches inside. There's no hole anywhere. I put bright lights on the inside of the stove and could not see any light shining through the stove. We tried the incest smoke trick and did not get any reactions on the right side. It is if the air is somehow being supplied to the inside right side of the stove somehow. We also have no smoke escaping into the room this past season. I've vacuumed out the stove completely and checked everywhere around it, no cracks or anything.

I found this description that explains the flame:
A single, steady flame finger inside a wood stove — especially one that:

• stays in one exact spot
• shoots inward like a lighter flame
• is visible clearly through the glass
• persists regardless of wood position

— is caused by forced secondary air escaping through a gap.

 

[SuperDK7]

Just an update. I learned how to work on my own as the only option other than discarding it.
The springs for the left door were there, but the axle pin for one hinge was broken in half where the pin goes through the spring collar. I noticed the break was uneven, rotated the pin so that it fit better with the other end that was still in the collar. That issues is now resolved, the door stays open without slamming down. It must be a factory defect in the pin for it to break in half. It works fine now that the two broken ends are pushed together inside the collar.

The door gaskets had 1/2" gasket for the glass instead of 1/4" and the door rope was also the wrong size. The door seemed to have many years of rope and glue built up. It took about 3 hours with a wood chisel, pliers, rubbing alcohol, and a wire brush to clean it per youtube instructions. Both doors close nicely and we can feel the rope gasket working, no more metal on metal from the last time the tech changed them.

We loosened the right-side nuts to help the stove top from leaning so much and it helps with the loud metal bang when the stove hit 500F. The top is still noticeably lower on the right side, but I didn't want to do too much at once.

The finger flame is no longer present. My guess is that air was being sucked in through the front door gaskets. I also vacuumed out the front fresh air hole at the front of the stove where the wood goes. There's noticeably air movement from that hole now. I replaced the combustion blankets and figured out a nice trick to make them easy to install. I Flattened them out on a table with my hand and then held them in place with painting masking tape. There's no way they'd fit without being flattened. The specs say they were 1/4", but the Internet says most are 1/2" unless purchased from the manufacturer. Even though the looked about 1/4" I figured I smush them flat anyways. They expanded after the first fire.

Oh, the blanket that is seen from the rear pipe hole was correct the correct size but was supposed to have a few drops of cement to hold it in place. I found one place on the entire Internet that explained the blanks will puff up and no longer look flat after few hot fires and that the manufacturer puts several of them stacked, but only one if it is ever replaced.

The stove is working as good as new now. I guess the secret to owning a wood stove is to maintain it yourself.

 

[Egbert Souse']

I bought my first wood Stove at the end of '24. A Hearthstone Craftsbury. It has always had too much air at the lowest setting. It will shoot 18" long flames out of the secondary tubes up past the baffle with the air control fully closed. In a fully loaded stove even with 2 stove pipe dampers it is difficult to control. Without any of the symptoms you mention I can only chalk it up to a tall chimney with a stove that's minimum burn rate is set too high from the manufacturer due to their crazy draft requirements.

Dealer recommend a Lopi and gets very defensive when I mention that the stove burns fast and our of control when hot. I haven't even bothered to have him come out and essentially kick the proverbial tires and tell me that I should've bought the Lopi.

Like you, I simply took matters into my own hands. I added the 2 stove pipe dampers and the blower kit to cool the top of the stove and distribute the crazy heat. If the tech servicing your stove can learn on the fly so can you. Glad to hear it's worked out for you. Gives me hope for mine too.