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)