Jotul f600 cracking problems

[Toolmaker Ted]

Hello all. New member here so forgive me if I am starting a thread in the wrong place. I have been around steel wood stoves my whole life but my wife and I decided on the f600 for our newly aquired home and this is the first season burning this beast of a stove. We have followed jotuls burning suggestions and have never over fired this unit nor have we ever used the ash pan door to get a fire going. We have been running the stove in the 450 to 600 degree temp all season and have not experienced any issues with lack of draft or unseasoned wood. During a thourough cleaning I have discovered the bottom of the stove has developed a very substantial crack. My question is this....our dealer and my wife and I are having a difficult time dealing with jotul on the warranty work on this unit. Jotul says the only way to crack this stove is to run it with the ash door open but we know that we have not done that. Has anyone else experienced a cracked jotul or difficulties dealing with them on warranty work? It is going on three weeks now and that just seems like a long time to get something only 5 months old with problems taken care of. Thanks for any and all responses

 

[begreen]

Most commonly this is caused by using the ashpan door for fire starting. Has the ashpan door gasket been checked to see if it is faulty or not sealing well? Also, have you checked behind the ashpan for ash buildup that might be preventing the ashpan door from closing tightly?

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

Yes and yes...the door seal has been checked and there was no ash build up behind the pan. Not only are we at a loss on the culprit to the crack but we are getting a little irritated that it has taken almost three weeks and we still have no solid answer on what has happened and what Jotul is going to do about it.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

i should add, we have only used the ash pan for the first week of burning and then resorted back to a good ol shovel and bucket to remove them. do you think that the ashes being built up indefinatly seem to have maybe caused a problem? my ash grate doesnt seem to show any signs of being worse for wear.

 

[schortie]

Sorry about your woes. That can surely be frustrating - especially with such a great stove. I suppose another thing to consider is how you completed your break-in fires. If you went at them too aggressively, that may have caused the crack.

 

[Simonkenton]

I read on here of several guys who just leave the ash pan door closed on their F500 Oslos and clean out ashes with a shovel. So a month ago began doing that, haven't opened the ash pan door in a month. I hope that doesn't cause damage.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

Sorry about your woes. That can surely be frustrating - especially with such a great stove. I suppose another thing to consider is how you completed your break-in fires. If you went at them too aggressively, that may have caused the crack.

i believe we broke this unit in ok, we followed the recomended process from jotul. I suppose our thermo might have been giving false temps but i am not sure. We no longer have that thermometer so i cant check it to verify if it was reading correctly or not

 

[xman23]

Humm.....I think the dealer needs to get a response from Jotul, as they won't answer end users.

 

[claydogg84]

I wouldn't be surprised if Jotul denies your claim. It sounds as if they've already told you what they think, that the stove has been run with the ash door open. While that may or may not be true, I don't foresee an easy fight for you.

 

[begreen]

I read on here of several guys who just leave the ash pan door closed on their F500 Oslos and clean out ashes with a shovel. So a month ago began doing that, haven't opened the ash pan door in a month. I hope that doesn't cause damage.

No, that is not going to cause any issues.

 

[begreen]

i believe we broke this unit in ok, we followed the recomended process from jotul. I suppose our thermo might have been giving false temps but i am not sure. We no longer have that thermometer so i cant check it to verify if it was reading correctly or not

Do the cracks radiate to the corners from the grate area? Can you post a picture or two of the cracks?

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

yes, there is only the one crack but it goes from the rear left side of the grate clear through to the outside of the stove. i can post pics of it in a little while. Our dealer seems to believe that there is something else a foot after taking a look at the stove itself. Let me ask you guys this, are the rear heat plates on either side of the fire box supposed to be a snug fit? the one on the right has no movement while the one on the left where the crack is has a substantial amount of play. Is there a gasket behind them, do the just sit in there, or are they cemented in place? Also, does excessive amounts of creosote on the inside of the ashpan door indicate a potential problem? This stove has been great for the five months that we have burned in it so we really want to be able to stay with this stove. I guess i just am used to a good ol steel stove (All Nighter Big Moe that has needed nothing more than a door gasket and new bricks in it since 1978 or so) and maybe i am expecting to much out of a cast iron EPA unit.

 

[begreen]

There are other reasons cast can crack. It could be a casting flaw. The area could have been dropped as the stove was assembled. Work with your dealer and keep in touch. You are not expecting too much from a cast iron stove. The F600 has a good long track record as did its predecessor. With an assistant, check the ash pan area and the firebox with a bright light in the stove and the room lights out. See if there are any light leaks indicating an air leak too.

 

[Boiler74]

yes, there is only the one crack but it goes from the rear left side of the grate clear through to the outside of the stove. i can post pics of it in a little while. Our dealer seems to believe that there is something else a foot after taking a look at the stove itself. Let me ask you guys this, are the rear heat plates on either side of the fire box supposed to be a snug fit? the one on the right has no movement while the one on the left where the crack is has a substantial amount of play. Is there a gasket behind them, do the just sit in there, or are they cemented in place? Also, does excessive amounts of creosote on the inside of the ashpan door indicate a potential problem? This stove has been great for the five months that we have burned in it so we really want to be able to stay with this stove. I guess i just am used to a good ol steel stove (All Nighter Big Moe that has needed nothing more than a door gasket and new bricks in it since 1978 or so) and maybe i am expecting to much out of a cast iron EPA unit.

Sorry for the trouble you are having.

Not sure what you define as excessive but I do get creosote on my ash pan door. I do not feel that I have an air leak at the door. I did some research and was left feeling as this was normal for this stove. But I don't know how you define excessive. I do use the ash pan as intended.

We are getting a warming trend. I can look at my heat plates for you if the stove goes cold. Although at this point without looking in the stove I'm not sure what you are speaking of.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Personally, I'd get it replaced if possible and sell it. My Jotul Castine has been great but my experience with Jotul as a company is awful. Their version of customer service is inadequate at best. Because of this, and needing a larger stove, I'm getting rid of my Jotul hopefully this year. A stove of that price point should be of quality that is nearly impossible to crack except for situations of gross misoperation. This doesn't sound like the case so the problem is either shipping damage or a flaw in the material. Both warrant replacement at no cost to you.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

ok, my boy is helping dad put these pics on so I hope it all comes in ok.

ok, the first two pics are of the crack inside the stove....the second two pics are of the crack on the outside of the stove and a pic of the nice flat grate if that means anything!? What is everyone else's opinions. I hate to hear that Central VA Heat, my wife and I have been very pleased with this stove until now and to hear your disdain with jotul further exacerbates our predicament! If I may, what was your problem with their customer service? Hopefully I will hear one way or the other tomorrow so I can lay this to rest

 

[begreen]

I can see why Jotul thinks this is the ash pan door issue. It strongly resembles the ash pan open cracks we have seen reported here. The grate will show no stress or issues in this case. It usually shows up when the interior grate area of the base is forced to heat up very rapidly while the exterior of the stove is still cold. FWIW, I don't think that a loose side plate has any relation to this crack. Check to see if there are any airleaks in the ash pan area.

You might ping stovelark and see what he thinks. He works for an excellent Jotul dealership in CT.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

I can see why Jotul thinks this is the ash pan door issue. It strongly resembles the ash pan open cracks we have seen reported here. The grate will show no stress or issues in this case. It usually shows up when the interior grate area of the base is forced to heat up very rapidly while the exterior of the stove is still cold. FWIW, I don't think that a loose side plate has any relation to this crack. Check to see if there are any airleaks in the ash pan area.

You might ping stovelark and see what he thinks. He works for an excellent Jotul dealership in CT.

Forgive me for my lack of knowledge with the good ol interweb and electronics in general, but how do I ping this gentleman

 

[claydogg84]

Forgive me for my lack of knowledge with the good ol interweb and electronics in general, but how do I ping this gentleman

@stovelark

 

[begreen]

Start a conversation by double clicking on what looks like a cell phone icon in the upper right. (circled in red)

Then click on the "Start a Conversation" button and list stovelark as the participant. Copy a link (the url) from this thread and paste it in the Conversation thread to point him to details we have discussed.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

Start a conversation by double clicking on what looks like a cell phone icon in the upper right. (circled in red)
View attachment 174969
Then click on the "Start a Conversation" button and list stovelark as the participant. Copy a link (the url) from this thread and paste it in the Conversation thread to point him to details we have discussed.

Sounds good. Thank you for your assisstance

 

[begreen]

Good luck. I know I would be pretty bummed out if this happened to me. Look hard for an air leak in the ash pan compartment. If you find a flaw, that is your smoking gun.

 

[Toolmaker Ted]

Good luck. I know I would be pretty bummed out if this happened to me. Look hard for an air leak in the ash pan compartment. If you find a flaw, that is your smoking gun.

Will do. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[Simonkenton]

That crack is a bad deal. I hope you get it straightened out.
I have been burning wood stoves for 38 years. Just got my Jotul 4 months ago and I love it! I have the Oslo. This is really a great stove.
I hope you get your problems straightened out.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

ok, my boy is helping dad put these pics on so I hope it all comes in ok.
View attachment 174964 View attachment 174965 View attachment 174966 View attachment 174967 View attachment 174968
ok, the first two pics are of the crack inside the stove....the second two pics are of the crack on the outside of the stove and a pic of the nice flat grate if that means anything!? What is everyone else's opinions. I hate to hear that Central VA Heat, my wife and I have been very pleased with this stove until now and to hear your disdain with jotul further exacerbates our predicament! If I may, what was your problem with their customer service? Hopefully I will hear one way or the other tomorrow so I can lay this to rest

It is impossible to get in touch with Jotul directly. It is reasonable for them to rely on dealers as the main form of communication for their consumers. However, when clarification is needed beyond what a dealer can or will provide, the company should be available through phone or email to answer questions. Jotul simply is not.

Without getting into too much detail, I am the head of the warranty department for a company in my area. It is my job to ensure customer satisfaction on products that people invest in, especially when it comes to manufacturer defect. I am also responsible for making sure customers get the answers they need on the products they buy. Every company I work with, that I can think of, prefers customers go through a dealer but also provides a consumer direct line where folks can effectively get resolution to questions and concerns. My experience with Jotul is they do not have a readily available consumer phone contact and, if you find it, they do not answer nor return calls. Poor form.