Nuts, Hearthstone problem

[brian_in_idaho]

Well, I just watched my new Mansfield head back to the dealer. We had 2 issues. First, there was a damaged area on the surface of one of the stones, maybe 1/16 deep, about 1 in square. Looks like it bounced against something in shipment. So, can a soapstone panel on a Hearthstone be replaced, or patched?

Second issue, and the one that put it on the truck. One of the legs was real loose, we found that the stud that goes into the stove was "unattached". It looks like these are long and go all the way up the corner to the top casting, drawing the whole stove together. Either the threads were stripped out or it backed out of either a tapped hole in the cast iron, or a nut backed off, we aren't sure just what it attaches to. The guys are taking it back to the dealer, the Hearthstone rep is going to check it out. We didn't get the stud all the way out of the stove to check out the end.

OK, I have a couple of questions. First, assuming the issue with the stud/rod can be fixed (it just may be a matter of getting it started way up a blind hole), will the fact that this has been loose have resulted in racking/loostening of the cement joint? And second, if the bad tile is patched or replaced, is this as good a fix as a new stove. I guess what I'm asking is should I accept this stove if it is "repaired"? The dealer is going to check on a replacement for me and let me know.

I'm disappointed, but not mad at either Hearthstone or the dealer...yet. These things happen. My opinion will be formed by what happens next. But dang that was a good looking stove! I hope I don't have to wait till November or December for one.

Bri

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Hmmmm, lets see. I would guess that the stove took a hit in shipment. A soapstone panel is not easly replaceable, no. I would think that they would replace the stove with one undamaged, or credit you back some cash for having a stove in less the new condition. I enamel chip is somwhat common, but a chip out of the stone is not that common. I dont think either issue will effect the performance of the stove what so ever, and the stone is pinned with steel flat rods so its not likely that there is any structual damage. If it were my dealership, and i had another one in stock, i would get it out to you, put the dinged one on the floor on sale, and get a factory second or freight damage claim to make up the lost monies. If i didnt have one in stock, i would give you the choice of taking it repaired, with a discount porportional to the damage, or let you wait for a new one to come in. One fact, hearthstone is on a seroius backlog, so i wouldnt expect a new stove from the factory untill mid november, and i dont think he is going to tear apart mansfield to replace a stone. If he did, then i would accept it as new.
Your other choice would be to trade him with any mansfield he has in stock, and not get to picky about color, that is if he has any in stock.
There would never realy need to get hearthstone involved on your end, it seems like its a trucking company's problem, and your dealer.

 

[Rhone]

If there are going to be problems, soapstone stoves seem to be more common to have them compounded by the bigger models. Sometimes, the soapstone has a water pocket in it that even following the break in routine it can't escape. Then, when you light your hot fire the water turns to steam and pops a little piece of soapstone off. The Mansfield having so much soapstone and so much weight, your chances are far higher than normal. As for the bolts & things, go around and make sure they're all tight because they're always loose after shipping. I went around and did mine, had a half dozen that were loose. Time & time again a poster asks if a loose bolt is normal, I think more often than not, anyone getting a new stove that goes and tightens their bolts will find some loose. Particularly check your ashpan bolts when you get it back they're notorious for being loose after shipping. Anyway, I feel your pain. Takes the wind out of your sails.

 

[brian_in_idaho]

Hmmmm, lets see. I would guess that the stove took a hit in shipment. A soapstone panel is not easly replaceable, no. I would think that they would replace the stove with one undamaged, or credit you back some cash for having a stove in less the new condition. I enamel chip is somwhat common, but a chip out of the stone is not that common. I dont think either issue will effect the performance of the stove what so ever, and the stone is pinned with steel flat rods so its not likely that there is any structual damage. If it were my dealership, and i had another one in stock, i would get it out to you, put the dinged one on the floor on sale, and get a factory second or freight damage claim to make up the lost monies. If i didnt have one in stock, i would give you the choice of taking it repaired, with a discount porportional to the damage, or let you wait for a new one to come in. One fact, hearthstone is on a seroius backlog, so i wouldnt expect a new stove from the factory untill mid november, and i dont think he is going to tear apart mansfield to replace a stone. If he did, then i would accept it as new.
Your other choice would be to trade him with any mansfield he has in stock, and not get to picky about color, that is if he has any in stock.
There would never realy need to get hearthstone involved on your end, it seems like its a trucking company's problem, and your dealer.

My dealer is a fairly small one, they only had this Mansfield in stock. The installer did say that they had another one just like it on order...due in November. They were also going to call around about a replacement, either via Hearthstone or another dealer. We'll see. The damage was on one side of the stove, not the top or front...but it's on the side that is open to the room, figures. It seems like somewhere I read about a means of filling/patching soapstone with an epoxy/powdered stone mix. I could live with that, for perhaps a modest discount in the price in the stove. And as to the issue with the loose stud (draw bar might be a better term), if it can be started into whatever it threads into, I doubt that any damage has been done to the cement joints, or if so that it should be visible. Can these be joints be repaired pretty easily if the cement fails?

I'm not real excited with accepting the stove with the stone damage if it can't be pretty well hidden...I'm paying good money for one of the more expensive stoves on the market, largely because of the appearance, I want it looking good when I get it. I am somewhat screwed now though if the dealer can't make good one way or the other, given that the price increase is now in effect, and this dealer had a good price on stoves in the first place. We'll see how it plays out, the dealer asked me to give him a couple of days to look into things and get back to me, only fair. I'm hoping they can lay a guilt trip on Hearthstone and expedite a new one....unlikely I guess, but we'll see.

I hoped to be posting pics of the break-in fire right about now.

Bri

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Brian, its dissapointing i know, I dont know about any epoxy fix, i didnt know that epoxy could stand up to that heat for that amount of time. There isnt a floor model in the showroom that he would be willing to trade out? The joints are easy to fix, but i doubt that they moved, that stove is pinned together with alot of metal. Its going to boil down to money. If he gives you your money back you will spend more on a new one somwhere else. If he gave you a great deal to begin with, he wont have alot of room to take much more off for the damage. If you wait, its going to be weeks, of course the ideal situation would be if another local dealer will help him out, to bad stove shops arent as freindly with each other as car dealerships.

 

[brian_in_idaho]

The wife and I talked, if we wait till November for a new one, its not the end of the world. We probably won't be into the house until October anyway and I can always burn electrons for a month or too. We're going to keep an open mind, if the stud can be started and the worst of the soapstone damage hidden, maybe oiled to get the "white" of the worn area darkened to the color of the rest of the soapstone we'll think about it, otherwise we'll wait. Probably a good thing, this will get us one with the new latch design anyway. Just anxious to get burning.

BTW, I think you are right on the epoxy patch, I saw that on patching countertops, not stoves. The highest temp epoxies I see are 300C (about 570F).

MSG and Rhonemas, thanks for all the input on this and my other threads about the Mansfield.

Have either of you had one of these stoves apart to see what the corner draw bars thread into? If it's part of the casting, I think this one is pretty much hosed, we couldn't get it to "start". There could be a nut up there that is spinning or out of position when the shaft is turned. Hard to figure out whats going on when you can't see it.

Bri

 

[Corie]

Brian,

I can understand how disappointed you are. I think the decision that you are your wife came to, regarding possibly waiting until Nov. to get the stove is the best option. I would say that, for the money, you should not accept the product until you are 100% satisfied. If that means waiting, well, so be it, I guess. But for all that money, I wouldn't want anything wrong with any of the stone, even if it could be well hidden. I guess I am too picky to accept a stove with any damage, even if minimal.

At least you're not going to be SOL if you don't have the stove right away. Just stinks, because we were all looking forward to seeing that sucker burning.

 

[brian_in_idaho]

Well, I talked with the dealer yesterday, they were able to replace the drawbar, everything is functional, but they didn't want to cut the price the $300 they hinted they would for the damage. Made the decision easier, we are going to wait till November for the stove, and get a new, untouched one. For the price, and given that this is a significant centerpiece to the room, its smarter to wait. It gives me a chance to get more work done on the house and get the cap on the hearth wall anyway. I also have a chance to get ahead on the wood pile before I start buring it down! If the stove were in the house I'd be sitting in front of it with a beer every night watching the flames, instead of getting work done.

Thanks for the input everyone.

Bri