Old Defiant 2 crack in bottom

[soot]

I just got an old Defiant 2 which seemed to be in excellent shape, but when I vacuumed the inside I discovered a 6 inch hairline crack in the middle of the bottom of the stove.

The crack may go through to the underside. There is a hairline crack (barely visible) on the underside, also about 6 inches long, also in the middle, running in the same direction as the one on top.

I have attached 2 pictures of the crack on the top side of the bottom. The first is a closeup and the second shows its location on the bottom of the stove. The blue triangles show the start and end points of the crack. Only the middle portion is visible in the pictures (the start and end are barely visible on the stove).

I couldn't get the crack on the underside to show up in a picture.

My guess is that the stove was used without the recommended layer of ash or sand.

Is it safe to use the stove as it is (with a layer of ash or sand), or does the bottom have to be replaced? I would run the stove 24/7 through the winter.

 

[begreen]

Well, that is not good. Did the seller disclose this? The days for that base are numbered, be prepared to replace, possibly mid season if the crack spreads. You can try to extend it by drilling an 1/8" hole at the farthest extents of the crack and keeping a good bed of sand or ash on top. But this is a good time to consider a rebuild with a new base.

 

[soot]

Thanks, BeGreen. No, seller didn't disclose, and stated there were no cracks. I'll probably take the rebuild and replace route, but if I were to drill holes to try to stop it from spreading, what would you suggest fillling them with? Stove cement?

Any guess as to the likelihood that the crack will spread if it's just left as it is?

Have any present or past old Defiant owners out there ever experienced this problem?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

If left as is, the crack will spread each time the plate flexes with heating and cooling. If you drill the holes, you can plug them with furnace cement, but it will slowly work it's way out. It's better than nothing though.

It's possible that the previous owner did everything right and it cracked on it's own. It happens. He may not have known the crack was there buried under ash and it not being a large crack.

Matt