Osburn 1800 Wood Insert- noisy blower-fixed

[brink]

I installed an Osburn 1800 wood burning insert this past January. I used it 3-1/2 months only burning 24/7 on the weekends and evenings during the week.
I must say I am disapointed with the manufacturing of this insert. The lower door hinge needed adjustment out of the crate. It also came with the wrong size fire brick on the bottom.The door gasket started to un-ravel at the bottom joint, and one of the gaskets in between the bay window is coming off on the inside like the glass is cutting it. That was 3 months new.

Over the summer I re-faced my fireplace so I disassembled the insert and stored it in th attic, out of the way.

When I re-assembled the insert this past October, the blower made a noisy rattle at various speeds. I discovered that the thermo disc was loose. It is held in place by two small sheet metal screws that appear to loosen up over time. They were stripped and could not be tightened. I installed better screws and the noise was gone when the blower turned on.
Here it is about a month and a half later and the thermo disc is now acting up. The blower sometimes turns on and sometimes not. I bypassed the thermo disc and the blower works fine. I ordered two new replacement discs.
According to the warranty the bricks and the thermo disc are covered, but it is easier for me to DIY rather than wait for the dealer to repair it. It has not even been a year and within that year only operational 4-5 months at best.
For a pricey insert the quality seems very poor. Even the sheet metal surround could be a little thicker. Now that I have learned more about stoves, I would have certainly chose another manufacturer. Live and learn.

 

[KateC]

Hey brink Glad you're still around! I've had similar issues with my Os---it's not unusual for any stove to need door adjustment right out of the box---mine was wonky too. My door gasket started going after I shut a big hot coal in it--oops, and my dealer (not that I trust him much--long story) said the loose gasket material between the bay glass is 'excess' and not to worry about it. I keep an eye on it and after 3 winters plan to replace all gaskets next season anyway. My installers had to level the stove to sit even, then buggered up the blower housing to avoid the door scraping on it, and after that the thermo disc wasn't lined up right, so we also just bypassed it altogether. I wouldn't recommend a newbie do that, but I watch the temps carefully and only engage the blower when the temp is over 350---and then just on low for awhile. I actually like having manual control over it better, as it always seemed to shut off way too soon. I only burn evenings and when I'm not going to re-load I want every last btu possible.

I've also thought I'd go with a different stove, but it really was the best option for us at the time, and I figure the 'issues' are fairly minor, and some of the 'better' more expensive brands have had their share of problems too---some alot worse, like bad welds. I know it's a pain though. How's she heating for you? This is the first winter I have a nice supply of dry dry dry red oak and my stove loves it! Gonna get the real test these next few days up here.

 

[brink]

Hi there Kate.
Good to hear from you and your past Osburn issues. Now I don't feel so alone. I guess I'm old fashioned, expecting true value out of anything that costs over $100 bucks. The stove has heated ok. We just had new insulated siding and doors installed, so I hoping for better heating days ahead. I've been burning mostly maple wth a little oak so I suppose if it were all oak I'g get a better output.
Funny, I was just reading the Osburn owners manual and they recommend that after you get a good hot fire going, close the damper all the way. This must help the effeciency and take longer burns. I have always been concerned about smoldering so I never closed the daper all the way. I will begin experimenting with it.
What got me going on my rant was after doing work for a new customer ( I'm an electrical contractor) who has a Dutchwest hearth stove, I saw how much heat it gave off, a nice side load door, takes 18 inch logs, has a nice ash pan which can be emptied while the stove is burning and cost around the same as th Osburn. I kick myself for not learning more about wood stoves, especially hearth stoves, when I did my install. The thing I really like is that side load door that you can load standing up. My Osburn is on top of my 4 inch hearth and I have to kneel every time I load it. Ok, no more whining. I like my Osburn and am thankful that you helped me out of my funk.
I am thinking of wiring a thermo disc bypass switch on my blower. That way I can choose auto or manual. I now have it bypassed since I'm waiting for my new disc to arrive. It's nice to be able to turn the blower on or off when I want, but I still want the auto option for overnight burns so I know the darn thing will work when I'm sleeping.
If you'd like a wiring diagram of the bypass switch I can send you one.

Stay warm,
Paul

 

[KateC]

I hear you Paul. When little stuff is buggered up makes you wonder about the rest. A friend of mine bought a brand new VW---special-ordered and very pricey. Within the first week the alarm would go off while he was driving, one of the seat-adjust knobs broke off in his hand and the back hatch wouldn't open. No safety issues but jeez, right 'out of the box'.
I also understand the envy of other stoves--I'm obsessed with checking out every one I come across and always wonder how it would heat MY house, especially since I read and hear stories of people keeping their houses at 90d with 4 splits, etc., and I'll never come close with my set-up. We have new windows and add more insulation in stages, and I mess around with fans and such to move the heat and it has helped. My man has made noises about upgrading the stove and re-building the hearth but if you take half the money that would cost and put it into the house itself you're better off I think. I don't agree with using an over-sized stove to heat a small leaky house--just as wasteful as anything else IMO.
My stove is on a 4'' hearth also and my knees let me know it, but my cats take advantage of the opportunity to demand belly-rubs so I guess it's a wash.
I myself almost never shut the air all the way off---the 'sweet spot' on mine seems to be 25-40 percent open, depending. Much lower and it does seem to be smoldering, although the temps are still high---I think maybe it's a mental block I have that if it's not burning like crazy it must be wrong---could be why I have to re-load more often? duh. Always more experimenting and more learning to do. Staying warm and safe is all that really matters, not how you 'stack up' against others. Pour a glass of wine and enjoy that pretty stove.

 

[brink]

I like the glass of wine idea Kate. We are in for some snow and cold temps so the Os is going to have to step up to the plate and do some serious heating.
I re-built my fireplace facing this summer. Removed the bricks and all and re-built it with steel studs, durock board and stone veneer. Gave the Os a new home and look. Although I did keep in mind that some day (feeling guilty now) I may replace the Os with a hearth stove, I made the hearth a little larger. There is a nice Quadra Fire stove model Yosemite that caught my eye, but I remained faithful to the Os and my wallet. I mean I'm just burning wood! I've bought used cars that cost less than these stoves.
At least my wood has been free so far. I have been named "wood chucker" by friends and family. I stop along the road side and do "wood chuckin" into my pickup. Am I nuts or what?Whatever happened to the days of just turning up the thermostat? If I added up all the time I spent wood chukin, splitting, stacking, stacking again after blown down, and again,and again, and moving it 6 times, I could instead get a part time job and pay for all the gas or oil I want!

Time for that wine

 

[JJMorrocco]

I just ordered two new hinges for my Osburn 1800, thankfully they are being covered by warranty. Osburn was very guick reposnding to website email, and absolutely no hassle even though I did not have my serial number or date of purchase. My dealer on the other hand was no so easy to deal with, and I will be doing the replace myself. I did question the rep as to why the hinge pin would break after only 3 years of average use. He had no suggestions.

As for the blower taking a while to kick in I have noticed if I move hte ash from the front left corner of the stove I can get it to kick on a lot faster - usualy withing 30 minutes of lighting. The same principal works for keeping the blower going.

 

[brink]

Good to know Osburn stands behind what they sell. I am waiting for my new thermo discs from an Ebay vendor in Michigan. Maybe I'll send the original defect back to Osburn. I have finally found how to get over night burns that give me decent hot coals in the morning. I am feeling better with the Os!

 

[KateC]

I'm glad to hear about the company also---my dealer/installer is a nice guy but very difficult to deal with and there aren't any other Osburn dealers around here so it looks like I'll be going over his head from now on. Problem is with DIY---I'm a small female justthisside of decrepit and muscling that thing intimidates me to say the least---and the man is what I would call 'for decorative purposes only'.

So how'd you work out the overnight burn, Paul? I load up in stages, 2 or maybe 3 largish and let them get going, then add another 1 or 2 instead of trying to pack the stove all at once---works well for me.

I only burn evenings, but last fall when fuel-oil was so high and we were scary-broke I went 24/7 as long as possible and it made a big difference in efficiency overall---starting a cold stove in a cold chimney every day uses up alot of wood and time heating it all back up again. Since we always meant the stove to be a boost to the furnace and not the sole source of heat I have been more than happy with what I got--and I really like the fire-starting nightly routine---it justifies 'happy hour'.

So how'd you make out with the storm? I'm relieved that we got nothing up here but feel for those that did.

 

[brink]

Kate, ‘Ouch! "for decorative purposes only" Ouch!! And very funny.
It snowed like mad here on Saturday. Have about 12-15 inches. The Os kept going from Friday evening through this morning. I was half tempted to toss a few logs in it before work but I didn't want to push my luck. What I discovered is that once there is a nice bed of ash from doing a day of so of burning, it makes for an insulated bed for the coals. I had been babying this stove by only putting one or two splits in at a time.Coming back to it to reload way too many trips. Knees didn't like that.

Daytime: Saturday I loaded it with 3 good size splits on the bottom (front to back or North to South as I read on this site) and then 2 medium to small on top of those, but keeping about an inch or so from the tubes.Damper wide open for 15-20 minutes until all splits are cooking pretty good and lots of flames, then I slide damper knob to within 3/4-1 inch of the left end. It makes the flames look nice and sexy. Depending on where the temps were when I loaded, let's say 250-300, I check back in approx.30 minutes, and if temps are 450-500 I turn on the blower medium speed. This sends out nice heat flow for an hour or more. When down to coals I repeat the process. Allot less loading and more heat.
At bedtime I hopefully timed it so there is a nice bed of coals. I put a large split or log sideways (East to West) all the way in the back and then a few more splits the same way. Loading this way makes for a slower burn since the air flow is front to back(could probably do this daytime too). I wait the 15-20 minutes, cut back the damper, flames looking sexy, and make sure the blower is on, medium or slightly lower regardless of the temp.This is at around 10:15pm bedtime, (way too early for a night owl like me). When I checked the next morning at 6:30 there were lots of nice coals that could easily start splits and the temp was 130 +-. The
house was still warmish considering it was 20 degrees outside all night.
Since my thermo disc is caput, if rigged a lamp timer on the blower cord so it turns off at around 3:00am. I hate to leave the blower going all night long as it could cool it down too much. I'm guessing a working thermo disc would shut it down after 5 hours or even sooner.

Sorry for the long winded story, but so far it's working for me. Today will be a cold one and I have to start off with a cold stove again. Maybe once I get the new disc installed, I'll trust it enough to load it and leave it in the morning. Or else I'll just let the electric heat run....ugh!

How are things in NYS?