Hi all, I'm getting the stove ready for the season, and when I pulled the baffle, I noticed the front face was curved down, and the ceramic board was cracked. Wanted to show it to the installing dealer, for possible warranty replacement, but he is nowhere to be found. Store hours yesterday and today are 10-6, but when i made the trip, the place was locked up tight. Telephone is of no use, just lists the office hours, with no option for a message. Today there were sticky notes from other customers asking them to please call. Not getting a good feeling. I guess the question I have is, If I attempt to repair the baffle does that void any warranty? If so what options do I have? Should also be noted that 3 weeks ago, I was in to the shop and both myself and a neighbor were going to have new SS chimney crowns installed, everything seemed OK, but they have been a no show on those too. Any help would be appreciated.
Pacific Energy failed baffle
- Thread starter Sodbuster
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There is no "call" option. I did send an email, and will hopefully hear back before to long.
Hi Bill, it was installed in 2012, I tried to find a phone number, but unless, I'm just missing it, email is the only way to contact them, and thanks!
Is the baffle in the Summit similar to the 27? My baffle has a blanket on top of it with a thin metal cover laying on top of that. The thin cover was a bit warped when I cleaned it this year. Not sure if I should be too concerned just yet.
Mine's a little different. It has the SS sheet as the bottom plate with the holes drilled in it for the secondaries, the top is a hard ceramic like board held on with metal clips, the inside appears hollow. There was no additional insulation on top of the ceramic board. There are insulating strips that seal the edges where it rests on the side supports. The baffle itself is cracked and the front is bowed to the point it cracked the ceramic board in 4 places. I'll try to get some pictures up tonight.
![[Hearth.com] Pacific Energy failed baffle](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/201/201882-b49032231d02f1ee4f7a256e2ce1218e.jpg?hash=7JspIL6n1V "[Hearth.com] Pacific Energy failed baffle")
![[Hearth.com] Pacific Energy failed baffle](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/201/201883-110e2d2c010e60f557c0d6ae4e8f2ae9.jpg?hash=iLMc4gQOcM "[Hearth.com] Pacific Energy failed baffle")
That looks warped beyond what PE would consider as tolerable. After 9 seasons our baffle is still much straighter. I'd pursue it as a warranty issue and have it replaced. thechimneysweep may have further insight for options.
Thanks, begreen, I've sent an email to PE, since my local dealer and installer, is missing in action. I will advise when I receive an answer. For now, I'll clean the chimney and firebox, reinstall the baffle and hope for the best. It's not critical that I burn now, I just would like to, on cold nights. I'll also contact thechimneysweep for his recommendations. Thanks.
My baffle is about the same, less the cracked board. Works fine. You can see if they will replace it, but it will look like that again in a couple seasons burning. BG, you're not pushing your stove as mush as us cold weather folks.
You can try some cement on the cracks in the mean time.
You can try some cement on the cracks in the mean time.
I thought I read somewhere that PE considers normal baffle warpage to be 1/4", but can't find the source at this late hour. Sodbuster's warpage is so bad that it cracked the board and the insulation board can no longer fit in the channel. It may be still usable, but I wouldn't accept that as normal.
Our baffle is the older design with the stainless cover. It's looks to be thicker too. Due to heat loss in this old place we push the stove daily to the same 650-700F cruising range as most folks I think, two loads a day. But you're right, our winter heating season is shorter and the shoulder seasons are longer.
Our baffle is the older design with the stainless cover. It's looks to be thicker too. Due to heat loss in this old place we push the stove daily to the same 650-700F cruising range as most folks I think, two loads a day. But you're right, our winter heating season is shorter and the shoulder seasons are longer.
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Begreen, you are correct, my manual states that any warpage beyond 1/4" or .65cm is unacceptable. My warpage is more in line with 3/4" or 1.9 cm, now if I could only track down the dealer!!
saydinli
Burning Hunk
Hey Sodbuster. PM me if you don't get a response by email (they're not too quick replying). I have PE's office phone number.
Thanks Saydinli, may take you up on that if it comes to it, my cell plan doesn't cover Canada, so that might get pricey.
Getting a bunch of conflicting information regarding this; being told it's normal by some fellow users, and am being told it is warped past specification by Pacific Energy (per the manual) other users, (begreen) and the dealer. He took a picture and is sending it to PE to have a replacement directly shipped to my house. Here's the fly in the ointment. He's going out of business, and I know how much of a priority this will be for him, lower than the back burner. So we'll see. I will get this one cleaned up and patched as best I can and reinstall it, cause it's getting into burning season. I will also wait for a reply email from PE to see what they say. It seems the older baffles, at least ones that users have shown (Hogz) seem thicker and beefier. I know there are reps for other brands that monitor the site like Blaze King, do we not have any for PE?
No rep that from PE that I know of. I have suggested this to them. Tom used to drop in for questions like this but he hasn't been on lately.
Squisher
Minister of Fire
To me that looks warped beyond what I'd consider normal. Mine is three years old now I believe and no perceptible warpage. I've got the whitish butt print faintly showing on my stove and run hot hot hot. Regularly seeing over 800f stovetop.
I also clean/service I'd guess about a 100 other pe appliances a year now and would certainly be advising looking to pe for a replacement if I saw one that badly warped.
I also clean/service I'd guess about a 100 other pe appliances a year now and would certainly be advising looking to pe for a replacement if I saw one that badly warped.
Thank you Squisher, that speaks volumes coming from a Chimney sweep.
Squisher
Minister of Fire
I'm still a newer sweep. But fully qualified and clean a lot of systems. It makes me wonder if my locale affects what I'm seeing too. Mostly houses are one or two story's. Most chimneys would be 15-27' and predominantly everyone burns softwoods. Birch is about as hardwood as it gets for most here besides the odd person who might have fruit wood from an orchard.
So possibly other areas where homes are taller and hardwoods are prevalent might see more overdrafting/warpage issues?
PE is by far the most popular stove/insert in my locale. So I see them often. Like four out of fifteen a week I average for the busy fall months. And I'll be honest. Every time I do I smile, because from what I see they are rock solid clean burning stoves that are easy to work on and don't require a lot of replacement parts.
So possibly other areas where homes are taller and hardwoods are prevalent might see more overdrafting/warpage issues?
PE is by far the most popular stove/insert in my locale. So I see them often. Like four out of fifteen a week I average for the busy fall months. And I'll be honest. Every time I do I smile, because from what I see they are rock solid clean burning stoves that are easy to work on and don't require a lot of replacement parts.
I have both the old and new baffles. Both warped. Although the newer one does appear to be warped worse.
Mot much fanfair to see. When you ahve an expansive pc of metal having the shits heated out of it constantly, it's going to sag a bit. Some worse than other depending how hard the is being pushed, but eventually it happens. Neither of mine warped at the rear where they set over the air channel, and neither were affected performance wise.
Still lasts longer than tubes and cats.
I've been burning wood as primary heat for 25 years, utilizing both a Quadrafire and a Lopi before the PE Summit. I've never had anything warp or sag. In my early days with the Quad, while learning to burn my stove top would hit 900 deg. I'll run a tape tomorrow, but if my calculations are correct I have around 27' of double wall insulated chimney. Just a thought, but I wonder if I may have an overly strong draft, and may need an inline damper.
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