Plate seams on Jotul....should I be concerned?

[Greenghopper]

I recently had a Jotul Oslo 500 installed. After the installation, I noticed a small hole in the corner where the right plate meets the main body. It looks like some furnace cement is used to fill in the gaps and may have fell off during shipping (the stove does weigh 450 lbs). The installer said he would fix it the next time he stops by to install a heat shield.

My question is, is this normal? Should I be concerned and is furnace cement what was used to seal the plates? I've attached pictures to show the size of the gap. We still have a couple of months before things start to get cool, but just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

 

[Ludlow]

Looks busted. Then again I have no clue about cast stoves.

 

[firefighterjake]

I do not believe that is normal . . . whatsoever. Honestly, that looks like quite a gap . . . with or without cement.

 

[webby3650]

Is that light shining through the gap?

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

It strikes me as a pretty big gap. The stove pieces should fit together and then the cement should just fill the joints.

I'd be inclined to go look at another new Oslo to see how that looks so you can compare. If you do that I'd also look at it from the outside. Just seems like that corner should come together better.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

If this is a new stove, I would think that it’s a no brainer issue to request the dealer who supplied stove to replace the unit.
My guess is the installer does not want to install a replacement unit at his cost, which he should do, given that he installed a defective unit for you. Again, request that this stove be replaced and installed at no more cost to you.

 

[moresnow]

"Should I be concerned?"

Definitely.

 

[rox3406]

Multi piece metal box full of fire on living room floor with poor loose fitting joints. Yes be very concerned

 

[Smokyjeff1]

Yea not normal.Id be looking for the dealer to swap out with a replacement not just fill in with cement.

 

[Greenghopper]

Is that light shining through the gap?

Yes...that is light shining through. I need to place a LED lantern from the inside to make sure there are no others.

 

[Greenghopper]

If this is a new stove, I would think that it’s a no brainer issue to request the dealer who supplied stove to replace the unit.
My guess is the installer does not want to install a replacement unit at his cost, which he should do, given that he installed a defective unit for you. Again, request that this stove be replaced and installed at no more cost to you.

I'll send a pic to the owner, who owns the business and see what he says. I do have doubts on the size of the hole, versus filling in a small seam.

 

[Greenghopper]

I do not believe that is normal . . . whatsoever. Honestly, that looks like quite a gap . . . with or without cement.

For contrast, here's the left lower back side. It looks like Jotul factory stuffed the corners/seams with furnace cement. I did see a couple of broken pieces in the driveway after they moved it in, so I'm thinking the right side lost a filling from the corner.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

While “seeing what he says” is the first step, essentially I’d be demanding a new stove or refund of your money. If your dealer gives you any issue, call Jotul North America to report you problem with pictures.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

For contrast, here's the left lower back side. It looks like Jotul factory stuffed the corners/seams with furnace cement. I did see a couple of broken pieces in the driveway after they moved it in, so I'm thinking the right side lost a filling from the corner.

View attachment 228833

Full disclaimer- I’m not a pro, but I Be suspect of both sides that you’ve given pictures of. Jotul is a high quality company and the seams you have there look like sloppy work. I have to imagine that that is not Jotul work. To be honest, if it were me, I’d call Jotul directly this morning and talk to them about this. They might direct you right back to the dealer, but they might want to look at those pics. Either way, you have issues with the stove that should be taken care of by the dealer and/or Jotul.

 

[Greenghopper]

Full disclaimer- I’m not a pro, but I Be suspect of both sides that you’ve given pictures of. Jotul is a high quality company and the seams you have there look like sloppy work. I have to imagine that that is not Jotul work. To be honest, if it were me, I’d call Jotul directly this morning and talk to them about this. They might direct you right back to the dealer, but they might want to look at those pics. Either way, you have issues with the stove that should be taken care of by the dealer and/or Jotul.

The local dealer said it was not a problem and would fix with a gasket sealer. I did call Jotul this morning and left a voice mail with their tech support. The unit was ordered directly from Jotul this summer. Hopefully I'll back from them and see what they say, although their voice greeting stated their priority is with dealership. I'm leaning on "this is normal" since the left side image depicts the corners filled with cement. Does anyone have their USA email address? I looked at their website and when you click on the contact us link, it does not work....errr.

 

[webby3650]

The casting all bolt together tightly, the cement ensures that it’s an airtight seal. This stove is not assembled correctly, do not settle for anything other than a replacement.

 

[Greenghopper]

I do have to wonder, given the amount of cement that's on the left side. It looks like a tight seal on the vertical seams, but a bit more of a gap in the lower corners, hence the cement you see on the left side.

Where I stand now is waiting for Jotul to contact me. They do not have an email address, so I left a voice mail. The dealer wasn't too worried, as was the installer who has over 20 years experience.

I also reached out to Rutland who produces furnace cement and saw the images. They said no problem in filling in, so long as it's layered and you wait hour hour between layer applications. Once cured, it hardens like brick they said.

 

[Ashful]

The casting all bolt together tightly, the cement ensures that it’s an airtight seal. This stove is not assembled correctly, do not settle for anything other than a replacement.

This. ^ And to give this statement some credit, webby3650 is a stove dealer, and I have owned three Jotul stoves.

I have to admit I’m not familiar with their latest models, but Jotul joints are typically of “tongue and groove” construction. The tongue on the edge of one metal plate fits into a groove on the face of the adjacent plate, and a small amount of cement is applied to the groove prior to assembly.

This means that, even in the event of a cement failure, you would still not see light thru a large gap, like that. Also, even when the cement fails, it usually stays captive in the groove, it can be quite a bit of work to get it out.

So, assuming these underlying features haven’t suddenly changed in their designs, that stove was not manufactured correctly. You should demand a replacement, and your dealer should demand Jotul take this stove back and take a look at it. I would never trust firing that stove in my house, as another cement failure like that (which is inevitable, given time) will turn it into a glowing forge, or worse.

If you call Jotul again, tell the receptionist that you are calling from your local dealer (insert their name, here), and then ask for Mark in tech support. He’s honestly a pretty good guy, and very helpful, if you can get thru the front office folk that try to block him from end users. He has been there for a very long time, and used to help me with advice on my old Firelight 12’s... when I could reach him.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

When the dealer calls you back, be firm about the refund and tell them you’re sending pictures. Again, I think they’re going to be on your side of this and direct the dealer to replace with no more cost to you. The dealer and Rutland are giving you very odd advice given that you were delivered a damaged unit. Those pictures are just scary. While jotul wants folks to go through the dealer for typical customer service things, you’ve already tried that route and you need to now have jotul address this. Keep us posted.

 

[Alexander L]

I had great luck with Jotul customer service when I installed my F100. I was called back within a few hours, and the gentleman was very helpful in addressing concerns/questions that my dealer had no clue about. I hope you get this sorted!

 

[Greenghopper]

This. ^ And to give this statement some credit, webby3650 is a stove dealer, and I have owned three Jotul stoves.

I have to admit I’m not familiar with their latest models, but Jotul joints are typically of “tongue and groove” construction. The tongue on the edge of one metal plate fits into a groove on the face of the adjacent plate, and a small amount of cement is applied to the groove prior to assembly.

This means that, even in the event of a cement failure, you would still not see light thru a large gap, like that. Also, even when the cement fails, it usually stays captive in the groove, it can be quite a bit of work to get it out.

So, assuming these underlying features haven’t suddenly changed in their designs, that stove was not manufactured correctly. You should demand a replacement, and your dealer should demand Jotul take this stove back and take a look at it. I would never trust firing that stove in my house, as another cement failure like that (which is inevitable, given time) will turn it into a glowing forge, or worse.

If you call Jotul again, tell the receptionist that you are calling from your local dealer (insert their name, here), and then ask for Mark in tech support. He’s honestly a pretty good guy, and very helpful, if you can get thru the front office folk that try to block him from end users. He has been there for a very long time, and used to help me with advice on my old Firelight 12’s... when I could reach him.

Called....Mark was out for the day, had to leave a voice message for Mike (my second one for the day). Still hope to hear from them at some point.

 

[Greenghopper]

The casting all bolt together tightly, the cement ensures that it’s an airtight seal. This stove is not assembled correctly, do not settle for anything other than a replacement.

I hope I get a final resolution or at least some feedback from Jotul directly. In the back of my mind, something telling me that I should have went with a PE Super 27 instead. From all that read from reviews, people either love or hate Jotuls.

 

[Ashful]

Called....Mark was out for the day, had to leave a voice message for Mike (my second one for the day). Still hope to hear from them at some point.

Well, if your weather is like ours, waiting until Monday isn’t going to cause you any harm, other than maybe a little lost sleep.

I hope I get a final resolution or at least some feedback from Jotul directly. In the back of my mind, something telling me that I should have went with a PE Super 27 instead. From all that read from reviews, people either love or hate Jotuls.

Jotul makes very high quality product. I’ve been hard on them for their customer service model, which may have improved in recent years, but you don’t see many complaints about Jotul product quality. They’re a top-notch brand.

 

[webby3650]

I hope I get a final resolution or at least some feedback from Jotul directly. In the back of my mind, something telling me that I should have went with a PE Super 27 instead. From all that read from reviews, people either love or hate Jotuls.

I have found Jotul non-cats to be pretty finicky and demand well seasoned wood, more so than other stoves I’ve had. They are beautiful, solid stoves, just not as easy to run in my experience.

 

[Rearscreen]

Jotul makes very high quality product. I’ve been hard on them for their customer service model, which may have improved in recent years, but you don’t see many complaints about Jotul product quality. They’re a top-notch brand.

Sure doesn't look that way to me from those pictures. I'd try to get my money back.