Hello. I have a Regency GF55 pellet stove that has been giving me pproblems for a few years. The shop that sold me the stove has recently hired a tech that allegedly has a wealth of pellet stove experience. Last Friday he "educated" me with a significant amount of information that is not available from Regency. He also diagnosed my stove as having a vacuum issue, since it was throwing a code 2 and smoke was escaping through the latice mesh near the heat exchanger tubes. Here is the rub.
The tech claimed that I needed to replace the door seal (job price estimated at $50). He came out today and completed the repairs (billed $160). Prior to testing the stove, he had difficulty closing the door due to the new seal. I was advised closing the door would become easier in about 4-5 days. Tonight, prior to starting the stove, i cleaned the fire pot of ash build up. Upon closing the door, I found that the door lever had been bent, and the door required more effort than ever before to close. I am the original owner of this stove, and I never had difficulty closing the door. To close the door now, I have to apply my full body weight (about 240#) to close the door.
My questions:
a) should the seal on the door be replaced every few years as recommended by the tech, or was I being mislead because I couldn't diagnose the problem myself?
b) should I have difficulty closing and securing the door once the seal is replaced?
c) are pellet stoves generally labor intensive to maintain, requiring annual and semi-annual replacement of parts, or is it that my local merchant is either poorly trained on pellet stoves or they are creating planned maintenance that is neither required or recommended?
If anyone can shed some light on this issue, I would be extremely grateful!
Ed
The tech claimed that I needed to replace the door seal (job price estimated at $50). He came out today and completed the repairs (billed $160). Prior to testing the stove, he had difficulty closing the door due to the new seal. I was advised closing the door would become easier in about 4-5 days. Tonight, prior to starting the stove, i cleaned the fire pot of ash build up. Upon closing the door, I found that the door lever had been bent, and the door required more effort than ever before to close. I am the original owner of this stove, and I never had difficulty closing the door. To close the door now, I have to apply my full body weight (about 240#) to close the door.
My questions:
a) should the seal on the door be replaced every few years as recommended by the tech, or was I being mislead because I couldn't diagnose the problem myself?
b) should I have difficulty closing and securing the door once the seal is replaced?
c) are pellet stoves generally labor intensive to maintain, requiring annual and semi-annual replacement of parts, or is it that my local merchant is either poorly trained on pellet stoves or they are creating planned maintenance that is neither required or recommended?
If anyone can shed some light on this issue, I would be extremely grateful!
Ed
