What the heck is this doing inside my new Heritage?

[ridemgis]

Had a new Hearthstone Heritage delivered last week and while poking my head around in the firebox I noticed a wooden shim wedged between the door frame and soapstone sidewall. I'm guessing it was meant to hold the frame in place while the cement dried? It's wedged in there pretty tight and I wonder what's going to happen when it burns away.
Thanks
PJ

 

[BrotherBart]

Nothing exciting. It was just keeping something from moving in transit. Bolted and cemented together there isn't anything going to come apart.

 

[ridemgis]

Thanks Brother Bart! I'm a complete newbie to all of this. The forum has been a great resource so far for making a stove choice and learning just how important dry wood is for a happy stove experience.

 

[Wood Duck]

Instead of a Wood Stove you have apparently purchased a Wooden Stove.

 

[Highbeam]

You've got bigger problems.

Note that your secondary manifold is not seated onto the side column tab above the wood wedge. The whole stove is now suspect and perhaps was assembled by an asshat.

I had to do some major surgery and have warranty claim to get the manifold properly seated.

 

[ridemgis]

Ok, I think I see what you're talking about but what does it mean to the operation of the stove?

 

[Highbeam]

It means it was not assembled per plan and per the design. If you don't care whether the expensive stove you just bought is right then carry on, wood will still burn. Maybe not as well as it should but you'll never know how well it was supposed to work since the one thing that you do know is that your stove was assembled by an asshat.

Is the manifold not seated on either side tab? The manifold only hooks to the rear of the stove with that single allen bolt and then rests on the tabs in front. It is a three legged horse design. If one leg is high then the opposite side of the manifold is low or the whole dang thing is tilted.

Yes, I am serious about the assembler being an incompetent boob. You bought a premium stove and this type of error, along with leaving the wooden wedge, show a lack of QC as well.

These things are all correctable though and once repaired the stove is really quite good. I've shoved 25 or so cords through mine. I'm even burning right now on 6/23! it has always performed as advertised and the stones look great.

 

[ridemgis]

Neither side is resting on the tab. I do think there's more than just that allen bolt in the back holding it up though. There are screws through the bottom on either side at the back parallel with the back wall of the stove. How difficult was it to make them fix it properly.
I don't suppose you have a engineering drawing showing how this is supposed to look? Thanks for the help!
PJ

 

[begreen]

Was this dealer or self-installed? The dealer really should have caught this if they installed the stove.

I would start discussing this with the dealer. Given the very obvious assembly issues I would be inclined to return the stove for one that passes QC.Lord knows what else the assembler missed or ignored. Why should you be the guinea pig?

 

[Don2222]

Hello

The Wood Shim can also be used to start your first fire!

 

[ridemgis]

The stove comes delivered fully assembled from the factory. I have inquiries in to both the dealer and Hearthstone. And I found a Hearthstone document that details replacement of the ceramic baffle. It includes a photo of the assembly clearly not resting on the tab. If this is really problem would they use it in their own technical docs? I've pushed and pulled on this thing and it's solid as a rock. I honestly don't know what to think.
Maybe other Heritage owners will post photos so we can all see if this is common or not?
PJ

 

[begreen]

I looked at the same document and see what you mean. The secondary rack does not appear to sit on those cast stops in the pdf. Not having a Heritage on hand I can't compare. My apologies if this has been a misdirection.

 

[ridemgis]

I looked at the same document and see what you mean. The secondary rack does not appear to sit on those cast stops in the pdf. Not having a Heritage on hand I can't compare. My apologies if this has been a misdirection.

No worries! I am pursuing the issue with Hearthstone for an answer. Reviews for these stoves are a mixed bag. I would like to be able to write a good one.

 

[Highbeam]

Oh no those tabs are there for the manifold to rest on and yes, the only thing holding the manifold in place is the tabs in front and the single allen bolt in the back. I have personally removed the entire manifold more than once.

Other than generous amounts of cement, the only thing holding that manifold in place is the single allen bolt.

 

[ridemgis]

Oh no those tabs are there for the manifold to rest on and yes, the only thing holding the manifold in place is the tabs in front and the single allen bolt in the back. I have personally removed the entire manifold more than once.

Other than generous amounts of cement, the only thing holding that manifold in place is the single allen bolt.

Hey Highbeam - first off thanks for all your help with this! You mention in one of your 2007 posts on this issue that Hearthstone sent you the technical instructions for fixing the problem. Do you still have that info? Not saying I want to try fixing it myself just yet, but if the dealer and Hearthstone let me down, I''m not afraid to tackle the job.

 

[Highbeam]

I don't have it anymore. That was five years ago! The instructions were for removing the manifold and not for the mods necessary to make it fit right. Jim C from Hearthstone was very responsive and a genuinely nice guy. There are a couple of dealers on this site with access to the tech documents. You are quickly approaching the point where the warranty that you paid dearly for becomes useful, the tech can get this done with expert skill that only experience teaches you.

Once you remove the excessive cement that is slopped everywhere, the manifold comes out pretty easily through the side door. All of this is within the stove so you aren't compromising the stove shell.

You'll love the heritage after you get through this issue.

 

[Highbeam]

If you decide to have a go at it, I remember some tidbits about what was done that I can pass on.

 

[ridemgis]

Final resolution on the Heritage: After several e-mails and phone conversations with the dealer and some close inspection inside the stove with flashlight and mirror, I'm satisfied that, other than the slightly misplaced manifold, the Hearthstone is very well built. And even though the manifold is not sitting on its support tabs, it is level and rock solid. I believe both the company and dealer are quite willing to bring this stove up to snuff.

However, this is my first foray in heating with wood. Rather than having any lingering doubts about the raging box of fire in my living room, I've asked the dealer to take the Heritage back in exchange for a Morso (and some cash savings to boot).

And who knows, at some point in the future, I might come back to a Hearthstone. To me it is absolutely the best looking wood stove on the market.

 

[begreen]

Wow, that's a pretty radical trade. What model Morso replaced the Heritage?

 

[ridemgis]

Wow, that's a pretty radical trade. What model Morso replaced the Heritage?

A 2110 rated at 42,000 btu. At 55K, the Heritage was large for my needs, but I figured the moderating influence of the stone would keep it tame.

No question, the Morso is a totally different look!

 

[begreen]

I helped put in a 2110 in a friend's yurt. It's a fine little stove, very solidly built.

 

[Highbeam]

Well that's one way to fix it!

I hope the Jotul is big enough for you. I worry when anyone even considers btu numbers since it implies that they have done a btu requirement calculation for their home and that the rated btu output of a stove is known, sufficient, and constant. What we must remember is that the stove burns in cycles so maintaining the btu output is impossible. Also, the btu rating from the manufacturer is often a marketing trick. This is not a furnace.

Jotuls are small. Begreen put one in a yurt for crying out loud. Your house had better be small as well or your stove will be undersized.

 

[begreen]

It's definitely a smaller stove, but the OP indicated they want smaller. That Morso is about 1.1 cu ft IIRC. They also make a 3 cu ft model, the 3610. The yurt is a large one. with just foil bubble insulation. It needs heat, more than the average house, yet the 2110 does a decent job. Morso tends to publish more conservative specs than the average stove company.

PS: The Morso 2110 is rated at 42K btus maximum. You won't likely be seeing that too often. Its heat output range is lab. tested at 8,136-39,990 BTU/hr.. FWIW, in practice I found it provided a longer burn time than our Jotul F3CB which is about the same size. The next time I'm up at the yurt I'll have to measure the firebox because it seemed to take a little more wood than the Jotul. That might just be the shape of the firebox allowed for tighter packing.

 

[Highbeam]

So the OP swapped a 2.3CF stove for a 1.1 CF stove? Based on max btu output figures? You see why I worry? Too late now, we'll have to see how it turns out this winter. I did notice that the max wood length for many of those small cast iron stoves is quite short, unlike the heritage at 21 inches.

I've always liked the looks of those scandinavian cast iron units though. Something very old fashioned about the real ornate castings.

 

[begreen]

Yes, it's a big change. I wouldn't choose the Morso 2110 for a 24/7 burner unless one likes to get up in the middle of the night or has a small area to heat. But it is a simple, strong heater that performs quite well.