Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Username: Password:

Author Topic: Shaver has locked their doors and left town  (Read 3420 times)

lugnut

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 306
    • View Profile
Shaver has locked their doors and left town
« on: July 21, 2016, 12:57:58 PM »

For some of you on here, you may recall that I had never had issues with my Shaver Pro Series 250, but of course I had upgraded from the first piece of crap they made for me...a Shaver 165.  The first furnace was literally a piece of crap. I don't weld and I KNOW I could have learned and welded better...and I KNOW how to read a tape measure...whomever built my 165 was very much UNEDUCATED!!  They drilled holes inthe roof, only to miss frame work underneath and left the hole wide open...no caulk or plugs of any kind...the rear door would NOT close because frame work was either warped from the heat of welding r was not measured correctly...again. :bash:

 I toll him that I will give he and his company the benefit of doubt and that I will upgrade from 165 to the 250, because my salesperson talked me into getting a furnace that was highly under rated. 

I was thoroughly pissed and made phone calls and finally got to the MAIN guy.  When Billy Shaver..NOT BEN, talked to me ear-to-ear back in 2010, he asked me what I would like for him to do? 
I toll him that I will give he and his company the benefit of doubt and that I will upgrade from 165 to the 250, because my salesperson talked me into getting a furnace that was highly under rated.  We had a lengthy conversation and I toll him what I wanted, that the furnace they build for me this LAST time will be built so well that Mrs. Shaver would like it to be in her dining room with her fine china and silverware in it.

Well guys, Billy Shaver came through with flying colors.  The truck came, picked up the other piece of crap, but the driver did NOT leave until I checked the new furnace over from top to bottom and side to side.

Upon connecting unit to electric and running all the appropriate pex lines to their final location, I commenced to fill the 250 up.  When the filling of water was complete, I then added the NASA approved rust blocker.

This November will be 5 years for the 250 and I was due for chemical replacement and of course Shaver no longer provided that, so I had to go to a third party, recommended to me by Greg Steinacher.  I ordered up the chemical from Image Solution and the cost was $288, which included two gallons of chemical and five free testings. 

Now there was question regarding the testing of water with the Shavers...even on this website.  My manual stated quite clearly that I did NOT have to send in water samples...I still have it in black and white in my owner's manual.  I KNOW others on here swore up and down that Shaver required testing of water or the warranty would be void.

When I poured in the allotted gallon and one half of the new chemical, I was requested to send in a couple water samples to company that provided the chemicals...which I did and they came back and said, "there is NO sign or indication of our chemical being present."  WTH??  So I provided them with a gallon at their request three weeks later...again...no presence of chemical.  I dunno what happened to it...so WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS LUGGY????

I had NO issues with my 250, well maybe at first because it needed upgrading...toss out the junk water heater t-stat, install Rancho; toss out junk Astro pump, install Taco 0111 and a couple other mods.  I had NO leaks whatsoever ....until this June!

I noticed moisture along the right rear side of the furnace.....well I know it hadn't rained in a couple days...maybe one of the valves or a pex line is leaking?  NOPE!  that would have been too easy.  So I proceeded to remove the corrugated siding and low and behold...there was the leak...in the BOTTOM of the water tank...about one foot off right side and two feet from rear.  Although I could not see the actual hole, I did watch it drip...drip...drip and I determined it to be a size of a pencil point...hmmm how long has it been leaking.   

The question I had is WHY WAS IT LEAKING AND WHY WAS IT LEAKING IN THIS LOCATION?  Every end of season I clean the furnace out....scrape what creosote there is, which is minimal on firebox walls and then vacuum ALL remnants of ash/soot out and then spray down with a light coat of oil,  I also thoroughly clean out the ash box...and vacuum it too, but no oil.  Put a five gallon bucket over stack and top off water if need be.  Pumps stay running all summer long because I operate off well water.

During burn season, I emptied the ash box every other day whether it needed it or not...and I DID stir the ashes that were present.  The Rancho was set at 180* with a 15* differential...get down to 165* and on went the blower.  I did EVERYTHING by the manual and still got a leak. 

I do NOT know why or what caused the leak...especially after five years.  And of course I DID immediately call Shaver and got a "the number you dialed is no longer in service" recording.  Okay, well maybe I dialed the incorrect number...I dialed ALL the numbers I had and including numbers on their supposedly website...NO LUCK.  I then spoke with two sales people that I TRUST for their honesty and straight talk and neither one's name began with a "B".  They told me Shaver is out of business!

S, I ascertained from their lack of response etc,  that they were NOT going to honor their 20 year warranty.  Why doesn't this surprise me that they went out of business???

Anyway, for those of you with Shaver furnaces...GOOD LUCK.

I am going to repair mine over the next two weeks and it will go up on the sale block.  This unit (less shipping) originally cost me $5900 August 2011.  So anyone in my area looking for a decent furnace that will heat 6,000 square feet with mods made...I will have one for sale at $2500...not including shipping/handling.  You want it, come get it and bring CASH.

Luggy

« Last Edit: July 21, 2016, 01:14:17 PM by lugnut »
Logged
Jerry
Greenleaf, Wisconsin
Shaver Pro series 250 - Installed 10/28/2011
Cub Cadet / Yanmar 2450  sub-compact tractor
Husquvarna 455 Rancher
1999 Ford F-150 4x4 w/207k miles

brink1963

  • Training Wheels
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 17
    • View Profile
Re: Shaver has locked their doors and left town
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2016, 06:22:55 AM »

Lugnut
Last year I noticed a wet spot coming from the front right side of my 165. It had not rained for awhile so I assumed that the tank was leaking. I took the sheet metal off the front and sides and I eventually figured out the the "leak" was coming from the square frame tubing used to construct the frame. On the roof at least one of the screws used to hold the sheet metal on had let rain water build up into the tubing until it found a spot to leak out. I drilled a few small holes into the tubing to get all the water out then I sealed the sheet metal screws back up by putting a dab of roofing sealer on each one. I have not had an issue since then. I installed my furnace in October of 2011.  Anyway I thought I would throw that idea out there for you.

Logged

lugnut

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 306
    • View Profile
Re: Shaver has locked their doors and left town
« Reply #2 on: August 03, 2016, 05:42:43 AM »

Brink,

Man I wish mine was that easy.  Greg Steinacher (sp) offered a similar solution using a stainless steel bolt, tight fitting washer and then rubber washer smeared up with RTV silicone and then screw it into the hole...FIRST tapping for threads.

I'm toying with the idea of having my neighbor lift the dern pig up AFTER I pull the roof and see about setting it on its front end...better access to the bottom and then decide to either tap for threads or just have a whole new plate welded to existing bottom plate, tip it up, re-install roof and list it for sale..and call it a day.

I will get to it after we return from vacation

I can say though that as of yesterday I am the proud owner of a new (demo) NCB 275G furnace..  Will pick it up in late September/early October.

I will keep y'all apprised of the situation.  :-)

Lugnut
Logged
Jerry
Greenleaf, Wisconsin
Shaver Pro series 250 - Installed 10/28/2011
Cub Cadet / Yanmar 2450  sub-compact tractor
Husquvarna 455 Rancher
1999 Ford F-150 4x4 w/207k miles