This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

1

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: I hate wood

« on: August 08, 2009, 11:26:26 AM »

I HATE poison ivy...almost as much as I hate propane!

2

Hawken Energy, support only / Hawken OWB shut-down procedure?

« on: August 05, 2009, 11:36:23 AM »

I have a Hawken HE-2100 and was wondering what other owner's typical shut-down procedure is.  Obviously a general clean-up etc., but what about the stagnant water?  Anyone oil the inside?  Drain the water?  Typical adjustments?  Just curious.

3

Hawken Energy, support only / Re: Hawken Energy Owner

« on: August 05, 2009, 11:31:13 AM »

Even if the black sludge is from moisture in the wood it should not escape the burner through anything but the chimney.  During my learning curve with my boiler (HE-2100) I have burned everything from super dried oak, maple, beech to poplar and pine that hardly hit the ground before it was burned and NEVER any issues.  You of course get a considerable amount of smoke at certain times with green wood, but never any leaks.  A lot of OWB owners don't have the option of burning green wood as they have neighbors that would oppose due to the smoke, but in the rural area that I live the smoke isn't an issue.  If someone told me I had to burn only perfectly seasoned firewood I wouldn't have purchased the unit.

Another issue that has been suspect is improper insulation of the door.  This has also not been a problem for me either as I typically have to brush the snow of the door prior to opening it.  I guess mine wasn't built on a Friday!

4

Hawken Energy, support only / Re: Buyer beware

« on: August 05, 2009, 10:08:28 AM »

I would most likely be upset as well if my situation were the same.  I had a problem with my local dealer, as it seems many do, but as soon as Hawken was aware of the problem they fixed it the next day.  They also made several follow up calls to make sure that I was taken care of and happy with their product.  It sounds like TinyTim and I have received the same level of customer service that is typical of Hawken along with their thousands of other satisfied customers.  That's why it's just so hard to believe that 2 customers are having such a nightmare with the same company.  I am as passionate about my stove as TinyTim is and I certainly have no corporate affiliation.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why HawkenGlobalYUK is having such problems.  I would think that such a loyal customer of Hawken would at least get the same treatment that I did if not better.  Something just doesn't add up!  With Ouch it looks like they at least made an effort.  Hawken's Stainless stoves obviously had problems.  They shouldn't have ever hit the market.  Even if they were able to get them to hold water, stainless just does not transfer heat like cold rolled steel does.  Most consumers would be absolutely tickled if a company was willing to replace a 3 year old product with a brand new updated one.  It's just so surprising to have the second stove be a leaker as well.  If this is true I would think Hawken would be extremely embarrassed about the situation and fix the issue immediately.  Just another $.02 from a Hawken customer that is happy with his stove and it's performance.  Hopefully I'll be able to say the same thing in 10, 20, 30 years from now.  Good luck with your "lawn ornaments" guys.

5

General Outdoor Furnace Discussion / Re: The absolute Best Outdoor Wood Furnace

« on: August 04, 2009, 12:24:38 PM »

I also have very little personal experience with other makes of stoves other than word of mouth and what can be found on the internet.  Sometimes it's difficult to sift through the B.S., especially after someone spends $8,000-$12,000 on a unit.  It's not on the list, but I love my Hawken HE-2100.  Actually, the reason I followed a link to this site was to read a customer complaint about a Hawken stove.  I was not surprised to find out it was a Stainless model and also not surprised by the, well, let's just say the "attitude" or gripes from the individual.  Even God himself cannot make 10% of the world's population happy, how can you expect an OWB company to.  I'll be completely honest, I absolutely love my stove, but the buying experience was a catastrophe!  If I had to go through the same experience I would not buy a Hawken again.  However, I have heard of a few great dealers with happy customers so research the dealer and make sure there is a certain comfort level before plunking down 12 grand.  I will say this, as soon as Hawken knew about my dealer problem they solved it the very next day and also called several times to ask if I was happy and if I needed anything to give them a call.

The reasons I like the stove is I can pack it full for an approximate 24 hour burn (depending on a lot of typical "wood burning" variables; ambient temp, wind, type of wood, etc.) or load it twice per day, like I typically do.  I went on a snowmobiling trip last year and loaded the burner Thursday night and when I returned Sunday at midnight the fire was still glowing.  The reason, of course, was no hot water was used, the T-stat was turned down, and I opened the bypass so water was not circulating to the garage or workshop.  It also has the dual outlet which is convenient because the size (almost 400 gallons) allows a multitude of heating options, up to as much as 10,000 S.F.  The main reason I love it:  my propane tank was filled in September 2008, it still reads 90%.  I saved $3,600 in propane from August 08-August 09 and the house is no longer a chilly 66-68 degrees.  I no longer have to time showers or constantly fight my wife over the T-stat setting.  The house is always 72-73 in the winter.  Now I just have to get used to wearing shorts instead of flannels.