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[blmike]

I have had this stove all this winter,and if they would take it back and refund my money i would give it back.First  i made a outside stove that i used for 13 years ,till the back rusted through.
       -this stove smokes out the fill door no matter what i do,need a hazmat suit to fill the stove LOL
       -the water level gauge is a joke,i have to remove the gauge to fill it,and it only takes a bought 3 quarts from full to empty.
       -the fill door is made for left handed people,get dirty when my back end rubs on the open door.
       -they never finished the corners in the opening between the two doors, open insulation is exposed to sparks
       -have to open the back door to access the switch to shut of fan
       -no back light in control ,need a flash light to read temp
       -no insulation on back door
       -to deep from fill opening to bottom of stove,makes it hard to fill with big wood.
       

[Gooseman]

I wouldn't give mine back just yet, but I have to agree with a few things. I only owned a Heiss heater before this and had no problems for the 5 yrs I had it where if you do a google search I was lucky I guess as others had nothing but issues. I am also in my first yr with my 28-40 and burned twice the wood as the heiss and this winter was almost non existent.
The smoke that barrels out the door is huge (thought this might be just me) this is fan on or off
I moved the bracket that guides the front door back some so it allows it to swing open a few more inches as my coat sleeve was constantly getting covered in ash from hitting the inside of the door, it's a little better now
I was disappointed in the way they left the insulation exposed in the lower corners
The recessed corners of the doors were not caulked which allowed rain water to get into the bottom of the rear cabinet, now fixed and dry
Plan on adding a light in the rear cabinet activated by a door switch and add some insulation of some sort.
Was also surprised with the amount of water from gauge reading low to full but can get over that.
Lastly the hinges on the back door broke the first week before I even had a first fire. Call and left a voicemail at p&m asking where to source in order to find ones with same hole pattern and never heard back or bothered to call them again I just bought some steel ones and drilled holes to fit.
I like the way it's welded and the way the air flow is designed from the bottom. The refractory and brick work along with the two sided welds were the main reason I went with it.
Am I sorry I purchased mine? Not really but is it as good as they say? Give me a few yrs of getting things the way I want and then ask me until then overall happy but still room for improvement

[blmike]

There has to be a way to fix the smoke it is the biggest problem for me,maybe a longer chimney?
The lower corners is just poor workmanship,also the bark and such accumulates on that ledge.
As for a light with a with a door switch is a good idea.
There should be a fill hole,so you can watch the gauge when filling with water.
It is well built just needs some changes to make it a lot better.For the price of this stove,it should not have to be re-engineered get it right.

[agriffinjd]

I have had this stove all this winter,and if they would take it back and refund my money i would give it back.First  i made a outside stove that i used for 13 years ,till the back rusted through.
       -this stove smokes out the fill door no matter what i do,need a hazmat suit to fill the stove LOL
       -the water level gauge is a joke,i have to remove the gauge to fill it,and it only takes a bought 3 quarts from full to empty.
       -the fill door is made for left handed people,get dirty when my back end rubs on the open door.
       -they never finished the corners in the opening between the two doors, open insulation is exposed to sparks
       -have to open the back door to access the switch to shut of fan
       -no back light in control ,need a flash light to read temp
       -no insulation on back door
       -to deep from fill opening to bottom of stove,makes it hard to fill with big wood.
     

I agree with each nitpick you list except the last one, but I just view them as minor inconveniences because the stove is burning wood really well for me (I have the next size bigger).  I put foam around the pipes in the back, then covered with fiberglass insulation.  The lack of a light is annoying only if I stop at night to check the temp without my headlamp on my head that I always where on a planned excursion to load it in the dark.

I think the reason it can smoke a lot when the door is open is because it doesn't just shoot smoke straight up out the chimney.  It burns more efficiently with that return on the exhaust though, so I'd rather have it that way.  Also, I don't get a lot of smoke anymore now that I'm using more dry wood than wet wood.

I do wish the door opened the other way though.   Never dawned on me that that is why my left side of my jacket is all dirty.

[rickldb22]

Open the ash pan door, give it about 30 seconds, and then open the fill door. Shouldn't be much smoke coming out the fill door. Do this even if the fan is running. Just remember to close the ash door when your finished. I never turn the fan switch off when loading.

I plumbed in a valve at the house loop, to use to fill and top up the stove. Just need the wife to open and close while I watch the gauge.

Agree it would be nice to have a light at the front and back, however, I really don't have to open the back door very often. Every couple of days or so to check. . For the front, I installed a light on my wood shed the provides plenty of light on the fill side.

I found cutting my logs 32 to 36 inches works best for loading ease. Any longer and the big logs are hard to get in. I keep a bar close to help with the really big ones.

I am finishing up my second year, very happy so far with the performance.

Hope this helps.
Rick

[slimjim]

WOW BL ! That's a pretty ripping review, I would agree on the door hinges but that's about all!
It is a very nice conventional unit in my opinion, perhaps you didn't think it through and now your sorry for your choice, adding a light is a very simple addition that most folks will not pay extra for!

[blmike]

^^^^
You seem to forget i ( we ) payed for the Cadillac not a Lada. And when i built my own stove i had none of these small issues,and you would think that a company that makes these to sell would have more pride to make it right.

This is what i would expect from a dealer

[Crow]

  BL - it's too bad you are unhappy with your unit. I have just about completed year three with mine. I am very happy with it but it is my first OWF so I have nothing to compare it to. Mine does seem to smoke out the door more this year than the first two years but this is my only complaint.  The wood is dry ( split and stacked 2 years) but I did put in the newer bigger fire grate bricks. Does the wider grate brick equal less air coming up through the coal bed result in more smoke ?? I am going to say maybe, I'll have to test more next season.

 Being a previous owner/builder I would think you would have known what you were looking for as far as options, fit and finish etc.

[blmike]

^^^^
 I read all the reviews,but like most things people buy they will not admit to short comings  in their purchase.Most of the things i have posted a bought may seem small,but should not happen on a stove of this price.There are alot of good things they have done and the stove in the most part is well built.The stove i made i only added water a couple of times a year,this one it is every week and more often at times.On mine i ran the intake for the draft fan in the attic of the stove,this way it got worm air and dropped the temp of the water far less.When i buy something form a stove to a motorcycle i will tell the truth of it's short comings,of coarse this is IMHOP.

[slimjim]

If you are adding water that often, you have an issue, I'm going to bet it is due to low flow and not enough mixing within the boiler, remember it is a dry base boiler and will run hot in spots if there is not enough circulation, although I don't work for them anymore, I still think it's a great unit and will be happy to try and help if I can!

[blmike]

i am using the grundfos ups26-99fc on #2 speed.Some have said to draw from the bottom and return to the top,i was planning on doing this in the off season.The biggest problem is the smoke,i have suggested to my dealer to add one more length of stove pipe.He said no as it would be worst. I can fix most off my ( or the stoves ) problems,but do not know what to try next for the smoke.
                          thanks Mike

[slimjim]

An extra length of stack would certainly increase the draft and therefor probably increase stack temp losses but would perhaps take care of your smoke issues, perhaps a damper in the stack would help with your heat loss in that case.

[Oak Hillbilly]

I do wish the door opened the other way though.   Never dawned on me that that is why my left side of my jacket is all dirty.

Yes my one complaint...

[Oak Hillbilly]

^^^^
 I read all the reviews,but like most things people buy they will not admit to short comings  in their purchase.Most of the things i have posted a bought may seem small,but should not happen on a stove of this price.There are alot of good things they have done and the stove in the most part is well built.The stove i made i only added water a couple of times a year,this one it is every week and more often at times.On mine i ran the intake for the draft fan in the attic of the stove,this way it got worm air and dropped the temp of the water far less.When i buy something form a stove to a motorcycle i will tell the truth of it's short comings,of coarse this is IMHOP.

I have added a total of 2 quarts of water over 4 and half months use....   Might wanna check all your connections???

[blmike]

I added an extra length of pipe,and it did not help.I checked for leaks and have found none.