Production Woodstock IS

Eek. As someone who committed to a “new for epa 2020” stove this whole situation is kinda making me nervous. Although I suspect that IS stove runs pretty dang hot! And how long have these models been in service, looks like around 5 years? Really interesting how consistent the issue is, in the exact same place. Should make it an easier fix than if it were random failures.

 

Spoke with Lorin today and they are going to replace the firebox on my stove (I think they call it the 'body'). But instead of me sending my stove back, they are just going to ship me out a new firebox and I will swap them in the house. This is so I do not have to move the actual stove outside. I went for the lift- gate delivery service too although it was somewhat pricey at $200; that is just the lift- gate delivery service, Woodstock is covering the actual shipping costs.

If at all possible, I will wait until spring for the swap as tearing the stove apart is going to make a nuclear- sized mess and the stove is in the living room. The best thing I can think of is to put a large window fan in the front door, about 8 feet in front of the stove, and turn it on high so it will blow as much of the fly- ash outside as possible. With an old blanket on the floor, it <should> keep the EPA disaster zone in the smallest possible area.

I am very happy with this level of service and customer support. They are not required to do anything as the stove is out of warranty but they are being responsible and again showing great customer service by standing behind their products.

Brian

 

I really like this and it seems like a very reasonable response to the issue. Like Brian said, Woodstock doesn't have to do anything to remedy the problem but the top level of customer service Woodstock has is superior. Such a great company. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I don't ever have to worry about this problem, but know if it does happen it will be dealt with by such a great company that stands behind their products and takes care of their customers

 

When I spoke to Lorin at WS, she assured me that they stand by their products. Even 5 years later she and Tom have come to understand some things that beta testers could not do in one year of testing. After five years of service some things are bound to show up and they have. As Lorin has shown me on a quick show and tell, things like the fractures and weld failures in certain areas have been occurring over the last couple years and they have made production changes to accommodate this. The firebox that I have just picked up is a 2019 model, and it has all the "fixes" that have made this the most updated firebox to date. When I say "fixes", it means they have improved and upgraded all of the issues that have arisen in the last five years. If I were you I would not be concerned one bit. This stove is a workhorse and it will handle all that you throw at it.

 

I would think that you will also receive a new baffle and sled with your new firebox (body) as well. Since the baffle is a fixed piece and the sled is built to mate the baffle you should get both of those as well. It took me about 2 hours to remove the pieces from the old stove body that I needed to put into the new stove body. I kept an ash vac at the ready and after a few pieces came out I would run the vac to keep the mess at a minimum.

I'm very happy that Lorin took care of you and stood by the products they sell. I was very impressed when I went to visit (as always), their customer service is the best I have ever seen with such a large retail item.

 

I hope things work out for you and your IS. But isn't nice to know with all the stories you have heard here that if that day should come, you will most likely be in great hands?

 

what did you decide?

 

New stove body with a glowing cat

 

Beautiful...

What year and month did you purchase your stove?

 

Ordered April 2014, received October 2014

 

Thinking I will drill the hole per Mike and see if it will make the season, maybe not run it too hard as well. With NG furnace I don't need the stove but it sure is nice to have. It'll be easy to get to the terminal for shipping, well sort of, but guessing I will need to build a crate for it. Again, should not be that hard to do as well. Another option is I may keep an eye out for a used stove for the year, but it would have to be a steal.
Been a cool October and concerned about what kind of winter we are in for so nice to have the stove to take the load off of the furnace. With the response from Mike and WS I would have no trouble paying the shipping back to them, but nice it is sounding like they will cover the cost.

 

hypothetically, If you were to get your IS out the door tomorrow, what do you expect the turnaround to be? Do you think you could go with the NG for part of the shoulder season and wait for the replacement to come in?

 

For Sale - Woodstock Soapstone Ideal Steel Wood Stove

 

Yep, saw the stove and made a comment about it. Keep in mind that I am a cheap B*tch, LOL. I plan on getting back to Mike next week, but guessing this is their busy season. I would think I am looking at a month turn around including the shipping time each way, not sure how fast that is. Also, since I do not depend on my stove I would rather they take care of those that do need their stoves first. Watching this thread it seems that a can of worms may have opened up with this problem so I can see them get overwhelmed with repair work for awhile.
I will keep everyone updated and may measure the stove and watch for a base pallet to start from.

Also, that stove is in NY so too far to go to pick it up. I do hope this issue does not scare off others from purchasing this great stove, I know I would think twice if making the purchase today. I also wander if WS would cover this if you purchased it used. Food for thought.

 

That must be quite a change- I have never seen the inside of my I.S. glow that brightly. Guess I will find out soon enough....

Brian

 

When my stove was new the cat would glow like that. The cat probe would be in the 1200 to 1300 degree mark.

 

Mine as well but I do not remember that bright a glow from the inside of the stove. ?? Maybe I am just not remembering it?

 

Here's a couple photos I took March of 2018. The cat probe temp was right at 1300. Glow cat glow....!!!

 

What did you have to do to get a picture of that cat glowing?

 

The air was turned way down, with no secondaries. All the lights were off, and no flash on the camera. It was glowing bright and was visible from looking up through the door glass.