Production Woodstock IS

After seeing other's problems I checked my stove tonight. Yep, same crack, haven't check other locations yet. Stove seems to be controllable and still works, just not sure if I should keep using it or shut it down for now. Going to send an email to Woodstock and see what they say.

 

Whoa!

 

Mine is the same... I wonder about using the JB-Weld extreme heat, rather than having someone come out to MIG weld it.

 

If it cracked the metal, epoxy repair of any type won't even slow it down.
Seems like WS has a real problem developing here...good thing they stand behind their products!
Drolet had the same issue with their new furnace line a few years ago...they warrantied a bunch of those!

 

Pretty bummed out about it here. Sent a, very poorly written, email to WS so see what they say. I know I've run it hard more than once, but don't think I every truly over-fired it yet. Worst case, I can see about finding someone that can maybe weld it.
Has anyone heard of other areas I should check? May look back on the posts a couple pages. Thanks all and happy Halloween.

 

Thanks for the pics I will check mine too.

 

I looked at mine. No crack so I'll keep an eye on it for sure... Please keep us posted so we can know if there is a way to avoid it, if possible. I don't want to ship my stove back to Woodstock, a 600lb stove on freight for the 2840 mile trip doesn't sound cheap.....

 

Looks like the crack are starting from the exact same spot too!

 

Yes it does, and it looks like the cracks are starting at the top of a piece of angle steel inside the stove. I can see a line (no crack or damage) on the outside of my stove. I'll try and get a picture of it after I get off work.

 

They are- the top of the upper hinge location.

That is how I found that my stove had cracked- the door was 'sprung' and took a bit of effort to close. I opened it and looked for something that may have been caught between the door and the frame but there was nothing there. Kept looking and found the crack, which allowed the upper hinge tube to move, pushing the two hinge tubes out of alignment. In fact you can see that the stove front is displaced because the gasket is only sealing on the portion of the stove below the crack, not above it.

Welding the crack is not going to be 'the fix' either because the crack will simply reappear IN the new weld or just on the edge of the weld if the bead is sufficiently large (thick) to be stronger than the parent, original material. The firebox is going to need a reinforcement along the right vertical wall at the very least, perhaps all the way around the opening at most. I have an e-mail in to Lorin and have not heard back but I assume this is because they are working on the problem. Hey, stuff happens and as a designer myself, I very well know that there is a surprise in almost every design and sooner or later, it will get out. The bad news is that inside of every large problem, a small problem is struggling to get out (Hoare's Law of Large Problems) and that one can be even more challenging. All that can be done is to work the problem, then balance the potential fixes against cost/ inconvenience / difficulty to implement, etc. I have been thinking about a bolt- on reinforcement rib on the inside of the stove- it could be put on in place with nothing more than a hand drill and NOT moving or dissembling the stove. It could act as its own jig if made asymmetrical also, another potential savings for Woodstock and nice helper for the customer(s).

Brian

 

Epoxy (the actual glue in JB- Weld) will not work, it is not strong enough nor will it withstand the heat.

A simple weld bead along the crack will not work either as the welded area will almost certainly not be as strong as the original piece of steel, and that is clearly not strong enough. Even if the weld bead is built- up enough to be stronger than the parent (original) material, the original stress will simply crack the stove box at the edge of the weld, above or below the weld itself.

The only way to stop this problem is to add material in the form of a rib or structural member running at least vertically. And that may also just move the problem to the end of the new stiffener and the stove will simply crack there. Worst case scenario, the firebox will need to be reinforced all the way around the perimeter of the opening. I have not looked yet but I believe there are other pieces inside the stove that would be in the way of that so it <may> have to be a slight re- design fix.

Woodstock knows about this and I believe they will take corrective action. Of course we have to give them a little time to do this as well as working out a way to repair / re- work existing stoves in the field.

Brian

 

I’m surprised it took so many years to suddenly become a problem. You would think these things would pop up pretty quickly.

 

What month and year are the affected stove made, purchased? Like different "job" numbers for vehicles maybe there's a specific time frame where an order of steel had weakness, and that area was just enough stress to cause that batch to fail over time and use.....

Only hypothesizing....

 

I purchased mine June 2015. Mike from WS got back to me this morning and sounds like they are going to take care it. Gave me 3 options for now. 1. Drill a small hole at the end of the tear and fill with cement (stove). 2. Have it brazed. 3. I can either try one or two to get through the season or set it up to ship back for an overhaul. Still deciding if I should just bite the bullet now or wait for spring.

 

I too have this problem with my IS. Discovered it prior to finding this thread. This will be my 4th heating season with the stove. Not overfired, paint still all there, ect. I spoke to Loren @ Woodstock about it earlier in the month and we decided to ship it back for repairs. Boy loading that thing up was a hoot! They’ve have had it just over a week. If I remember I’ll call them tomorrow to see if they have any updates. Pic is rotated 90 clockwise - sorry. It’s the same crack location in the upper right of the stove opening as the rest of the posters here.

Cheers,
Gpsfool

 

For those of you shipping the stove, how does that work? Is Woodstock sending a liftgate truck? Does it include a couple strong backs to move the stove? Who's picking up the tab?

I've only got a season+ on mine and it looks as strong as ever, but I would definitely be excited to see a retrofit as BDF described that I could install before the metal gives way. Given the weight and size of this beast I thought metal problems would be the last of my worries! Checking that spot now every time I open the door.

 

My fracture was small compared to some that I’ve seen, it was also discovered at the shop by staff not by me.
Because the baffle was damaged by what they found as a faulty weld and the sled did not seat onto the gasket correctly they replaced the entire firebox instead of doing a remove and replace. The new firebox also answered the fracture issue, current models have reinforced gussets on the inside of the right and left of the door opening, which also doubles as an airway with intake air. The new door openings also have rounded corners vs square, something WS is trying to eliminate a starting point for a fracture.
And if any of you saw some of my pics of the new firebox you could also see some SS shields placed on either side just above the stone towards the exhaust opening.

 

Just an FYI on shipping. I was able to load my stove onto my pickup and deliver it myself. I had my son stop by and we rolled it in and out the front door on a plank system I set up. I know not everyone can do this but in my case I was happy that they could fit me in at a busy time for them so I made it work.

 

I believe Mike said they will pick up the tab, but I have to take it to the dock where I picked it up at. Not a major issue as I have it in a walkout basement and a liftgate on the truck. Guessing I will need to build a crate to ship it back in. Also will need to find out if I should strip it down or ship complete. Still debating if I should work on shipping it back now or limp through for the season and ship it during their slow time, if they have one.
Again, I am bummed it happened, but will give WS high praises for taking prompt care of it. Mike seems pretty confident the upgrades will take care of the issues.

 

Here is a picture of the "line" I was referring to in the earlier post. Looks consistent with where the cracks are occurring. Is this from welds on the interior of the firebox?