# Heatmor owb problems



## Redneck Ont (Oct 7, 2010)

Well fella's Im a little P.O'd We bought our Heatmor 400DCSS last January, I have been nothing more than pleased with the performance of the stove it has been top notch, however there has been some cosmetic issues that I have just noticed, It appears that the entire sub structure of the stove is starting to rust! We have not owned this stove a year! WTF??? So I had the dealer come out to refill the stove ( I moved it) and mentioned it to them, they told me to call the distributor for the area " Green Valley Heating" I spoke to Charlie and he told me that "that series of stove has had that problem and Heatmor has changed the design, and started powder coating parts" I told Charlie that thats great that Heatmor has figured out that there was a problem and has chosen to fix the problem, however what are they going to do about my BRAND NEW stove?!!?!?!?! He told me " well thats just how they are" I told him that there needs to be something done about it he told me "have the installers call me" I said no problem and waited for the fellas to show up, once they did I told them that they need to call Charlie to get this straightened out. So they call and then ask me what I want, I said" I want my BRAND NEW stove to look like a BRAND NEW stove, I want the prep issues that came from the factory fixed and not just a Tremclad touch up" Bottom line is they did a poor job at the factory and used substandard paint and poor prep work the result is a RUSTY STOVE that is a year old! So after a few phone calls back and forth Heatmor offered me a WHOOPING $150 if I want to fix it myself! Hahaha They must think my time is only worth .50 an hour if that. The stove needs to be COMPLETELY dissembled, sub structure sandblasted, properly primed, then painted. What do they think Im going to do? A half azzed paint joblike they did? I dont think so! We paid almost $17,000 total including installation! Like I mentioned to the gentlemen that I spoke to "Keith" (VP of Heatmor?) If he bought a brand new truck (Almost the same price) and the paint started falling off 7months down the road how would he feel? What I was left with was a "I'll look into it... And Ill call you back A.S.A.P" Well Ive yet to hear from ANYONE, my stove is still rusting and I have no answers, I really hope that a company like Heatmor is going to be more willing to stand behind there product than others like "Hawkins" ect. Sorry fellas I had to vent a little and Im looking for other opinions to see if Im out of line for being upset that my BRAND NEW stove is rusting and Im being ignored?!?!?! Im going to copy and paste this thread into an email and include a link to this thread and send it to the president of Heatmor "Gerry Reed" and see if this might get his attention.

Ill Post pictures tommorow of the stove and its problems.


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## MNGuns (Oct 7, 2010)

Got any pics...?


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 7, 2010)

Heres the email I just sent to Mr Reed:

Good Evening Gerry,

We purchased a 400DCSS last January from G&R Air Services ( A distributor for Green Valley) I have brought some issues with the paint to the attention of "Keith" who works for you, Keith was supposed to get back to me right away with a solution to the problem, he has not. I am an active member of a website www.arboristsite.com I have posted my concerns with my fellow members to get there opinions on how I should proceed, you may read the thread, heres a link:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=2491732#post2491732

Read it over and let me know how you would like to proceed. 


I will continue to post ALL emails from Mr Reed.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 7, 2010)

MNGuns said:


> Got any pics...?



Ill post them tommorow.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 8, 2010)

Heres the pics Fellas, let me know what you think.







Rusty logo? This all looks like poor prep and thin paint to me











Notice the rusty hinges and door edges






Rusty base.






Rust coming out around sheet metal screws and rusting in the valley.






Rusty roof edge.







Not only rust, notice the caulking coming off?


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 8, 2010)

Still have not heard from anyone from Heatmor.... Do I call my lawyer next?


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## blackdogon57 (Oct 8, 2010)

Keep plugging away at them. The condition of that stove is just not right for 1 year. How about posting Gerry's e-mail address ? We can all get on his case .


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 8, 2010)

blackdogon57 said:


> Keep plugging away at them. The condition of that stove is just not right for 1 year. How about posting Gerry's e-mail address ? We can all get on his case .



Thanks BD for the back up, thought I was the only one that thought there was some issues... The only email I could dig up for Gerry Reed Heatmor was [email protected] Thanks to Google. Still havent heard anything...

Feel free to email


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## boyland (Oct 9, 2010)

looks like the powder coat had trouble sticking. Not really a functional issue just touch up related in my opinion. This is common on flat black applied in hot conditions. 

I would not think this is a functional issues and the angle iron is going to last a long time even with some rust spots IMO.

I would agree that it is not cosmetic good look but I honestly not really seen a pretty boiler yet.

The bottom I would wonder about the foam at the bottom causing water to be trapped also.


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## hugostiglitz (Oct 9, 2010)

$17,000 including installation for an inefficient, wood eating smoke dragon. Do they all cost that much?


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 9, 2010)

boyland said:


> looks like the powder coat had trouble sticking. Not really a functional issue just touch up related in my opinion. This is common on flat black applied in hot conditions.
> 
> I would not think this is a functional issues and the angle iron is going to last a long time even with some rust spots IMO.
> 
> ...



Its actually not powder coated, the new models however are. Its just cheap black paint. I agree it does not affect how the stove functions however it is NEW and should not be rusting.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 9, 2010)

hugostiglitz said:


> $17,000 including installation for an inefficient, wood eating smoke dragon. Do they all cost that much?


17k included installation, logistor, heat exchangers, ect. The stove itself retails for around 10k.

It does use wood, but we also heat 3300sq ft of old farm house with it, the house was using 5400L of furnace oil prior to installing the stove, you do the math....


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## Bcat22 (Oct 9, 2010)

hugostiglitz said:


> $17,000 including installation for an inefficient, wood eating smoke dragon. Do they all cost that much?



you can always tell who doesn't have one yet. its ok, you get there some day.

p.s. i only paid $5500 for my woodmaster, and it looks 10 times better than the stove in those pictures ( its in its 4th season now).


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## John D (Oct 10, 2010)

Maybe im in the minority,but i think its normal...it is an outdoor furnace,its exposed to the weather...it isnt stainless steel ,and its certainly not a truck,so no comparing the 2...no matter how much you paid,its still covered with relatively cheap outer skin,and mild steel,you knew this...I say take the 150.00 and be happy,give it a touch up,or build a carport or structure over it if your worried about it...FWIW my Shaver looked worse the day they delivered it,it got to ride on an open trailer on salt covered roads from ark to NY...was supposed to be here in august,i got it on a snowy day in december...I had no recourse...


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## boyland (Oct 10, 2010)

5400K Fuel equals about 8.5 to 13 cord of wood depending on the wood type dryness etc...

How much wood do you use?


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## makomakoman (Oct 10, 2010)

I would have contacted them first before posting this link to them..

They are in a no win situation..imo..


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## blackdogon57 (Oct 10, 2010)

makomakoman said:


> I would have contacted them first before posting this link to them..
> 
> They are in a no win situation..imo..



Looks to me like he did contact then and they chose to ignore him. Whats wrong with shaking the tree a little ? If my OWB looked like that after 1 year I would be pissed off. They should come out and fix it or replace the stove. $150 bucks is an insult.


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## chugbug (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry to hear of your trouble with heatmor , They seem to be a good stove from what I have heard , I went with a mahoning , there using a stainless shell and regular steel firebox , haven't seen the perfect furnace yet , they all seem to have the good and the bad . 

http://www.shol.com/mahoning/images/medium2.gif


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 11, 2010)

makomakoman said:


> I would have contacted them first before posting this link to them..
> 
> They are in a no win situation..imo..




I did contact Heatmor, I have not heard back from them. The way I see it is that there is nothing wrong with posting in an open forum the quality of there customer service and how they stand behind there product. This is a good thing as far as Im concerned for future customers.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 11, 2010)

blackdogon57 said:


> Looks to me like he did contact then and they chose to ignore him. Whats wrong with shaking the tree a little ? If my OWB looked like that after 1 year I would be pissed off. They should come out and fix it or replace the stove. $150 bucks is an insult.



Agreed!


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 11, 2010)

John D said:


> Maybe im in the minority,but i think its normal...it is an outdoor furnace,its exposed to the weather...it isnt stainless steel ,and its certainly not a truck,so no comparing the 2...no matter how much you paid,its still covered with relatively cheap outer skin,and mild steel,you knew this...I say take the 150.00 and be happy,give it a touch up,or build a carport or structure over it if your worried about it...FWIW my Shaver looked worse the day they delivered it,it got to ride on an open trailer on salt covered roads from ark to NY...was supposed to be here in august,i got it on a snowy day in december...I had no recourse...



John dont take this the wrong way but Heatmor is supposed to be a far superior stove, for what I paid and was promised as far as quality, I will make sure the problem is solved. Sorry to hear your Shaver looked like a pos when it got there, some people are willing to accept things like that, I however am not.


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## John D (Oct 11, 2010)

Redneck Ont said:


> John dont take this the wrong way but Heatmor is supposed to be a far superior stove, for what I paid and was promised as far as quality, I will make sure the problem is solved. Sorry to hear your Shaver looked like a pos when it got there, some people are willing to accept things like that, I however am not.



I dont take offense,however "superior" is subjective,and just because its more expensive doesnt mean its better.....Shavers arent very refined,however they have thick fireboxes,and sturdy build quality...they also have a 3/8" thick firebox and meet the the govts standards for high efficiency OWBs....I understand your not being happy about it,and no my stove looks like any other 2 yr old OWB the front is covered in soot and smoke,you cant eve see any of the surface rust that was on the door as a result...to me its like a tractor or tool,its going to get scratched and rust,thats what happens....im not going to worry about it or get upset over it....


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## boyland (Oct 11, 2010)

I agree with John.

Boilers are heaters they smoke puke and poke, and shake a little .

But that are not going to look like a corvette.

I think a little surface rust is part of the game I have seen a lot that all have a little rough spots. I would be more concerned about the performance and if it performs well....

I would not pay 17K for a boiler there are many companies with as good if not better products for much less.

If I did pay for a corvette and got a chevette I guess I might be upset since I was expecting a corvette but I would have refused delivery out of the gate. But After I got it, I would say well I guess I got the shaft.


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## twincam (Oct 11, 2010)

Bcat22 said:


> you can always tell who doesn't have one yet. its ok, you get there some day.
> 
> p.s. i only paid $5500 for my woodmaster, and it looks 10 times better than the stove in those pictures ( its in its 4th season now).




I dont think Ill get there. I have a jotul that heats my house on 4 cord a year, I have about $4 thousnad invested and it looks like new, doesnt bellow smoke, and i dont have to go outside to load it. I dont see the advantage.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 11, 2010)

John D said:


> I dont take offense,however "superior" is subjective,and just because its more expensive doesnt mean its better.....Shavers arent very refined,however they have thick fireboxes,and sturdy build quality...they also have a 3/8" thick firebox and meet the the govts standards for high efficiency OWBs....I understand your not being happy about it,and no my stove looks like any other 2 yr old OWB the front is covered in soot and smoke,you cant eve see any of the surface rust that was on the door as a result...to me its like a tractor or tool,its going to get scratched and rust,thats what happens....im not going to worry about it or get upset over it....



I guess it boils down to one man cares for his tools in different ways than others, for example I clean my OWB and remove all the soot and smoke, I also keep my tractor in the barn and wash it to prevent rust and if I was to see a rust spot I repair it, further more I have no rusty tools. Different strokes for different folks....


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 11, 2010)

boyland said:


> I agree with John.
> 
> Boilers are heaters they smoke puke and poke, and shake a little .
> 
> ...



You are correct, this boiler smokes when the fans start up and when it shuts down, when the stove is running full tilt there is little to no smoke coming out of it. It does not poke or puke, as a matter of fact Ive never seen it shake either...:monkey:

As for looking like a Corvette your correct, it will not look like a Corvette... Its a OWB.

This once again boils down to the fact that there are people in the world who are willing to accept certain things and there are others who are not. Im sure you've seen many a OWB and there all rusty, my question to you is how many NEW Heatmor OWB's have you seen? Like I mentioned in my First post Heatmor knows that there was and issue with prep and paint and has since changed the process, tell me, why should there problem become mine? Why should I pay top dollar for something is faulty? This is just something Im not willing to accept, some people are push overs in life, I however am not.

And I quote

"If I did pay for a corvette and got a chevette I guess I might be upset since I was expecting a corvette but I would have refused delivery out of the gate. But After I got it, I would say well I guess I got the shaft." 

Some people like getting the shaft, but once again this is not something I was raised to tolerate, we have paid our hard earned money with expectations & promises of a top notch product, and I will get it.


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## John D (Oct 13, 2010)

Redneck Ont said:


> I guess it boils down to one man cares for his tools in different ways than others, for example I clean my OWB and remove all the soot and smoke, I also keep my tractor in the barn and wash it to prevent rust and if I was to see a rust spot I repair it, further more I have no rusty tools. Different strokes for different folks....



Understood, I do clean the outside of my OWB,but once a year,just like the siding on the house,as mother nature does that the rest of the time. I only clean inside the OWB in the spring before the off season,simply scrape it as needed during the season,and keep the ash bin empty.... As for the tractor,water is the enemy....washing it promotes rust ,and electrical problems,unfortunately Ive learned this the hard way I used to overwash everything.Now I simply blow off all my equipment daily with backpack blowers,and wash only when necessary,then I let the machine cool off,so im not putting 50 degree water on hot parts,that then contract and draw in the water....My Skid steer,and zero turns usually get a bath 2-4x a season,at the most,but daily blow offs,and seats/tanks/floor/radiator/deck-baffles cleaned weekly...I dont mow in the rain or heavy dew,so mud and wet grass isnt an issue. This is what works for me,whatever works for you is the best :biggrinbounce2:


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## tmanmi (Oct 13, 2010)

John D said:


> I dont take offense,however "superior" is subjective,and just because its more expensive doesnt mean its better.....Shavers arent very refined,however they have thick fireboxes,and sturdy build quality...they also have a 3/8" thick firebox and meet the the govts standards for high efficiency OWBs....I understand your not being happy about it,and no my stove looks like any other 2 yr old OWB the front is covered in soot and smoke,you cant eve see any of the surface rust that was on the door as a result...to me its like a tractor or tool,its going to get scratched and rust,thats what happens....im not going to worry about it or get upset over it....



You will really be thinking "superior" when one of those wonderful hoses on the door decides to spring a leak and you either have to change it "hot" or wait till it cools down and you have lost a good bid of water. The 200 I have is on it's 8th season and it looking a little rusty its self. After having both a Heatmor and a Central Boiler, I wouldn't even consider a Heatmor.


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## Iska3 (Oct 13, 2010)

*Poor workmanwship on a Heatmore Stove*



Redneck Ont said:


> Its actually not powder coated, the new models however are. Its just cheap black paint. *I agree it does not affect how the stove functions *however it is NEW and should not be rusting.



Hold up the pony cart! I don’t want you to feel bad but I have to disagree with you. The paint on that OWB is substandard and it will affect the functions of the unit. It might not be today or tomorrow but if you had a Central Boiler, you would be expecting it to last for many years. If you had a pole building, the steel will last for 25 years or more and not show any rust. With the rust I see showing on your unit, you’ll be lucky to get 5 to 10 years out of the covering. I would think that Heatmor would stand behind their workmanship. 

Powder coating is not the problem. Henry Ford didn’t have powder coating on the Model “T” and look how long those cars lasted. My son is 41 years old and he still has the same little red wagon he had as a little boy and it’s not all rusted. 

I’m sorry but I don’t by that excuse. Heatmor did not prep their steel properly so it rusted. The rust might not affect the function of your stove today or tomorrow but it will in due time or once the steel starts to rust through the cover I would be checking Google and see who else has that problem and if need be, start a class action suite. 

I would think they would jump through hoops to solve your problem.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 13, 2010)

Iska3 said:


> Hold up the pony cart! I don’t want you to feel bad but I have to disagree with you. The paint on that OWB is substandard and it will affect the functions of the unit. It might not be today or tomorrow but if you had a Central Boiler, you would be expecting it to last for many years. If you had a pole building, the steel will last for 25 years or more and not show any rust. With the rust I see showing on your unit, you’ll be lucky to get 5 to 10 years out of the covering. I would think that Heatmore would stand behind their workmanship.
> 
> Powder coating is not the problem. Henry Ford didn’t have powder coating on the Model “T” and look how long those cars lasted. My son is 41 years old and he still has the same little red wagon he had as a little boy and it’s not all rusted.
> 
> ...



I could not agree more Iska, all I want is for them to make it right, nothing more nothing less. 

I called them last Friday October 8th 2010 and have still not heard anything form them...nothing...Either they are trying to "punk" me off or they are working on some magical way of fixing the unit with out touching it... I tend to get the impression that Im getting "punked" off, but I have been wrong before.

You would think with the wonderful world of SEO (Search engine optimization) Heatmor might consider resolving this issue before this post gets parked right under there website is Google search results....


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 13, 2010)

So I just called Heatmor to follow up with Keith (The gentleman I spoke to) V.P of operations, he was out of the office, so was Gerry Reed (President) hmmm...

So in the process of looking for there 800# I went to there website to get it, well fancy that a new website!! So I thought I would look at there "Warranty" section, well low and behold!! And I quote 

"The Heatmor™ limited LIFETIME warranty covers defects in materials, workmanship AND CORROSION."

Ok so how about less than a year??? I know its "limited lifetime" but Im sure it cannot be "limited" to 9 months?!?!?!?

I'll keep you fellas posted.


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## tmanmi (Oct 14, 2010)

Unfortunately I think that only thing they are going to warranty against corrosion is the firebox, but I could be wrong.


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 15, 2010)

tmanmi said:


> Unfortunately I think that only thing they are going to warranty against corrosion is the firebox, but I could be wrong.



Well if not corrosion, then how about "workmanship"?


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## Redneck Ont (Oct 15, 2010)

UPDATE: Well fellas its been 7 days exactly and still no calls from Heatmor... Seems that there is more than an issue with there stoves, there customer service sucks too!


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## chugbug (Oct 20, 2010)

Whats the update , are they doing anything for you ??


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## rick2752 (Nov 2, 2010)

Updates?????????????????????????/


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## Redneck Ont (Nov 2, 2010)

Hey fellas, well here's the scoop Heatmor NEVER returned any of my calls, to this I am VERY dissapointed with there customer service and there overall business attitude, the dealer we bought it from is going to dismantle the stove and send all of the parts out to be sandblasted and properly painted, I asked them if they had heard anything from Heatmor and they said no, they are just going to fix the problem and try to get the money out of Heatmor I feel bad that these guys are fixing an issue that is obviously been caused by poor prep work at Heatmor, but I want the problem fixed so what do ya do....


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## John D (Nov 3, 2010)

Redneck Ont said:


> Hey fellas, well here's the scoop Heatmor NEVER returned any of my calls, to this I am VERY dissapointed with there customer service and there overall business attitude, the dealer we bought it from is going to dismantle the stove and send all of the parts out to be sandblasted and properly painted, I asked them if they had heard anything from Heatmor and they said no, they are just going to fix the problem and try to get the money out of Heatmor I feel bad that these guys are fixing an issue that is obviously been caused by poor prep work at Heatmor, but I want the problem fixed so what do ya do....



Glad to hear you have a dealer thats stepping up.....I hope its repaired properly and the repair holds up..


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## Iska3 (Nov 3, 2010)

Sounds like they might do you right. Years ago I had a pole barn built and some of the steel had small blems and complained about it. 3 years later I saw where is started to rust. I soon found out that the company was using second grade steel in their buildings. I had all mine replace for free. 

I'm sure something happen when they built your stove. No reason for any rust in that short time. 

Hope all works out for the best.


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## wooddoctorsick (Nov 4, 2010)

*All manufactures are the Same*

All have warranty but when you try claim they want to keep all the money , just look here for a good example how they avoid helping, so do not hold your breath.! http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?p=2542227#post2542227

the Wooddoctor , Hawken Energy all the same, sell sell , and no FIX !


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## Paul61 (Nov 4, 2010)

Redneck Ont said:


> Hey fellas, well here's the scoop Heatmor NEVER returned any of my calls, to this I am VERY dissapointed with there customer service and there overall business attitude, the dealer we bought it from is going to dismantle the stove and send all of the parts out to be sandblasted and properly painted, I asked them if they had heard anything from Heatmor and they said no, they are just going to fix the problem and try to get the money out of Heatmor I feel bad that these guys are fixing an issue that is obviously been caused by poor prep work at Heatmor, but I want the problem fixed so what do ya do....



Red,
Sorry to hear about your Heatmor issues.
I had "Leprechaun" Charlie quote me one for the identical price you paid.
Since my buddy has had a Heatmor for almost 20 years without any issues, I figured it was the way to go?
His stove certainly doesn't show any signs of the corrosion that you have.
I did find a better deal (12 G's) with a SS OWB manufactured in Manitoba.
In my 3rd full season with it & zero problems.
Good luck with yours.
Paul


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## jiggysmb (Feb 21, 2018)

Sorry to dig up an old thread. I didn't see the point of rehashing all this and wanted the people interested to be notified of similar issues with Heatmor. 

If the unit is installed properly there is no reason for moisture to be in the sub frame area. I can not see the pictures in the original post anymore so I wanted to ask, was the problem surface rust? 

My boiler is a 300CS and was purchase in 2008. It has been flawless, but there is surface rust on some of the internal metal parts which I assumed was normal. The distributor has been difficult to deal with since day 1, getting parts, seals, etc. Their prices seem to go up every year. The fiber seals have tripled in cost just in the past couple years. Does anyone know what the fiber material is called that is used to seal the clean outs?


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## Deleted member 117362 (Feb 21, 2018)

Show a picture. Is it just stove rope? Have seen flat rope. My Woodmasters have only had stove rope on doors.


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