E-classic 2300 takes a poo! leaky mess!

[pjf]

Hi Guys

I generally lurk here, but now its my turn to post.

In 2008 I bought a E-classic 2300. Now I do like it, its a picky ass machine, you have to keep it real clean, good bed of coals, burn only dry wood and stacking the wood so it doesnt bridge has become an art I have perfected. So all in all I do like the machine, it goes through more wood than advertised, but I like cutting wood so no worries.

1st year winter 2008/2009 - had a hard time keeping temperature up, learning curve was alot longer than I expected. Its not a chuck and burn stove thats for sure. Firebricks inside cracked, creosote behind them pushes them out anyways.
Water level and quality good. Unit looked okay, gave me heat all winter, used about 7 months. Cold ass winter!

2nd year Winter 2009/2010 - got a cleaning routine going, had no problem keeping temperature, very little creosote formation. I find out that we were suppose to remove the firebricks (which I didnt until the end nobody told me. My blower manifolds crack on both sides, but unit still works well, reaction chamber wall is starting to warp a little. Heat exchanger tubes are very crusty from creosote but I have made several tools to clean it out good. Used 5 months warm winter

CB sends me a thermostat in summer to reduce condensation..which to me was not visable at all. I run it at 180 to 185

3rd year winter - dealer comes and drills 2 holes for me at the rear of unit, he says mine is pretty clean compared to the other, some guys had to get torches to burn off tar stuck in the back. Manifolds are packed with brown chunks of creosote and rust as far as I can see. I clean all that out with a home made tool and air compressor, unit is running good smokeless and clean until...

January 11th went out to load the wood stove in the morning 7 am. I had checked the water level 2 day prior and all was well. That morning I noticed in the front right side of the stove I had an unusual amout of creosote forming and bubbling from the heat, only to see water trickling down the side of the firebox:freaked-out:. Thinking to myself "F%$k"... I check the water and I'm about 25 litres low (sorry I'm canadian). I dont know where the leak is coming from because its way to dirty from all the creosote that has formed.

I call the dealer explain the situation, but seriously what can he do about it. So he has called Central Boiler and he is getting back to me.

I heat a 4000 Sq ft shop, and a 1400 sq ft house. So other people on forums have been telling people to not touch a 2300 with their life, but I honestly liked the unit. Its picky like I said but until this point has been reliable and a good heater. I do believe CB makes quality stuff I think they released it alittle to soon and it has had some problems. 3 year to this stove is frustrating because I really maintained everything on that stove, water quality, cleaning, only dry wood etc etc. That being said I hope they stand behind their products and see what they can do for me. A re-furbished unit was stated but its not like I can do anything now in the middle of January. I have been told that the 2400 is the apology for the 2300...

So I just came on here to vent.. I'm going through a gas can of water each day, get a shovel full of tasty tar by the front where the leak is every morning. Its not smokeless anymore because of the moisture I'm assuming. Its a race until March 1st, when if its not too cold I can light my inside fireplace which is very tiny and get along with some space heaters if I'm lucky while we camp in the living room. Oil isnt in the budget, nor should it be with 30 bone dry face cord sitting in my shed. I hope it doesnt start leaking more or I'll be really screwed.

Thanks for reading (lets all sing koom-bye-yah for a warm February)

 

[leon]

wood and the GEICO wood chucks

Hi Guys

I generally lurk here, but now its my turn to post.

In 2008 I bought a E-classic 2300. Now I do like it, its a picky ass machine, you have to keep it real clean, good bed of coals, burn only dry wood and stacking the wood so it doesnt bridge has become an art I have perfected. So all in all I do like the machine, it goes through more wood than advertised, but I like cutting wood so no worries.

1st year winter 2008/2009 - had a hard time keeping temperature up, learning curve was alot longer than I expected. Its not a chuck and burn stove thats for sure. Firebricks inside cracked, creosote behind them pushes them out anyways.
Water level and quality good. Unit looked okay, gave me heat all winter, used about 7 months. Cold ass winter!

2nd year Winter 2009/2010 - got a cleaning routine going, had no problem keeping temperature, very little creosote formation. I find out that we were suppose to remove the firebricks (which I didnt until the end nobody told me. My blower manifolds crack on both sides, but unit still works well, reaction chamber wall is starting to warp a little. Heat exchanger tubes are very crusty from creosote but I have made several tools to clean it out good. Used 5 months warm winter

CB sends me a thermostat in summer to reduce condensation..which to me was not visable at all. I run it at 180 to 185

3rd year winter - dealer comes and drills 2 holes for me at the rear of unit, he says mine is pretty clean compared to the other, some guys had to get torches to burn off tar stuck in the back. Manifolds are packed with brown chunks of creosote and rust as far as I can see. I clean all that out with a home made tool and air compressor, unit is running good smokeless and clean until...

January 11th went out to load the wood stove in the morning 7 am. I had checked the water level 2 day prior and all was well. That morning I noticed in the front right side of the stove I had an unusual amout of creosote forming and bubbling from the heat, only to see water trickling down the side of the firebox:freaked-out:. Thinking to myself "F%$k"... I check the water and I'm about 25 litres low (sorry I'm canadian). I dont know where the leak is coming from because its way to dirty from all the creosote that has formed.

I call the dealer explain the situation, but seriously what can he do about it. So he has called Central Boiler and he is getting back to me.

I heat a 4000 Sq ft shop, and a 1400 sq ft house. So other people on forums have been telling people to not touch a 2300 with their life, but I honestly liked the unit. Its picky like I said but until this point has been reliable and a good heater. I do believe CB makes quality stuff I think they released it alittle to soon and it has had some problems. 3 year to this stove is frustrating because I really maintained everything on that stove, water quality, cleaning, only dry wood etc etc. That being said I hope they stand behind their products and see what they can do for me. A re-furbished unit was stated but its not like I can do anything now in the middle of January. I have been told that the 2400 is the apology for the 2300...

So I just came on here to vent.. I'm going through a gas can of water each day, get a shovel full of tasty tar by the front where the leak is every morning. Its not smokeless anymore because of the moisture I'm assuming. Its a race until March 1st, when if its not too cold I can light my inside fireplace which is very tiny and get along with some space heaters if I'm lucky while we camp in the living room. Oil isnt in the budget, nor should it be with 30 bone dry face cord sitting in my shed. I hope it doesnt start leaking more or I'll be really screwed.

Thanks for reading (lets all sing koom-bye-yah for a warm February)

Man oh man I am sorry to hear about that
and the trouble it is causing you.

In my situation I have a locally made pressurised inside boiler
that I have half filled with fire brick. AS "bucky" the cat from
"Get Fuzzy" would say "That Hoovers"!



FWIW I plan on replacing my 28 year old unit as the moving
wood inside has become a very old pursuit, coal I dont mind using
but the boiler is small and the house is old and................


I intend to purchase an evergreen boiler from rick at Sequoyah Manufacturing Outdoor Wood Furnaces and Supplies
and filling it half full of fire brick like I have done with my Switzer boiler.

The entire mass of fire brick becomes a thermal mass that stores heat
and adds heat to the combustion process to create a clean burn.


The Evergreen uses boiler plate and so does my Switzer and i have
never had an issue with corrosion.

Sorry to hear of your bad luck:at-wits-end:

 

[applefarmer]

Man that really sucks! There is nothing worse than laying down money on a product only to have it fail. Hopefully CB will stand up and replace the unit with a 2400 at their expense, including swaping and installing the units asap. Every CB unit I have seen looks like a quality well built product so hopefully you were just the unlucky one who got a bad one.

I hate seeing threads like these because it makes me worry about my own boiler and how upset I would be if it happened to me. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[leon]

wood boiler ouch!!!

I sincerely hope that at least they return
your money so you can buy an "Evergreen"
from rick at WD heat and fill it half full of
firebrick and burn even less wood.

My personal thought anyway.

 

[pjf]

I sincerely hope that at least they return
your money so you can buy an "Evergreen"
from rick at WD heat and fill it half full of
firebrick and burn even less wood.

My personal thought anyway.

Are you a sales rep?
I'm not looking for my money back, I'm looking for a good stove, I still think the 2300 is a good stove, I might have got a lemon thats all.

Same thing with cars, you might get a bad one. Thats life, no sense being a ass to people about how my stove is a hunk of ####. Central Boiler is a large company, and they couldnt have got that way making hunks, or by telling people they are on there own after they just forked out 12 G's for a stove and have a problem. I feel confident they will fix it for me, my dealer is going to bat for me.