Baffle messed up?
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I'm glad I stumbled on this thread. At the end of last season I noticed the same thing with my Travis (same Large flush hybrid insert). The baffle is definitely warped at the back right of the stove. I plan on taking pictures tonight and maybe a short video showing how much it moves. I'll be calling my dealer tomorrow to have them come take a look. The unit was only installed last November, and I definitely never over-fired it (working with less than idea wood, but not awful). And a similar thread discusses issues with the cat having flame going directly into it (https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...condaries-cat-more-often.141275/#post-1968784). I can't remember how much I saw that during last years heating season, but I'll be sure to keep an eye on it this year. After spending the money I did on the stove and install (in the $5,000+ range), I sure want to know I have a safe and operable stove.
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That is a coincidence. I had mine installed last November as well. Although mine is not nearly as warped as yours on the right hand side. Mine is however warped on the right side very similar to yours. I have a technician coming in this Saturday to see what the issue is. There was another thread about the baffle as well and he said the stove operated exactly the same. I believe he said that the baffle held up a cat and that is it. I did have one fire so far this season and it seemed as if the stove performed exactly as it did last year with no problems but I am n sure. I hope this helps let me know if you get in touch with the dealer.
Got an update from my dealer (who I sent pictures to), and they said they contacted tech support at the factory and were told it's completely normal for the baffle to be warped like that and not an issue. The dealer has the same stove installed in the showroom and use it during the winter months in the showroom. He checked theirs out and the baffle is also warped in theirs - go figure. I'm happy that I have it in writing from the dealer, so if anything should happen I can quote their comments from tech support.
Wow. I'm surprised that they said it is not an issue at all. Have you looked at the one of the dealership? I'm curious to see what they say on Saturday when they come in.
It's not an issue because they don't want to address the issue. Even if it doesn't necessarily affect performance, it looks bad and doesn't say much for their engineering.
It's like these car manufacturers that know of an issue but are unwilling to take responsibility for it because of the cost.
It's like these car manufacturers that know of an issue but are unwilling to take responsibility for it because of the cost.
I must admit, it's disappointing from such a business that clearly spends a lot on pushing their product as the best out there (flashy website, big claims on performance etc.). I had a similar unit when we lived in CT (the 33 elite) from the same manufacturer, and was really happy with the stove, so decided to go with them again when we moved into our current place but went with the larger firebox and new technology. I just hope this isn't a major factor with stove efficiency or safety (I don't think it is on the safety side).
How do you like the stove so far? On terms of burn time, wood usage, and safety?
Mine has been amazing . Heats our 2,300 sq ft. drafty home to comfortable temperatures without using our oil at all. We burned about 4-5 cords so far. We normally get around 10-12 hour burn times. I had the flue cleaned last weekend and ended up with a couple cups of brown powdery ash and the guy said it looked good .
As I said, we had one fire so far and have not seen an impact on performance but we will see as the winter goes on. I hope it doesn't affect anything in terms of performance or safety as you said .I'll keep this thread updated.
We've been very happy with it. It also does s good job of heating our 2000 square foot ranch without too much trouble (burned around a cord a month last winter). I was working with less than ideal (but not awful) wood last winter, so I'm curious to see how it does with the slightly better wood I have this year. Hoping for even better wood next year as I'm trying to get ahead a little each year so that in a few years I'm burning 2+ year seasoned wood all the time.
I would have preferred a free standing stove as I think they heat a little bit better and without the need for the fan, but that would have required major renovations to the hearth and loosing some space in the living room, so we opted for the insert. My wife also prefers the look of the insets. My only complaint is having to hear the fan, but that's what cones with having an insert. The view of the fire is top notch.
My sweep also gave the thumbs up 2/3rds of the way through last season (I got a sweep to just check how we were doing as I knew I had less than ideal wood). I'm pretty sure we can go the whole of this season without a sweep.
Temps dropping close to freezing this weekend around here, so she'll be fired up Friday night I suspect.
I would have preferred a free standing stove as I think they heat a little bit better and without the need for the fan, but that would have required major renovations to the hearth and loosing some space in the living room, so we opted for the insert. My wife also prefers the look of the insets. My only complaint is having to hear the fan, but that's what cones with having an insert. The view of the fire is top notch.
My sweep also gave the thumbs up 2/3rds of the way through last season (I got a sweep to just check how we were doing as I knew I had less than ideal wood). I'm pretty sure we can go the whole of this season without a sweep.
Temps dropping close to freezing this weekend around here, so she'll be fired up Friday night I suspect.
Sounds like the same results I was getting. I am very pleased with it and I am interested to see how it performs with hopefully better wood. I think we will have it going this weekend also. I will let you know what the technician has to say. Also, look up the other thread about the baffle (I forgot the title) and you can get some info there on it.
Insulation? Wouldn't the insulation burn in the stove? I put Roxul as an insulation with block off plate near the damper area, I can't imagine putting that in my stove even though its rated for something like 1,200 degrees.
Hey Davo -wondering what the tech told you yesterday upon inspection of the warped baffle?
I ran my stove last night for the first time this year. The baffle definitely moves a lot as the gap on mine got smaller as the fire warmed up. And flames definitely make it very close, if not all the way, to the cat, and I wasn't even pushing it last night with the loads.
Update to the thread .
The technician came in and looked at my insert. I will try to sum it up the best I can but if you have any questions feel free to ask because I asked him a lot I may forget to tell you guys.
The guy was really nice stayed for about an hour. He looked at the stove and played around a little and said he has never seen a baffle warp like that. He said it was minor that it only went up half an inch and that it is not a big deal. He said if it was warped in the front, where the cat sits, then it would be a problem because it could potentially damage the cat. So in the back he said it's literally just a metal plate and the damper closes fine and it's not a user error. That being said, he said it definitely needs to be replaced. Since its under warranty, he is going to get it replaced with a brand new baffle when it comes in or if they have it in stock. The reason he said it needs to be replaced because aesthetically it does not look right, and in the future 2-3 years down the road it could cause a problem if it gets worse . Also, he said that it is suppose to flex and will bend up a little and back down as you do more burning because it is designed that way but he said to have it as high as it was it could cause a problem in the future.
So basically, it's not a safety issue or impact efficiency or performance. It will be replaced since its under warranty and it needs to be corrected .
Hope this helps and ask questions of you got any! I thought it was interesting all the things he had to say.
The technician came in and looked at my insert. I will try to sum it up the best I can but if you have any questions feel free to ask because I asked him a lot I may forget to tell you guys.
The guy was really nice stayed for about an hour. He looked at the stove and played around a little and said he has never seen a baffle warp like that. He said it was minor that it only went up half an inch and that it is not a big deal. He said if it was warped in the front, where the cat sits, then it would be a problem because it could potentially damage the cat. So in the back he said it's literally just a metal plate and the damper closes fine and it's not a user error. That being said, he said it definitely needs to be replaced. Since its under warranty, he is going to get it replaced with a brand new baffle when it comes in or if they have it in stock. The reason he said it needs to be replaced because aesthetically it does not look right, and in the future 2-3 years down the road it could cause a problem if it gets worse . Also, he said that it is suppose to flex and will bend up a little and back down as you do more burning because it is designed that way but he said to have it as high as it was it could cause a problem in the future.
So basically, it's not a safety issue or impact efficiency or performance. It will be replaced since its under warranty and it needs to be corrected .
Hope this helps and ask questions of you got any! I thought it was interesting all the things he had to say.
That's a good news that you are getting a new baffle. When I called my dealer they told me to "bring it in and we will flatten it out, it's not a big deal". I personally think it is not a big deal but would like to get new baffle for down the road anyway. If it bends like that who knows what will happen after 5 years.
I got my stove from Dean's stove and spa. Do you mind sharing who is your dealer. I'm not gonna use it as a reference or in any other way, just curious.
I got my stove from Dean's stove and spa. Do you mind sharing who is your dealer. I'm not gonna use it as a reference or in any other way, just curious.
I'm definitely going to keep an eye on mine, and if it gets worse I'll be looking for a replacement under warranty. Is it just sub-standard metal do you think? My dealer didn't see the point in replacing it if it's just going to warp again, which to some degree I can agree with, but surely they should be hitting Travis hard and saying it's a problem and needs to be addressed if they expect the dealers to stand by their product and push them onto customers that come into their stores.
My baffle started to go back to be out of ideal shape even before insert was up to working temp. I've hammered it flat pretty nice. You cant do it after each fire
Actually, the technician said that it could be bad metal that they used which caused it to warp like that. He did say it is completely safe to operate and does not affect performance, but he was concerned what might happen down the road, 3-5 years it could become a safety issue if it gets much worse. I also got my stove at Deans...I have only experienced great service and they have been very helpful. I am happy he said its not a safety issue and that it is being taken care of through warranty. I should hear back from them this week sometime.
lakeguy
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I think I may of discovered why the baffles warp. My replacement baffle was labeled as type SS304. But other types is stainless such as type309 for high heat applications. I took a photo of the baffle package label.
I did have my baffle replaced recently. The technician came out and he said that it is fine to burn even if it is warped . Everything was under warranty so they came out and replaced it for free and I have a new baffle now. I am Not sure the kind of steel that it's made out of though .
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