Everything Drolet Tundra - Heatmax...

[DoubleB]

Well slap me silly.

I came home and checked and I've got three.

Bottom left corner of heat exchanger cleanout, crack 1/4" long:



Crack bottom right corner of heat exchanger cleanout, crack 1/4" long:


crack bottom right corner of the door, crack 1" long:


I don't know when they popped up, I didn't notice them several weeks ago when I first inspected the peeling paint (post #62).

 

[laynes69]

That sucks. Our Caddy doesn't have a solid steel front like the Tundra, but a false front where air surrounds the front of the furnace. I've checked ours and there's no issues. It looks like stress cracking from heat. Is the portions around the loading door exposed to the main firebox as heat is concerned? I've seen them at our menards, but didn't study them.

Hearth isn't going to shut down a thread. There's plenty of threads like this where other stove owners have encountered problems. I'm sure the company will do the right thing, hopefully.

 

[DoubleB]

i know the cracks on the bottom around my loading door are a cause for alarm

Yeah, that's what it looks like to me too. I'll investigate further tonight too.

 

[bpwelding2005]

found the post on the other site i was thinking about that i red of another user with cracking issues. link below.
http://www.arboristsite.com/communi...door-wood-furnaces.262732/page-2#post-4970426

 

[bpwelding2005]

dont get me wrong i havent shut the stove down because of them yet theres no way for the fire to get threw the cracks and the carbon monoxide detector hasn't gone off in the basement yet. just feel like a stove thats not even completely threw its first heating season should be showing theses kinds of signs of fatigue

 

[DoubleB]

You should have offered to swap, Tundra with all those AWESOME tools for their Kuuma, with 1 "generic" combo tool!

I am getting about bad feeling about the prospects for this swap.

 

[DoubleB]

The front appears to be 1/4" steel, waterjet cut for the openings for the damper, cleanout, and loading door. The hole for the cleanout has at best 1/32" radius at the corners for stress relief. So small it might just be the kerf of the waterjet. I can't imagine it would have been much different to design 1/8" radius or larger, but that's just the engineer in me.

When was yours fabricated? Mine was June 2014, serial 8xx.

 

[bpwelding2005]

mine was in the higher 300 serial number range think it was late 2013 but i would have to double check later

 

[brenndatomu]

When was yours fabricated? Mine was June 2014, serial 8xx.

Ruh Roh Raggy...sissies is June '14, #923...project "boot the Yook" may be on hold...she's been run hard but least she no crack ho. I always said Yooks are built like a tank

I am getting about bad feeling about the prospects for this swap.

Shhh, make it happen quick...

 

[brenndatomu]

That sucks. Our Caddy doesn't have a solid steel front like the Tundra, but a false front where air surrounds the front of the furnace. I've checked ours and there's no issues. It looks like stress cracking from heat. Is the portions around the loading door exposed to the main firebox as heat is concerned? I've seen them at our menards, but didn't study them.

You inspected the firebox wall underneath the outer air jacket?

 

[JRHAWK9]

Been riding herd on this beast for ten years and have never seen sponsorship having anything to do with deleting or not deleting posts. In fact we have lost at least three major sponsors that I suspect had gotten a bad taste from some threads on their products.

Oh I have deleted a bunch of posts over that time. But the posters knew why. Nothing to do sponsorship.

Good to hear! It's nice seeing that there are still some non-corporate forums around to help out the common person.

 

[JRHAWK9]

You inspected the firebox wall underneath the outer air jacket?

This is my guess. The Caddy line is made from quality steel. The Tundra....not so much. They had to cut cost somewhere over the more expensive Caddy. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to find out the steel from the Tundra comes from someplace like China. Everything cheap in this country does already.

 

[BrotherBart]

This one was started in 1995 by a hippy that owned a stove store after he moved from the commune.

 

[BrotherBart]

Any heater cracking concerns me. Stove guy, not a furnace guy, but this stuff needs to be addressed. Hope you guys keep sharing your findings and resolution. It often makes people aware to look for something they never thought of. Happens all the time in the hearth and pellet rooms.

 

[laynes69]

You inspected the firebox wall underneath the outer air jacket?

I have, but I'll check this year after the season is over.

 

[brenndatomu]

This is my guess. The Caddy line is made from quality steel. The Tundra....not so much. They had to cut cost somewhere over the more expensive Caddy. It wouldn't surprise me in the least to find out the steel from the Tundra comes from someplace like China. Everything cheap in this country does already.

Well, it's probably whatever SBI spec'ed, china is cheap labor and whatever you want as for the quality, junk or great, you chose. Not sticking up for china here, but they can built quality, if that is what is ordered (not saying there isn't corners cut sometimes though) It's just not ordered enough anymore...profits first.
I have come across some top quality china made parts at work...I was really surprised to see where they came from

 

[laynes69]

From what Bert has said, SBI's manufacturing is highly automated. Instead of welding a weldment to the face of the furnace, the opening is cut and shaped on a break. I've only seen this on the Caddy or Tundra. I'm not wondering if this is a weak spot in the manufacturing at the corners. It gives it a place to start, then spreads.

 

[brenndatomu]

From what Bert has said

Bert?

Well, looks like that lifetime firebox warranty is gonna get some mileage from some a y'all

 

[STIHLY DAN]

"I have come across some top quality china made parts at work...I was really surprised to see where they came from"

I would have been too. Glad to see made in America is making a comeback.

 

[DoubleB]

The front appears to be 1/4" steel

Correction #1. I measured it this time, it's 3/16", for what that's worth.

I came home and checked and I've got three.

Correction #2. I've got four cracks. I looked again and found that a crack is going horizontally through the weld, making a continuation of the horizontal seam between the different metal pieces:



Then I looked some more at the big crack I have on the right bottom of the door, you can see the weld pulling off at the top/right of the weld below:


Here are some pictures from inside looking out the door. The crack comes in, around the weld, and trails off to the left. Hard to get good shots without being able to stand inside the furnace, so I have three pictures...




I did start a fire tonight, and at least I don't see daylight through my cracks like BPwelding indicated he has.

 

[brenndatomu]

Glad to see made in America is making a comeback.

Not quite sure how to take that comment? Sarcastic or...
I know we have a local foundry that has been getting more and more busy the last few years after experiencing a downturn due to losing contracts to china. For one the rail industry has come flocking back due to chinese casting failures, the RR industry can't have and won't put up with casting failures!

 

[STIHLY DAN]

Not quite sure how to take that comment? Sarcastic or...
I know we have a local foundry that has been getting more and more busy the last few years after experiencing a downturn due to losing contracts to china. For one the rail industry has come flocking back due to chinese casting failures, the RR industry can't have and won't put up with casting failures!

No sarcasm here. There are many companies bringing manufacturing back to the u.s for cost saving reasons associated with Quality and high price of fuel for shipping.

 

[DoubleB]

Plus, labor costs in China have risen quite substantially over the years (from "almost nothing" to "a little bit"). Sometimes that's all it takes to tip the scales back.

 

[Wisneaky]

Everyone knows SBI furnaces are made in Canada?

 

[Buzz Saw]

Everyone knows SBI furnaces are made in Canada?

Final product comes from Canada, but where are the raw materials sourced from? Sometimes it's a play on words.