Help with replacement door alignment

[steadfast]

I have a hearthstone phoenix. the original door was quite warped so hearthstone sent me a replacement door in the mail, but i can't seem to get it to align & shut onto the wood stove for the life of me. I tried changing the hinge pins but that hasn't helped. I tried sitting some washers on top of the hinges... no luck. Anybody have any ideas?

 

[Gunner]

PAGING MSG.....door alignment assistance isle 6

 

[Roospike]

I have a hearthstone phoenix. the original door was quite warped so hearthstone sent me a replacement door in the mail, but i can't seem to get it to align & shut onto the wood stove for the life of me. I tried changing the hinge pins but that hasn't helped. I tried sitting some washers on top of the hinges... no luck. Anybody have any ideas?

Welcome to the forum steadfast.

Is this Hearthstone Phoenix a new stove or a stove your have had ? ( or did you get it used )
If used are there any other warped parts? What year model is the stove?

 

[steadfast]

thanks for the welcome. i bought the stove new in 2002. they sent me the replacement door in 2003 but i let it sit until now when it looked like the gaskets needed replacement. the model # is 8612-4120

 

[Corie]

Is the new door flat? Put a level across it and see what you get?

Also, check the front of stove where the door meets the stove body to see if it is flat.

 

[Roospike]

So new stove 2002 , new door 2003 , origonal door didnt fit/ warped , new door dont fit , Stove has or hasnt been used yet ?

Now the door dont line up with the frame of the stove ?
the door dont latch ?
the door is too tight ?

 

[steadfast]

I checked them both... the door looks level and the latch (left) side of the stove might be slightly in farther than the hinge side.

 

[Gunner]

I don't understand, the door was bad enough to be replaced by Hearthstone but you have been using it for 3 yrs with the new one mothballed?

 

[steadfast]

Master of fire - the 2003 door seems to be hitting slightly up against the bottom of the stove.

 

[steadfast]

The problem with the original door was that it was warped enough that i could see the flame through the top of it. It seemed like an efficiency issue and I lived with it... more out of lack of time & laziness than anything else (change glass, gaskets, & hinges).

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

you sure the frame isnt warped? If you burned it like that for that many years the front casting might be warped. Can you post a photo with a strait edge across the door frame and also one with the door frame and the new door as closed as you can get it?

 

[steadfast]

I can't get a photo up here tonight, but I'm afraid you might be right...! What would the implications of the stove being warped be???

 

[Roospike]

you sure the frame isnt warped? If you burned it like that for that many years the front casting might be warped. Can you post a photo with a strait edge across the door frame and also one with the door frame and the new door as closed as you can get it?

does this stove have the "knife edge" for a door seal? or is it a flat front?

 

[elkimmeg]

If you burned that stove being able to look at the fire past the door gasket that would means years of uncontroled overfiring. Your first clue is the door does not interface with the warped front.
I think at this point it a bit more than a few spacer washers. Bluntly put your stove is toast. You need to replace the entire front possibly leading to an entire rebuilding.

I not fasmiliar with your stove aso I do not know if the joints are refactory cemented or bolt together gasketes If bolt together gaskets that would make it a lot easier to replace the front,
If refractory I suspect the top would have to be removed and possibly tremoving the top and front would shift and vrack out the remaining refactory cement seams requiring a total rebuild..

I have rebiult a few refractory joint stoves. but not your model or manufacturer. time to get a hold of your dealer and get some advice

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

if the front is bad, then its a nightmare. I will look tommorw and see what i see. At the very least its a complete stove rebuild.

 

[ozarkjeep]

post some good close up pics with a straightedge across the front for reference.

Id be inclined to do something silly like, use a bottle jack on the inside, brace the back with a 4x4 post to spread the load, and carefully push the front door sealing edge back into a plane where it would seal.

It might work, it might be possible.

Id sure as hell try some oddball stuff before I scraped a stove from 2002.

EDIT.

I searched and found this stove is cast iron instead of plate steel, so it wont bend as easily, but it still might be something to try.

 

[steadfast]

Update... I was able to fit the door onto the hinges (with 3 washers on the bottom hinge). I fired up the stove and have been using it since last night... there is now (with the new door & new door gaskets) about 3 inches of a slim, paper thin gap between the door & stove. Any thoughts? I'd also love some more info about what the danger of an overfired stove might be - you said it was "shot"... does that mean it's dangerous to burn, or less efficienct, or other? I have always had a thermometer on top and watched it regularly since we've had the stove. I don't ever remember seeing it go past 475 (on the hearthstone top)... this season it has averaged at about 400.

thanks for the advice!

 

[begreen]

Well, considering it was just a bit on the top of the door, perhaps you just got some extra airwash and shorter burn times.

But most new stoves have a finely tuned, inner air balance for controlled burning. An extra jet of air in some stoves really messes up their performance.