Woodburner Baffle Plate warped

[stan]

We have recently completed the renovation of our kitchen and installed a Villager AL woodburner. After 3 months use, the baffle plate has fallen into the firebox. It is totally warped, flaked and perforated. Has anyone had baffle plate problems with their woodburners?

[Dave&Olive]

hi ok

         Baffles me

                 Dave[:)]

[dave21478]

If it was bought new, I would contact the manufacturer or retailer- it will be under guarantee.

I am no expert though, but burning out the plate in a short period of time would suggest that the combustion is too hot, and there are perhaps other problems elsewhere in the installtion.

[Théière]

Inlaws have an old woodburner which destroys it's baffle plate and rear plates every few years but they run that like a blast furnace and with air leaks around the case caused by distortion it is even more un controllable.

[LesFlamands]

We've never had this problem with Villagers. Are you sure it was correctly located on the front lugs?

If it's new it should be replaced under guarantee.

[stan]

[quote user="LesFlamands"]We've never had this problem with Villagers. Are you sure it was correctly located on the front lugs?

If it's new it should be replaced under guarantee.[/quote]

Yes, it is properly fitted, leaning onto the front lugs and the rear of the plate sitting on top of the firebricks. I have emailed Villager to seek further advice. As I say, it is brand new and only been in use for 3 months

[Steven Quas]

Do you measure the stove temperature?  We have added a magnetic thermometer to the outside of our stove so that we can see that we are burning in the normal range of temperature. We try and keep ours between 200-250C, but I have not seen that written - just taken advice from experienced friends.  That said, the baffle plate on ours is warping after about 8 years of use, so perhaps we have run it a little too hot, having occasionally reached 300C.

Steven Quas , Hamburg

[stan]

[quote user="Steven Quas"]

Do you measure the stove temperature?  We have added a magnetic thermometer to the outside of our stove so that we can see that we are burning in the normal range of temperature. We try and keep ours between 200-250C, but I have not seen that written - just taken advice from experienced friends.  That said, the baffle plate on ours is warping after about 8 years of use, so perhaps we have run it a little too hot, having occasionally reached 300C.

Steven Quas , Hamburg

[/quote]

That was the suggestion of the fire company from whom I purchased the Villager. I think I may invest in one as I am sure that it is burning way too hot.

Thanks StevenQuas

[virginia.c]

We have a Clearview and they recommended a thermometer from the start. I honestly don't know how we would have run it properly without one and refer to it all the time. As well as knowing instantly when it is getting too hot (or cold for that matter) it does mean that we burn fewer logs because we don't put more on until the temperature dictates we should.

[Théière]

[quote user="virginia.c"]We have a Clearview and they recommended a thermometer from the start. I honestly don't know how we would have run it properly without one and refer to it all the time. As well as knowing instantly when it is getting too hot (or cold for that matter) it does mean that we burn fewer logs because we don't put more on until the temperature dictates we should.[/quote]

Excellent Stove,

[stan]

Since my last post, I have purchased a stove thermometer and continued using the burner as we usually do. We find that it does not even reach the average temperature, so suspect a faulty baffle plate....

[Steven Quas]

[quote user="virginia.c"]We have a Clearview and they recommended a thermometer from the start. I honestly don't know how we would have run it properly without one and refer to it all the time. As well as knowing instantly when it is getting too hot (or cold for that matter) it does mean that we burn fewer logs because we don't put more on until the temperature dictates we should.[/quote]

I know a two people with Clearview stoves and they seem really well designed.  I once visited Clearview's grand house in Ludlow near the castle where they have one of their stoves running in each room - I recommend visiting.  They do seem to run some of the larger stoves far hotter that I would expect, close to 350C, but perhaps they are designed to cope with the heat?

 

[Steven Quas]

[quote user="stan"]Since my last post, I have purchased a stove thermometer and continued using the burner as we usually do. We find that it does not even reach the average temperature, so suspect a faulty baffle plate....
[/quote]

 

It does sound like a fault, as you say.  Unless you were running far above the suggested temperature, it shouldn't be possible to warp the baffle plate so quickly.  I must look in to replacing our baffle plate, but at least that has survived many years of heat before it warped. 

[Fridgeman]

Hi all

We have a Villager and sometimes it has run really hot, you know when you can smell the heat, never used a thermometer but it sounds a sensible thing  to do, just to say our baffle plate is fine, just over 3 years use, contact villager I'm sure they will sort it.

Please let us know the outcome of your dealings with Villager

Bon chance

[virginia.c]

I know what you mean about the 'smell' of the heat. That only happens to us when the Clearview goes into the hot zone outside the recommended range. The only time this happens is when we are first firing it up having not been in the house for a few months. We are desperate for the heat but find it very quickly gets up to temperature and then have to knock it back to the right range.

I'm almost disappointed in the summer months when there is no need to use it! When we first brought it over and installed it we were amazed by the heat it produced and it is only an 8kw in a large room with no other heating!

[stan]

[quote user="Fridgeman"]Hi all

We have a Villager and sometimes it has run really hot, you know when you can smell the heat, never used a thermometer but it sounds a sensible thing  to do, just to say our baffle plate is fine, just over 3 years use, contact villager I'm sure they will sort it.

Please let us know the outcome of your dealings with Villager

Bon chance

[/quote]

Response from Villager was very poor. They initially said that they agreed with the outlet where I purchased the burner in that I must have been using the burner "too hot" (although the thermometer I purchased say differently). They do not want to know, and have not even replied to my last email when I explained that the thermometer indicates temperature at average levels. They were willing to sell me a new baffle plate though!

[Steven Quas]

stan - that's a very disappointing response from Villager. It would take a pretty extreme heat to warp a sound baffle plate so quickly which clearly isn't the case. Other than searching the net for similar experiences with the same stove to demonstrate a faulty batch, it's hard to see a way to get them to replace it. An engineer's report on the baffle plate would cost more than the replacement.

Steven Quas