After 2 seasons with an Econo 1

No, I have never had any moisture on the hopper lid.

The manual states to wash inside the stove with baking soda and water, but it doesn't say to do anything but empty the hopper at seasons end. I followed the manual and after 2 seasons of use I ended up with what you see above.

Let's face it, even a neglected stove hopper should last more than 2 seasons.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda my friend. I agree 100% about the longevity of the hopper, but I also know that after quite a few yrs in this world I've got to get past the generalizations of the rule book. Metal has a tenancy to rust when not cared for & often you can't see it till it's too late, soooo off to plan B, unfortunately you have brought forth a real good topic that will help others using your particular stove/hopper and hopefully all us others that have not paid attention to all the posts about stove shut down maintenance at the end of the season.

In speaking with Dave at leisure line they will not stand behind their product and will not replace the hopper after just 2 seasons of heating.

Buyer beware.

It is definitely a shame that your hopper rusted Johnshan but I don't think you can really say they don't stand behind there product. They gave you a new fan motor for your unit even after the unit was out of warranty and it was damaged by a malfunctioning generator. I haven't found it yet but there was a harman that had a hopper rust through after 1 season by using Blashack's ultra wet coal. It states Rust and misuse are excluded in their warranty and they do recommend in the manual using a light bulb inside the stove to to prevent this type of damage in the summer. It reminds us all that we need to take care to make sure our stoves, furnaces and boilers are maintained properly.

jpen1 wrote:It is definitely a shame that your hopper rusted Johnshan but I don't think you can really say they don't stand behind there product. They gave you a new fan motor for your unit even after the unit was out of warranty and it was damaged by a malfunctioning generator. I haven't found it yet but there was a harman that had a hopper rust through after 1 season by using Blashack's ultra wet coal. It states Rust and misuse are excluded in their warranty and they do recommend in the manual using a light bulb inside the stove to to prevent this type of damage in the summer. It reminds us all that we need to take care to make sure our stoves, furnaces and boilers are maintained properly.

Let me set the record straight on something, they gave me a new fan unit because they realized that there was a design flaw in the stove which led to the fan failure in the first place. They also sent me an insulation kit to try to shield the fan from stove heat, which became standard issue on all econo 1's after they figured out this design flaw. I thought it was great that they were willing to stand behind this and I thanked them for it. If your doing forum searches to dig up info I doubt you will find this because it was done through private messages, when they offered me the fan they also asked me if they could delete certain posts.

Secondly, they recommend the light bulb in the stove if you store it in a damp area. I have the stove in my living room on my first floor, it doesnt qualify as a damp area and therefore, according to the manual, doesn't need to have this bulb.

Third and final comment, I have followed my manual for all maintenance and care, as I stated before. I am not sure what else I can do, the sheet metal on these stoves are not exactly of a heavy gauge.

Johnshan wrote:

jpen1 wrote:It is definitely a shame that your hopper rusted Johnshan but I don't think you can really say they don't stand behind there product. They gave you a new fan motor for your unit even after the unit was out of warranty and it was damaged by a malfunctioning generator. I haven't found it yet but there was a harman that had a hopper rust through after 1 season by using Blashack's ultra wet coal. It states Rust and misuse are excluded in their warranty and they do recommend in the manual using a light bulb inside the stove to to prevent this type of damage in the summer. It reminds us all that we need to take care to make sure our stoves, furnaces and boilers are maintained properly.

Let me set the record straight on something, they gave me a new fan unit because they realized that there was a design flaw in the stove which led to the fan failure in the first place. They also sent me an insulation kit to try to shield the fan from stove heat, which became standard issue on all econo 1's after they figured out this design flaw. I thought it was great that they were willing to stand behind this and I thanked them for it. If your doing forum searches to dig up info I doubt you will find this because it was done through private messages, when they offered me the fan they also asked me if they could delete certain posts.

Secondly, they recommend the light bulb in the stove if you store it in a damp area. I have the stove in my living room on my first floor, it doesnt qualify as a damp area and therefore, according to the manual, doesn't need to have this bulb.

Third and final comment, I have followed my manual for all maintenance and care, as I stated before. I am not sure what else I can do, the sheet metal on these stoves are not exactly of a heavy gauge.

If I had any inclination that the problem was the fault of ours it would have been taken care of. When I asked if you emptied the hopper at yrs end you had to think about it for a second before you answered. The hopper failing was either a poor draft situation, very wet coal or lack of care. They are all 20 gauge galvalume.
Also some of the other MFGs share the same vendor as us for the hoppers. So if there is an issue you would see it with theirs as well. There is an econo in our office that is 8yrs old or maybe 9 . Same fan and same hopper. I looked at my 2yr old stove tonight it looks new using Blaschak coal. I can tell you what my draft is as well. You should not just rely on the moisture on the lid to tell if your draft is correct you should always check it with a manometer. As far as things being done in a private message with the fan was just to keep the forum on topic. Not to hide anything. In fact I may still have them. The posts that were deleted were off topic and un related, they were more things said neither one of us should have brought to the forum.
BTW the poor draft situation could be tough on the fan as well. Just saying. This is all I will say on this topic. Dave

Why is my washing machine,my dishwasher , my gas drier after 20 years of service, with constant moisture around them, not having any rust ?
Could stove manufacturers swallow their pride just once, and investigate better coating/epoxy paint/appliance paint/powder coating/ceramic over steel, , etc etc.

Stainless steel is one option but too expensive, unless you get it from China, heck everything else is stainless steel these days and from China.

Don't have an answer yet !

Don't know what to tell you wannabe. Maybe put some coal in the dish washer and see what happens? I've had my stove for 18 years. In that time I have replaced the door gaskets one time and replaced the blower once. And this was a used stove when I bought it. Oh yeah, almost forgot........ it's been painted several times.

Well, from what I understand, most coal is washed, rinsed before delivery, me no need washing it a second time !
I had few beers once, and I had my dishes in the washing machine, and my girlfriend underwhere in the dishwashar, and nothing malfunctioned, I simply put her underware back on the dish rack, and hanged the dishes out on the clothe line.

The associations I live in forbids hanging clothes on clothe lines, but on that day, the property manager drove by and smiled !
After using Cascade, I was able to see myself with the reflections from the dish rack.

CoalUserWannabe wrote:Why is my washing machine,my dishwasher , my gas drier after 20 years of service, with constant moisture around them, not having any rust ?
Could stove manufacturers swallow their pride just once, and investigate better coating/epoxy paint/appliance paint/powder coating/ceramic over steel, , etc etc.

Stainless steel is one option but too expensive, unless you get it from China, heck everything else is stainless steel these days and from China.

Don't have an answer yet !

I buy as little as I have to from China or foreign products. Unfortunately everything is not made here anymore so sometimes we have no choice. But I would not go to a foreign supplier to save a few pennies or dollars. If someone wants a Stainless hopper and are willing to pay the extra costs which wouldn't probably be that crazy price wise. Maybe an extra $40-50 /stove, I would have to price it to be sure but that is probably in the ball park.And still made buy American workers. I would be more than willing to explore that option. One problem I see is Stainless is tough to paint properly which may add a little more cost as well. But if the stove is not properly operated and maintained it will not last either. I really believe everything sold in this country should be made here. Dave

I really believe everything sold in this country should be made here. Dave

I was just going to reiterate ( cool word) if one does not do upkeep/maintenance/ proper operation--it doesn't matter what something is made of--Now, I hear that oil furnaces/ boilers are just about maintenance free. apparently so are dishwashers, can't really speak on that one, mine moved to the city.

Flyer5 wrote: But if the stove is not properly operated and maintained it will not last either. Dave

Absolutely 100% correct. I think its called preventive maintenance.

To make it simple:
Preventive maintenance is conducted to keep equipment working and/or extend the life of the equipment.

[quote=" apparently so are dishwashers, can't really speak on that one, mine moved to the city. [/quote]

I haven't seen mine in a few months she still calls once in a while to check up on me so I guess its a good thing.

First of all this is criminal your problem reminds me of Smittys dealings with hilkoil. Just don't understand how putting a light bulb in your stove will keep your hopper dry. I've had my ALASKA 25 years and my hopper looks like new. Can't believe they won't take care of this.