Original 4000 word review for northwest hearth & home
I spent $7,300.00 with North West Hearth & Home late August 2011.
First time stove use was 3rd week of October 2011. I call owner Dave to find out why smoke was escaping from lower back of stove, as owning a wood stove was a new experience. He suggests it may be wet wood causing chimney clogging. He gave the name of a licensed chimney sweep to call. The same day, a friend who owns a wood stove came to visit and volunteered to look. With a small steel hand brush, he scrubbed the screen clean, never removing it or sticking anything down the pipe. This is important, as it will be evident why as this story unfolds. I
didn't call the chimney sweep that day, as I thought the clean screen would help. Weeks later, late December 2011, after lighting the wood stove Sunday night, within minutes my eyes burned and it smelled like a campfire cookout. Since the fire was going strong, I shut the air intake so it would die down and opened doors on a cold night. The smoke wasn't coming out the back as it did previously, so I scan the pipe going up to the ceiling box (14ft). There I saw smoke escaping continually from that area. I panicked and left a voice message for Dave once again.He returned my call a day or so later and again, he suggested a clogging from bad wood. I told him, our friend looked at it and said it didn't appear to be. He asked "Is he a licensed chimney sweep"?
I said no, but he's had a wood stove for years. Dave said, as I said to you before, call a licensed chimney sweep and if they find it's not the problem, I will come to inspect installation. I phoned Top Notch Chimney and set up an appointment. Once here, Mark confirmed the chimney did not need a clean but the screen needed cleaning. He called Dave to inform him what he found. I assume there would be no more issues as we had decided to keep screen off & replace it after wood burning season. All seemed fine, yet I noticed my ceilings were turning black at a fast rate, and it still smelled like a campfire cookout. During a January ice storm with no electricity for 5 days, the wood stove was our heat. Jan 22nd 2012, I start a fire in the stove which sets off my smoke alarms. I look up the length of the pipes again, and notice the elbow joint was not connected any longer to the ceiling box. In fact, I could look up into the pipe. Also a 2nd place on the elbow had a gap and side view showed the pipes leaning back slightly. Since it was Sunday, I called Mark from Top Notch to see if he could take a look. He said it was best to call Dave as it perhaps was a safety issue, so I did. I took 5 photos. After a couple of days, I called owner again. Due to the ice storm, the phone lines were not working daughter said. I suggest sending photos via email, she agrees "great idea". In my email, never did I accuse or blame anyone. My focus was "are my pipes needing more support, did a screw come loose from possible expansion and cooling of pipes? Once Dave gets photos, he calls and says, it appears the pipe was dislodged from above. Perhaps using the wrong kind of sweep broom not meant for elbow pipes. He felt the responsibility may lie with the Chimney sweep Mark. However, he said, I'm not saying he did it, yet he wasn't saying he didn't. I just thought it was a fluke happening. I called Mark, left a message of what Dave thought. Mark calls me back after speaking with Dave. Dave lied to Mark and told him that we were pointing the finger of blame at Top Notch Chimney. Mark said Dave thinks your friend was responsible for dislodged pipes. I was so upset, and yes, described Dave to Mark in not a nice way.I then called Dave, asking "why lie"? I said he was unimpeccable. I reminded him that he said the responsibility may be with Top Notch not me. Using voice inflection, but never profane names, he got tired of listening and eventually hung up.
Imagine, spending $7,300.00 and 5 months later, paying someone else to repair it! BEWARE, DO NOT BUY FROM N.W. Hearth & Home. Diane & Tom read more