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St. Croix Genuine Stoves

St. Croix Genuine Stoves review: Customer support 69

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11:31 am EST
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I bought a St. Croix pellet stove insert in June 2008. So far no problems with performance. But support... forget it. The manual is badly written. You are at the mercy of your local dealer. If you have a technical question and call the manufacturer in Waco, Nebraska you will hit a stone wall. I had a simple question about purchasing the right kind of UPS (battery backup) which my dealer had (wrongly) discouraged me from purchasing. The operator simply refused to put me through to a technical person and referred me back to the dealer who had told me not to get a battery backup. Bit of catch 22 there.

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A Vredenburg
Frederick, US
Jun 07, 2009 6:48 pm EDT

Yes, I agree their customer service is none existent. I will never purchase another product of theirs, since they do not seem to want to back up their stoves. There are a lot of other companies with great customer service that make stoves as good as or better than St Croix.
Frederick, MD

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CHADD SMITH
Trout Run, US
Sep 30, 2009 7:26 pm EDT

i have nothing but problems w/ mine. turn it on 4 or 5 setting and it fills the burn pot up w/ pellets and backs up to the auger.

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Julie59
Cedar, US
Jan 31, 2010 7:17 am EST

We are having the same problem as Chadd Smith. Have you ever found an fix for this problem? Anybody?

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macburner
US
Feb 19, 2010 1:07 pm EST

I have the St. Croix Auburn, which i purchased 4 or 5 years ago. Corn was what I started burning and switched to wood pellets last year. My fire was not burning strong and I kept getting black smoke on the glass. First I checked to see if I had enough fresh air intake and then I checked the exhaust. Someone online shows how to remove the exhaust fan, which I did and this did the trick. You will need to poke a wire down the channel towards the burn pot with the vacuum going. It now burns like the sun. I always kept the flame on low and this probably aided the back up problem. I will now burn on 4 or 5 with the thermostat connected. Hope this helps someone. I do like the stove.

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lynda siri
Florence, US
Mar 02, 2010 7:43 am EST

Does anyone have a whistling sound with their pellet stove... it's driving me crazy...respond... lyndaangelina@comcast.net

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Kensinger's
US
Oct 14, 2019 4:58 am EDT
Replying to comment of lynda siri

I have a Prescott exl, Ihave had it since 2005 I had a whistle and what we found was at the rear of the stove where the ash pan sets in there was a hair line crack at the bottom clear to the back of that opening we just put fire restistance silicone and noise was gone that was around 2008 works great would definitely buy and recommend this stove

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gmorton
US
Mar 24, 2010 6:52 pm EDT

Our St.croix, Hastings model has been nothing but problems. It has caught on fire twice in 18months and we are now afraid to use it. In the 18 months that we have owned it, we have only been able to operate it 8 months. We have been unable to get any customer support, St croix always telling us to go through the dealer that we purchased it from but the dealer has quit dealing in St croix stoves as a result of poor customer service and bad product. I am now stuck with a wood pellet stove that is worthless as I wouldn't feel safe giving it away. St. croix representatives are rude and unhelpful. I would warn anyone not to buy one.

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robm54
turner, US
Oct 19, 2010 5:33 pm EDT

Im a St Croix Dealer-I would be more then happy to answer any of your queations or help you with any tech. problems. finewoodproducts.net---robm@finewoodproducts.net

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FedupinVT
Bradford, US
Nov 01, 2010 4:06 pm EDT

We have a SCF-050 furnance and absolutely HATE it. I can not say HATE enought. Have the think on 5 and can barely feel the heat an inch abobve the registers. Called the dealer repeatedly and was told we need to heat the basement before the house will be warm. Huh? The heat is suppose to be blown threw the ducts (which has all been wrapped) upstairs. Enstein the basement will never be heated! Complained about the fan not working correctly and the dealer told us if it turns on it works right. Then he happened to be in the area and stopped by to look at it. His next suggested was to cut a big hole in the floor and let the heat rise up. Buy a bunch of fans to circulate the heat through the house. When I pointed out that is why there is duct work on a furnance he recommended I plop the ugly thing in my living room! Contacted the NE sales rep with about the same response, except he had the nerve to tell me the fact that it was home owner installed was the issue. The head techincian has been emailing us with quetions, but no solutions. Went out and bought a Harman pellet furnace, hope this one works better. My advice ...RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN AWAY FROM ST. CROIX!

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Olson382003
Roosevelt, US
Nov 03, 2010 11:47 pm EDT

My stove has worked very weel for me but I did have a problem with the vacumm censer and the costomer support was horible.The tech department was rude and big [censor].I love the stove but will never buy a stove from St Croix again.

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jvp65
providen, US
Nov 14, 2010 6:29 pm EST

I have had a St. Croix insert York model for about 5 years now. I have had only minor problems until this year. I think the control pad needs to be replaced. When on manual does not respond to changing the setting from 1 to 5. Sometimes the power switch will not turn the stove off. I have currently run into a problem with the stove starting and running fine and then shutting off with the power light blinking. I think there is a control panel problem or a thermostat problem. I do service this insert every year with a cleaning and also clean it every week or so depending on how much I use it. I have been trying to locate a dealer on line that sells the parts so I can get an idea of a new control panel. Good luck. I think I will contact finewoodproducts.net that is located a couple of postings before this one. If anyone has any info please post. Stay warm.

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ryan tls
Turbotville, US
Nov 26, 2010 11:58 pm EST

Im a st croix dealer in PA if you need help i have sold there stoves for 10 years and they r one of the best on the market i only sell st croix stoves now no other brands less problems with the st croix line u can email me at ryantls@verizon.net with your questions

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angry gary in il
US
Dec 06, 2010 4:21 pm EST

i bought a st croix revolution add on furnance abut a year ago my home is just a little over 1100 sq feet i was told this would heat a home up to 2500 sq feet well was i mislead this furnance cannot keep up to cold weather at all i bought this to lower my haeting bills well to my suprise im spending more money ive had the dealer back a few times but no help have had control panel replaced already the high low limit switch also changed the furnance just shuts down by itself with lights flashing on the panel i am very dissapointed with this furnance let alone $5000.00 dollars in the whole you cannot get the service or tech dept to help at all if they even have one my advice is STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY im going to burn the rest of the pellets i have then shut this piece of CRAP down and start using my other furnance so i can stay warm !

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Alllan Richmond
Middletown, US
Dec 11, 2010 7:08 pm EST

How can a company as bad as this stay in bussiness?

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Alllan Richmond
Middletown, US
Dec 11, 2010 7:11 pm EST

This company should be shut down period. The CEO should be in jail for selling a product that will not work and they know it. This guy has been laughing his way to the bank for too long.

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Bruce Taylor
Marriottsville, US
Dec 13, 2010 1:22 pm EST

I am going into my fourth year with my stove. The only problem is the combustion fan just failed and started filling the basement with smoke. Had to air the house out and need to order the fan. $185.00 plus $15.00 for the gasket. I burn 3 to 4 tons a year. Had one from TSC years back and had the same thing with the combustion fan after a few years. Now I have that one in my shop and works fine.

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St Croix User in NE
Charlton, US
Jan 16, 2011 12:33 pm EST

I'm 1/2 way through my fifth year with a St Croix Prescott EXL. My second combustion fan just failed. It's 10 degrees out and it's Sunday. It's $140.00 for a $20.00 motor, but we are stuck going through the St Croix dealer. I was wondering if this is a common problem with other folks. Gasket hint: Buy a sheet of Kaowool gasket material and cut your own - much cheaper. Someone above wrote about the control box not working properly. I was also having similar problems...when I took the back cover off and looking inside, the ground wire had come off its terminal (quick fix). Last year, the auger would not turn. After disassembling the whole thing (1+ hours), I found the end near the firebox all coked up with black junk. Cleaned and reassembled - working fine. The stove is also very sensitive to ash buildup with premium pellets. Super-premium pellets work the best (

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cold in wisconsin
US
Feb 01, 2011 6:04 am EST

ive had a st. croix exl . this is the fourth season the only problem ive had with it is the ignitor has burned out twice. Right now i have a problem i am trying to figure out though. When the auger gets done running through its cycle i am hearing a loud clunk and the shaker plate under the burn pot is jumping up! If anyone know how to fix this please let me know.

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Freezing cold in Dutchess County NY
Dover Plains, US
Feb 04, 2011 2:01 pm EST

I know this thread of posts is very old but I would just like to discourage anyone interested in buying a St. Croix. I bought a York insert in Sept 2010. It's now Feb and the crappy machine is not working. I bought the stove from RT 52 Supplies in Hopewell Jct, NY. They have been no help. Even though their website says they do repairs and maintenance, they do neither. I finally got a tech guy from another store over to figure out what the problem was. He told me to have the store I bought the stove from order the parts I would need from St. Croix (under the warrant). I told the store but they are being told by St. Croix that they will have to purchase the parts and then wait to be reimbursed. You can imagine they are rushing to get these parts. Then they had the nerve to tell me to call St. Croix directly. Impossible! You can't get a person on the line and then they disconnect you. All in all if I had the choice to do all over I would have never bought this stove. It is 5 months old, I burnt 1/2 ton of pellets and now it doesn't work. It turns itself off with the #2 feed light blinking. The tech guy said it was either the control board or the pressure switch. Either way it is 10 degrees outside and I am burning through propane while there is a ton of pellets collecting dust in the garage. Do yourself a favor and stay away from St. Croix. They have horrible customer service and their stoves work like crap!

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william luscher
Park Falls, US
Feb 08, 2011 11:26 pm EST

I bought a york insert last year, Ive had nothing but trouble with it. It seems that pellets keep jamming in the auger. I ve had the dealer here 5 times., costs at least 125.00--150.00 each time. The dealer is great but the stove is not worth the money I paid for it. I tried contacting the co. but they did not answer back. I am very disappoint with the stove @ company. Wm Luscher

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ogkitty
Agawam, US
Feb 11, 2011 5:48 pm EST

I had a dealer order blower from St.Croix- Eventemp on Monday .They said it would be here Friday .Dealer called on Friday and they never shipped .. It has bee very cold -15 last night ..Now I have to wait and see if they ship today.. Now have to have it shipped air to get it in a few days if they decide to ship it..Had problems with getting parts all along ..Not the dealers fault...St.Croix -Eventemp costomer service fault..Will fix and sell it and buy one that has a customer service.You as a business have absolutely NONE! Will recomend NOT TO BUT ANY PRODUCT FROM YOU.. Will post on public boards like FB, Twitter ect...

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kserr
Adams, US
Feb 13, 2011 12:30 am EST

This is my 3rd season with my St Croix EXP and I'm having nothing but trouble with a capital T! First year worked great burnt Lignetics no problems. MY second year couldn't get the Lignetics so we burnt corniths and Penningtons. We started to have problems at the end of the year with the stove shutting down and the #2 light blinking. We cleaned the entire venting system cleaned all ash traps behind the brick which I might say is a very bad design for cleaning, too many nooks and crannies where ash can hide. Well this year we are burning barefoots, can't keep the stove running at all. Very dirty burn shuts down and our biggest problem is can't burn on high or the pellets go up the auger shoot. What can cause this? Could it be a faulty control panel? Sometimes it keeps dumping pellets even when the auger light is off. Any help would be appreciated.

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Bman155
Windsor Locks, US
Feb 25, 2011 2:44 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

#2 light blinking means there is a lack of vacuum in the burn area. That can be caused by a bad combustion blower/motor, clogged exhaust pipes, blockage in the ash traps (behind the brick), clogging above the burn area (around the heat exchanger tubes - there is a plate to remove). I would not suspect the vacuum switch, since you have a lazy burn, which means not enough airflow. I'd inspect the area around the heat exchanger tubes, make very sure the ash traps are clean, make sure the combustion blower is running, make sure the exhaust pipe is clean all the way out of the house. You may have to remove the combustion blower (six small nuts to remove) and make sure the passages to and from it are clear.
The pellets may be backing up the chute because of the lazy burn - they are not burning as fast as the auger feeds them.
The cause is a lack of airflow, the challenge is to find out where the cause is.

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stcroix stoves
waco, US
Mar 28, 2011 10:23 pm EDT

We are sorry to hear these complaints about the St. Croix line. If anyone is still having issues with their St. Croix please send an email to info@stcroixstoves.com. Please give us as much detail about your problem as possible. Also, keep in mind that we do work through our dealer network, much like the most other manufacturers. If there are dealers who cannot solve your problem, perhaps we can find another who can. Ultimatley we will stand behind our stoves, since they are manufactured at our facility in Nebraska. We have been building pellet stoves for the better part of 20 years, and heating appliances since 1901. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Victim of Corporate Greed
No Hampton, US
Jul 31, 2011 5:49 pm EDT

LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES. Don't bother contacting these people. But don't buy a stove from this company in the first place - they won't stand behind their product. The voided our warranty rather than stand being the stove they sold me.

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mp99Bell
Alanson, US
Sep 23, 2011 7:50 am EDT

Just purchased a Harman furnace. Love it so far. The whole house is warm (2100 Sqft). Very high quality and outstanding simple engineering of the fire pot. Little pricey, but don't want to experience the issues I went through with my europa piece of high dollar crap.

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subysti
US
Nov 11, 2011 11:47 pm EST

Well I'm having the same issues. None of my local dealers will help. I need parts! Tried to email info@stcroixstoves.com and it gets sent back undeliverable. great.

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Nonnie1965
US
Feb 22, 2020 8:39 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of subysti

Amazon carries many parts

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TMSTUBBS
Randolph, US
Nov 14, 2011 3:32 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We have been having trouble with the #2 light flashing. Replaced the fan as well as gaskets and still not working. When working with the vacuum switch, there seems to be no suction through the stove where the hose hooks up. Cleaned the stove like we have never done before, by pounding and poking into all the hidden places. Still doesn't work right. The burn pot fills up way to fast and begins to smoke easily. Wondering what sort of support we can get for these problems?

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Bman155
Windsor Locks, US
Nov 14, 2011 3:57 pm EST
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You will not notice the vacuum at the switch, it's very slight. I know you've cleaned it, but have you cleaned the ash traps (all 3), removed the baffle and cleaned all around the heat exchanger? If you can get at the end of the exhaust pipe, try putting the SUCTION side of a leaf blower on it, open the stove door, and start the blower. It will suck ashes out of the stove like you wouldn't believe! Search You-tube for leaf blower cleaning vids - you'll be impressed!

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Bman155
Windsor Locks, US
Nov 14, 2011 4:03 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Also, I suggest you go to Hearth.com, pellet stove area, and there are many people there willing to help. I have a St Croix myself, and love it. I have been all through the stove, and am pretty familiar with it. There are areas that need cleaning that the book doesn't mention and are hard to see.
You might also try taking the hose off the vacuum switch and gently blowing back into the stove. The line or fitting may be plugged. Rare, but possible. Also, make sure the ash door is closed tightly. You can check the door gaskets by closing the door on a dollar bill. The bill should not come out freely with the door closed on it. Try several places around each door.

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TMSTUBBS
Randolph, US
Nov 20, 2011 2:14 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have tried EVERYTHING! After cleaning all the areas, the stove now runs but the corn burn pot fills up within two to three hours and the clinker has to be dropped. It doesn't really even form a clinker...the corn seems to burn and stay loose. Very frustrating! Lots of smoke in the burn pot as the corn is burning...

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TMSTUBBS
Randolph, US
Nov 23, 2011 5:23 am EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

After cleaning under the fan...still no luck! Please any suggestion where there could be a blockage and how to get it fixed?

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stcroix stoves
waco, US
Dec 06, 2011 8:49 pm EST

Hi All,

Sorry, we have had an issue with our email. Please use strcoixstoves@eventempinc.com to contact us.

Thanks

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stcroix stoves
waco, US
Dec 06, 2011 8:58 pm EST

Correction.

stcroix@eventempinc.com

Thanks.

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Krooser
US
Dec 11, 2011 3:34 pm EST

I heat with an 11 year old St Croix Pepin and it works great. Just bought a used St Croix Greenfield corn stove to burn pellets. The biggest thing with ANY pellet stove is keeping it clean. You MUST do a through cleaning after every ton of pellets... that includes getting all the ash out of those areas behind the firebox. If you have a #2 light blinking and an overflow in the burn pot you have a plugged stove. I suggest you sign up at www.hearth.com and go to the pellet stove forum ... read and learn. In defense of Even Temp the entire industry runs the same... the selling dealer is your only recourse for warranty service. Bad dealer=bad service. Try to get Harman stoves to answer their phone... impossible.

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rob N.H.
US
Dec 30, 2011 12:00 pm EST

DON"T GO NEAR ST. CROIX PELLET STOVES. MY CONTROL BOARD FAILED ON MY PRESCOTT, THEY DO NOT MAKE THIS ANALOG PANEL FOR REPLACEMENT. GREAT. HERE IS WHAT THEY WILL DO, SELL YOU A DIGITAL CONTROL BOARD FOR $ 300.00 plus, charge you for a wiring harness, plus, charge you $200.00 plus to rewire your stove. This company SUCKS beware consumer, keep away, or open your wallet to be ripped off by these thief.

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stcroix stoves
waco, US
Jan 02, 2012 3:42 pm EST

Hi Rob,

We look forward to hearing about your issue, and how we can help to remedy it. For the record, a stove with an analog board at least 7 years old, which is out of its warranty, so there certainly will not be free parts, but perhaps we can help. Please email us @ stcroix@eventempinc.com

Thanks and have a great day!

St. Croix Stoves

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Wwert
Windsor, US
Jan 03, 2012 6:21 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I understand your frustration but I too believe you folks have to learn how to clean your stoves and exhaust system the proper way or you will continue to have nothing but trouble. I have owned 3 different St Croix pellet stoves and have had no problems with any of them. It is all about proper cleaning and maintenance. Most stove companies do a crappy job cleaning your stove, you should learn to do it yourself just for piece of mind. That way you know it is done properly. I vacuum mine out every morning with a Loveless Ash Vac and shut it down and tear out the fake back wall and pound on it with a rubber mallet once a week. I then take a piece of electricians metal fish tape and stick it from the ash clean outs up and get all the fly ash out from behind the back wall. I then vacuum it all out again and I am good to go. Go to Hearth. com and look through the Pellet Mill section and learn about your stove. I also clean the vent system with a brush and vacuum once a month. Sound like a lot of work but I am happy to do it for all the money we save to heat our home.
Bill W.

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DOCGONE
Montrose, US
Jan 15, 2012 8:56 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

ST. CROIX Revolution ... Control module replaced, burn pot replaced; all with in 3 months since new. Now the pellet auger feed is ... not feeding. Any thoughts besides burning lemonds.

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Bman155
Windsor Locks, US
Jan 15, 2012 9:18 pm EST
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Any blinking lights? We need more specific info.
Also, go to hearth.com, pellet mill - tons of info and helpful people.

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dogman009
Cheshire, US
Jan 17, 2012 5:30 pm EST
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Well i have read every issue on here and have this to say i have 2 pellet stoves in my home 1 breckwell and 1 stcroix thay are both over 8 years old and running fine my breckwell runs 24/7 its shut down once a week for cleaning the only problem i have had was last year had to replace exhaust fan and the age of stove is the only reason my stcroix i have had no problems at all in the 8 years of owning what it comes down to people is CLEANING, after the burning season both stoves are broke down cleaned and repainted yes repainted i belive if you take of of anything you own it will take care of you. And for those who are new to pellet stoves do your home work and learn everything you can about your stove before buying

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