Woodmaster life expectancy

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 I have been burning a woodmaster 434 for 9 years. The last six have been 24/365. I have developed a leak behind the door frame on the right side. because of the holiday my dealer has not return my calls or email. I know the warranty won't cover much at this time, but i was wondering, is there any woodmaster owners that are burning their stoves longer than this, if you have , what have I done wrong ?
thanks,enjoy

[maple flats]

I can't speak for Woodmaster, but I was a Taylor dealer until 11 yrs ago when I sold the business to a younger man. You have a few things to consider. We found the most important by far was proper grounding of the unit. You should have a 4 ga or heavier copper ground wire attached to an 8' ground rod (some areas need 10') and hooked to the stove, in a spot that s ground to bare metal. 2 rods and cables are even better.It can be painted after the connection is made. This helps control electrolysis. Do you use what ever the Mfgr says to use in the water, a boiler treatment of some sort? Do you keep old ashes from packing tight into corners with no loosening and removal. Do you let the unit cool in the off season with ashes inside? These are some causes of pre mature failure. The water you have is another. Find out what PH the mfgr wants and keep it in the right range.
You should be able to get it welded. My brother has one (a Taylor) that is 21 yrs old, has been welded 3-4 times and is still going strong, while some others failed in as few as 5 years. Most lasted 12-16 years. These numbers are just to demonstrate that there is a wide life span in this type of stove. Taylor invented the concept in modern times but I think many others improved it faster than taylor. I say modern times, because the Romans used a similar type heating set up in their bath houses and in the homes of the wealthier.

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I am told the antifreeze I used when the stove was first set up broke down at 200 degrees and became acidic which in turn corroded the stove. I didn't keep up with the ph routinely which I am sure accelerated the process. The stove had 4 leaks that I discovered after a thourough cleaning for a welder. The welder said it would be like chasing a ghost. We have replaced it with a new one and now face a greater problem. In the paper today they announced our state (ct)may soon ban all owbs> Monday I will be on the phone with our powers at be. Thanks for the info