The hunt for a good used pellet stove.
Tis the season it’s the dog days of summer and autumn is in the air
Today I bought a used stove from a private party. I thought many of my readers might find it useful to have a list to take with them when they are out on the hunt for that perfect stove
1. Look for brands that have lasted the test of time
Harmon, Quadrifire, Lopi, Avalon, Beckwell, Austroflamm and my favorite Whitfield.
2., Ask other people how their stove has preformed
Are parts readily available, most of the brands I mention above, having readily available parts. The exception is that almost all of them had a model that didn’t do well in the market and you can no longer get parts. A good example of a stove that might be twenty years old would be a Whitfield Advantage 2T they made over 100,000 and you can find any part or a new replacement. However the beautiful Whitfield Renaissance you can no longer get control boards for.
3. When you find that stove you want to buy have them plug it in and run it.
Does it have?
- Quiet fans , do they still adjust up and down ( fans run in the $150 range)
- Does the auger feed pellets? Is it quiet? ( these run about $130)
- The condition of the burn pot ( depending on type $65 to $180)
- Condition of the circuit board ( I have a big box of bad control boards at my shop beware these can run from $200 to $3000
- What shape is the fire brick in?( runs about $110 to $150)
- Auto ignitors, if it has one be sure and check the condition ( $130) . manual stove uses starter gel $8
Happy Hunting
Robin
