Some questions about installation:
At the local wood stove store, we liked the Lopi Republic 1250 ($1330) but we were turned off by the salesman - in particular his quote of $450 to $600 to install it & remove the old one. Our Vermont Castings Defiant Encore, the entire flue/chimney system, wall heat shield and platform was installed for our house's previous owner by this very same store about 10-12 years ago so it wasn't any sort of sloppy DIY job. The new stove will go into the exact same location of the old one and it's in an easy to access location with no stairs. The whole flue/chimney system is sound (no dents, looseness, or rust), we clean and inspect it a couple of times a season. DH told him all this but the salesman stuck to the quote saying that their installers professionally attach the legs to the stove and professionally connect the stove to the flue pipe. I have to say that we are pretty skeptical.
Later when we were at Lowes looking at the Summers Heat 50-SNC13LC, we asked one of their salesmen about installation. He asked about our current set up and thought we could likely do it ourselves.
So what's the thought on installation fees? We asked about installation because of the hassle factor but $450-600 is quite a chunk of change for us right now. From our description above, does it sound like a DIY job for two reasonably handy people? How long does it typically take? The wood stove store salesman said at least two hours for their installers.
At the local wood stove store, we liked the Lopi Republic 1250 ($1330) but we were turned off by the salesman - in particular his quote of $450 to $600 to install it & remove the old one. Our Vermont Castings Defiant Encore, the entire flue/chimney system, wall heat shield and platform was installed for our house's previous owner by this very same store about 10-12 years ago so it wasn't any sort of sloppy DIY job. The new stove will go into the exact same location of the old one and it's in an easy to access location with no stairs. The whole flue/chimney system is sound (no dents, looseness, or rust), we clean and inspect it a couple of times a season. DH told him all this but the salesman stuck to the quote saying that their installers professionally attach the legs to the stove and professionally connect the stove to the flue pipe. I have to say that we are pretty skeptical.
Later when we were at Lowes looking at the Summers Heat 50-SNC13LC, we asked one of their salesmen about installation. He asked about our current set up and thought we could likely do it ourselves.
So what's the thought on installation fees? We asked about installation because of the hassle factor but $450-600 is quite a chunk of change for us right now. From our description above, does it sound like a DIY job for two reasonably handy people? How long does it typically take? The wood stove store salesman said at least two hours for their installers.
