Dutch West?

Which model and did you inspect the catalyst? The cat, housing and damper assembly are key. If it needs ZERO parts, look at what the best price would be for that exact model, give it a fresh coat of paint and tell him to try to sell it for about half price and be willing to budge a little even on that price.

Does it have a single front door or a double one? If double, it is older than you say.......

There are three sizes........
Any idea how much wood has been put through it?

Example.....if it was the newer stove and less than 10 cords have been put through it, it might need $200-300 in parts and work...with a new cat, gaskets and paint. If no castings are warped, etc. then I might price it at 50% of new, MINUS the $300......

So, if the new one was $1600, then 800-300=$500.
This allows the new buyer to get one which is serviceable for 1/2 price....

That's what I would pay for something like that, anyway!

Catalyst is easy to check, 4 bolts under the top and lift. Be careful when handling the refractory.

A stove that is not sized right for you application would be too expensive if free. There are lots of post on the Dutchwest here on these forums - I suggest you use the "search" utility to bring some of them up.

As noted above, there were (and are) three sizes: "too small", "fairly small", and "barely big enough to be useful". No, no, I mean "extra large", "large", and something else - "medium" I think. I have one of the older "large" models and am consistently amazed at how small the firebox is. That said, I can just barely get it to burn through the night with a packed load of oak. The reason it was not being used when I got it was they had an 800 sq. ft. house and it simply ran them out when in use. I have it in a 2200 sq. ft. shop and, naturally, it is not really big enough. But I don't need 70 deg. in the shop anyway.

The later models were nicely made, the cat models seem to work quite well, are pleasant to look at, and should last just this side of forever.

I, too, got mine from a friend who had it sitting on his porch. Mine also needed paint, and it cleaned up very well. Mine needed paint, a new cat, a new probe thermometer, and two legs (broken in transit). It was just barely worth the price paid - free including delivery. The one you are looking at should be the much-improved single door model. Expect to need a new cat. The cost of paint is trivial, but it will take some time to do the prep work. I guess I'd have to really want it to pay more than $400.

Have him measure the width, that will tell you the size which will give you the manufacturers rating. My *small* DW heats my 1800 sq.ft. house nicely except for those coldest of days.

no man said:

It is single door. Front and side loading. I still don't know model number. I thought about buying it but I can't seem pull myself away from my Fisher.
Its older than I am burns more wood than a new one. But I've grown quite attached to it.

Click to expand...

I have a large Dutchwest that has no problem doing what the specs say it does. It can easily heat 1600 sq ft in an average winter day with good wood. Reloads are anywhere from 8 - 14 hours without a match with the house staying in the low 70's in the mornings with those cold winter nights. If the front door is a single door, there are three models for the cat DW's: 2460 is the small, 2461 is the large and the 2462 is the extra large. All you have to do is measure the top "lid" across to determine which one it is. The top dimensions are 22" for the small, 26" is the large and 28" for the extra large. I bought mine used for $550 rebuilt. It had been taken completely appart recemmented, new paint and gaskets. The cat was used but had no cracks or warpage. The refractory on these stoves is not often damaged like some other VC stoves. The refractory is on the top of the stove and really has very little chance of being damaged during normal use. The only way to break these things in my opinion would be while the top is off possibly dropping it or dropping something on it. This stove has inner and outer walls that are sometimes known to shift while moving. Especially if the seams are used and briddle cemment is ready to give. The same could be said for any cast iron airtight stove with cemmented seams. When these stoves aged and are moved around it often causes leaky seams unless it is reseamed with some furnace cemment. I love my Dutchwest and would recommend one to anyone.

Check this link for other tips on recognizing Dutchwest stoves:
http://www.discountstove.com/cdwidguide.html