Its been a very slow start to the stove sales season

[kwburn]

the couple of stove dealers i've spoken to have said they have been very busy.
one said it was like this last year and then once winter got rolling and it wasn't very cold sales dried up by january.
i'm no expert but i would think a poor economy could actually help stove sales as people get in the mindset that they need to save money somehow, even if it means spending up front to save.

 

[fishing]

The first snow hit the high country last night, and a cold breeze this morning. Got to love fall.

Hey Elk, around here every person who fails in there profession becomes an inspector of there trade, must be a little mans complex or something. Seems to hold true everywhere

 

[begreen]

Far from it fishing. Our local inspectors are paid by the county and make a decent wage. They are fairly smart and knowledgeable. But no one is an encyclopedia. Each one has their personal strength. Our current inspector is a real stickler for a proper foundation. And - she- is anything but a little man. However, she is I hear, one heckuva a fisherwoman.

 

[Gibbonboy]

I worked with our current inspector as a carpenter for 5 years, and he in no way is lacking in skill or knowledge. Actually, with the exception of one or two, all of our inspectors are knowledgable and courteous. None have ever been jerks or know-it-alls.

Now if you want REAL experts, head on down to Home Depot or Lowes and ask them some hearth/chimney related questions. "You've got questions, we've got blank stares and drool on our aprons!"

Lucky for me, my father works for a large masonry construction company, so I have access to hundreds of years of cumulative chimney/hearth building experience. That, and the equipment and tools when I need to borrow them!

 

[fishing]

I just wanted to stir the fire a little bit, Some inspectors are great, others take there authority to a new height and gives them the confidence that they need.

Any way I just got back from elk hunting, (with no luck) and wanted to take out my frustrations on the nearest elk I could find.

 

[karl]

My sister is in town for a month or so from San Francisco. She's looking to buy some rental property here. She thinks she might move back home in a few years and wants to have a place to stay. She is absolutely appalled by the standards of the rental housing in this area. Apparently, San Francisco has pretty tough renters law and we have nothing here. She has talked to real estate agents and can't believe what people get by with here. No certificate of occupancy required. Apartments with only one entrance/exit. She said she hasn't seen a smoke alarm yet. Bad wiring, etc. She asked the real estate guy how this stuff gets inspected and he said most of it probably hasn't been inspected. She told him, she had planned to talk with the inspections office to see what she needs to do to have legal property and the guy said they don't really care either. I looked at one with her and it had ventless gas heaters for all of the heat except for one vented one. The flex line was the old type and way longer than it needed to be.

 

[Daniel]

This will be our second winter in our home (1350 sq.ft rancher) and after gas/electric bills of over $500 during last winter's peak months I needed to do something to cut heating costs. I went on a researching binge and started shopping for a wood burning fireplace insert. I never realized how many fireplace stores were in my area until I started shopping. As a clueless first time buyer I was surprised at how costly the stoves / inserts, but thought the shops would offer good sales during August. It was important to me to buy something that would not take a long time to recapture the initial investment. Initially, the Quad 3100 became my first choice, but then the Hearthstone Clydesdale caught my attention with the soapstone heat life feature. However, lack of reviews and higher price on the Clydesdale made me reconsider. In the end I bought the Napoleon 1402 insert online because the price was right, the spec was right, and the reviews were decent. All this said, if there is a slow start to the season in eastern PA (and I'm not sure if there is) it is possibly due to:

1. low inventory in some of the stores I visited.
2. no pre-season sales in late summer.
3. unwilling to negotiate on list price even on floor models / leftovers.
4. would only install a stove they sold, but the install was $500 - $650 for labor which seems profitable, especially if I bought the liner from them for another $600-$700.
5. most stores wanted a $75-$100 charge to come out to house to give install estimate...no free estimates?

It was just too much money (for me) to buy a stove locally and have it installed professionally. On average for the Quad 3100 or Heartstone Clydesdale it was approx. $3700 that could buy alot of insulation! Maybe some stove stores need to consider how competitive it is to get consumer's dollars....especially, consumers who are already looking to cut costs and save money. Make the consumer feel like they are getting something for free or on sale even if it is only an estimate!

In closing, I will have my chimney professionally cleaned and then install the insert & liner myself after reading the owners manual and some hearth.com articles. This site has been very helpful in so many different phases of researching inserts, btu's, woods, installs and so many other topics. Thanks!! Look forward to sharing my thoughts once the insert is installed.

Hope Sales Start Booming,

Dan

 

[jjbaer]

Here in Michigan we are taking it on the chin pretty hard.. KD

I lived in Mich for over 22 years and went to college there and you're taking it on the chin because of that Dem Gov, Granholm, who wants to tax the hell out of everything....