Resale value- VC Encore 2n1

Can anyone give me an idea of what I could get for a 2010 VC encore 2n1 2040 bordeaux red stove? I'm considering trying to sell and replace with something I will find easier to operate.

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Twenty bucks...

Used stove market is a finicky one I'll say - but given that it looks pretty and if it is in good shape, i.e. no obvious abuse then I bet you can get a decent % of what a new one would cost if you sell it in the fall. I'm not sure if the market is still strong now or not in your area. If you are patient then you can get more - if you want it gone, price it to sell and take the loss (nothing unique in that advice related to stoves though). I've seen very old stoves that look a lot worse than that one for over $1K on CL - but that doesn't mean they actually sell for that.

You may want to ask your dealer if they would sell it on consignment if it is new enough, but I bet that is rare to find and likely the dealer would only do it if you bought through them again.

I have to ask - what problems are you having running this stove? Its a sharp looking stove, and you have all the bits and pieces you paid extra for…I would think your learning curve would be much cheaper than replacing the stove and pipe.

For the record - it looks great.

I had one of them "neverburn" units for 4 seasons. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was hard to operate and reading stuff on this forum about the system.....I decided to let it go before something actually fell apart! I bought it for (I think) around 2400 and sold it for 1200!! I was lucky since the unit looked great!

On a side note. You sure it is not improper operation, unseasoned wood...?

Seems like a cruel question from a former VC owner.

To the OP...that is a beautiful stove and setup. I miss the look and feel of our Encore...operation not so much.

Did not mean any disrespect, but it should be asked nonetheless. In cat mode this stove should operate just fine.

Just bustin your chops Diabel. I fell for that question with my first one. Guess what, my second one did the same thing My current experience tells me neither of these stoves blowing up was the wood and I'm much harder on the BK than I ever was on the VCs.

The vast majority of the time improper operation and unseasoned wood is the problem.

Although I do agree that improper operation and unseasoned wood is the culprit most of the time, I also know from first hand experience that some stoves are more tolerant of both those issues than others. While I don't recall exactly what I paid (new) for my Encore NC (neverburn, not the 2n1), I was happy to have it gone for the $500 I sold it for after that first season. Yes, I took a huge loss, but at least I recovered something and frankly I think that is more than the stove was really worth (certainly more than it was worth to me). I don't have a lot of experience with many stoves like BrowningBAR and some others here but I am VERY glad that I replaced when I did as I would not be burning wood anymore if I had to do the same fiddle and dance to keep a clean burn and maintain control of that stove.

If someone has a stove that they have sought the advice here and given it a good try and still finds it difficult to burn well, then sometimes it just may be the unfortunate fact that it is the wrong stove in the wrong home or with the wrong operator. Each to his/her own. I'll bet there isn't a single brand/make/model stove out there that is right for everyone - shame that it is so difficult to test drive stoves in your home before you buy.

Thanks for the complements on the stove. I think I bought this mainly for the looks, unfortunately. The issues I face are backpuffing and smoke smell in the house when re-loading. I have pretty much figured out how to deal with these, and perhaps my expectations on a different stove being easier to operate are wrong, but my wife doesn't even want to operate the stove because of them.

Unfortunately, this is not a stove you can load up for the night before heading to bed - you have to baby it and wait. The one that bothers me most is that I cannot seem to reload without the smoke smell I the house...this bothers me because I have children and air quality is a concern (I didn't have this issue with an older VC Vigilant). There is something about the air flow in the unit that whether front or top is opened you get something coming out. My wife gets ticked when I open up the windows in the room to freshen up the air and she freezes.

Bad draft and wood is the issue here.

That is wrong. With good wood you can load it up and be in bed in about 15 minutes.

I'm running a 6" liner and that is suppose to be more susceptible to smoke spillage. I do not have this problem.

You can either complain about it, buy another stove, and potentially have these issues again, or attempt to fix the problems and then judge to see if the stove works for you or if you still want to swap out stove.

I suggest fixing the issues so you do not end up wasting more money.

In no way am I saying the VC stoves are perfect. Nor do I recommend them to others. But, if you have a good setup, and you have a VC cat stove, you should be able to get them to run very well.

How tall is your chimney?

Chimney is 16.5ft of 6".

First off, I was confusing this thread with the thread of someone having issues with their VC Defiant.

You are having draft issues. With the Encore, it drafts strong with a 6" liner and a 25' chimney and I never get any backpuffign even in mild weather. You have a far shorter chimney with an 8" liner. So, I think you have a weak draft.

Now, tell us about your wood.

With good wood on a good bed of coals, the griddle temps should get to over 600 degrees rather quickly. 15-30 minutes from reload and you should be ready for bed. With a weak draft and poor fuel, which I suspect is the case, you will struggle.

You should figure this out now before you put more money into this. Find a source of dry wood. Buy a few bundles at a store if you have to.

I'm confusing threads again.

I too, think there may be a draft issue. The manual requires a min. 14ft. (I had to point this out to my installer who left me at 12.5 initially) Being that I'm a single story, and the stove is on the corner edge with shallow attic ( previous owner placement), I have 8 ft above roof and it already looks silly. I hesitate to add anymore up top because of balance issues even with the brackets I have attached to the roof, but also because of looks.

And your wood? The Vigilant is far more forgiving of wet wood than a modern stove is. How is the wood?

Sometimes the wrong stove does end up in the wrong house, especially if increasing the height of the chimney is not an option. Changing stoves has solved problems for some people, but you can easily save $500+ on a new stove by waiting a few months for end-of-season prices. I would wait, if only for that reason. Meanwhile, you might get by with your VC and a little help from your friends.

VC's have their issues(delicate refractory), but your stove is a beauty, and the reviews of the new 2n1 haven't been that bad. . .

http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/vermont-castings-encore-2-in-1.60640/

+1
I don't recall if there have been many complaints like yours about the 2n1, but there are plenty of comments like yours from folks with chimney and/or wood issues.

Some stoves are more picky than others, but there's no point in swapping stoves before addressing the fundamentals. If you are used to pre-EPA stoves or fireplaces, see this thread (if you haven't already.)

http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/...lem-stoves-air-is-restricted-faq-about.59225/

Offhand, 16.5 ft sounds like it might be enough height, but if your house is super tight, you may need to feed the stove with an outside air kit(see OAK) to get sufficient draft. If you haven't already done so in another thread, tell us more about your setup. . .tightness of house, located in a valley, any trees around chimney, etc, etc.

My wood was purchased this year (seasoned) from a local dealer - I have a mix of hardwoods, and the moisture level varies anywhere from 13.5% to 16.%.

My house is a 1950's cottage, 1 story, and isn't particularly sealed tight (i can feel air coming in from the electrical outlet right next to my computer). We are in a flat area (no valleys) and no overhanging trees.

You wood is the problem. Resplit a piece and retest the moisture.

This was freshly split and tested today. Is this not dry enough for my stove or for all wood stoves in general?

If you are getting 13-16% readings in the middle of fresh splits then I would say that wood is pretty close to ideal for most stoves. I'm really impressed (and surprised) that you were able to purchase such dry wood from a dealer. What species of wood is it?

I'm not sure of all the types of wood - I bought it as a hardwood mix. I can definitely tell the oak, beyond that I can't tell. The dealer sells cherry, oak, birch, hickory, so it might have some of these as well as others. I tested about 5 different looking pieces of freshly split wood today to get the moisture measurement range.