Used Quadrfire Questions

[spur0701]

I've found a used Quadrifire 5100i on CL, I can't beat 'em down any lower than $900. It's 3 years old, has already been removed from the house, cleaned, and put in storage. It has a large surround, glass has a little discoloration, door seal seems fine, bricks are in place and intact, anything else I should check? Another question is on the liner, they still have it installed in the house but I can go by and remove it if I want it, what are thoughts on doing that? ....and lastly if I get a bill of sale and a certificate from Quadrifire can use this for the biomass tax credit. Thanks in advance for the help and advice....what did we do before the internet?

 

[KevinG]

Seems like a reasonable price for a stove that age if it's been treated well and not overfired. You might want to call the dealer and price a new one. Tell them you're looking at a used one and ask what they sell a new one for. The used Quadrafire I was looking at was priced at $1,300 but I could bet a new one for $1,329 after tax credit.

The dealer told me to look at the metal tabs that hold in the firebrick. If they were red, rusty, cracked or misshapped the stove was probably overfired consistently.

If you need the liner, I would definitely go to the effort to get it. They're not cheap and it's not often you find one used.

Tax credit is for new stoves only. No wiggle room at all.

 

[granpajohn]

A nice thing about the QF website is they give rough prices right up front. Currently has the 5100i base price of $3318.
I think it's a pretty good deal at $900. It's their biggest, most expensive, insert (for wood).

On the liner....the only experience I have is with my own, but it seemed very difficult to vertically move the flex liner after installation. That's with insulation wrapped on it. And mine is only about 12' long. Can't hurt to try I guess. Let us know.

 

[humpin iron]

Thats a very good price. Tax credit ONLY applies to new stoves, not used.

 

[richg]

Quad woodstoves are built very well and you probably have a sweet deal on your hands. If it's a steel baffle, check to see if it's warped. If it's that new ceramic board stuff, you may have to replace it. Properly installed and cared for, she'll serve you well for as long as you own the house.

 

[eujamfh]

Call the local dealer, and get a price on new and do the math with the tax credit. For me, saving $400 if that is what the difference is would not be worth it. With the dealer, install and deliver would be included. Of course, if you can get the liner out intact and can move and install it yourself, then you are looking at a delta of well over a couple hundred. For a new liner and install depending on the run, you could easily pay $1500 for that alone.

Point is, new from the dealer complete with liner and install after tax would likely be $3k'ish give or take. So if you can go the used route total and install on your own...you are looking at a nice deal. For me, I would not be able to take out the old liner (assuming it matches your length requirement) and then re-install. So I would be looking at $1500 fora liner regardless of the stove price.

I got one of my stoves free...but in the end it cost $1500 since I have to have a liner put in and that did not come with the stove.

One thought...ask him if you can try and take the liner. Tell him the deal is based on if the liner can come out in working order...if he agrees, and it comes out...you indeed have a great deal. If not, then you can think the math through on getting new and taking advantage of the tax credit.

 

[spur0701]

I had priced a couple of different Quadrafires from a local dealer last year (with and without install) and even with the current tax credit this is a better deal, especially if I do the install myself (also have some buds to help).

So I picked up the 5100i yesterday from a storage locker and the liner from the house, it wasn't too far away from the storage yard.....but the insert had been installed in a 2nd floor study and the liner is uninsulated and was only 12 feet long, it came out easy though. It doesn't look like she used it much.....single middle aged petite woman of middle-eastern descent who lived alone, nice lady.....I didn't see any evidence of a wood pile anywhere on the property.....very very high income neighborhood, million dollar plus homes on estate sized lots in Great Falls, VA, she was having a moving sale and everything was going. She tried to intrested me a 9-ton HVAC heat pump and some antique French steel doors (only $15,000) or some Italian stained glass (afraid to ask the price of those), also had a lot of other stuff but nothing I needed.

So the glass is dirty (I think because her fires were small, not hot enough maybe?), the blanket is OK but the cermaic baffle board is cracked down the middle. Is my local dealer the only source for a replacement or is there somewhere online I can go or a generic replacement....or is it serviceable with the crack?

I'm assuming I can just order the rest of the liner I need and splice it into this one along with an appropiate rain cap?

I am going to have to open my fireplace a little, it's large enough on the interior but there's a brick lip on the sides for the current fireplace doors and it makes the entrance too narrow...that's going to be a pain I think....also may have to extend the hearth to get appropiate clearences.