Ready to get a Quadrafire 1200 Bay but then...

[quickrch]

We are ready to get a new stove, I limped along last year but have moved our Avalon out of the house and the corner is ready for a new stove. A few things, my better half likes bay front and doesn't want used. So a new bay front it will be. Harman doesn't really have a bay front anymore and my local installer (who I really like) doesn't sell a bay front free standing enviro...says they were discontinued.

I called to price check a new Quadrafire 1200 class bay stove and the price quote was right at $3500 with tax if I go pick it up. I was thinking that we could get it and then take advantage of the EPA tax credit which could bring it under $3k and then saw it didn't qualify. I have always liked this stove wished many times I had picked that one for its quiet operation and reliable name brand. However, at the time I really didn't like the dealer who sold them here in town (they are no longer here and I can go one town over and pick one up. I am thinking that this is a great stove, and likely discounted because it has been running for years.

Here is my issue, and I think I know how this group will respond but I'll ask anyway. The only other stove that we like for our home from a style and appearance standpoint Grand Teton Collection GTC Bay Front Pellet Stove, F500211 which looks a lot like the hudson. It is for sale at $2,000 and does qualify for the tax credit which would make it about half the cost of the quadrafire. Have the box store stoves improved in quality? I know the quadra is a sure thing I am just trying to assess if the box store stoves have improved. Half price is just that, half. So It has me wondering...

 

[johneh]

Tell you installer he is full of it !
This is one of Enviro's most popular stoves

Enviro -Product

enviro.com

 

[quickrch]

Tell you installer he is full of it !
This is one of Enviro's most popular stoves

Enviro -Product

enviro.com

thanks! he did mention the meridian...but not that it was a bay front. I'll have to stop by and look at it!

 

[quickrch]

thanks! he did mention the meridian...but not that it was a bay front. I'll have to stop by and look at it!

Looked at it and it is about $5400 which after the tax credit is still $1000 over a new quadrafire. Nice stove but not sure it's worth the extra money.

 

[johneh]

Everybody has their favourite stove mine happens to be Enviro
I have an ef 3, This burning season it will be 20 years old.
In that 20 years, I have replaced 1 combustion fan only because it
got noisy. so for the extra, I paid it has paid off in service and
reliability. Just my nickels worth!

 

[lowb35]

We retired our Avalon a couple of years ago and I’m sure you’ll be happy with whatever you get. It was a pretty stove but nothing but problems. That said it looks like the Grand Teton is an exclusive TSC brand made by Enerco Group which also makes Mr Heater products. As this seems to be their first foray into wood pellet stoves I’d be cautious. Quads and Enviro are proven. Quad just retired their CAB line for what appear to be rebadged Pelpro stoves and that’s an HHT brand if you want to go the big box route, but they don’t have a bay front stove, just a cast iron one that looks most similar to the Avalon you retired.

 

[quickrch]

We retired our Avalon a couple of years ago and I’m sure you’ll be happy with whatever you get. It was a pretty stove but nothing but problems. That said it looks like the Grand Teton is an exclusive TSC brand made by Enerco Group which also makes Mr Heater products. As this seems to be their first foray into wood pellet stoves I’d be cautious. Quads and Enviro are proven. Quad just retired their CAB line for what appear to be rebadged Pelpro stoves and that’s an HHT brand if you want to go the big box route, but they don’t have a bay front stove, just a cast iron one that looks most similar to the Avalon you retired.

thanks, this response is super helpful. Avalon has been ok but yes, each fan has been replaced, now ignitor is out. Cleaning is a bit of a challenge but not terrible. We used it heavily and everyone likes it that doesn't have to clean it and fix it.

One neighbor bought a quad, the other a harman. Both like theirs and are still using them...and I am looking. I think I can safely say I made a poor choice not the worst but the stove wasn't cheap and while it has warmed our home for a time it has had issues, been LOUD, and a bit of work. I have not moved on a stove yet. Still looking and hoping to get something...I kind of know that the higher price/high quality brands are the better way to go. So I agree with your assessment. A box store one might hurt less on the day I buy it but I'll pay for it more often as I use it.

We just got a propane fill up and the price was $1.99/gal so @91,500 btu a gallon that makes propane about 46,000 btu per 1$ while pellets around here are running about $279/ton for the good ones or $.1395 a pound 8,400 btu or about 60,215 btu per 1$. That makes the furnace a little cheaper to run (now) but the pellet stove makes the house feel warmer. Of course the pellet stove heats right where we live and the furnace heats the whole house.

So I don't feel a rush to buy a pellet stove. Maybe I can enjoy the hunt for one. Also, this year feels different when I shop for stoves the dealers are not as packed in September as they have been in the past. I may wait a bit and see what happens with discounts and pricing.

 

[lowb35]

thanks, this response is super helpful. Avalon has been ok but yes, each fan has been replaced, now ignitor is out. Cleaning is a bit of a challenge but not terrible. We used it heavily and everyone likes it that doesn't have to clean it and fix it.

One neighbor bought a quad, the other a harman. Both like theirs and are still using them...and I am looking. I think I can safely say I made a poor choice not the worst but the stove wasn't cheap and while it has warmed our home for a time it has had issues, been LOUD, and a bit of work. I have not moved on a stove yet. Still looking and hoping to get something...I kind of know that the higher price/high quality brands are the better way to go. So I agree with your assessment. A box store one might hurt less on the day I buy it but I'll pay for it more often as I use it.

We just got a propane fill up and the price was $1.99/gal so @91,500 btu a gallon that makes propane about 46,000 btu per 1$ while pellets around here are running about $279/ton for the good ones or $.1395 a pound 8,400 btu or about 60,215 btu per 1$. That makes the furnace a little cheaper to run (now) but the pellet stove makes the house feel warmer. Of course the pellet stove heats right where we live and the furnace heats the whole house.

So I don't feel a rush to buy a pellet stove. Maybe I can enjoy the hunt for one. Also, this year feels different when I shop for stoves the dealers are not as packed in September as they have been in the past. I may wait a bit and see what happens with discounts and pricing.

We replaced ours with a used but still fully functional CAB50 after one burning season. The CAB series were Heatilator, then Quad, but now retired for the Outfitter series. You are right about the Avalon being difficult to clean and maintain. We inherited ours with the house we bought and it hadn’t been properly cleaned and maintained for years, plus the vent pipe was set up in such a way that it invited creosote build up. We got it professionally cleaned and fixed up (they had to take it to the shop it was so bad) but it still never burned the way I wanted without constant tinkering and it was a bear to clean. Discovered half way through the season that the cleaning knockouts were missing and replaced those which helped a little but not enough for me to live with it for another year.

The CAB50 (big cabinet beast with a Quad burn pot and innards most similar to the Classic Bay) has been a dream in comparison. Super easy to clean, especially since we fixed our vent pipe, has a big enough hopper capacity to last a weekend without refilling, and easy to fix and maintain. Parts very easy to get compared to the Avalon. The only reason why we didn’t consider a Classic Bay is because I wanted the ability to go away for the weekend and leave the stove running for our animals, though hopper capacity in the CB1200 is no slouch and much better than the Avalon (80lbs I think). I almost got a Pelpro which is almost the same stove as the new Quad Outfitters with the huge hopper, and when it comes time to replace our current stove I may go with one of those. Some of the other big box brands may not be worth the hassle but since Pelpro is essentially a big box Quad (HHT brand like Quad and Harman) I’d consider them but not any of the other big box brands, mainly because I’ve had such good luck with what we have. Our backup is electric heat so pellet heat is cheapest by far.