1998 Hearthstone Mansfield

[Cath]

I found a Craig's Listing on a 1998 Hearthstone Mansfield. The current owner never used it. He was told it was purchased in 2000 and used by the previous owner of his house for 3 seasons.

He emailed me some pictures which show some rust on the trim, some possible creosote on the inside of the pipe leading into the top of the stove and what appears to be one cracked piece of soapstone. I do see a whitish area on the floor of the
stove but that looks like stone, not metal so I'm not sure that would be evidence of overfiring.

I have a Mac now and I was able to save 3 of the 4 pics in iPhoto. i don't know what happened to the fourth and I haven't figured out how to "share" them. Do I need some sort of online account to do that?

The seller is asking $1,000.00. Assuming it's pretty much the same thing as
the current model that's a $3,500.00 stove.

I'd appreciate any feedback on whether it's a good deal or not.

Thanks,
~Cath

 

[yukiginger]

If there's no major damage inside (no bent or warped parts - air tubes, etc.) then it's probably a great deal. The other concern is the cracked soapstone - as long as it's not through to the inside it's probably not a concern, plus these can be replaced. The rust can be cleaned up. It's probably gone by now, but if not, and it's in good shape, I would definitely buy it.

MarkG

 

[webbie]

FYI, cath,
when you export photos make sure they are as jpg or png.
These were "tiff", which will not upload here.
Another way - with the mac - is to take a screen shot - assuming your screen shot saves as PNG or JPG (I think they do).
http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/screencapturemac/ht/macscreenshot.htm

 

[JonOfSunderland]

I just bought a 1996 Mansfield off of Craigslist and before looking at it I emailed Hearthstone to ask about the possibility of cracked stones and what to do. This was their response:

"Hairline or surface cracks are natural and do not affect the integrity
of the stove. Even a crack all the way through can be sealed with stove
cement and the stove can be burned in this condition indefinitely. The
stone can also be replaced with some tear down and reassembly of the
stove.

Tech Support"

He emailed me the parts diagram for 1995-1999 model Mansfield and you can order stones individually. The soapstone is fine, so the only thing I plan on doing is replacing the gaskets.

 

[Cath]

...

He emailed me the parts diagram for 1995-1999 model Mansfield and you can order stones individually. The soapstone is fine, so the only thing I plan on doing is replacing the gaskets.

Jon,
Do you have any idea what the warranty is and whether it's transferrable so a subsequent owner?

Also, is the 1995 - 1998 the previous model? If so, how concerned are you about parts availability?

And would you think I was terribly nosy if I asked you how much you paid for yours and how the overall condition seems to compare to that in the above pictures?

Thanks,
~Cath

 

[BrotherBart]

That stove would be on my trailer in a heartbeat.

 

[Cath]

That stove would be on my trailer in a heartbeat.

BB,
Is that an offer to help move it?
~Cath

 

[JonOfSunderland]

I paid $850 for mine. It's the moss green majolica enamel which is still in very good shape. It doesn't have a showroom shine, but nothing needs to be replaced on it. Your pictures are pretty small and not very detailed, so it's hard to comment on the condition and make suggestions. Definitely need to check the inside where it all happens. Mine also has heavy creasote buildup inside the pipe and above the baffle, which I will clean out. I don't see the crack you mention, but it could just be a harmless line in the soapstone. And as stated by Hearthstone tech support, stove cement will do the job.

I believe the only two things that have changed over the years are the air control lever/ash box assembly and the door latch. Other than that, the rest of the stove hasn't changed at all. And since this particular model was made until fairly recently, I'm sure all parts are readily available...

The original owner's manual says nothing about warranty. However the current manual downloaded off the website says this:

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
HearthStone warrants the following parts of the Woodstove against the following occurrences that result from
defects in material and workmanship:
• All cast iron parts – against breakage, cracking or burn-through.
• All stones – against cracking or breakage due to thermal stress, excluding surface and hairline cracks and
scratches that do not affect the operation or safety of the Woodstove.
• Primary and secondary air supply systems, including riser tubes, air wash system, secondary air manifold and
stainless steel secondary air supply tubes – against breakage, cracking or burn-through.
• Glass – against breakage due to thermal shock.

I have heard very good things about Hearthstone customer service. I believe someone on here is getting his whole stove replaced because of one cracked stone (though he bought it new). If it was me (and I hadn't just bought this one) I'd go for it.

 

[Cath]

I contacted a local dealer and they contacted Hearthstone. A new stone would cost $62.00. Shipping would be another $50.00 or so. This particular dealer is slowly selling off their existing Hearthstone stock. They are a small operation and can't buy in enough volume to stay competitive.

The job would involve a partial tear down including removing the top, scraping the refractory cement, re-cementing the stones and then putting everything back together. They don't do repairs so he doesn't know how long the job would take but he did mention that the labor for replacing a set of glass doors would be about $250.00. So a more complicated job like a partial tear down would likely cost more.

So we are now the proud owners of a 1998 Mansfield. I tried to negotiate the price but she was firm because she had a lot of interest in it.

The crack in the lower right corner of the right side seems superficial. There is a bigger/wider crack on one of the front stones on the floor of the firebox but we should be able to repair that with refractory cement.

Moving it was tough. My husband had help from a friend and they work well together and have a really good understanding of safety, mechanics, leveraging, etc. Unfortunately it's still on the truck. My brother and my sister's boyfriend will help him move it tomorrow and it will stay in the dining room until we get a better handle on the layout the basement will have when it's finished.

Thanks for all of the input.
~Cath

 

[cgarmor]

The stone on the bottom inside the stove really doesn't matter if it's cracked as it sits on a metal plate that lines the bottom of the stove. Only the side and top stones are thru and thru and may leak air. $250 for a glass replacement for labor only? No wonder he doesn't do repairs...the ceramic window on the door costs about $160, the gasket @ $4...you unscrew 6 small screws, remove the retainer plate, replace the ceramic coated side out, put back together and you're done. Takes all of 5 to 10 minutes depending if the screws are rusted on or not. Maybe he meant $250 fr the whole job? I'm in regular contact with my dealer about a warantee problem so next time I talk to him I'll get an exact price on the ceramic and the stones to compare pricing.

By the way...congrats to a new Mansfield owner! Wait till you fire that sucker up!

Chris

 

[aurora04444]

Hi, I bought a 1996 Mansfield in matte black like yours for $1100 in March 2008. Only problem with it was a rust spot on one of the top stones from a water steamer and I was able to gently remove it so it wasn't as noticable.

 

[aurora04444]

Hi, I bought a 1996 Mansfield in matte black for $1100 from Conn in March 2008. Only problem with it was a rust spot on one of the top stones from a water steamer and I was able to gently remove it so it wasn't as noticable.