avalon on craigslist

[Sons924]

I found this insert on craigslist. It's an older avalon by travis industries. Can anyone tell me if there are any problems with buying an older insert? The seller switched to a coal insert. He said he was using this one until a couple weeks ago.
(broken link removed to http://longisland.craigslist.org/hsh/3686510309.html)

Any advice or reviews would be very helpful. Thank you

 

[mellow]

I think he is high on that price, but you could probably talk him down since it is out of his fireplace taking up space. Do the usual onsite inspection and overall condition of it to check for warps and any abuse. Depending on that, value is really up to you, for me personally if it has secondary combustion and is in good shape it is in the 600-800 range.

Check to make sure it will fit in your fireplace and that your MASONRY fireplace will allow for a liner to be run down it.

This looks to be the manual for it: (broken link removed)

 

[Sons924]

i do have a masonry fireplace but it has the metal liner with the heatilator vents in the bricks. he said it has secondary burn tubes.

 

[ddahlgren]

With a 2.9 cubic foot firebox it should have a long burn time. I have a Avalon Pendleton that is small with with a 1.3 cubic foot firebox and typical burn is 4 to 5 hours with wood that has issues but little creosote and never smoke other than the first few minutes of start up. In general I found mine well built and sturdy. The glass stays clean unless i do something stupid like cut the air too quick on a cold stove, I can get impatient. I paid 400 for the Pendleton and all it needed was a few fire bricks and paint. This spring it will need a door gasket as they are getting a bit worn but not bad for a 1997 stove still being made. I no doubt over paid but it has paid for itself first year easy enough so will let it go at that. I am also thinking about going the coal route as seasoned wood is impossible to find for me. I do have a friend that will cut to length and split a couple of cords of maple and ash that should season up for next fall and will have a cord + of now 2 year old oak for next year. For the coal Iam thinking going to the local supllier and buying 1 bag just to open it and see how dusty dirty it is or how much is a fantasy.

 

[jdp1152]

You'll have go get the plenum cut to get a liner through...which of course renders those vents useless....probably even sources of heat loss. I had a similar install and hoped that by leaving them open it would help move heat from the sides. Not the case. So I ended up sealing off the firebox and insulating those and refacing over them.

i do have a masonry fireplace but it has the metal liner with the heatilator vents in the bricks. he said it has secondary burn tubes.

 

[Jon1270]

2.9 cubic feet is a fairly big firebox. Make sure the insert will fit in your fireplace.

 

[Dave A.]

I think they stopped making this one. Or that's what my Travis dealer told me this year when I asked about it -- he had mistakenly given me an old brochure for it. Had looked at it and liked it in years past because it was the largest firebox of the flush fronts I had seen and would fit in my fireplace opening. Then when I had narrowed things down recently (before deciding on the Summit) to appx 3.0 cf fireboxes, this was one I was considering. Actually about the only Travis that would work for me if it allowed NS loading, that's what I wanted to double check on.

But looking at it now with that narrowing at the back, might not work well for that.

 

[Sons924]

thank you for all of your help.