Buying A Used Stove Off Craigslist

[wooduser]

So.... what comments do people have about this as a strategy for buying a stove?

An advantage that suggests itself is that weaknesses in a stove tend to be identified over time, and may not be known when the stove is new.

There may be numerous reviews on the operation of a particular make and model.

 

[peakbagger]

This is wood stove specific advice, pellet stoves are a different beast.

There are plenty of quality stoves that will last for many years of proper use. More than few are purchased by folks who aren't willing or able to take on all the other work required to support a woodstove. Others just cant understand that especially with newer EPA stoves that the wood has to be seasoned properly for two years. This is not optional and if they try to burn green wood they will have nothing but problems, which may lead them to losing interest in using the stove.Ideally the best craiglist buy is off season on a two year old quality stove sold by a clueless owner who gave up.

The other type of stove to avoid is a cheap stove that was designed to be cheap and was most likely undersized for its use. They are generally made of light steel plate and when overfired they just plain wear out. There are no replaceable wear components. The model name and number vary every few years so getting intel on older models is tough. Might as well go to Home Depot and buy a new one and wear it out.

Wood stoves can become a liability for selling a house (and sometimes can be an asset). On occasion a person is selling a perfectly good stove as they are selling the house and either they of the real estate agent decide the stove is liability. The other side of the coin is new house sellers get the stove thrown in as part of the deal and are clueless on how to operate it. The former owner either hauled his stash of seasoned wood or the real estate agent asked him to get rid of it as it "looked messy" so the new owner goes through the cycle of green wood and loses interest.

Keep in mind unless you have the equipment and the rigging knowledge, getting woodstoves out of house usually can be challenge and usually the deal is "as is where is" you break it when you move it and its still yours. Cast Iron stoves in particular can be fragile when being moved and frequently the mortar in the joints may crack meaning you will need to reseal the joints before you get full preformence from it

Keep in mind there are folks who will recognize a good deal who know stove models and will snap up good stoves that are selling for less than they should be, We frequently will see posts on this site from folks who snapped up a good deal on Craigslist but I expect there are as many not so great deals that folks dont want to boast about. I would suggest getting educated on premium brand stoves in detail that have been around for awhile. Just realize that some brands used to make good woodstoves but also made years of crap. Vermont Castings comes to mind although hope springs eternal that maybe the new owner will turn things around. Unless your research is fairly extensive on what models are good you may end up with bad model with a well known nameplate.

My general observation is anytime I see a ad claiming that they inherited the stove or it came with the house in the garage you had better know what you are looking at. Far better buying it from the original owner preferably installed.

I was looking for a particular rare Jotul wood stove for several years. I did the research on it and got an idea on what used ones cost. I eventually figured out that there was at least one person who bought them if they went to cheap and then would restore them and resell them in the Boston market. They would on occasion pop up on Ebay but inevitably far away. I eventually snapped up one that was a bit of drive from my place. It was an estate sale item that someone probably bought for cheap and knew the value of it. We talked on the phone and I drove over with cash but ready to drive home if it didnt meet my criteria. I was dressed to get dirty and had a scraper, wire brush and a strong flashlight. It was as the seller described and I didnt need to haggle as his price was the going price. I expect he made a buck because he knew what he saw at the estate sale and I got a reasonable deal. I was not looking for a steal and both parties were educated.

Its starting off as a cold winter in the Northeast, that means a lot of folks are looking for deals on stoves and that means its a crappy time of year to be buying a stove on Craigslist, far better waiting for spring. The big caveat is if you are in for the long haul, buy the wood first, split it and stack it and let it season, then you have two years to look for a stove. Unless you know someone with wood to spare dont think you can buy seasoned wood, with a cold beginning of winter in the Northeast any seasoned wood will have been snapped up and even if they have a kiln, the guy with the kiln is going be be out or have a 6 month waiting list.

 

[wooduser]

This is wood stove specific advice, pellet stoves are a different beast.

There are plenty of quality stoves that will last for many years of proper use. More than few are purchased by folks who aren't willing or able to take on all the other work required to support a woodstove. Others just cant understand that especially with newer EPA stoves that the wood has to be seasoned properly for two years. This is not optional and if they try to burn green wood they will have nothing but problems, which may lead them to losing interest in using the stove.Ideally the best craiglist buy is off season on a two year old quality stove sold by a clueless owner who gave up.

The other type of stove to avoid is a cheap stove that was designed to be cheap and was most likely undersized for its use. They are generally made of light steel plate and when overfired they just plain wear out. There are no replaceable wear components. The model name and number vary every few years so getting intel on older models is tough. Might as well go to Home Depot and buy a new one and wear it out.

Wood stoves can become a liability for selling a house (and sometimes can be an asset). On occasion a person is selling a perfectly good stove as they are selling the house and either they of the real estate agent decide the stove is liability. The other side of the coin is new house sellers get the stove thrown in as part of the deal and are clueless on how to operate it. The former owner either hauled his stash of seasoned wood or the real estate agent asked him to get rid of it as it "looked messy" so the new owner goes through the cycle of green wood and loses interest.

Keep in mind unless you have the equipment and the rigging knowledge, getting woodstoves out of house usually can be challenge and usually the deal is "as is where is" you break it when you move it and its still yours. Cast Iron stoves in particular can be fragile when being moved and frequently the mortar in the joints may crack meaning you will need to reseal the joints before you get full preformence from it

Keep in mind there are folks who will recognize a good deal who know stove models and will snap up good stoves that are selling for less than they should be, We frequently will see posts on this site from folks who snapped up a good deal on Craigslist but I expect there are as many not so great deals that folks dont want to boast about. I would suggest getting educated on premium brand stoves in detail that have been around for awhile. Just realize that some brands used to make good woodstoves but also made years of crap. Vermont Castings comes to mind although hope springs eternal that maybe the new owner will turn things around. Unless your research is fairly extensive on what models are good you may end up with bad model with a well known nameplate.

My general observation is anytime I see a ad claiming that they inherited the stove or it came with the house in the garage you had better know what you are looking at. Far better buying it from the original owner preferably installed.

I was looking for a particular rare Jotul wood stove for several years. I did the research on it and got an idea on what used ones cost. I eventually figured out that there was at least one person who bought them if they went to cheap and then would restore them and resell them in the Boston market. They would on occasion pop up on Ebay but inevitably far away. I eventually snapped up one that was a bit of drive from my place. It was an estate sale item that someone probably bought for cheap and knew the value of it. We talked on the phone and I drove over with cash but ready to drive home if it didnt meet my criteria. I was dressed to get dirty and had a scraper, wire brush and a strong flashlight. It was as the seller described and I didnt need to haggle as his price was the going price. I expect he made a buck because he knew what he saw at the estate sale and I got a reasonable deal. I was not looking for a steal and both parties were educated.

Its starting off as a cold winter in the Northeast, that means a lot of folks are looking for deals on stoves and that means its a crappy time of year to be buying a stove on Craigslist, far better waiting for spring. The big caveat is if you are in for the long haul, buy the wood first, split it and stack it and let it season, then you have two years to look for a stove. Unless you know someone with wood to spare dont think you can buy seasoned wood, with a cold beginning of winter in the Northeast any seasoned wood will have been snapped up and even if they have a kiln, the guy with the kiln is going be be out or have a 6 month waiting list.

 

[wooduser]

Wow --- terrific post, peakbagger, thank you.

I have a 31 year old uncertified wood stove I installed in my house in 1987, and have always been happy with it. Unfortunately, reading threads on this board seems to extent stove envy in me ----is this a communicable disease?

I've always been a frugal guy, and found cheap and found cheap deals on washers, dryers ranges and such from "distressed" sellers who were moving and HAD to get rid of useful appliances ----right away. That's a variety of what you seem to be describing with the market for wood stoves.

As a retired furnace and gas fireplace repairman, I'm capable of making inspections on such appliances, but woodstoves are a lot different. The skill to be able to uncover and recognize the damage from overfiring or other issues seems pretty specific to wood stoves.

I've been looking at what's been offered on Craigslist and then Googled the particular model to identify the specifications of the stove in detail and the comments and opinions about the stove that are often on the internet ----often from this very web site.

One issue I have is that I burn scrap wood that is abundant in my area at zero cost. All I need to do is throw it in my van and cut it to length with a circular saw or table saw. That seems to be discouraged by manufacturer's of catalytic stoves in particular, as perhaps resulting in damage to the catalyst by chemicals that may be in scrap wood.

If that's the case, perhaps continuing to use my old uncertified wood stove is a good strategy.

At age 68, I figure I have 5-10 years before it's likely that I will retire from wood burning and sell off my house. From your comments, it seems that there might be good reason for pulling the wood stove out rather than selling the house with it in it. With 30-40 years of use on an old stove, I could certainly do that without a qualm.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[bholler]

Wow --- terrific post, peakbagger, thank you.

I have a 31 year old uncertified wood stove I installed in my house in 1987, and have always been happy with it. Unfortunately, reading threads on this board seems to extent stove envy in me ----is this a communicable disease?

I've always been a frugal guy, and found cheap and found cheap deals on washers, dryers ranges and such from "distressed" sellers who were moving and HAD to get rid of useful appliances ----right away. That's a variety of what you seem to be describing with the market for wood stoves.

As a retired furnace and gas fireplace repairman, I'm capable of making inspections on such appliances, but woodstoves are a lot different. The skill to be able to uncover and recognize the damage from overfiring or other issues seems pretty specific to wood stoves.

I've been looking at what's been offered on Craigslist and then Googled the particular model to identify the specifications of the stove in detail and the comments and opinions about the stove that are often on the internet ----often from this very web site.

One issue I have is that I burn scrap wood that is abundant in my area at zero cost. All I need to do is throw it in my van and cut it to length with a circular saw or table saw. That seems to be discouraged by manufacturer's of catalytic stoves in particular, as perhaps resulting in damage to the catalyst by chemicals that may be in scrap wood.

If that's the case, perhaps continuing to use my old uncertified wood stove is a good strategy.

At age 68, I figure I have 5-10 years before it's likely that I will retire from wood burning and sell off my house. From your comments, it seems that there might be good reason for pulling the wood stove out rather than selling the house with it in it. With 30-40 years of use on an old stove, I could certainly do that without a qualm.

Thanks for your comments!

There is no problem with burning scrap wood. Even in cat stoves if it is clean. And noncats will handle it just the same as your old stove.

 

[begreen]

As long as the scrap wood is clean 2 by x cut-offs it should be fine. Painted or finished wood is another thing. Scrap plywood, chipboard, particle board are a no. This goes for any stove, old or new. You don't want to be toxifying the air you and your neighbors breathe, especially in an urban environment between mountains that traps these pollutants.

You will need to be patient, but ready to act for a good used stove. They do show up, but the nice ones often go quickly.

 

[peakbagger]

I find that if I dont have cash in hand and plan to be driving over to see it as soon as it gets listed it isnt worth the time pursuing it. Plenty of tire kickers making promises on Craigslist so when I call I tell them I have cash in hand and will be over by a certain time to buy it assuming its in the condition they said it was. I have heard it so many times that some other person called and was supposed to check with the spouse and was supposed to get back to them and havent. I usually ask them if they want the bird in the hand or do they want to wait and hope.

 

[begreen]

Yep, lots of lookiloos out there. For a good one, snooze ya lose.

 

[webby3650]

I was looking for a particular rare Jotul wood stove

What model was it?

 

[webby3650]

I’ve bought and sold a lot of stoves from Craigslist and marketplace. The Woodstock being the most expensive, the Jotul and Lopi I only paid $100 each!

 

[Vikinanator]

Webby is that 600 for sale? Fellow Hoosier here....

 

[webby3650]

Webby is that 600 for sale? Fellow Hoosier here....

Already sold it. Sorry

 

[Vikinanator]

aaaarrrgh... Had to try aye....

 

[Black rabbit homestead]

Hello I ended up restoring a wood stove we got from Craigslist not to long ago. I am really happy with it. We ended up using it in our greenhouse for the winter.

Here's what I ended up doing. I can't wait to do another.

 

[SpaceBus]

Hello I ended up restoring a wood stove we got from Craigslist not to long ago. I am really happy with it. We ended up using it in our greenhouse for the winter.

Here's what I ended up doing. I can't wait to do another.

My wife and I are planning a greenhouse and would like to heat it with a stove as well. How much wood did you use? What kind of plants did you grow? What kind of average temperatures did you see in the greenhouse? Growing all year sound awesome, especially fruit and nut trees/shrubs if we make it tall enough.

 

[begreen]

Topic for another thread. Heating a greenhouse in Maine is going to be different than in PA. Have you read the Nearing's book on growing in a greenhouse in Maine?

 

[SpaceBus]

Topic for another thread. Heating a greenhouse in Maine is going to be different than in PA. Have you read the Nearing's book on growing in a greenhouse in Maine?

No, but thank you.

 

[begreen]

Living the Good Life - Helen and Scott Nearing. They built a stone greenhouse. It was unheated, yet they provided most of their food year-round.

 

[Bad LP]

My wife and I are planning a greenhouse and would like to heat it with a stove as well. How much wood did you use? What kind of plants did you grow? What kind of average temperatures did you see in the greenhouse? Growing all year sound awesome, especially fruit and nut trees/shrubs if we make it tall enough.

That's a pretty ambitious plan.

 

[SpaceBus]

That's a pretty ambitious plan.

Yes, but I have a lot of time.

 

[Black rabbit homestead]

My wife and I are planning a greenhouse and would like to heat it with a stove as well. How much wood did you use? What kind of plants did you grow? What kind of average temperatures did you see in the greenhouse? Growing all year sound awesome, especially fruit and nut trees/shrubs if we make it tall enough.

Well first you have to understand stand that our greenhouse has a pretty unique design. We made it out of recycled foam that has a rating of r45. The whole north side is insulated while the south side has 2 sheets of poly plastic with a fan in between. You can see more of my green house in other videos on our you tube channel here’s the link. https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCRzy3bloK_6mbh1FxK2EzoA
We also have an earth battery in there. I can explain that another time. Anywho we only burn on the days that it drips below zero and it’s a 20x60 space with one wood burner. We did maybe a pallets worth of wood for our test run last year. And the lowest it dropped was 40 degrees. Hottest was when the sun was shining it would spike at about 102 degrees. So we always opened the doors on Sunny days and let that 15 degree weather in.
This year the earth battery should be charged and should keep the greenhouse warmer this year. We will see. I grew brassicas, lettuces. Many tree varieties. Seed starts and perennials. We will be trying to overwinter many plants too like tomatoes.

 

[Black rabbit homestead]

That's a pretty ambitious plan.

It’s doable though that’s what ours is. The goal being that we can have a garden all year long.