Getting ready to order Ashford 30

[AndrewU]

Is there a best time of the year for ordering in terms of price? Or does it not matter because of manufacturer pricing control over dealers?

We got a quote from a dealer a few hours away enough lower than the most local dealer to be worth the drive. Is there any good reason to pay the significantly higher local price? The cheaper dealer is definitely too far away to provide much in the way of post sale service beyond advice over the phone or shipping me parts. I plan to do most of the install work myself rather than pay the dealer to do so regardless of where I buy it. Insurance company said that's fine as long as a licensed contractor inspects it.

 

[AndrewU]

Oh yeah. Definitely planning on an OAK as the house is pretty well sealed.

But, unsure about the blower. First floor is 2500ish sq ft (just a bonus room upstairs). Fairly open floor plan except for getting the air into the bedrooms. But I'm not too worried about getting the heated air to the bedrooms anyway. So, is the BK blower for the Ashford 30 worth the price?

 

[Woody Stover]

Is the cheaper stove a 2019 model, not the new 2020 version? I don't know if there's much or even any difference, or if BK just re-tested the same stove with no changes. You'd have to slog through miles and miles of the BK thread, but I think it's in there somewhere. Nobody's gonna do that, though.
Yes, get the blower. That will give you more heated air to move toward the bedrooms; Many threads here on how to do that.
If you're handy enough to install the chimney, maybe you are handy enough to service the stove yourself. Dealers are a crap shoot anyway..some of them don't know much, or don't like doing any work for you.
If you have to return the stove for any reason, the far dealer would be a pain. Chances of that are low, though.

 

[AndrewU]

Was just mentioning to swmbo to check if the cheaper one is a 30.1 or a 30.2. But she said the cheaper dealer was going to order from the factory, so I'm assuming it's a 2020 production stove, unless BK has old inventory on hand to ship to the dealer. Which seems unlikely.

 

[shoot-straight]

Definitely get the blower!

 

[MTASH]

The 2020 Ashfords have been out for a long time, so it's unlikely to be an earlier model, but worth checking to be sure. I bought our 2020 in December 2018.

I purchased from an out of town dealer that was significantly less expensive. It is a gamble on service but I am handy enough to handle everything and the local dealer did not leave a good impression anyway.

 

[jetsam]

I don't know what physical proximity to a dealer gets you, other than the opportunity to wait for shipment and then drive to them to pay double for the part, when a normal company would just ship you the part.

I had my dealer do my install, and I had to pull it out and redo it completely after I learned what an insulated liner and blockoff plate were. I paid $2000 plus their dealer markup for them to carry the stove inside, pretty much. The worst part was that I got what I paid for, since I didn't do my research beforehand because they were "experts" who knew what was needed.

I really wish BK would wake up and notice that 1970 has come and gone, and deal directly with their customers. I'll buy used stoves from now on if that's what it takes to avoid their dealers.

 

[Woody Stover]

Was just mentioning to swmbo to check

She Who Might Be Obeyed?

I'll buy used stoves from now on if that's what it takes to avoid their dealers.

I've only had contact with a few..the local ones and then the clowns I got the T5 from. Locals are merely ignorant to varying degrees, out of town PE dealer was shoddy, deceitful and unresponsive. They damaged the stove but never said anything. Stove was sitting outside in a light drizzle when I got there, no additional cover besides what was on the crate from the factory. A little water got in. I saw the busted board on the crate, but foolishly didn't look closely enough to see that the handle was slightly bent. It still works fine, but sheesh. They had also pulled the plastic cover around on the stove so that a slight tear didn't line up with a paint chip on the ash lip...my buddy saw that while I was in there paying. That should have been my cue to thoroughly inspect the stove before paying. I coulda been in the driver's seat and probably gotten a decent discount. My fault, I just wanted to get the stove loaded and get on the road since I was 1.5 hrs. away, I was almost outta daylight, there was rain coming, and I was pressed for time. The thought never occurred to me that this guy was trying to stick me with the results of his ineptitude. Then when I asked about touch-up paint for the chip, he told me "either there's touch-up paint in the stove, or I'll send you some, no problem." He couldn't be bothered to ever send it. Oh, well, I knew going in that this guy was too far away, but I don't anticipate needing any warranty service or a guy to do hack repairs on the stove, and I'm hoping to get lucky. Makes you wonder, if you don't know much about a job you need done, how many of these other clowns you hire are hacks as well. You can kinda tell, but..
My ol' Pappy used to say "If you want it done right, do it yourself."
I might slip a dukie through this guy's mail slot next time I'm over there.

 

[bholler]

I don't know what physical proximity to a dealer gets you, other than the opportunity to wait for shipment and then drive to them to pay double for the part, when a normal company would just ship you the part.

I had my dealer do my install, and I had to pull it out and redo it completely after I learned what an insulated liner and blockoff plate were. I paid $2000 plus their dealer markup for them to carry the stove inside, pretty much. The worst part was that I got what I paid for, since I didn't do my research beforehand because they were "experts" who knew what was needed.

I really wish BK would wake up and notice that 1970 has come and gone, and deal directly with their customers. I'll buy used stoves from now on if that's what it takes to avoid their dealers.

As someone who deals directly with customer problems I can tell you exactly why stove companies don't want to deal directly with customers. Customers can be a real pita and most will never admit the problem is in their operation of the stove or their fuel. Even though it almost always is.

 

[jetsam]

As someone who deals directly with customer problems I can tell you exactly why stove companies don't want to deal directly with customers. Customers can be a real pita and most will never admit the problem is in their operation of the stove or their fuel. Even though it almost always is.

I have to admit, through the process of reading thousands and thousands of posts here over the years, I have come to realize that the way I grew up burning was kinda horrifying. I spent a significant chunk of my childhood processing firewood, and I can't ever remember seeing a top covered stack, or hearing someone say that this woodpile needs another year or two...

I wonder what percentage of wood burners right now could tell you what creosote is, under what conditions it accumulates in a flue, how to find out if there is too much, and what to do if there is.

It's a bit like someone who has a new flare gun in their house but doesn't know what makes it fire or which end the flare come out of and oh chit, call the fire department.

 

[AndrewU]

Great info. Blower it is. And caveat emptor seems to apply to stove dealers as much as with car dealers.

What's the preferred chimney pipe brand? I see DuraVent and Selkirk mostly. Is that pretty much it, or are there others? And if those are it, is one noticable better or is it a Ford vs Chevy kind of thing?

 

[bholler]

Great info. Blower it is. And caveat emptor seems to apply to stove dealers as much as with car dealers.

What's the preferred chimney pipe brand? I see DuraVent and Selkirk mostly. Is that pretty much it, or are there others? And if those are it, is one noticable better or is it a Ford vs Chevy kind of thing?

Duravent and Selkirk are fine as long as you don't get their bottom of the barrel line. But yes there are many others available. Ventis and Excel are the premium brands. Jeremiah's is another premium line that just came to the states a couple years ago

 

[rwhite]

Another vote for the blower. We don't use ours a lot. Maybe 5-6 times a year but it's invaluable when we need it. Usually it's when we are gone longer than expected and get home and the house is 50 degrees. Really helps move the heat quick. It's a little to loud for every day use IMO. Our house is pretty well sealed and we don't have an OAK. Needless to say I can't run my furnace while lighting a fire or I'll fill the house with smoke.

 

[MAD MARK]

I have to admit, through the process of reading thousands and thousands of posts here over the years, I have come to realize that the way I grew up burning was kinda horrifying. I spent a significant chunk of my childhood processing firewood, and I can't ever remember seeing a top covered stack, or hearing someone say that this woodpile needs another year or two...

I've come to realize this too. And now that my father uses a newer stove I've told him numerous times what wood it needs and I'm not.....quite sure...if...its....sinking.....in....