HELP Purchasing used Woodstock Fireview stove

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Lin

New Member
Dec 3, 2013
9
Summerville, SC
Any help / info would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking at this used Woodstock fireview... asking $1800 , offered $1250 he countered with $1600. Also I will be driving 6 hours to pick up, South Carolina to Virginia.
I ask for lots of pics because of the drive!!! Please take a look
 
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Did they include a picture of the cat or of the stones in general?

Have you called Woodstock to see if they have any rebuilt Fireviews on hand? For $1650-$1800 that would be my preferred route. They go through the stove very carefully and rebuild them.
 
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How old is it?

Considering a new one is $2500, I wouldn't pay over half of that.
(broken link removed to http://www.woodstove.com/sale)
 
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Did they include a picture of the cat or of the stones in general?

Have you called Woodstock to see if they have any rebuilt Fireviews on hand? For $1650-$1800 that would be my preferred route. They go through the stove very carefully and rebuild them.

Just posted pic of cat
 
Sounds high, I would do as Begreen suggested and call Woodstock to see what they have. Maybe for your original offer I would consider.
 
New the stove is on sale for $2545 at the moment. And you get a tax credit with a new stove. Sure wouldn't pay $1800 used, plus a new cat (have to assume you'll need one) plus the cost of your drive. Chances are pretty good they got the stove on sale and have used It for a few years.

On the other hand, the stove looks in good shape.

I'd offer $1400. That way, with a new cat and the cost of getting the stove, you aren't far off what you'd pay Woodstock for a warranteed rebuilt stove which would have a new cat.
 
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Looks to be in pretty decent shape from what I can tell. It has the older steel cat that had a few problems but that can be replaced for $125 if it's not working. The $1600 may seem a little high but I've seen them go for that around here. Long trip to pay that much if it were me, I think I'd counter about $1400.
 
Did they include a picture of the cat or of the stones in general?

Have you called Woodstock to see if they have any rebuilt Fireviews on hand? For $1650-$1800 that would be my preferred route. They go through the stove very carefully and rebuild them.

I didn't know they sold rebuilt units. Thanks for the info. I did call Woodstock but only to get price of cat ($125) and gasket kit ($40) Super nice on the phone... they are the ones that suggested getting pics of inside of stove and cat.
 
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That's a beautiful looking stove. Well worth the drive. And they remain super nice. Great company, service, and stoves. Good luck, I hope it works out.
 
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Looks to be in pretty decent shape from what I can tell. It has the older steel cat that had a few problems but that can be replaced for $125 if it's not working. The $1600 may seem a little high but I've seen them go for that around here. Long trip to pay that much if it were me, I think I'd counter about $1400.

Todd, do you know when they started using the new (not steel) cat?
 
The price seems a little bit high for a used fireview. If you are lucky it might only need a few simple gaskets and a cat and maybe touch up the cement seams on the stones. With that said you are buying one without the known use/operation. The fireview I bought was from a owner who moved into the home and did not know the by-pass needed to be closed.

If you look at the back tag, it will either have a date or you can use the serial number to get a manufacture date from it Woodstock has good records of their stoves and can tell you the date built and sold.

I am still amazed Woodstock sent a rebuild manual and supply all parts and supplies at a very fair price. Cannot say enough good things about their customer service. After dealing with a few other stove manufactures with horrible warranty/customer service in the past, I will never look back. Any replacement part you buy comes with an instruction manual for install. You can find most of service info on the site as well.

I bought my fireview used a few years back. If I remember, I paid 500.00 for it. I painfully stripped and tore it down, painted it, cemented the stones back together, replaced all gaskets and bypass related parts. Worth every penny for such an easy, warm and beautiful stove.

Good luck and keep us up on what you end up buying.
 
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Todd, do you know when they started using the new (not steel) cat?

I think they started using the one pictured 3-4 years ago, they were ceramic before that. Last year they made improvements to the wash coating and changed the construction from the wound crushed steel in a cast iron frame to a more uniformed layered steel cat in a steel frame. If you go into their web store you can click replacement cats and take a look and see the difference.
 
I think it was 3 years ago on the steel cats. Update: they now have some newer steel cats that should be even much better. The new ones come with their own frame so changing them out is super easy.

On that Fireview, it looks nice on the exterior but needs some work on the interior. New cat, fire bricks and lots of gaskets. Personally, I would not go above your original offer but probably would have started the offer at $1,000. When you consider the distance you have to go to pick up this stove and the work involved in getting it ready to burn, you will have many dollars tied up and it will still be a used stove.

Sadly, Woodstock does not often have rebuilts for sale but do get some from time to time. They all are a friendly bunch so if you decide to buy that stove of one from Woodstock, they will be very helpful.

One more thing: if you do buy that, remove the cat before moving the stove, lest it come out and roll around in there. New from the factory they come bolted in but most folks throw the shipping bolts away the first time they remove the cat for cleaning. That stove does not have the shipping bolts in place.

Good luck.
 
I bought a Keystone at the end of 2010, and it came with the cast iron scoop/ceramic combustor. I bought a Fireview at the end of 2011, and it came with the stainless cat. FWIW, both stainless cats I have in those stoves are the old style that some people reported problems with, but they are still working great. You can't light a Fireview cat off this quick, but last night I took the Keystone from cold to lit-off cat in about twenty minutes, with the stove top at 80*. I fired the stove up to temp moderately and the cat lit off well, so I'd say no problem with the old style cat, in my case anyway. I'm not seeing as much work needed on the stove as BWS is, but who knows. But if it's only a couple of years old, it shouldn't need much of anything if it was run properly. Looks like he didn't block off the chimney over the summer, hence a little surface rust....
 
I think it was 3 years ago on the steel cats. Update: they now have some newer steel cats that should be even much better. The new ones come with their own frame so changing them out is super easy.

On that Fireview, it looks nice on the exterior but needs some work on the interior. New cat, fire bricks and lots of gaskets. Personally, I would not go above your original offer but probably would have started the offer at $1,000. When you consider the distance you have to go to pick up this stove and the work involved in getting it ready to burn, you will have many dollars tied up and it will still be a used stove.

Sadly, Woodstock does not often have rebuilts for sale but do get some from time to time. They all are a friendly bunch so if you decide to buy that stove of one from Woodstock, they will be very helpful.

One more thing: if you do buy that, remove the cat before moving the stove, lest it come out and roll around in there. New from the factory they come bolted in but most folks throw the shipping bolts away the first time they remove the cat for cleaning. That stove does not have the shipping bolts in place.

Good luck.

Savage, Everything you said in your first paragraph is exactly what I was thinking...and it sums up nicely...That's why I've decided to buy a New Fireview!!!----------------------------------------- Thanks to everyone... ----- Now I'm off to research prices and info on chimney liners. Woodstock's seem a bit pricey.
 
Here's the next thing Sav will ask you: ==c What about wood? If you don't have wood that has been split and stacked in the wind for at least a year (two for Oak) there's not much point in buying a stove now, unless you have a proven source of dry wood. Most sellers call their wood "seasoned," but that's mostly just a tradition, and the wood is actually too wet to create much heat when burned in a modern stove. If you don't have dry wood, you'd just as well wait and buy a stove next year in the off season....but buy split wood now and stack it in the wind in single rows, if possible. Waiting to buy a stove will give you a chance to learn more about what's available, different technologies used to accomplish the burn, what's needed to do the job in your particular situation, and what your preferences might be once you learn more. Sorry if I tossed any water, so to speak, on your plans for a warm winter.
 
Here's the next thing Sav will ask you: ==c What about wood? If you don't have wood that has been split and stacked in the wind for at least a year (two for Oak) there's not much point in buying a stove now, unless you have a proven source of dry wood. Most sellers call their wood "seasoned," but that's mostly just a tradition, and the wood is actually too wet to create much heat when burned in a modern stove. If you don't have dry wood, you'd just as well wait and buy a stove next year in the off season....but buy split wood now and stack it in the wind in single rows, if possible. Waiting to buy a stove will give you a chance to learn more about what's available, different technologies used to accomplish the burn, what's needed to do the job in your particular situation, and what your preferences might be once you learn more. Sorry if I tossed any water, so to speak, on your plans for a warm winter.

Hi Woody, have a small amount of wood (Oak 2 years) and rounding up more. Only 2 burns in the fireplace this year and decided I had enough. After researching and learning everything I could for the past month I decided on a Woodstock soapstone (Fireview or Keystone). Found the used Fireview (the one posted here), but couldn't bring myself to pay $1600 for this used one especially after begreen posted a rebuilt from woodstock was just over $1600 . Hey, did ya know the rebuilts are only a month old. But so few people return the woodstocks making the rebuilts hard to come by. ---------------------------------------------------So decided to treat myself...for my birthday / Christmas present to myself I ordered a new Woodstock Fireview this morning. ---------Thinking about picking up a moisture meter like this one off of ebay. What do you think--- (broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-Digital-LCD-Wood-Firewood-Moisture-Humidity-Meter-Damp-Detector-Tester-/290915979118?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item43bbf18f6e#ht_5523wt_1156) And I'm looking at this 316ti SS liner from chimney liner depot http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/index.php?viewItem=956 I want to do this right so any input is appreciated Thanks again Lin
 
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Congrats on the new Fireview. Don't get too wound up on the dry firewood thingy. Yes it's great to be a few years ahead but many have to make due with what they have the first season. If your wood isn't as dry as it should be you can still stay warm, you may have to use smaller splits or just burn in the bypass mode a little longer to release the moisture before engaging the cat. Another trick is to mix in some dry pallet wood with your cordwood.
 
Congrats on the new stove. It is a gift that will keep on giving - heat and enjoyment - for many years. I think you made the right choice. Remember, pics or it didn't happen ==c
 
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Congrats on the new stove. !!! You all will enjoy the "soft heat" . Also welcome to the stoner club. :)
 
Hi Woody, have a small amount of wood (Oak 2 years) and rounding up more. Only 2 burns in the fireplace this year and decided I had enough. After researching and learning everything I could for the past month I decided on a Woodstock soapstone (Fireview or Keystone). Found the used Fireview (the one posted here), but couldn't bring myself to pay $1600 for this used one especially after begreen posted a rebuilt from woodstock was just over $1600 . Hey, did ya know the rebuilts are only a month old. But so few people return the woodstocks making the rebuilts hard to come by. ---------------------------------------------------So decided to treat myself...for my birthday / Christmas present to myself I ordered a new Woodstock Fireview this morning. ---------Thinking about picking up a moisture meter like this one off of ebay. What do you think--- (broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-Digital-LCD-Wood-Firewood-Moisture-Humidity-Meter-Damp-Detector-Tester-/290915979118?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item43bbf18f6e#ht_5523wt_1156) And I'm looking at this 316ti SS liner from chimney liner depot http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/index.php?viewItem=956 I want to do this right so any input is appreciated Thanks again Lin
i have a 2 prong moisture meter that looks exactly the same and works ok
 
Hi Woody, have a small amount of wood (Oak 2 years) and rounding up more. Only 2 burns in the fireplace this year and decided I had enough. After researching and learning everything I could for the past month I decided on a Woodstock soapstone (Fireview or Keystone). Found the used Fireview (the one posted here), but couldn't bring myself to pay $1600 for this used one especially after begreen posted a rebuilt from woodstock was just over $1600 . Hey, did ya know the rebuilts are only a month old. But so few people return the woodstocks making the rebuilts hard to come by. ---------------------------------------------------So decided to treat myself...for my birthday / Christmas present to myself I ordered a new Woodstock Fireview this morning. ---------Thinking about picking up a moisture meter like this one off of ebay. What do you think--- (broken link removed to http://www.ebay.com/itm/4-Pin-Digital-LCD-Wood-Firewood-Moisture-Humidity-Meter-Damp-Detector-Tester-/290915979118?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item43bbf18f6e#ht_5523wt_1156) And I'm looking at this 316ti SS liner from chimney liner depot http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/index.php?viewItem=956 I want to do this right so any input is appreciated Thanks again Lin

Congratulations! So, what color are you getting? And please keep us posted when you get the stove.

Won't let Woody down. Dry wood is a must for any stove. If you really want to learn more about the wood, in addition to the Hearth Room, also go to The Wood Shed. Lots of good information from the guys there. As for me and my house, we'll stay on the 3 year plan....or longer. That is, always having at least 3 years worth of wood split and stacked outdoors in the wind. Top covered only. The dividends you will get from being 3 years ahead are super! And they won't be taxed either.
 
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