I found a used (16-17 yrs old) Buck 91 insert for $400. Current owners say its in good shape but don't remember how long its been since the cat was replaced. Its just been sitting for 4 years in storage. Is this a good buy? It seems to me like it is even if we do have to replace the cat immediately, but I thought this would be the right time to stop lurking in the shadows as I really need your input now! Thanks so much in advance!
Is Buck 91 Bay Heater Fireplace Insert a good buy?
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Yea, $400 isn't bad, even if you have to replace the cat holder and cat you would be into it for around $900. As long as it has not been over fired and the top plate warped I would grab it, everything else on the stove can be changed out.
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Make sure it will fit in your fireplace and fit into your budget installing an 8" insulated stainless liner for best results from that insert.
(broken link removed to http://www.buckstove.com/partsstore/home.php)
Make sure it will fit in your fireplace and fit into your budget installing an 8" insulated stainless liner for best results from that insert.
Top plate is the top of the stove, it is very thick steel and should not be bowed, very unlikely but still something to look out for. Take a look at some of the other 91's that people have on here or look in google images for "Buck 91 hearth.com" and that will bring up some pics of the stove.
@Woody Stover has that stove and might be able to chime in. You really need to plan on installing a stainless 8" insulated liner as he did to get the best results from these Bucks.
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We were planning on doing a 6 inch pre insulated flexible liner before I found this stove because the opening between the back of the fireplace and the lintel is like 5 and 3/4". Can you squish an 8 inch liner enough that we could get it through that opening?
Fireshoppe
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No. You need to plan on removing material from the damper/smoke shelf area above the fire box. Is your fire box steel or masonry?
The one I bought used is five years old; I don't know if the older ones are the same or not. Got any pics?
If you've been lurking here a while, I assume you've calculated your heating needs and determined that you need a big stove, and that this stove will fit, as mellow mentioned. What about wood? Unless you have wood that's been split and stacked for a couple of years, there's no need to get in a rush to buy a stove. Stoves newer that twenty years old will require dry wood or they won't produce the heat and clean burn that you're looking for....especially a cat stove. .
The 8" liner was already in place, so going with the 91 didn't require an additional investment on 8" liner.
It sounds like installing an 8" liner would be more work (and, of course, more expensive than 6".) Most stoves are 6" flue so you will have more selection if you go 6".
If you look at the Buck (or any stove, for that matter) take a good look inside the fire box, as mellow said, for any warped parts, cracked welds, etc (all of the 91 cat shields warp, nothing to worry about.) I have a couple of threads here with some pics of the inside of the fire box....
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At a minimum plan on cutting the damper out but it is likely you will have to take several rows of brick off the smoke shelf. Although messy it's a pretty easy job. Flexible is pretty relative when it comes to liner. It is more flexible than straight pipe but not much 
On the stove size, we have about 1800 sq ft but live in an old (early 1900s) house and it is drafty to say the least. Also 2 floors. I am wanting the bigger stove because I don't want to have to run the blower because of the stove location. It would blow straight up our stairs and run us out of our bedrooms while not heating the back part of the house well so this way we can leave the blower off and let the heat rise plus put fans in the doorways to pull the heat into the parts of the house that will need it rather than blowing it up the stairs. We just moved here last spring so we don't have any wood cut. We will have to buy it for this winter and next but we can buy seasoned hardwood here still much cheaper than our gas and electric bills have been and actually be able to be warm. I'm so sick of freezing to death. We will get some cut and drying this summer for the winter of 2015-2016.
As far as the chimney liner size...it is a really bad idea to use a reducer? I mean they make them so I'm assuming it would work. Then we wouldn't have to dismantle our fireplace which I would really like to avoid if at all possible. In a house this old it just scares me that we would get into more than we bargained for if we started that.
If the firebricks are ruined, is that an expensive/hard replacement? We are supposed to go see it Monday so I'll know then and maybe I can get some pics to upload that day to see what you guys think.
Thanks so much for the input! I welcome any advice you can give me.
As far as the chimney liner size...it is a really bad idea to use a reducer? I mean they make them so I'm assuming it would work. Then we wouldn't have to dismantle our fireplace which I would really like to avoid if at all possible. In a house this old it just scares me that we would get into more than we bargained for if we started that.
If the firebricks are ruined, is that an expensive/hard replacement? We are supposed to go see it Monday so I'll know then and maybe I can get some pics to upload that day to see what you guys think.
Thanks so much for the input! I welcome any advice you can give me.
So it's 1800 downstairs? I don't know all the ins and outs of heating two-story homes, but with the Buck you've got to run the blower to get the heat off the stove. Some other types of stoves, maybe a convective free-standing, might be able to work OK without a blower. Blower noise might be a consideration....some are noisier than others. How big is the opening going upstairs? Could you possibly limit the amount of heat going up there with a door, curtains or something? Small fans on the floor to move cool air back to the stove should work well downstairs.
A lot of sellers claim their wood is "seasoned" but the wood needs to be split and stacked in the wind for a long time, ideally a couple of years, before it gets dry. Many dealers don't bother with this extra step, they just leave it in log form or rounds and split it and throw it in the truck before delivery. This wood won't put out much heat, and will cause excessive creosote build-up in the flue.
Most stove manufacturers recommend against reducing flue size, with good reason, but it might be workable in some cases. I would go with a 6" flue stove if possible, but some of the big stoves (which it sounds like you need) are 8".
A standard 4.5x9" firebrick is about $2.50 here....
Unless you have a source of guaranteed dry wood, you might be better off doing more research and postponing the stove purchase. There are a lot of factors to consider and much info to process. Do everything right going in, and you will be warm and happy when you do get the stove up and running.
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