Is buying used Quadrafire Mt. Vernon from 2008 a good idea?

[ColdinVT]

I am thinking about buying a used Mt. Vernon (stand alone) and need some advice before I go and look at it.

The guys is asking $1700 and is including the venting. He says he is selling it because he switched over to natural gas, believes the stove is approx 6 years old and that it works great.

I know that I should have him start it up and run it for a while to see how it works but what else should I be concerned about? I am going to ask if/what parts he has had to replace. I am assuming I can confirm that date of manuf. somewhere on the unit?

Is buying a stove this old a good investment or should I keep saving and buy new? Like a car are there certain years you shouldn't buy when it comes to used stoves for this model?
In reading other blogs I am concerned about control panels etc failing and having to put alot of money into it so I am struggling with the idea of buying used vs. new.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[john193]

Is that the AE? I believe the AE came out around 2007 and that year and the following had poor reliability. If you do a google search on the mt vernon, you are likely to find poor reviews from that time period. And I think 1700 is high for a 6 year old stove.

 

[stovelark]

Hello Cold- Yes 1700 is pretty much retail on that stove and year. The AE went through some turbulence in the first 2 or 3 seasons, but since then has been a good performer, superb heater and is very quiet. The parts are pricey, espec the MB if needed. Is the stove painted black or an enamel?? If enamel add a couple hundred more. I think around 1200 would be a good buy. Good luck with it. If you can wait, get the E2 version that just came out. Has part of Harman, Heatilator and Quad features wrapped up in a MV cast chassis. Beautiful heater, very quiet, all AC motors stove.

 

[rona]

I am thinking about buying a used Mt. Vernon (stand alone) and need some advice before I go and look at it.

The guys is asking $1700 and is including the venting. He says he is selling it because he switched over to natural gas, believes the stove is approx 6 years old and that it works great.

I know that I should have him start it up and run it for a while to see how it works but what else should I be concerned about? I am going to ask if/what parts he has had to replace. I am assuming I can confirm that date of manuf. somewhere on the unit?

Is buying a stove this old a good investment or should I keep saving and buy new? Like a car are there certain years you shouldn't buy when it comes to used stoves for this model?
In reading other blogs I am concerned about control panels etc failing and having to put alot of money into it so I am struggling with the idea of buying used vs. new.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

I bought one of the first AEs that came out and they were nothing but trouble. I had it for one season and never had so many problems with anything I ever bought. The remote wall control was replaced several times, The actual board was replaced 3 times for updates, The heavy cast heat exchanger broke 3 times, The igniters went bad with regularity. When it shut down to dump often it would jam the pot causing it not to relight. To their credit Quad replaced everything under warranty and I dumped it that summer. The fellow that bought it burned pellets and still had problems. Before you buy it check on how much the board and remote control cost then check on the cast iron heat exchanger. Oh don't forget that igniter as they have bumped the price to close to 100.00 for them. You can do a lot better.

 

[john193]

Oh don't forget that igniter as they have bumped the price to close to 100.00 for them. You can do a lot better.

One point of clarification, ignitors are around 35 to 40 for the new lower wattage wood pellet only. And about 10 dollars cheaper for the older multi fuel ignitor. Price is per ignitor.

On another note, totally could do better.

 

[rona]

One point of clarification, ignitors are around 35 to 40 for the new lower wattage wood pellet only. And about 10 dollars cheaper for the older multi fuel ignitor. Price is per ignitor.

On another note, totally could do better.

Your dealer is giving you a great deal or mine is ripping his customers off. At any rate He told a friend of mine that was the price for the new style igniters. The claim was that they were higher priced because of higher quality. It doesn't make any difference to me as I don't own a AE anymore

 

[john193]

Your dealer is giving you a great deal or mine is ripping his customers off. At any rate He told a friend of mine that was the price for the new style igniters. The claim was that they were higher priced because of higher quality. It doesn't make any difference to me as I don't own a AE anymore

I'm going with the latter...

Mt. Vernon AE Ignitor by QuadraFire http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008NAI3D0/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_RpOytb0HRNVAZ

 

[Arti]

I am thinking about buying a used Mt. Vernon (stand alone) and need some advice before I go and look at it.

The guys is asking $1700 and is including the venting. He says he is selling it because he switched over to natural gas, believes the stove is approx 6 years old and that it works great.

My gut instinct is somewhere in the $1,000 dollar range would be reasonable. Even though the venting is included Can it be used in your application?
Buying pieces piecemeal is expensive and needs to be the same brand name. In most cases it is better to buy a complete install kit and do the job correctly. So that really doesn't add much value to the deal in my opinion. Most upper end stoves in good shape and used in my area bring 1,000 to 1,5000 in season and in the $750 range off season.

 

[stovelark]

Hello sorry your initial experience was a bad one- it was for a lot of folks. The present model is a much more reliable unit in my view. The ignitor for it we sell for about 50.00, the MB is very high, retails for about 700, we sell it for 580 and I would agree the wall control is a bit pricey at about 225. It is necessary for its operating though. Remember the AE was a totally new concept at the time, I still say they are one of the quietest (that is an important aspect to those normally looking at an AE) units available. That's one reason I like the new E2 already, it seems very quiet but isn't shackled to the AE's shortcomings, we feel it will be a strong contender. Good luck with whatever the OP gets.

 

[slls]

I agree, the E2 should be a winner.

 

[JohnD]

I am thinking about buying a used Mt. Vernon (stand alone) and need some advice before I go and look at it.

The guys is asking $1700 and is including the venting. He says he is selling it because he switched over to natural gas, believes the stove is approx 6 years old and that it works great.

I know that I should have him start it up and run it for a while to see how it works but what else should I be concerned about? I am going to ask if/what parts he has had to replace. I am assuming I can confirm that date of manuf. somewhere on the unit?

Is buying a stove this old a good investment or should I keep saving and buy new? Like a car are there certain years you shouldn't buy when it comes to used stoves for this model?
In reading other blogs I am concerned about control panels etc failing and having to put alot of money into it so I am struggling with the idea of buying used vs. new.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks

My advice is to save a bit. More and buy new. You never know how someone maintained it. They may have just cleaned it really well to sell. I have a 2012 Quadrafire CB 1200 and love it! Bought brand new for $2100 plus venting kit.

 

[Alfpark]

Ok so here is a question. I currently own a Castile which I like it's just small for my new house. I have had it since 2001 and done all cleaning and minor fix its myself. I have the opportunity to buy a 2008 Mt Vernon that is brand new. Obviously 7 yrs old but sat in a warehouse. I looked at it no rust and when plugged in it cycles. The owner doesn't want to burn it but I am sure it will work. He will take $2000. What your opinions. I can upgrade the burn pot myself and still be at half price of new or wait till I can afford new.

 

[rona]

Ok so here is a question. I currently own a Castile which I like it's just small for my new house. I have had it since 2001 and done all cleaning and minor fix its myself. I have the opportunity to buy a 2008 Mt Vernon that is brand new. Obviously 7 yrs old but sat in a warehouse. I looked at it no rust and when plugged in it cycles. The owner doesn't want to burn it but I am sure it will work. He will take $2000. What your opinions. I can upgrade the burn pot myself and still be at half price of new or wait till I can afford new.

Did it get updated wall control and new board? I would make sure that gets done. If you can prove you bought it unused you may be able to get the updated board and control free from the company. If not talk to a quad tech like Kap who is a member of Hearth.com as he would know the numbers on the wall control and the electric board. If everything is updated yeah it maybe a good outfit but if it is a original you are looking at big bucks for the changes you will need. Igniter is reasonable but you'll need a spare, upgrade the pot, that piece of tin that fits in the bottom to eliminate annoying noise, the heavy heat exchanger has been improved-old ones cracked, the new wall controls and electric boards will be very spendy if you need them.
They are advertised as a whisper quiet stove but only on low settings. Moving air makes noise simple as that.

 

[kappel15]

Check the control board out(behind left panel, take 4 screws out) and it has a white sticker on it. Make sure it says SRV7000-456C. Any number or letter lower then that and you will be buying a new control board in the future. The wall control should be a SRV7000-451D to a 549. These revisions were released in 4 of 2008. Kap

 

[DMKNLD]

I am thinking about buying a used Mt. Vernon (stand alone) and need some advice before I go and look at it.

The guys is asking $1700 and is including the venting.

Is buying a stove this old a good investment or should I keep saving and buy new? Like a car are there certain years you shouldn't buy when it comes to used stoves for this model?

Appropriate car analogy, Cold in VT, as the seller sounds to me like a used car salesman !

 

[Alfpark]

Well we came to a price agreement $2k. I am going to try it. I called quadrafire and the person I spoke to said I had a good chance of it being upgraded because it was manufactured in 4/08. He said April was when the updates started. He said no changes to the AE from 08 until the current model year. He also said not all stats and boards had the issue. So I am gonna save over $2k. If something is bad I should still come out ahead. I hope. LOL. My Castile is 14 yrs old and no issues. Hopefully I get as lucky. I have a few friends with Mt Vernon AEs only one had an issue and it was his blower so not even related.

 

[kappel15]

Hope you have years of enjoyment and heat. Stay warm. kap

 

[sweetczz]

Well, I feel like a fool. I bought a Mt Vernon AE year 2007 and discovered they are all not made alike. I paid a whopping $2668 which included delivery. Then, I discovered after I bought it that the year 2007 was a bad year - it's a display stove. Never used. I wrote to Quadra about seeing if it would be warranteed and not an answer from them! I asked if they would replace the known bad parts - no answer! Horrible Customer Service

A new stove would have cost me over 4500k. So, upgrading parts obviously is going to be the answer.

I need to know what part numbers and parts to upgrade. I'm aware of the fuse, burnpot and igniter, firepot gasket i think it was were talked about the most for upgrading. Does anyone know of the upgrade order numbers for these parts?

Are there any other upgrades I should know about?

I read that the 15 amp fuse was too high for this stove and a 5 amp would have been more efficient. Any comments? SHould i replace the fuse now before use with a 5 amp or has Quadra upgraded the fuse, too?

Also, I'm told to get a good socket surge protector (I bought a Rocketfish 4 socket surge protector and i hope it's good enough).

Does anyone have any other advice or warnings before I start using this pellet stove? I want to avoid all the nightmares I'm reading. I'm reading it's a wonderful stove otherwise.

I also viewed some maintenance videos - lots of work! GEEZ! Any advice or suggestions here, too?

Any suggestions on where to buy the upgrades for the best prices?

What about the battery and cables? Where can I find a reasonbly priced battery? I see a man in Bel Air MD makes the cables for 30.00. Any suggestions?

 

[kappel15]

Well, first off, evidently you bought this from a dealer. He is the one that should be doing the papework on it for warranty purposes, if it has never been used. Warranty isn't suppose to start till the unit is sold and installed. Second, you may have a stove that will run just fine. Not all stoves needed to be upgraded. There are some stoves out there running on the "A" board. That is the original board they came out with. What you need to do is take left panel off (4 screws). The control board is behind it. There should be a white sticker on it with the part #. Fuse is not an issue. But, they do have a new wire harness out for the igniter that has an in line fuse which is way easier to replace then the one that is buried in the control board. There is no upgrade for the firepot gasket, but there is a new reusable gasket for the exhaust fan. The firepot upgrade you can do yourself if need be. But you won't need that for a while. And all stoves have lots of maintenance, not just this one. For a battery, if you want battery back-up, you need a deep cycle battery like for RV"S and boats. You can get one at any WalMart. I would try the stove first and see if you even have any issues. Then, you can talk about upgrading. kap

 

[rona]

Well, I feel like a fool. I bought a Mt Vernon AE year 2007 and discovered they are all not made alike. I paid a whopping $2668 which included delivery. Then, I discovered after I bought it that the year 2007 was a bad year - it's a display stove. Never used. I wrote to Quadra about seeing if it would be warranteed and not an answer from them! I asked if they would replace the known bad parts - no answer! Horrible Customer Service

A new stove would have cost me over 4500k. So, upgrading parts obviously is going to be the answer.

I need to know what part numbers and parts to upgrade. I'm aware of the fuse, burnpot and igniter, firepot gasket i think it was were talked about the most for upgrading. Does anyone know of the upgrade order numbers for these parts?

Are there any other upgrades I should know about?

I read that the 15 amp fuse was too high for this stove and a 5 amp would have been more efficient. Any comments? SHould i replace the fuse now before use with a 5 amp or has Quadra upgraded the fuse, too?

Also, I'm told to get a good socket surge protector (I bought a Rocketfish 4 socket surge protector and i hope it's good enough).

Does anyone have any other advice or warnings before I start using this pellet stove? I want to avoid all the nightmares I'm reading. I'm reading it's a wonderful stove otherwise.

I also viewed some maintenance videos - lots of work! GEEZ! Any advice or suggestions here, too?

Any suggestions on where to buy the upgrades for the best prices?

What about the battery and cables? Where can I find a reasonbly priced battery? I see a man in Bel Air MD makes the cables for 30.00. Any suggestions?

Until you get it and run it you don't know what you have. Some of the earlier ones were fine so no use getting worked up yet. truth be known If it was me I would put it on a 4 wheel cart and set it outside and run it before I brought it in the house. Seems you could find out a lot and then decide you want it in a corner that may be difficult to work on it or fix it first if you have to. The dealer that had it is the person who should be taking care of the updates. If it needs work you go through him and he will take care of it. That's part of being a dealer.

 

[sweetczz]

Until you get it and run it you don't know what you have. Some of the earlier ones were fine so no use getting worked up yet. truth be known If it was me I would put it on a 4 wheel cart and set it outside and run it before I brought it in the house. Seems you could find out a lot and then decide you want it in a corner that may be difficult to work on it or fix it first if you have to. The dealer that had it is the person who should be taking care of the updates. If it needs work you go through him and he will take care of it. That's part of being a dealer.

Sadly, I bought it through ebay, side man who got it through a dealer, so I don't get all the benefits of buying direct. Lots of nearby dealers are giving me a brushoff because I didn't buy through them. A lesson learned, sadly. It was a good price on ebay, and it was last minute bidding, and I thought I had done enough research, but it wasn't until after i put my bid down that I discovered it was a bad year. Well, still, even adding under 1k of upgrades I'd still be making out ok. As to warranty, I haven't heard from the company but i suppose if it comes with the warranty paper I'll have to fill it out and send it in - sadly the stove may not be up and running this winter. I'll see what happens after the chimney guy sets it up tomorrow.