Is this a good deal?

[mikerowe81]

I am a newbie looking to buy a used wood stove as my wife grew up on wood heat and she thinks I keep the house too cold :smirk: I came across a Vermont Castings Resolute Stove that is being sold by the original owner for $300. It was originally purchased in Dec. 1989 for over $1100, and was used regularly up until about 5 years ago. I know you can't tell much from the picture, but the owner says it is in good condition and she applied stove black??? every year. I have not seen the stove in person yet as it is 2 hours away.

I am looking for this to be my primary heat source with my furnace being a backup. I have about a 1200 sq. ft. single story house and will be building a hearth and putting in a chimney pipe hopefully myself. I have attached a picture of how I potentially want to build the hearth using 6" tile on the surfaces.

So, is this a good stove? good deal? good design?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Welcome to the forum! I like your blazer!

1989 is pre-EPA and emissions regulations. You may not be able to legally install the stove in your home.

If you are able to install it, the next thing to look at are clearance to combustibles... Walls, ceiling and floor. Many older stoves require larger clearances. As much as 3 feet. That much space from the rear wall and to your side wall would take up a lot of room. Newer stoves generally have less clearance to combustible requirements since they have integrated heat shields.

It would be hard to tell the condition of the stove from your pic.

Matt

 

[dougand3]

Totally agree with Limestone - what a dapper sport coat!
I think I'd apply that $300 to a new EPA stove. Check your Lowes or Home Depot - A smaller Englander or Pleasant Hearth will run $600-$800 and should suit your needs much better.

 

[SteveKG]

I'd say the same thing here I'd say to someone who does not play guitar yet who is buying a guitar, or an airplane, or whatever. If you don't know anything about stoves, and you want to buy one, get someone to assist who does know stoves and the use of them. A friend, neighbor, or someone in whom you have some faith. Many stoves are bought and sold and many of them do not and never will be good for a particular home/user/etc. I would hold off on that purchase, get some help.

 

[firefighterjake]

I am a newbie looking to buy a used wood stove as my wife grew up on wood heat and she thinks I keep the house too cold :smirk: I came across a Vermont Castings Resolute Stove that is being sold by the original owner for $300. It was originally purchased in Dec. 1989 for over $1100, and was used regularly up until about 5 years ago. I know you can't tell much from the picture, but the owner says it is in good condition and she applied stove black??? every year. I have not seen the stove in person yet as it is 2 hours away.

I am looking for this to be my primary heat source with my furnace being a backup. I have about a 1200 sq. ft. single story house and will be building a hearth and putting in a chimney pipe hopefully myself. I have attached a picture of how I potentially want to build the hearth using 6" tile on the surfaces.

So, is this a good stove? good deal? good design?

Any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Michael

Older VC . . . which of course is obvious. Unfortunately, I don't know a whole lot about the older VCs . . . or even the newer VCs . . . I suspect as folks start heading home and checking on line they'll be able to give you more info on the particular stove and if it will be up to the task of heating your home.

As for whether it is a good deal or not . . . depends on the actual condition of the stove . . . and this can only really be told by seeing it up close and personal -- looking for cracks, warped parts, loose vs. tight fitting doors, etc. The last bit of advice was pretty good -- if you don't know a lot about what to look for it might behoove you to hook up with someone that can tell if a stove was used and abused . . . or simply well used.

As for pointers . . . I might suggest a nice tie with the blazer and jeans.

 

[Renovation]

Welcome to the forum! I like your blazer!


Matt

+1 lol, Matt, I had exactly the same reaction! No disrespect. :coolsmile:

 

[mikerowe81]

Thanks everyone for the advice on the stove and the compliments on the jacket :coolsmile: I'll probably be back for more questions later as this seems like the place to be to find answers.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks everyone for the advice on the stove and the compliments on the jacket :coolsmile: I'll probably be back for more questions later as this seems like the place to be to find answers.

. . . or at least a good place to ask advice on fashion.

 

[DanCorcoran]

As far as I know, West Virginia doesn't have any code regarding stove installations, but check with your county office to be sure. (And remember, the code is there to protect us from our own ignorance; you need to follow the stove manufacturer's instructions, even in the absence of codes). There's also a possible issue with your insurance company, so you may want to talk with them before spending any money (some insurance companies have lots of rules, others don't seem to care).

 

[RedGuy]

You can get a Pleasent Hearth 1,800ft stove from Lowes with the blower included for $699, plus if you go to your post office and get a change of address form it will have a 10% off coupon . That's what I did, so far I'm pleased, though this is only my second day using it.

 

[jeremyjudd]

Michael -

Hoozah for wood stove heat. Your wife is right, nothing else heats the same!

About the stove you are thinking about buying - I'd spend a few hundred more and get an EPA approved model like the Pleasant Hearth mentioned above or something similar (I also have the Pleasant Hearth, works great but there are a lot of similar models that work just as well or better).

A few reasons for this:

1.) You can qualify for an energy tax credit if you get an EPA stove that will cover 30-percent of the cost of the stove. So if you spent $700 on an epa approved stove, you'd get a credit for $210. So the stove would have only cost you effectively $490.

2.) EPA approved stoves are much more efficient - from what I've read, older stoves can blow up to 80 or even 90 percent of the heat right out of the chimney. Newer stoves are usually between 70 and 80 percent efficient. Your are going to burn less wood, so less time and/or money.



Good luck with your stove hunt! If you are installing a stove from the ground up (putting in a chimney, hearth, etc) you can also figure that into your tax credit as I understand, but the credit expires at the end of this year.

~jeremy