Since my newbie thread took a runaway train to south America, I'll attempt to do this again.
Little background, burnt wood since I was a kid. I bought a big house last fall with a wood eating monster (fireplace). After spending one winter with a very hungry oil furnace, and the last time I called oil was 3.88 a gallon. I called my insurance company, had my chimney cleaned and inspected, then I started researching inserts that would physically fit my fireplace opening. I priced a couple new ones, after having sticker shock and being a fairly broke home owner, I did more research. I fought through craigslist ads for a few months. Found this lopi freedom insert. It was manufactured 11-28-2001. Owner said they installed it, and used it for two or three years. He couldn't remember for sure. Then he rented the house out and was afraid someone renting would burn the house down, so he removed it. The ad had one small picture. I drove the hour to dads, picked up the trailer and head the hour to the sellers house.
I pull in and see a huge 60x100 shop with landscape company trucks and equipment everywhere. I walk up to the shop to see this lopi freedom insert sitting on a wooden dolley. The seller had it listed on craigslist for 800 bucks. I was down to 550 after taking to him numerous times. He just wanted it gone. Well as you can see from the pictures, it was in less than ideal shape. He told me it was stored in the shop on the phone. Once I was there, the story changed to it was outside on a pallet under a tarp for only a year. The firebox was full of water, (not full, but some). The box that contained the rheostat for the fans was badly corroded. I told the guy I wasn't plugging it in. He did, and they didnt work. So at this point I'm talking to dad out loud so the guy can hear me about all the money it's going to be to get it up and operational again. I kept saying I was very disappointed that it was outside when you told me on the phone it was stored in the shop. Dad chimes in and says this one new is about 1500, right? I said yeah something like that. he's trying to convince to buy a new one and not have to deal with the hassle of rebuilding this one.
As I was figuring and looking at the stove the guy says I can work a little on the price... I said what's a little? He said he could do 400. I would have paid that, But i said I'm not trying to be rude, but you told me this thing was clean, ready to install. The fans are going to cost me 3-400 bucks, the fire brick need replaced because it's all soaked, so there's another 150-200 bucks, plus the door gasket and the labor intensive hours to refinish it. I feel comfortable at 300. Any more than that and in getting in the truck. It was on the trailer 30 seconds later.
Little background, burnt wood since I was a kid. I bought a big house last fall with a wood eating monster (fireplace). After spending one winter with a very hungry oil furnace, and the last time I called oil was 3.88 a gallon. I called my insurance company, had my chimney cleaned and inspected, then I started researching inserts that would physically fit my fireplace opening. I priced a couple new ones, after having sticker shock and being a fairly broke home owner, I did more research. I fought through craigslist ads for a few months. Found this lopi freedom insert. It was manufactured 11-28-2001. Owner said they installed it, and used it for two or three years. He couldn't remember for sure. Then he rented the house out and was afraid someone renting would burn the house down, so he removed it. The ad had one small picture. I drove the hour to dads, picked up the trailer and head the hour to the sellers house.
I pull in and see a huge 60x100 shop with landscape company trucks and equipment everywhere. I walk up to the shop to see this lopi freedom insert sitting on a wooden dolley. The seller had it listed on craigslist for 800 bucks. I was down to 550 after taking to him numerous times. He just wanted it gone. Well as you can see from the pictures, it was in less than ideal shape. He told me it was stored in the shop on the phone. Once I was there, the story changed to it was outside on a pallet under a tarp for only a year. The firebox was full of water, (not full, but some). The box that contained the rheostat for the fans was badly corroded. I told the guy I wasn't plugging it in. He did, and they didnt work. So at this point I'm talking to dad out loud so the guy can hear me about all the money it's going to be to get it up and operational again. I kept saying I was very disappointed that it was outside when you told me on the phone it was stored in the shop. Dad chimes in and says this one new is about 1500, right? I said yeah something like that. he's trying to convince to buy a new one and not have to deal with the hassle of rebuilding this one.
As I was figuring and looking at the stove the guy says I can work a little on the price... I said what's a little? He said he could do 400. I would have paid that, But i said I'm not trying to be rude, but you told me this thing was clean, ready to install. The fans are going to cost me 3-400 bucks, the fire brick need replaced because it's all soaked, so there's another 150-200 bucks, plus the door gasket and the labor intensive hours to refinish it. I feel comfortable at 300. Any more than that and in getting in the truck. It was on the trailer 30 seconds later.
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