New to the site....

[Tailrace]

Hi all...I was directed to this site by a buddy of mine because I'm looking to buy a pellet stove and I need some insight from people who know what they're talking about. I found a used Harman Advance stove and the guy is asking $1,450.00 for it. He bought it new and used it for two seasons and is selling it because he just installed a wood burning add on to his existing oil furnace and no longer needs it. It's 48,000 BTU's, has a 60lb. hopper capacity, and a 135 cfm blower. My question to you all is do you think this stove is worth what he's asking? The guy lives a little over two hours away from me and I know I have to go look at it, but he did send me some pics. Is there anything I should look for? Sorry for this being so long, and thanks for any and all replies!

 

[KeithO]

Be sure that you want to burn pellets. If you are on NG right now, it may be less expensive than pellets and no schlepping tons of pellets around. If the power goes out, your dead in the water with a pellet stove. There are nice direct vent (NOT VENT FREE) propane or NG stoves (not refering to the junk they sell at hardware stores) that are less expensive to run than central heat, if you can tolerate letting the periphery of the building cool down (same thing will happen with the pellet stove anyway). Vermont Castings, Jotul, Woodstock Soapstone and others all make really nice gas stoves that look just like the real thing.

Alternatively, if you have an inside source for cheap pellets (less than $140/ton ?) then it may be worth your while. Visit your local stove shop and see what the new price on a similar stove is. The plate steel pellet stove are quite reasonably priced. Try to look at the examples that have bigger hoppers in the 85-120lb range, very convenient for uninterupted service. I think the price is a litle high for a stove that more than likely is out of warranty. If anything goes wrong you would have saved money buying new.

Alternatively, consider a "real" wood stove if you have a ready source of wood and are fit enough for handling it. I can understand that this becomes more of an issue as one gets older, which one has to factor into the deal. Of course, if you have done it long enough, it becomes part of your life...

 

[webbie]

I usually do not suggest used pellet stoves, but a current model of a Harman could be an exception. See if it is still under warranty - people often "forget" how many years have gone by. I assume this stove costs $1000 more than that new (or more), so it might be a decent deal. You might even get the seller to throw in a service call and cleaning by the original dealer just so you can confirm everything is OK.

And, yes, shop around for current pellet prices and make certain you can get them at a price which will keep you happy as compared to your current fuel(s).