Opinions, info needed, please

[bmfox]

I am wanting a pellet stove to heat my house, primarly. I looked at the Heatilator ps50 for $1100 at a local shop. I also found a Quadrafire cb1200 for $850, its six years old . My house is just under 1700 sq ft ranch with open kitchen, family and dining room with three bedrooms down hallway. Am I better off buying new or used? Opinions on both stoves from users needed.
Thanks

 

[herdfan2003]

Personally I'd rather have the older stove made a little better. Not saying the Heatilator isn't a good stove, I don't know much about it. I had the same problem about 5 years ago. I could have bought a Harman P-38 for $900 or a pellet stove from TSC for around the same price, I chose the Harman. After looking at the quality difference there wasn't any question....keep in mind this is the opinion of a newbie...lol

 

[Bioburner]

I have went with quality used without regret. This site has a great brain trust if you are handy and have basic tools. Another option is refurb units by Englander that some members have done well with. Still some time before the cold hits. Where are you located? Used markets very by area. Minnesota has a lot of stoves to pick from.

 

[imacman]

.....Another option is refurb units by Englander that some members have done well with......

(broken link removed to http://www.amfmenergy.com/manufacturer-refurbished-stoves.html)

 

[St_Earl]

that's a good price on the PS50. i have one and that's like $700 to $800 below msrp.

but i would love to have a quad cb1200.
we went with the heatilator and i have been very happy. but i like buying new and we wanted a low price point.

our house is only 924 Sq. feet though.
i have a feeling if our house were bigger i may have been less happy.

the PS50 is like a quad minus the full fledged heat exchanger and with a little lower combustion air flow.

just be prepared to do what it takes refresh to anything on the quad (or any used stove) that is worn out or wearing.

ask the seller if the stove can be fired up in the driveway before you buy.

lots of people here also love their englanders. and those have full on heat exchangers and come fully re-furbed.

*eta
maybe dexter or someone in the know about the quads can weigh in on the models of that vintage.
sometimes certain earlier years have designs that have since been updated for one reason/problem or another..

 

[kenstogie]

IMACMAN is always "pushing" those refurbs....... probably because hes 100% correct. Its the most stove for the $$ plus they have awesome tech support. Tommorow I will be ordering my third Englander stove from there. The first 2 were used but still great units.... a little on the small side otherwise I would still be using them.

 

[Bioburner]

You anticipating a real cold winter?

 

[kenstogie]

I am selling the 2 pdvc I have and upgrading to an IP. I hope its warm but this is upstate NY.

 

[imacman]

.....upgrading to an IP. ......

OOOOOH....can't wait for the pics & reviews!!

 

[kenstogie]

No real hurry (before winter of course) but how long does it take from amfmenergy??

 

[imacman]

No real hurry (before winter of course) but how long does it take from amfmenergy??

I think from the time I placed my order to delivery was about 10 days....might have been less. And that was with the extra $ to have it delivered to my door.

 

[stillersnut]

AmFm Energy, I agree with the others. Great stoves, great warranty, great tech support, great price. Mine was delivered in 4 days from order, right to my front door!

 

[kenstogie]

Wow that's a lot quicker than I thought.

 

[stillersnut]

Wow that's a lot quicker than I thought.

I only live about 225 mi North of the factory. Glad I purchased from them, after a ton of research, plus you get Mike's knowledge with each stove!

 

[DexterDay]

I'd go with the Classic Bay. That's cheap. I sold mine for $1,200 after over 5 seasons.

I heated 2,180 sq ft ranch and used the Lowest heat setting 90% of the time. When it got below 10* I bumped it to Medium, but closed the feed gate a little. Kept the house about 74*-76*.

Awesome stove, awesome heat exchanger, easy to clean, easy to work on, huge ash pan area, and big 2 bag hopper.

Pics are needed, no matter what you get

 

[bmfox]

The quad is 4 hours away from me, all ive seen are pics and talked with owner. It looks a lil dirty in the firebox area, but with a good cleaning would be nice. Only thing he mentioned was a vacum line that might need to be replaced. Thanks for the help.

 

[moey]

If you have some mechanical aptitude I would suggest a used stove. Keep in mind you'll have to give it a extensive cleaning before installing it. Most likely replace some gaskets in various locations. On the CB probably the gasket on the front window and the exhaust blower gasket, and maybe the burnpot as well. Not very expensive but if your not handy and have to hire someone costs add up. May need a new exhaust setup as well.

 

[Bioburner]

Probably have to throw in a vacuum switch too. If you can get a fire start before you load you probably will have a good unit that will not be to difficult to get back to prime condition. If no fire when you go to pickup "buyer beware" and negotiate accordingly.

 

[Jaymaine34]

The cb1200 is a great stove ! After talking with DexterDay I rum nome the same way he does . Nice even heat . I think last winter I only went to med 2 or 3 times ( am to take the chill off )
If its in good shape and burns sounds like a good deal to me ! I'm heating 2400 sq feet ( new house well insulated open floor plan ) best money I ever spent !

 

[DexterDay]

Vacuum line is a cheap ($5 at auto part store). The Heatilator uses the same internal components, but the heat exchanger is the biggest difference. A tube style and a convective box are very different. IMHO

 

[jtakeman]

I bought my Quad in 1999. It was 5 years old and in nice shape. We test fired it outside before we loaded it up. She heated my house for 8 full season without as much as a hiccup! I paid $800 and put 40 tons of pellets through it. Pretty much one of the best deals I stepped into.

Make sure you test fire it before you load it up. Do a full cleaning before you bring it into the house. Keep it as clean as you can and it should last a good while.