Opinions on this Oslo

[rwhite]

Seller is asking $900. Stove is 10 years old
Seller claims that baffles and blanket are replaced last year. will need brick and grate which will run about $100. Bought a new home this year. 1800 sqft ranch. one level and fairly open but master bedroom is at the end of about a 15ft hall.

 

[rwhite]

Except for a laundry room behind me here is a pic if the house. The stove will likely be placed near the entry door on the left. the other option is under the cross on the center wall. The second option would take up more space but would probably be cheaper as I wouldn't need as much external chimney.

 

[Woody Stover]

Might be OK if there are no big air leaks. Not sure exactly how to check, maybe a bright flashlight inside the fire box, or if it's still hooked up, burn an incense stick and work your way around the seams, looking for air being pulled into the stove? I'm not sure if this stove has gasketed or cemented seams.

 

[Woody Stover]

What's up with the grate? Cracked grate could indicate an over-fire with the ash door open, and possibly a cracked stove base.

 

[firefighterjake]

What's up with the grate? Cracked grate could indicate an over-fire with the ash door open, and possibly a cracked stove base.

That would be my biggest concern as well . . . I could understand how the bricks over time could possibly break (although in eight years of use I have yet to see a single hairline crack), but a grate that is messed up would have me wondering if they over-fired it (perhaps by opening the ash pan door to get the fire started.) That said, I'm not seeing any unusual gray or white blotches on the stove and while the cynic in me says the owner could have polished or painted the stove to mask this, the fact is if a guy sells a stove and doesn't bother to clean up the dirty "glass" or ashes in the stove I doubt he will take the time to polish or paint the stove.

As Woody mentioned I would go over this with a fine tooth comb looking for cracks . . . do the incense thing.

Personally, I'm not sure I would buy this used for $900.

 

[rwhite]

I've read several threads concerning the grates on these. Maybe not common but it does seem as though they do warp if the ashpan is left full or they don't clean it properly and it is cracked open a bit. seems like some folks are flipping the grate every year. As far as being dirty, seller did state that it is still in use and they are selling it to buy a bigger one. If everything else checked out what do you think a reasonable price would be ? Or would it still be a pass. If it were up to me I'd have a new nc30 but momma likes the looks of this type.

 

[Woody Stover]

Sounds like he may have run it hard, if he replaced the baffle...or that could be a fairly common repair on this stove, I don't know. If it checks out OK, no cracked base, a decent deal would be 1/3 of retail so the price seems in the ballpark. Maybe offer 700 and get it for 800?

 

[webby3650]

The baffle in this model is made from a product called Skamol. It would really only be damaged by a negligent chimney sweep, or banging into it with firewood. It's not a common part to go bad, not terribly alarming either. I would inspect it for cracks in the floor and around the ashpan. If you could pick it up for $6-700 I don't think you could go wrong.

 

[begreen]

Looks like it is due for regasketing too. The price seems a bit high based on the visual condition. Have them completely clean out all ash from the stove before inspecting. Bring your own shop vac with a drywall filter if necessary. You want to very closely examine the grate area for any signs of cracking in the base. Also look around the flue collar for cracks and check for any warping of the secondary rack & baffle. Here is what you are looking for in the base.

 

[begreen]

Regardless of final stove choice, consider strongly going straight up with the flue. Most stoves are going to want at least 15' of straight up chimney. Going through the wall introduces at least 2-90º turns which slows down draft and often must be compensated with more chimney.

 

[rwhite]

With either location I can go straight up through the ceiling. I'll probably go look at the stove next week and see if everything else checked out. if he wont take 700 or less I'll just walk

 

[rwhite]

Those cracks would certainly be a deal killer! is this common on the Oslo or are they generally a good stove? I do like the looks of them. Although I wish these were epa stoves:

 

[begreen]

They are a great stove, run correctly. Too often someone tries to burn poorly seasoned wood in the stove and uses the ash pan door to get the fire going. That is warned about in the manual. The temp differential between the cold stove body and forge-like temps around the grate with the ash pan door open can cause metal to warp and crack.

 

[rwhite]

Thanks for all the advice. the Oslo was a bust . Glad I didn't make a special trip to see it. Not only was the grate burned out, the doghouse was burned through, cracked top on both sides of the burn plate and cracks exactly where begreen said to look. Seriously looked like it had been rolled down the stairs.

 

[webby3650]

Thanks for all the advice. the Oslo was a bust . Glad I didn't make a special trip to see it. Not only was the grate burned out, the doghouse was burned through, cracked top on both sides of the burn plate and cracks exactly where begreen said to look. Seriously looked like it had been rolled down the stairs.

Holy crap! That's the worst I've ever heard of.

 

[rwhite]

It was pretty sad. To bad to because from 10ft away it was still a beautiful stove. And she showed me the sales paperwork, not even 10 years old.

 

[webby3650]

It was pretty sad. To bad to because from 10ft away it was still a beautiful stove. And she showed me the sales paperwork, not even 10 years old.

Some people shouldn't ever buy a modern stove. These people fit the bill!

 

[begreen]

Wow, that is some serious abuse of a stove.

 

[Woody Stover]

Wow, that is some serious abuse of a stove.

Yeah, but I bet it was throwing major heat while it lasted.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks for all the advice. the Oslo was a bust . Glad I didn't make a special trip to see it. Not only was the grate burned out, the doghouse was burned through, cracked top on both sides of the burn plate and cracks exactly where begreen said to look. Seriously looked like it had been rolled down the stairs.

Sounds like it was used and abused wicked hard. Sounds like it's pretty much scrap metal.

 

[Rearscreen]

Run away!

 

[heavy hammer]

That is to bad but at least you realized it before buying it. Why not just get a new one. I know it's more money but you are the first person to fire it, the one who maintains it and so on. I had an Oslo for over five years in our first house and loved it. We bought new and now the new owner lucked out getting a stove that heats great and was taken great care of. We just moved this summer and one of the first purchases I wanted was one if not two new stoves. If you love wood heat and love the fire wood life style than I would not hesitate to buy new you will have it for many years, and it should pay for itself as well.

 

[rwhite]

I won't be buying new anytime soon although my daughter's orthodontist may. I'm not in a big hurry and I think there are plenty of bargains out there just haven't found the right one yet. I rarely buy anything new. Cars, clothes, toys, etc. are used. Drives my wife up the wall. I am honestly a swap meet, yard sale, Craigslist junkie.

 

[begreen]

Bargains can be found for sure. Some good deals show up now and then, though the good ones go quickly, especially at this time of the year. Watch for stoves being sold by new homeowners.