Stove rookie here..question on a used Quadrafire Mount Vernon

[stoverookie]

Hey Guys,

I've spent the last few weeks going over the wealth of info on this forum doing my best to educate myself on wood stoves. I've always been a "put a sweatshirt on if you're cold" kinda guy by we just had our first baby so that won't work anymore.

Someone local is selling a 3 year old Quadrafire Mount Vernon AE pellet stove insert for $3k. I've read a lot of great tips here on things to consider when buying a used stove (fire it up, watch for the full cycle, look for pet hair etc..) Unfortunately, this stove is in a garage and will be difficult to run a lot of those tests. The stove is a little dirty and doesn't look like it was regularly cleaned or serviced.

I've added some pictures that the seller took.

My questions are: 1. Is $3k a fair price for this stove? If not, what would be a safe price to pay? 2. What's the typical cost to install if it's preformed by a non-retail installation company? 3. Are there any other tips I should consider or information I should seek?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks to all the contributors here for adding so much great info!


Ryan

 

[stovelark]

The AE is a software driven stove. A 3 year old unit should sell for about 2000-2500 depending on condition. New in matte black they retail now (FS) for about 4000. They are quiet, a very effective heater and getting them serviced is more difficult than most pellet stoves. Installation should run about 500-600 dollars labor plus venting parts so figure 800 to 1200 total. Good luck with her, I hope you got to see it run.

 

[kappel15]

I would verify its age and check and see what revision control board and wall control it has. And it can still be fired up outside. Most stoves are burned outside to get rid of the new stove smell, before installed. kap

 

[rona]

Hey Guys,

I've spent the last few weeks going over the wealth of info on this forum doing my best to educate myself on wood stoves. I've always been a "put a sweatshirt on if you're cold" kinda guy by we just had our first baby so that won't work anymore.

Someone local is selling a 3 year old Quadrafire Mount Vernon AE pellet stove insert for $3k. I've read a lot of great tips here on things to consider when buying a used stove (fire it up, watch for the full cycle, look for pet hair etc..) Unfortunately, this stove is in a garage and will be difficult to run a lot of those tests. The stove is a little dirty and doesn't look like it was regularly cleaned or serviced.

I've added some pictures that the seller took. View attachment 163820 View attachment 163821 View attachment 163821 View attachment 163822

My questions are: 1. Is $3k a fair price for this stove? If not, what would be a safe price to pay? 2. What's the typical cost to install if it's preformed by a non-retail installation company? 3. Are there any other tips I should consider or information I should seek?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks to all the contributors here for adding so much great info!


Ryan

The inserts have a small hopper capacity for pellets. I think the price is to high by about 1000 dollars. The biggest problem is the stove is dependent on the board and it will be expensive if you have problems with the board. It will take a little time for you to actually learn how to run it. In the beginning the AE had problems but the company did update them. They have incorporated some good ideas but if you are in a cold climate and expecting 60,000 btu you should be aware that it has to shut down in order to dump the pot and restart during which time the only heat coming out of the stove is the residual heat from the cast iron heat exchanger. You should remove it and check for cracks as they used to crack. The other problem they had was ignitors failing. I would suggest having a extra on hand and learn how to switch them. I would also suggest trying to find somebody close to you that has a AE and try to gain from their experiences. When the AE was first released the dealers were supposed to take classes to learn about them so they could service them. If you bought one the first year it was a adventure.
It looks like you haven't removed that heavy cast iron piece that fits in back of the pot. There is two locks one on each side that you can either pull down or push up and that heavy piece will come out. That is how you clean that piece. Sometimes the temp control will malfunction because of static electricity. The actual fans are easy to get at and clean as needed. You will probably need a new exh fan gasket when you remove it to clean.
The AE was also known to make some strange howl or vibrating noise. The company sent a small piece it tin that was fastened below the heat exchanger that eliminated that problem.
The stove looks like it could be rolled outside and fired up. In closing I wouldn't buy it unless I seen it run. As I remember a new computer board for it cost over 700.00