Used Avalon Newport PS, should I get it?

[hotdawg]

Hi guys,

So my second stove search has landed me in Worcester with a used Avalon Newport stove. The stove was in very good condition and will come with the pipe/vents. It was used for the 2008 heating season and has since been in storage. The owner is an older woman who bought it but didn't realize the up keep and the work of hauling bags of pellets. It's been in storage for 2 years. She said she ran about 2 tons of pellets through it in the entire time she owned the stove. Here are some concerns but maybe not. I need advice asap. I told her I'll be back to pick it up tomorrow but if you guys have major concerns I will have to relook at the stove before pulling the trigger!

Concerns:

1. Rust inside the stove from lack of use. I think it should burn off. I took the burn pot and ash trap doors out but not sure what to look for when I was inside. It looks fine, nothing a good cleaning wouldn't fix. All the control knobs work. No rust that I can see in the back of the stove but I didn't take out the back door. Just through the openings I can see the parts.
2. Didn't see it running because it's been unhooked for so long but the stove looks in great shape. You guys always say to have sellers show it running. She's 68, kind of old so not sure how to remedy that situation. She offered to let me run it in her basement but it wasn't hooked up to any vents. Probably not a good idea.
3. My biggest concern is the stove went through a hopper fire when she used it and based on what she told me, she didn't know how to operate it and probably just let it run and burn pot overflowed and fire started. She had no idea what the damper control was for. And have no idea what this does to the auger/auger motor with a hopper fire if anything at all. I can see evidence of the burn inside the hopper but she said she had it professionally cleaned. Is that a major issue?
4. She said it was installed 2008 and used that winter. I can't tell what year the stove was manufactured. I have the serial number but no where on the stove is a date. Is that strange or normal that Travis Industries do not put a date on their stove? Should I even care? Has the technology advanced so much for this stove that I should be leery of an older model?

So guys, help me make the right decision! Thanks

 

[Wood Nugget]

I didn't see where you mentioned the price of the stove. We can't Tell you to get it or not if we don't know if it's a good deal. Personally, I wouldn't purchase a stove which has had a hopper fire. I would think that any stove manufacturer whose stove has had a fire would want that stove returned to the factory so they could investigate/research what caused the fire. I have a Travis industries stove myself and can't praise the brand enough. However, If my stove had a hopper fire, you can believe I would be in contact with them and my dealer and they would be taking the stove back. I think you can find a good deal on a stove which hasn't been burned up, just be patient. A lot of folks here recommend Am Fm stoves. They sell reconditioned stoves with a full manufacturer warranty.

 

[hotdawg]

Wow. No comments from the peanut gallery tonight? Is it really damaging to the stove to go through a hopper fire due to user error?

 

[St_Earl]

i don't have much to offer.
but i do know folks have run stoves just in the driveway. so you should be able to see it run.

 

[krooser]

i don't have much to offer.
but i do know folks have run stoves just in the driveway. so you should be able to see it run.

Yep... at least plug it in and see if it will operate the fans, etc.

Open all the doors and check the internals for evidence of damage from the fire. members here have had hopper fires before and could use their stove afterwards... just give it good look. I would only pay what you are comfortable with... sounds like you could buy it cheap.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Let's see used stove that has had a hopper fire.

First off you are going to have to do a tear down cleaning, test each part, check for damage to the heat exchanger, make certain there isn't a creosote build up in the heat exchanger after cleaning it.

That rust isn't likely to burn off maybe get ash covered but not burn off.

If you can get a really good look at the insides and somehow verify that its control panel at least operates it might be worth buying. At least the older lady told you about the fire.

If you decide on giving it a shot you should deduct for the time and cost it is going to take you to refurb the stove.

 

[hotdawg]

I was planning to do a deep clean. What would a tear down clean entail? It doesn't look like it damaged the hopper but I can see the auger was burnt. I'll have to run it to see if it works. I was worried about how much damage a hopper fire can have to the other components of the stove. If the auger is the only damaged part would this stove be worth $800? And how difficult would it be to get parts for this stove? And if anyone has a repair/service manual or know where I can get one? Appreciate all the help.

 

[PJPellet]

If it were me I would not buy it because of the hopper fire, regardless of what was damaged or not damaged. I think 800.00 is a bit high too. Hopper fires scare the crap outta me.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

If it were me I would not buy it because of the hopper fire, regardless of what was damaged or not damaged. I think 800.00 is a bit high too. Hopper fires scare the crap outta me.

Here is a word of advice for you, any pellet stove can have a hopper fire, they normally are the result of two or more problems happening at the same time. They like most things can be prevented someone wasn't paying attention to detail.

 

[imacman]

Why not start the stove in the basement w/o any pellets in it.....you should at least be able to confirm that the auger motor, comb. blower, and ignitor all work, and that the control board lights up before it shuts itself down (which actually would be a test of a safety system). And do a dollar bill test of the gaskets too.

I think that if you confirm the above mentioned things work, and did a complete tear-down of the stove (and I mean remove everything that can be removed, and clean/inspect it), as long as it's physically and electrically sound, I'd offer her $750. If she won't allow a test run, then explain the problems you might have to fix, and then offer $700.

Parts like auger motor & blowers should be pretty easy to find w/o having to go through a Travis dealer.

 

[hotdawg]

Okay, so I bought the stove. Put it through a test run. Took a while for the auger to fill up with pellets since it's been sitting empty but all the lights on the control board came on, auger motor works and pellets filled the burnpot, fans came on blowing and pellets were lighted. I also opened up the back and both side doors to check the components inside. It looks pretty much new. I guess she was serious when she said she didn't use it much for that one season. Even the combustion fans looked new. I'll still pull everything out to give it a good cleaning so hopefully I won't find any surprises. I'll take some pics when I get a chance. Also will be posting tons of posts for help in cleaning and getting this stove in tip top shape. I can't wait! My first project stove and it's in really good condition.

Regarding the hopper fire, I think it was all her. Like Smokey said, she turned it on and didn't pay attention to it after the fact. She had no idea what the draft control was suppose to do so I don't think she knew how to even operate it properly. Told me she put sticky notes on the fridge to remind herself on how to turn the stove on and off so I'm gathering she left it at whatever setting the installer had it and made no further adjustments to pellet feed or draft. After seeing it in action, I'm pretty confident (WITH HELP FROM YOU GUYS/FORUM) that I can rehab this stove. I don't think there's really that much to do but a tear down cleaning will bet he first order of business. Any tips I should be aware of before tearing this thing apart? I have all day tomorrow to dive in!

 

[imacman]

Do you have gaskets for the combustion blower? Did you perform the dollar bill test on the door?

Other than that, it's a pretty simple stove.

Don't forget to open the ash trap doors in the firebox, and also the ones on the sides of the stove (see P.28 in manual).

 

[hotdawg]

Do you have gaskets for the combustion blower? Did you perform the dollar bill test on the door?

Other than that, it's a pretty simple stove.

Don't forget to open the ash trap doors in the firebox, and also the ones on the sides of the stove (see P.28 in manual).

I don't have gaskets for the combustion blower. Maybe you can direct me on where to get some of my supplies, including any special cleaning equipment. Yes to all your other questions. The gasket on the door was fine but I'll probably need to change out the gasket on the ash pan. I can probably make it through this season but better to be safe plus I wanted to try my hand at installing a new one.

Also, do you know where I can get my hands on the service/repair manual for this stove? I'm assume it'll look very different then the user's manual I have. I'm trying to get to know my new stove. The user's manual was very generic. I'd prefer something more detailed about the moving parts of the stove. Hoping to find that in the repair manual. Thanks.

 

[imacman]

Also, do you know where I can get my hands on the service/repair manual for this stove?

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