what is a fair price for a hearthstone heritage wood stove

[Triacon]

it was used in a second home in the country. now for sale. the house was sold without it...
what is fair price...? $1000.00?

 

[Highbeam]

Is this a modern heritage like the new ones or the really old pre-epa monster? If it is the current model heritage then hald of new for an excellent specimen. That's more than 1500$. If it's the old one then a few hundred as it is illegal to install in most places.

 

[Grisu]

A new one is about $3000: (broken link removed to http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/hsherit.htm)

 

[Triacon]

I think it is 3 years old, so, a new one...

 

[Grisu]

Then $1000 is a steal if it has not been overfired. Check the welds, baffle and firebox for cracks. Otherwise, snatch it up as quickly as possible.

 

[Triacon]

well, back in Feb. they were asking 1500 and it didn't sell. I inquired, kept the contact info and recently asked about it. they said they still have it. make a fair offer... so that's what I meant by a fair price...

 

[byQ]

A 3 year old hearthstone for potentially a $1000. Ya, if it is in average to good shape it sounds like a good deal to me.

 

[begreen]

Go for it.

 

[Triacon]

Go for it.

Well, the price is going to be closer to 1500.00, rather than 1000.00 so for now I am looking at an older stove. It is a Hearthstone Heritage (model 8020) that was probably built around 1997 1998 , maybe 1999 serial # 5247. Seller is asking $600.00 I am first wondering if this is a good stove to buy? Someone mentioned in this thread that older stoves might not be legal to use. Does this stove fall into the illegal category? Secondly, if it is a good stove to purchase, is 600.00 a good price? and, are parts available for it, if I have repairs in my future?

 

[begreen]

You are fine with a 1999 Heritage. That is a modern EPA stove. If the stove has been well cared for and is in good shape, $600 is a good price for a Heritage and parts are available if needed.

 

[Triacon]

You are fine with a 1999 Heritage. That is a modern EPA stove. If the stove has been well cared for and is in good shape, $600 is a good price for a Heritage and parts are available if needed.

Thanks for the info on the stove. So, will parts be available for this stove, if I find things wrong with it? I will probably want to add the rear heat shield to the stove, and perhaps outside air for combustion... will I be able to get these parts from Hearthstone?

 

[begreen]

Yes. Call your local Hearthstone dealer for confirmation, but understand that good deals often disappear quickly.

 

[Grisu]

Yes. Call your local Hearthstone dealer for confirmation, but understand that good deals often disappear quickly.

Just curious: Would you really consider that a good deal? The stove is about 15 years old; who knows how it has been treated during that time and how much life it has left in it. Sure, $600 does not sound like much but you will need to put some money in and you may only get a few years out of it. On the other hand, a 3-year old Heritage even for $1500 that was only used in a cabin and therefore probably not burned full time sounds much more like a deal to me. That stove will probably still go strong 15 years later with some maintenance and proper care.

 

[begreen]

Yes. You take the deals you find, not the ones you dream of finding. Always check out the stove first before paying the cash. A 3 yr old stove can be trashed if overfired a lot. FWIW, my neighbor is burning in a 30 yr old Hearthstone HI and intends to keep burning in it for a long time. If it needs fixing, he fixes.

 

[Grisu]

Yes. You take the deals you find, not the ones you dream of finding. Always check out the stove first before paying the cash. A 3 yr old stove can be trashed if overfired a lot. FWIW, my neighbor is burning in a 30 yr old Hearthstone HI and intends to keep burning in it for a long time. If it needs fixing, he fixes.

There is no dreaming involved. The OP could buy a 3 year old Heritage for $1500 or a 15 year old for $600. Sure, he may not have the money to buy the more expensive one but looking at both offers, the first one sounds more like a deal to me but opinions can differ about that. At least it is good to know that they have such a long life expectancy. I always thought after 20 to 25 years a replacement would be in order because the structural integrity would be endangered.

 

[Highbeam]

I would not buy another heritage and my reason may help the OP.

I found that the door hinges wear and become egg shaped. The hinge pins are very small and the iron apparently soft. This causes the door to sag and the narrow gasket to miss the mark. Repair means a stove tear down as the hinges are not removable.

Also, especially on the older heritage, the door's catch on the stove body is simply a slot cut into the cast iron. Every time you close the door the latch scrubs some metal off of this catch until it becomes razor sharp and may break off. It's happened to other owners.

So look for these things on the used stoves. Beware of them happening in the future. All stoves have their weaknesses and on the heritage those were the hinges and latches.

 

[Kitchen]

I would not buy another heritage and my reason may help the OP.

I found that the door hinges wear and become egg shaped. The hinge pins are very small and the iron apparently soft. This causes the door to sag and the narrow gasket to miss the mark. Repair means a stove tear down as the hinges are not removable.

Also, especially on the older heritage, the door's catch on the stove body is simply a slot cut into the cast iron. Every time you close the door the latch scrubs some metal off of this catch until it becomes razor sharp and may break off. It's happened to other owners.

So look for these things on the used stoves. Beware of them happening in the future. All stoves have their weaknesses and on the heritage those were the hinges and latches.

I agree completely with Highbeam. I had a Heritage for only 2 burning seasons and had to replace both handles twice and the front door assembly once. And I have never gone to a store that had this stove on display that didn't have some door latch issues. I could not recommend this stove based on my experiences.

 

[Triacon]

Thanks for the advice and thoughts. I went to see the older stove. I put a dollar bill in the door seal and closed it. could not pull the bill out on three edges. the hinge edge, i was able to pull the bill, slightly. this was the side door. front door was tight all the way around.
The top pcs of stone were not even. the extreme corners were lifted slightly and the middle , front stone was uneven. the right corner of it was higher than the left corner. I did not see signs of air and fire gasses leaking out, as there were no soot or creosote stains. Can these be re fitted so that they lay flat?
Two of the back stones had cracks in them and some dark stains between the stones show some leakage
One of the metal "irons" that keep logs from rolling, was broken off (on the right)
See photo's and feel free to offer more advise. Main concern is the uneven top stones and the cracks in the 2 back stones...Also, how do you do a deep cleaning of the seconday combustion area? ATTACH]109664[/ATTACH]

 

[begreen]

How did the baffle and secondary tubes look? Hinge wobble on the door? Any sign of poor latching?

 

[Triacon]

baffle and secondary tubes were dusty but solid. slight hinge wobble when side door was open to 90°.
why would the top stones shift. perhaps from moving the stove from one house to another.

what about the cracks seen in the back stones?

front glass door was tight and the latch was good. positive lock... it's 16 years old

 

[Highbeam]

That stove is about as burnt out and used up as a hearthstone can get. broken stones, broken andirons, creo leaking out of the cracks, paint burnt off, etc.

The uneven top stones have probably been that way since the stove was new. The top stones are just set in a mortar bed and knocked into place with mallet or by pressure from above. The fabricator just didn't push them all down evenly. Not unlike a poor tilesetter in a home.

As a "get you through the winter" stove it will be fine as is. It is certified and all of the damage is cosmetic.