what is a reasonable cost for stove pickup and rebuild ?

[fatrabbit]

I need to have the bottom plate (figure 12-1 on jotul exploded view) replaced, due to a large crack. I have been told the stove needs to be broken down to do this. I found a company willing to do it and am wondering what a reasonable cost would be. Oh yeah , bought the stove used so warranty does not apply.
Thanks,

 

[begreen]

Wild guessing here, not including parts, if the stove is not in a hard to remove location and the rebuilder doesn't have a long travel time - about $300-400?

 

[fatrabbit]

Stove is in a super easy location. Right out double door and on to the deck , which just happens to be truck bed height. they said $100 for pickup and $75. per labor hour. This would include replacing the part and changing gaskets. I guess I really have no way of knowing how long the breakdown will take. I am pretty handy myswlf and would try and do it alone but I dont have a lot of time. The wife would like to keep the house warm this winter and I could end up in the garage.

 

[BrotherBart]

Having rebuilt its little brother were I to do it it would be an $800 job plus parts. Done in place you could do it yourself for the cost of the part, some bolts, some furnace cement and whatever you break taking it apart.

 

[fatrabbit]

Brother bart,
How hard is the breakdown ? Do I need to completly dismantle the stove or just remove the bottom plates ? If ts something I could do over a weekend maybee its worth trying to save the money. When rebuilding and applying the stove cement , do you just tighten the bolts all the way down or tray and leave more cement in the spaces ?

 

[BrotherBart]

Every piece of that stove has to come off. It is all sitting on the bottom plate. Then you take a wire wheel and chuck it into a drill and spend a good bit of time getting every bit of the old furnace cement out of all of the joint channels on each piece. Put the legs on the new bottom plate and start back together. After that don't be stingy with filling the channels of the pieces with furnace cement as you reassemble the stove. Wipe what oozes out off immediately with wet rags before it starts to dry. Let the cement set up for a day or so and then have a few small break in fires to cook the moisture out of the cement. Paint it, burn off the paint smell and you are good to go.

Have a hardware store with metric nuts and bolts handy. You will likely break some taking it apart and you really should replace them with stainless ones coated with copper based anti-seize compound anyway.

Piece of cake. A five hundred pound piece of cake.

 

[begreen]

That sounds about right. Is that $100 for pickup and delivery or pickup only? Seems like you're getting a pretty fair rate. Figure them spending 3-4 hrs on rebuilding the stove.

Rebuilding a stove is not rocket science. It's more about figuring out how it was put together and then reversing the process. Assume that some bolts are going to snap off and need to be replaced. Expect to drill them out and re-tap. If you are relatively close by a good hardware store with a good supply of metric bolts, tap and screws, figure it will take you a weekend afternoon or so. Study the stove schematic parts diagram to see how it goes together.

 

[fatrabbit]

Be green-Brother Bart,
I just might try and do it myself. My father in law is a retired machinest and has the tap set if I need it. Im sure a pizza and some Oktoberfest would persuade him to help. Should I try and paint all the parts and then rebuild or just paint afterward? Brother bart had mentioned small fires to cure the cement first. Does this stuff throw off a lot of smoke/fumes ? I paid $ 1600 for this stove used in Feb last year and am begining to think I should have spent the extra and gotten a new one. Live and learn though.
Thanks guys

 

[pen]

Be green-Brother Bart,
I just might try and do it myself. My father in law is a retired machinest and has the tap set if I need it. Im sure a pizza and some Oktoberfest would persuade him to help. Should I try and paint all the parts and then rebuild or just paint afterward? Brother bart had mentioned small fires to cure the cement first. Does this stuff throw off a lot of smoke/fumes ? I paid $ 1600 for this stove used in Feb last year and am begining to think I should have spent the extra and gotten a new one. Live and learn though.
Thanks guys

Hell for Oktoberfest, you may find a lot of volunteers!



pen

 

[begreen]

Sounds like you could make a nice weekend family project for this. Tip: Start in the morning to allow for parts runs. Save the beer til after the rebuild is done. Paint the stove once it's all assembled. There will be a cure and breakin time for the cement. Yes, it will smoke a bit as the cement and paint burn in for the first few break-in fires. Heat it up gradually with individual small fires, each hotter than the next.