What to Inspect on a Used Pacific Energy T5?

[durutti123]

We are looking at buying a used T5, and am hoping someone could advise us what to look for when checking it out. This is our first sort of serious stove, but we are educating ourselves as to the basic setup. Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated. Oh, the stove has only been used one season. Thanks!

 

[moosetrek]

I'd check for 4 legs, one hole in front to put in wood, one hole in the top to take out smoke, and a door that closes (only on the front, not the top)... Just jokin. You can probably get a sense of how the stove is based on the general condition, after only one season there should be evidence of use, but not trashed. Look for warped metal, cracks in the glass, does the door fit tight, that sort of stuff. You can check anything you want though, but the sellers will probably be your best guide - what are they like? Honest, knowledgeable, etc.? If they bought a nice stove like that new, check with the dealer to see if they'd had any service or warranty problems with it. Not much different than buying a car, you shoudl get a "gut" feeling about the stove and the sellers. We saw one in the stove shop and loved it; we've orderded the T6 but if there'd been a used T5 available it might be in our living room right now...! Good luck and enjoy if you get it. FYI our stove shop's selling theirs for $1740 plus tax, but it's a demo model. Not sure how that compares to the one you're looking at but you can ask chimneysweeponline or another dealer for a ballpark of what's reasonable.

 

[begreen]

Curious as to why they are selling. Was it too small? Do you know if they are they replacing it with another wood stove or something else?

What to look for? Signs of overfiring which might show up in warped parts. Examine the baffle and its side supports for warping. Other than that look for signs of a tough life like cracked bricks, scratched glass, light-ashen grey coloring of the metal. It's a pretty simple stove.

If the glass is blackened and the firebricks also look black it could be they have other problems, not related to the stove. This could be due to damp wood or a poor flue setup.

 

[durutti123]

Only three legs, but I am getting it cheap. Thanks for the advise. I know the person by name, lives in one of the small hilltowns in western MA. Where is the $1740 stove located? Again, thanks for the response.

I'd check for 4 legs, one hole in front to put in wood, one hole in the top to take out smoke, and a door that closes (only on the front, not the top)... Just jokin. You can probably get a sense of how the stove is based on the general condition, after only one season there should be evidence of use, but not trashed. Look for warped metal, cracks in the glass, does the door fit tight, that sort of stuff. You can check anything you want though, but the sellers will probably be your best guide - what are they like? Honest, knowledgeable, etc.? If they bought a nice stove like that new, check with the dealer to see if they'd had any service or warranty problems with it. Not much different than buying a car, you shoudl get a "gut" feeling about the stove and the sellers. We saw one in the stove shop and loved it; we've orderded the T6 but if there'd been a used T5 available it might be in our living room right now...! Good luck and enjoy if you get it. FYI our stove shop's selling theirs for $1740 plus tax, but it's a demo model. Not sure how that compares to the one you're looking at but you can ask chimneysweeponline or another dealer for a ballpark of what's reasonable.

 

[durutti123]

He said that that it wasn't big enough (can't imagine anyone making that mistake). I'm not positive (we spoke a couple of times), but I thought he is getting another, bigger PE. Thanks for the tech suggestions. Is the baffle easily accessible? I will take a look at the manual tomorrow. I was glad to see you jumped in as your numerous posts on your T6 gently pushed us to look into getting a PE, specifically a T5.

Curious as to why they are selling. Was it too small? Do you know if they are they replacing it with another wood stove or something else?

What to look for? Signs of overfiring which might show up in warped parts. Examine the baffle and its side supports for warping. Other than that look for signs of a tough life like cracked bricks, scratched glass, light-ashen grey coloring of the metal. It's a pretty simple stove.

If the glass is blackened and the firebricks also look black it could be they have other problems, not related to the stove. This could be due to damp wood or a poor flue setup.

 

[begreen]

If the stove is in nice shape, the price is right and the stove is sized well to your needs, then this could be a nice fit.

 

[moosetrek]

Only three legs, but I am getting it cheap. Thanks for the advise. I know the person by name, lives in one of the small hilltowns in western MA. Where is the $1740 stove located? Again, thanks for the response.

I'd check for 4 legs, one hole in front to put in wood, one hole in the top to take out smoke, and a door that closes (only on the front, not the top)... Just jokin. You can probably get a sense of how the stove is based on the general condition, after only one season there should be evidence of use, but not trashed. Look for warped metal, cracks in the glass, does the door fit tight, that sort of stuff. You can check anything you want though, but the sellers will probably be your best guide - what are they like? Honest, knowledgeable, etc.? If they bought a nice stove like that new, check with the dealer to see if they'd had any service or warranty problems with it. Not much different than buying a car, you shoudl get a "gut" feeling about the stove and the sellers. We saw one in the stove shop and loved it; we've orderded the T6 but if there'd been a used T5 available it might be in our living room right now...! Good luck and enjoy if you get it. FYI our stove shop's selling theirs for $1740 plus tax, but it's a demo model. Not sure how that compares to the one you're looking at but you can ask chimneysweeponline or another dealer for a ballpark of what's reasonable.

Unfortunately, it's out here in WY; a good excuse for a road trip maybe but probably not going to save you any $... though they can ship I'm sure:0

 

[durutti123]

Ok, so I went to see it. Looks like it was burned for about what he said (one season). Firebricks were all intact, baffle and supports looked warp-free, and glass was very clean. About the only negative is he seemed to have stored it in his garage/barn, and it has one little surface rust spot on it. He initially was asking 1150, then came down to 999. I offered him 900 and he agreed. I could have gotten a new one for 1750 (minus the tax credit would bring it to 1225 plus tax), but it would have required about a 3 hour round trip. So I figure the $400 in savings is worth it. Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Sounds like a nice deal. A little wire brushing and paint and it will look like new.