Wood Stove Purchase Install Advice

[Berner]

New to the wood burning community but I can't wait to get rolling with it. Just bought my first house and with a new born arriving last week heating costs are primed to go through the rough.

I wasn't able to get my act together for this winter but I have found a good wood source and have 6 or so cords of log length wood in the proccess of being cut split and stacked.

I've done a bunch of research and I think I have found the stove that will fit my house and heating needs. I live in a 1880's bungalo with a fairly open floor plan that is 1700 square feet. I have heard great things about the Jotul products and I think the Oslo is my best bet.

I have a couple of questions for you wood burning enthusiasts out there

1) Do these units ever go on sale? After the purchase of a new house and a wife that is cutting her hours back (to look after the new one) I don't exactly have the $3 to $4k that most of these shops are asking for. Between the stove, flue piping, installation, screen kit, hearth pad and other misc items these units are quite pricey. I'm not saying they are not worth it because I know in the long run I will be saving money but I have pretty much written off this years burning season and am really just interested in setting it up for next year. If I waited until spring or summer would I be able to score a deal of some sorts?

2) Do any of you Massachusetts or New Hampshire people out there have any good or bad experiences with the local shops? I live about 15 miles north of Boston if that helps any. Any and all experiences are welcome.

Thanks in advance for all the help. I'm sure I will have a lot more questions over the coming months as I fine tune all the pieces that go into a good wood burning setup. Hopefully I might be able to even help some of you guys out someday with something though I doubt it will be wood burning advice.

 

[Stump_Branch]

Berner, no kid but money is/was tight when i found my stoves. Both craigslist buys. Oslo was a three hour drive, 5 yrs old, very good shape 600 bucks. Fireview two hour drive 800 bucks also five years old.

You live in the northeast the good ones are out there. Try searchtempest.com to search craigslist. It helps.

The liner youll have to buy new but a wise investment for the youngin. Can you tell us more about this future setup? We can steer you in good directions for doing it right first time out.

 

[fossil]

"...stove, flue piping, installation, screen kit, hearth pad and other misc items these units are quite pricey..."

Yes, Berner, they are. If you're buying the whole system brand new, I don't think you can realistically expect to save more than about 10%-15% no matter how long you wait. A used stove is definitely a viable option, it just requires some patient and determined searching, and then it will need some close inspection to make sure the stove is safe and sound in all respects. There will be no warranty on a used stove, so what you buy is what you get. Take your time and visit us here frequently to pick our brains, we'll do the very best we can to help you. Welcome to the forums! Rick

 

[Oldhippie]

New to the wood burning community but I can't wait to get rolling with it. Just bought my first house and with a new born arriving last week heating costs are primed to go through the rough.

I wasn't able to get my act together for this winter but I have found a good wood source and have 6 or so cords of log length wood in the proccess of being cut split and stacked.

I've done a bunch of research and I think I have found the stove that will fit my house and heating needs. I live in a 1880's bungalo with a fairly open floor plan that is 1700 square feet. I have heard great things about the Jotul products and I think the Oslo is my best bet.

I have a couple of questions for you wood burning enthusiasts out there

1) Do these units ever go on sale? After the purchase of a new house and a wife that is cutting her hours back (to look after the new one) I don't exactly have the $3 to $4k that most of these shops are asking for. Between the stove, flue piping, installation, screen kit, hearth pad and other misc items these units are quite pricey. I'm not saying they are not worth it because I know in the long run I will be saving money but I have pretty much written off this years burning season and am really just interested in setting it up for next year. If I waited until spring or summer would I be able to score a deal of some sorts?

2) Do any of you Massachusetts or New Hampshire people out there have any good or bad experiences with the local shops? I live about 15 miles north of Boston if that helps any. Any and all experiences are welcome.

Thanks in advance for all the help. I'm sure I will have a lot more questions over the coming months as I fine tune all the pieces that go into a good wood burning setup. Hopefully I might be able to even help some of you guys out someday with something though I doubt it will be wood burning advice.

My advice this late in the season is keep cutting wood for next year. Hang around here a LOT more and look at LOTs of stoves and what others are doing. Jutol is a great stove but there are a lot of great stoves and you need to take your time and make a list of all the potential right ones for you and your home. 1880 Eastern Mass bungalo.. you also need to be looking at insulation and air tightening the home as much as possible. Have you had an energy audit done? The power companies will do them for free usually. If you like the Jutol also look at the Alderlea T5 and also the Woodstock stoves. Some great prices on the Woodstock Soapstone line that might be perfect for you.

Take your time, and hang around, and keep cutting/splitting and stacking! for next year.

 

[hoyajohn]

I have a friend who has bought multiple stoves on Craigslist. He get's good quality, low cost stoves fixes them up if needed (usually it's only painting them) and sells them usually making a 300-400% return on his investment (not counting the transporting which he has the means for).
My point is to seriously consider Craigslist like a previous person wrote but educate yourself first. Brands, size you'll need etc.
You are definitely right with the cost of a new unit. In the end I ended paying a little over $4K for my unit but that was everything (stove, blower, liner & installation). I got a big unit (~500 lbs, 2.9 ft^3 firebox) so $4K is probably the max you would pay for new unit. I also bought mine in 2010 when the 30% tax credit was in place so I got back around ~$1200 making the real cost ~$2800. I don't think they're doing the 30% anymore but you may still be entitled to 10%? If the rules are the same it has to be an EPA stove with a min efficiency rating if I remember right. I would think you would have to buy a new unit too?
For what's it's worth I bought my stove in tax free NH. Woodmans Forge and Fireplace in E. Wakefield, NH. I've had a pretty good experiences with them so far. I had to replace the rheostat that controls my blower speed this past fall and they were very helpful and made sure Lopi covered the cost as it was still under warranty. Not sure if they sell used units or not. It's probably worth a call. I delt with Scott, great guy.
Remember, educate yourself. This is a great place to start, lots of smart folks out there and I'm not one of them.

 

[KarlP]

Good call on the grapple load from Marquis. I got one last spring.

I found both the Jotul dealer in Chelmsford and the Vermont Castings dealer in Littleton to be full of themselves and full of it. I was an educated customer with a few specific questions. They lost what should have been easy sales with incorrect and/or condescending answers.

In the end I got better service AND pricing on the Jotul at Fireplace Village in Bedford, NH and the VC at discountstove.com.

 

[begreen]

There's lot of good advice given so far. I have bought a few Jotuls and can say that the your best bet now is the telephone. As the season winds down some dealers will want to reduce their inventory. It could be several years old by now. Call every Jotul dealer within what you consider a reasonable driving radius and ask for a price on the F500. Maybe you will get lucky.

 

[Oldhippie]

There's lot of good advice given so far. I have bought a few Jotuls and can say that the your best bet now is the telephone. As the season winds down some dealers will want to reduce their inventory. It could be several years old by now. Call every Jotul dealer within what you consider a reasonable driving radius and ask for a price on the F500. Maybe you will get lucky.

Really good advice.

 

[firefighterjake]

I can tell you of my experience here in Maine . . . in the Summer . . . or maybe it was late Spring . . . I called around to all the Jotul dealers in a large area and pretty much they were all within $200 of each other on price.

As others have said, if money is an issue (and for most of us it's always an issue) . . . and you're dead set on getting an Oslo (which is a fantastic stove) . . . I would peruse Craigslist and local shoppers (here in Maine we have www.unclehenrys.com) for a used Oslo in a good condition. It is very possible to find a good deal as some folks from a few years back may have bought a woodstove, realized it took work and are now willing to part with it . . . or they're moving . . . or they're moving up to a smaller/larger stove . . . or (well you get the idea.)

You obviously realize that seasoned wood is important . . . so keep processing. The faster you get the wood cut, split and stacked the happier you will be when you do start burning.

You also realize that the woodstove is only part of the financial equation as there is the chimney, hearth, tools, etc. However, if money is tight . . . best advice is to skip the non-essentials like the screen kit which for most folks sounds great in theory, but most folks who have bought them here will tell you they have used it a few times, realized the heat loss (this makes the stove into a fireplace effectively) and then put the screen in the attic, basement, etc. You can also save a fair amount of money by building your own hearth -- which can look as good, if not better than the store-bought hearths, you can add in better protection, save money (as mentioned) and you will most certainly take pride in building a thing of beauty.

If money is truly tight there are more affordable options . . . while some may disagree . . . the Englander line up may not look as pretty as the Jotuls, but oftentimes these stoves can be bought brand new for much less than a new Jotul and sometimes even less than a used Jotul.

--

I know you're in Massachusetts . . . but here are a few ads from the Maine Craigslist giving you an idea of pricing right now.

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/app/2779308470.html)

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/hsh/2801043597.html)

 

[begreen]

Yes, timing is everything and you may find pricing close or maybe not. FWIW I ended up getting a floor model blue-black Castine for such a good price that I made money when I sold it a couple years later. But that was somewhat just lucky. I bought it in summer 2006 and sold it in fall 2008. During that period Jotul had increased its prices twice due in part to the falling value of the dollar.

 

[Berner]

There's lot of good advice given so far. I have bought a few Jotuls and can say that the your best bet now is the telephone. As the season winds down some dealers will want to reduce their inventory. It could be several years old by now. Call every Jotul dealer within what you consider a reasonable driving radius and ask for a price on the F500. Maybe you will get lucky.

This was actually the first thing I did. I got about 30 local authorized dealers off the Jotul website. They were all pretty much at the suggested retail. There were a couple of shops that seemed to have already started their off season discounting though it was only a couple hundred bucks at the most. I guess this got me thinking that if they are discounting the stoves now if they would be further discounting them later into the Spring and Summer. Given that I need to let my wood dry until at least next winter I'm trying to be patient and score the best deal. It sounds like 10-15% is all I can reasonable expect for buying a new stove?

 

[Berner]

I can tell you of my experience here in Maine . . . in the Summer . . . or maybe it was late Spring . . . I called around to all the Jotul dealers in a large area and pretty much they were all within $200 of each other on price.

As others have said, if money is an issue (and for most of us it's always an issue) . . . and you're dead set on getting an Oslo (which is a fantastic stove) . . . I would peruse Craigslist and local shoppers (here in Maine we have www.unclehenrys.com) for a used Oslo in a good condition. It is very possible to find a good deal as some folks from a few years back may have bought a woodstove, realized it took work and are now willing to part with it . . . or they're moving . . . or they're moving up to a smaller/larger stove . . . or (well you get the idea.)

You obviously realize that seasoned wood is important . . . so keep processing. The faster you get the wood cut, split and stacked the happier you will be when you do start burning.

You also realize that the woodstove is only part of the financial equation as there is the chimney, hearth, tools, etc. However, if money is tight . . . best advice is to skip the non-essentials like the screen kit which for most folks sounds great in theory, but most folks who have bought them here will tell you they have used it a few times, realized the heat loss (this makes the stove into a fireplace effectively) and then put the screen in the attic, basement, etc. You can also save a fair amount of money by building your own hearth -- which can look as good, if not better than the store-bought hearths, you can add in better protection, save money (as mentioned) and you will most certainly take pride in building a thing of beauty.

If money is truly tight there are more affordable options . . . while some may disagree . . . the Englander line up may not look as pretty as the Jotuls, but oftentimes these stoves can be bought brand new for much less than a new Jotul and sometimes even less than a used Jotul.

--

I know you're in Massachusetts . . . but here are a few ads from the Maine Craigslist giving you an idea of pricing right now.

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/app/2779308470.html)

(broken link removed to http://maine.craigslist.org/hsh/2801043597.html)

Thanks Guys. My experience with Craigslist has not been great. There is a lot of junk on their and I feel like to get any good product for a good price you need to be an expert on whatever it is that you are buying. Given that I'm new to the firewood burning scene I'm skeptical of being able to recognize a good used stove when I see one. Maybe I'm over thinking it and it is indeed easier to find a good used one but right now I'm leaning towards trying to save money and purchase new. Any of you guys have any suggestions on buying used stoves? What to look for? Common parts of the stove that break? Any information on this topic would be very helpful. Thanks.

 

[Berner]

Good call on the grapple load from Marquis. I got one last spring.

I found both the Jotul dealer in Chelmsford and the Vermont Castings dealer in Littleton to be full of themselves and full of it. I was an educated customer with a few specific questions. They lost what should have been easy sales with incorrect and/or condescending answers.

In the end I got better service AND pricing on the Jotul at Fireplace Village in Bedford, NH and the VC at discountstove.com.

Thanks Karl,

Did you get the install done from the Fireplace Village as well? If so how did it come out? Any of you guys use Yankee Fireplace in Middleton? Any other experiences good or bad with purchase or installation from shops around the Northern MA, Southern NH area?

Thanks again for all the advice.