Worth buying 19 year old used hearthstone Phoenix?

[Lilith01]

Hey everyone, I’ve been reading a ton on here for a month or so trying to decide what to go with for replacing my fireplace (very helpful thank you!). I finally decided on a wood stove and am pretty sure I want to get a hearthstone. I was originally thinking shelburne but after seeing a Phoenix in store I’m considering that. In store it’s $2500 new; I found a used one around 3 hours drive away. I spoke to the gentleman who owns it this morning who said it was used for 18 years (bought new in 2010) and was perfectly fine when they switched to pellet last year. Since then it’s sat on his porch under a tarp. He said he’s negotiable on price. It Has some minor surface rust which I believe I could touch up so that’s not my concern. He said it was all in working order sealed well and glass was good when last used. It’s very tempting to go for but is it worth it to get a stove that’s almost 20 years old? And if so is there certain parts I’d want to replace before install. Also if it’s worth it what price should I be looking to get it for? I’ll attach the photos he sent.

 

[webby3650]

You’ve been researching and still decided you want a hearthstone?
I’d say it comes down to a few things. Price? How many cracks does it have? Is the door latch worn out? The door frame wears out and requires a rebuild of the stove to change it. I’m assuming the Phoenix is the same as their other stoves, but maybe not since the front is cast iron.

 

[Lilith01]

Anyone else have feedback?
Webby- I’m not really sure what you mean about hearthstone stoves. I’ve ready nearly no negative reviews on here about them. Maybe you could elaborate with some helpful information?

 

[webfish]

Go to stove reviews section and search hearthstone.

 

[Lilith01]

Go to stove reviews section and search hearthstone.

Again, I don’t really see what I’m missing here? I wasn’t asking for a review of the stove. I was asking for an opinion on if it’s worth the cost savings to buy a stove that’s 19 years old or if I should just go new. If old is just as good as new then I’ll go for it I just want to know what cons there could be to buying a used stove. Do they have a max life? Would it be worth it to rebuild/what would that cost? Or should I only fix what is broken? What price should I try to get it for?Or just buy the new one? I’ve seen a lot of great discussion on other similar posts; I couldn’t find one that related closely enough to this stove/years of use so I asked.

 

[Highbeam]

Anyone else have feedback?
Webby- I’m not really sure what you mean about hearthstone stoves. I’ve ready nearly no negative reviews on here about them. Maybe you could elaborate with some helpful information?

I bought new a hearthstone heritage made in 2007. The same era as that phoenix and a very similar stove. The phoenix used a lot of the same parts. The phoenix was a nice looking stove, especially in enamel. I almost got it instead.

I used my hearthstone for about 6 years and put about 30 cords through it. The stove looked good and performed as it was supposed to by getting overnight burns and keeping my home warm. Glass stayed clean and the fireshow was great. That's the good.

I dumped it because the hinges and door latches wore out very fast and replacing them meant a total stove rebuild. The tiny little hard hinge pins hogged out huge holes in the soft metal hinge pin holes of the stove body. The door latch rubbed off cast iron from the non-replaceable door frame to a razor thin latch that could break off at any second. These stoves are not made to last. It is not made to be a sole source of heat for a reasonable amount of time.

Then it was ridiculously inefficient. Clean burning since it puked tons of heat up the flue. Soapstone is pretty but actually a terrible material for a woodstove. Sure it stays warm after the fire goes out but it also takes hours of high burning to heat up and begin making heat. If you keep it hot then this is fine, which is why long burn time stoves with cats are more suitable to be made of stone.

My stones did not crack. I was very careful to keep temperatures safe and not throw wood in. I'm a woodstove enthusiast, many of these stone stoves have been abused and will have cracked stones and melted inards because the operator wasn't patient enough to wait around and just left the thing on high.

So no, unless you want to just look at it, I would not recommend a hearthstone stove from the 2000s. Either because the previous operator wore it out or because you will wear it out quickly.

 

[Highbeam]

Again, I don’t really see what I’m missing here? I wasn’t asking for a review of the stove. I was asking for an opinion on if it’s worth the cost savings to buy a stove that’s 19 years old or if I should just go new. If old is just as good as new then I’ll go for it I just want to know what cons there could be to buying a used stove. Do they have a max life? Would it be worth it to rebuild/what would that cost? Or should I only fix what is broken? What price should I try to get it for?Or just buy the new one? I’ve seen a lot of great discussion on other similar posts; I couldn’t find one that related closely enough to this stove/years of use so I asked.

If you're going to buy either an old or a new hearthstone then whether the old one is worth it depends on the condition of the stove and the price. Some new Hearthstone models have beefed up hinges and latch systems so you could actually be getting a better product in addition to something that is not worn out.

After owning stoves with substantial, strong, durable hinges and latches I can really feel how chincy and decorative those hearthstone stoves were. Be sure to look at other brands.

 

[begreen]

I spoke to the gentleman who owns it this morning who said it was used for 18 years (bought new in 2010)

Lilith01 18 yrs old or 9? or was this a typo and you meant 2001?

 

[webby3650]

Anyone else have feedback?
Webby- I’m not really sure what you mean about hearthstone stoves. I’ve ready nearly no negative reviews on here about them. Maybe you could elaborate with some helpful information?

I’m very familiar with Hearthstone stoves, and I’ve been around here long enough to see the issues, wether anyone made a review or not.
I asked some questions that you didn’t answer, most importantly, what’s the cost of this stove?

 

[Dabster13]

A 20 year old stove? No thanks.

With how efficient new stoves are I wouldn't both with old stoves (if you could even get an old one like this installed) Perhaps you are on a property where firewood isn't an issue and you have plenty of time to process. But i much prefer the new stove where I'm heating the house with 4 cords rather than 8.

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure the Phoenix has changed a whole lot. The purchase decision for me would be based on the price and condition of the stove. It's not the most efficient, but if the price is low ($200?) and the condition is good, then maybe. Inspect the tubes for sagging or seam cracks, the castings and stones for cracks, the door hinges for wear, the door alignment and seam sealing. If it all checks out and the price is low, then it might be ok. Did the fellow say how much wood they burned a year in the stove? Why are they selling?

 

[Highbeam]

Did the fellow say how much wood they burned a year in the stove? Why are they selling?

Sounds like the old owner switched to a pellet stove. This phoenix was moved outside and sat out on the deck for a long time under a tarp rusting.

 

[Lilith01]

Lilith01 18 yrs old or 9? or was this a typo and you meant 2001?

Yea 8 years of use almost 10 years old (it sat on the porch for the last year) my mistake I originally misunderstood 2000 but 2010 is correct I was still thinking 19 years in my head when I wrote this after working all night

 

[Lilith01]

I’m very familiar with Hearthstone stoves, and I’ve been around here long enough to see the issues, wether anyone made a review or not.
I asked some questions that you didn’t answer, most importantly, what’s the cost of this stove?

I do not know most of the answers to those questions as I haven’t seen the stove in person it’s a 3 hour drive and I don’t want to make it if the likely outcome is going to be that it’s not worth looking at. All that was said on price was that he’s looking to get rid of it is negotiable and would prefer it go to someone who’s really going to use it

 

[Mech e]

Won't give you an asking price and wants it to go to someone who will use it??? I'm sorry, but that's goofy.

 

[Lilith01]

Won't give you an asking price and wants it to go to someone who will use it??? I'm sorry, but that's goofy.

Not that he won’t; we hadn’t formally discussed it. Figured it would be discussed if I choose to come see in person. The listing said “$999” which I’d assume was something to get it posted and a friend posted it for him. I don’t think that’s his set price as he made it a point to say we can negotiable on the price and when I said to give me some time to think about it he said “no one is beating down the door for it”

 

[fire_man]

"no one is beating down the door for it" tells me this guy is a straight shooter and will probably be good to deal with.

That said, 3 hours is a long drive for a stove brand which I have read has too many reliability issues.
Why not put your name on the list at WS for a used stove?

 

[Lilith01]

Yeah I was thinking he seems like a good guy to deal with too. I’d like to take it off his hands. I am sad to hear about the reliability issues this is the first I’ve really read about the negatives. Mostly everything I saw was about the consistent moderate heat (less fluctuation) and long burn times.
That said I’m pretty sure if it did end up needing a repair to the frame/latch due to wear I could have it fixed.
The seller said they used it to heat their whole house right up until the pellet stove install. I’m thinking I’ll start researching again and keep this one in mind. My next choice was Jøtul but I read a lot of reviews about them being finicky.

 

[fire_man]

Keep in mind Hearth.com guys tend to be avid burners who are pushing their stoves harder than the average homeowner.
A gently used Heathstone might work just fine for the occasional weekend burner, but not so fine for the rest of us.

 

[shoot-straight]

Ok- I had a hearthstone pheonix for 7 years. Sold it and went to a blaze king. I actually wondered if it was my stove.... I sold it to a guy in eastern PA about 5 years ago.

I liked the stove. It burned about 8-9 hours and produced good heat for like 6. It was very nice to look at for sure. The front door holes egged out so I had to replace the door, terrible design. Luckily my dealer was awesome and got me a new one under warranty. I would say if there are no cracks or other issues it would be a decent pickup for 3-400$. I think I sold mine for 7-8. Cant remember though.

 

[fire_man]

The front door holes egged out so I had to replace the door, terrible design. Luckily my dealer was awesome and got me a new one under warranty.

I just don't understand why a manufacturer would continue to repair a known problem rather than force a redesign. This problem you mention has gone on for years. Seems like warranty costs and poor customer experience would cost more in the long run.

Woodstock is constantly making upgrades when they find issues. The Progress Hybrid had numerous improvements to major components over the years based on warranty claims and user feedback - including mine.

 

[webby3650]

I just don't understand why a manufacturer would continue to repair a known problem rather than force a redesign. This problem you mention has gone on for years. Seems like warranty costs and poor customer experience would cost more in the long run.

Woodstock is constantly making upgrades when they find issues. The Progress Hybrid had numerous improvements to major components over the years based on warranty claims and user feedback - including mine.

I just cleaned a 5 year old Mansfield, it’s door frame latch was worn almost to the point it needs replaced. I don’t know why they have made any changes to the design.

 

[webby3650]

Keep in mind Hearth.com guys tend to be avid burners who are pushing their stoves harder than the average homeowner.
A gently used Heathstone might work just fine for the occasional weekend burner, but not so fine for the rest of us.

That’s certainly true for some. Although, we are also more aware of issues with our stoves. The general public doesn’t seem to be bothered by overfiring the stove, or running it with ashpan door open.

 

[bholler]

For me the 8 years of use are nothing compared to the year sitting outside. I wouldn't pay more that $150 to $200. If that

 

[fire_man]

I missed the part about it being outside under a tarp. That would be a deal breaker for me.