In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

Hi Price Of Replacement Parts

Discussion in 'Pellet Stoves, Pellet Fireplaces, Pellet Furnaces' started by King, Feb 17, 2019.

  1. King

    King

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    Hi fellow pellet stove users. I'm new here but I have been using a pellet stove for about 13 years here in Connecticut. I have a free standing Enviro Empress. I am on my 4th auger motor/gearbox and my 3rd igniter and my 2nd combustion motor and 2nd convection blower/fan. It seems that replacement parts from the OEM or major pellet stove companies are very expensive. On some items that are "dead special" and that can only be found through the OEM or major suppliers, the after market supply is little or non existent. Some items can be bought much cheaper if you look around. One must remember that no company "makes" a pellet stove. Pellet stove companies basically cast and design the body of the stove and design around other parts made by other companies. Some items in pellet stoves share parts with other stoves and even fireplace inserts.

    In the quest of the best price on a replacement item I have used Google images and have found exact replacement parts for my stove at several hundred percent cheaper for an equivalent part. Until I learned that better options at cheaper prices are out there I did by OEM parts and paid the high price.

    My stove seems to eat up auger motor/gearboxes and finally on my 4th one I got one that so far lasted the longest, was better quality and quite a bit cheaper. Most recently my convection blower fan was making a terrible rattling noise, over the years the heat had ruined the wires and I have been putting band aids on it for quite some time. Now it s time for a new one. I started out by going to OEM supplier websites for a part number and a visual of the part. Of the few I checked I was surprised to see the cost ranged from $285 to $300 for this blower.

    Holy cow, I could not believe my eyes. Well I started my quest for a cheaper replacement if one was out there. Using the OEM part number and Googling it only gave me similar suppliers at similar prices. I found nothing cheaper than $285. So I resorted to Google images and I tried to see if a replacement part that would work was available. Several items that looked similar came up for under $100. I finally ended up with a unit I bought on ebay for $35.99 with free shipping. I put both photos side by side and compared sizes in the ads. This $35.99 part sure looked almost identical. Size was right only the brand of AC motor was different, but same size and RPM. I figured I would take a chance. I ordered the part and when it arrived I removed my fan, mounted the bracket off the old one to the new one and it went right in. Perfect fit, and no modifications.

    Not all parts can be found at such a deep discount, but there are alternatives if you scour the internet for parts that will work. On this one item I saved over $250 and got free shipping. look around for your best price!
     
  2. Horkn

    Horkn

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    I'm a corporate Buyer as my job. If you can find it for less money, do it. Not everyone has that patience though. Also sometimes the parts are close, but not quite the same. Sometimes you need to make a mount, or drill and trail a hole, etc. The stove companies rake it in on gaskets and other wear parts.
     
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  3. jtakeman

    jtakeman Moderator

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    :thumbs:

    More beer money! :D

    :cheers:

    Welcome aboard King, Enjoy the group! :)
     
  4. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Nice first post King :salute:

    Glad to have you here at FHC :yes:

    Got some pics of your set up?:ithappened:
     
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  5. slvrblkk

    slvrblkk

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    Welcome aboard King !!! I'm ALL about saving money on parts myself.
     
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  6. imacman

    imacman

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    Welcome! :handshake:
     
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  7. Lousyweather

    Lousyweather

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    Welcome aboard as well! If you can find replacement parts and make them work, fine, you seem like a pretty hands-on guy.

    As a stove dealer, we are pretty picky about after-market parts.....some have different specs, and not all stove warriors have the same skillz .......usually parts are non-returnable, and for some folks, buying the incorrect part, then having to have a tech come out and "fix" it could cost more......know your limitations. We also wont install parts purchased elsewhere, since we're the last folks who touched it, we own it....no thanks!
     
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  8. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    Welcome aboard King.

    I have been doing pellet stove things since 1991 and the OEM literally hoses the end user.

    I have searched through the ranks of the aftermarket, and if you go about it like you did you can save some big bucks $$$$$$$.

    I have an older Whitfield and these old stoves were built like tanks, but sadly the company was sold out and then that buyer was sold out too.

    Good parts can be found, but ya gotta look for the deals.

    My issues have been the control panel...$600 for an aftermarket controller that basically has all the same issues (Failure points) that the OEM stuff did.

    I designed my own and am just about ready for real time testing. (Shakedown cruise if you will)

    Again...welcome to the forum...
     
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  9. Ssyko

    Ssyko

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    Well (yes deep subject) Bob and I got to talking Harman pots and how the EBay theives are raking owners over the coals. between the 2 of us and phone calls to diff distributors there will be a source for the elusive long life potentiometers that won't break the bank. I still have some details to talk over with the supplier.
     
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  10. ironpony

    ironpony

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    I agree with you 99% but the downside is the local Harman dealer went out of business here. Yes the parts are overpriced and most are supplied by some one else and as you did if you take some time you can find them

    Welcome.
     
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  11. ivanhoe

    ivanhoe

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    Welcome to FHC King :handshake:
    We all do our best to save on wearable parts for our stoves and even resort to band-aid fixes :smoke:
    A good example , I just epoxied my Fasco exhaust motor as the casing was coming loose and making noises. Perfectly fine motor, why buy another I say and it's super quiet on my today's startup:D
    Thanks for providing that tip on google images, sounds like a excellent source for hard to find parts :thumbs:
     
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  12. badbob

    badbob

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    People are spoiled now.So many pellet stove parts sellers on the net,life is easy.Quite some years ago,When I only had the Austroflamm,convection blower went bad.Found new one,very expensive.Some years later,once Austria allowed parts to be exported to the USA,again,got the little rubber bushing,with the wheel shaft bushing inside,so have a spare.Combustion blower bearings went out.I had never seen an motor like that,bought a new one(needed heat!),later,took it apart,put in bearings.Auger bushing went bad,(Lucky had none,still during the embargo),had to borrow a friends lathe and make one.Ah,the bad old days.As I only use the Integra part time,like now,-10 and wind,got enough parts it will outlast whomever inherits it from me.Oh,had to order kiln gaskets,and make gaskets for the back wall.Now I can order all those parts,most cheaper,in 10 minutes,off the net.My Accentra has always had a bit of noise from the convection fan,only at a certain speed.One of the impellers was slightly bent,have tried to straighten it several times,all I seem to do is change the speed at which the noise is there,lol.Found a supplier,that has them104 dollars,shipped,but a 10 day wait.As dealers and others sell them for 175-300,will be ordering one,will have it for next winter.Sorry for long post,but,1 more thing,have seen some aftermarket parts that do not work properly,most notably,combustion motors.
     
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  13. krooser

    krooser

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    Welcome aboard... don't believe anything you see or read on this forum... :D
     
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  14. ironpony

    ironpony

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    "We" are slowly cutting our own throats shopping online. When we actually need some thing from a brick and mortar they won't have it in stock or the store won't even be there anymore.
    Local stove store is gone, auto parts stores are mostly useless,
     
  15. badbob

    badbob

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    Yes,no and maybe.Out here,one of the biggest excuses,since I have been here(88) is "have to get it shipped in".Then there is cost effectiveness.Last summer,had to rebuild the rear diff,in my old yamaha ATV.For the new bearings,seals and axle,prices were almost 1k from both local dealers.Mail order aftermarket,less than 300.It would not have been worth fixing at 1k.We now have an new independent ATV Bike repair shop,that sells aftermarket parts.Supply & demand.
     
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  16. Lousyweather

    Lousyweather

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    I know alot of you old geezers here recall the "mom and pop" neighborhood stores when you were young(er). Small groceries, butchers, hardware, etc. The marketplace evolved, and they weren't part of that market model, so, they went by the wayside, and I think in most places, you'd be hard-pressed to find one these days. Then, things went to larger stores, and THAT evolved to the Big Boxes......and along comes online, which may do to the big boxes what the larger single stores did to the mom and pops. Its certainly been interesting in a couple generations, hasn't it?

    The thing is, I am not really sure if we are all better off now, or when the mom and pops were around. You used to know the hardware guy and the butcher, and the grocery lady. Now, its unlikely you would. We certainly make more today, but then, we pay a much higher percentage in taxes. Our values, patriotism, and habits, to me anyways, also seems to have taken a dive as well.......

    Progress? Im not so sure......
     
  17. BHags

    BHags

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    I just bought an after market convection fan for my St Croix Hastings from a stove part place on the cape. It was $90 less than the original part, ( I paid $150 with tax), free shipping, and on my porch by day three. Installed easily, purrs like a kitten. " Wood And Pellet Stove Parts For Less" if anyone is interested. I've used them many times over the years without an issue.
     
  18. BHags

    BHags

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    I am that " local Butcher". I still work in a single, family owned store in a small town. I go to the local hardware store, grocery store, restaurants. You will never see me in a big box store of any type. Sometimes online buying is the only option, and it is possible to mix the old with the new.
     
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  19. slvrblkk

    slvrblkk

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    I could not agree any more with this!
     
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  20. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    Back in the early days when we bought our first pellet stove the local stove shop was the only tune in town....and parts were only available through the OEM

    Prices were whatever the dealer wanted to sell them for.

    We had an Early Quad 1000 (Still have it)

    The fire pot was a ceramic unit and after a couple months the bottom fell out (Literally)

    Dealer tells me a replacement is 2 weeks out (!@#$%^) GONNA BE COLD

    Decided to try building a steel pot.

    Quickly hacked some iron together and then had to devise an igniter.

    Came up with a rather McGyver looking mess...but it worked well.

    The 2 week wait for the new pot (WARRANTY ITEM) took 3 months to get the new pot.
    Quad designed a new steel pot to replace the ceramic POS

    The industry (Many) have shot themselves in the foot with high prices and parts that are/were hard to get.

    The aftermarket has filled the void.

    Then there are those who make their own parts :thumbs:
     
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