In keeping my eyes open, I found a used Fireview 205 about an hour and a half from me for just $350. I’ve been and touch with the owner who seems like a very nice guy, and it’s clearly a great price, but I want to make sure there aren’t any problems and would love any thoughts from all the knowledgeable people here. He said the stove is about ten years old and has worked well for him but is undersized for his home, which he said is about 3000 sq. feet. He actually switched back to an old smoke dragon as he likes the serious heat and being able to throw in two foot logs. He also said he’d have to get up at night to load the Fireview if he wanted to keep the temp up in his home. I asked him the temps he ran the stove at and he said he started with a stovetop thermometer when he first burned it but after some years just ran it by feel. He said it needs a new cat and that he’s had two since he’s had the stove. All of this makes me a little concerned that maybe he over fired it, but I’m not sure what damage this could have caused (if in fact he did over fire it). It would be great to get this stove for this price, buy a new cat, rear heat shield, perhaps some new gaskets and be good to go, but at the end of the day I suppose it’s not worth it if it’s been misused and has problems (not sure if that’s the case), and I have limited time to get into a huge project if that’s what it will end up being. Here are the pics he sent me. The one that concerns me is the photo of the cat as the area around it looks like it might be warped, but that may just be how they look - hard to tell as once a stove’s been burned in and is ashy it all looks pretty ugly! I’d love any thoughts. Thanks! Beantown Burner
I agree, something doesn't look right... Below are pics of the stove you are considering (top) and a clean used stove in the shop (bottom). Flipped the image so it is easier to compare. Also, the second stove is a screen capture from a video so the focus is a little off but it shows what I would be concerned about. The stove you are considering: A stove in for new gaskets: The bypass cover and its frame on the stove you are considering does not look right. I would have to see the actual stove in person to really determine what is going on. KaptJaq
It looks to be overfired to me by those pictures. It’s probably going to need a new top cast frame and bypass door assembly possibly in addition to a cat. I would contact Woodstock and send them the pictures. I know they’ll help you out and the new parts are probably less than you think. For $350 I think it’s still possibly a good deal. I’m sure Backwoods Savage will chime in here soon, he’s got plenty of experience with these.
For sure the bypass door is badly warped and has to be replaced, but this is not a huge problem. It is too bad you can't see under that door to make sure nothing else is warped, but you can't without going directly to the place to see. I wonder if the warping could have been caused because the gasket is completely shot (no doubt it is shot) and it kept letting the hot air through enough to warp. It is interesting that the door itself is warped but the connector looks fine. It is hard to tell about the cat. No doubt it needs replacing but in the picture it is not seated where it needs to be. This begs the question as to why? As far as the cat not being bolted in, that is no problem as we quit bolting the cats in after the first year's usage. It would need a big back puff to knock it out of place but if that happened, once the stove cooled it would be a simple task of setting back on the frame. But I would guess the cat frame is shot. However, this usually is not a problem replacing and Woodstock now has SS and the only hard part of replacing is that it is difficult to get two hands in the firebox to work. Also, there are 4 bolts that have to be removed. After burning the stove for 10 years and then just sitting, that will definitely be a task getting the bolts removed. I lucked out when switching to the SS in that only one bolt broke off. Fortunately that bolt was not needed for the new one (only 2 bolts needed for the new one). Of course one could get that bolt out yet but with a bit of work for sure. I'm happy I did not have to do that. Naturally being suspicious of overheating, one has to look at all the cast iron to make sure of no warping, especially around the firebox door and in all the seams inside the firebox. One simple test with a dollar bill (or paper) all the way around the door will tell if there is warpage. But if the gasket is bad (no doubt) that might only tell you the gasket needs replacing. It is not a major job replacing all the gaskets and there are several. Woodstock will sell a kit for doing this along with a tube of cement for resealing all the joints inside the firebox. It will take a few hours to do all this. Of course, don't forget to check the fire bricks, but that is minor. Another possibility is to contact Woodstock and find out a price to refurbish the stove and this might be the best option. One more thing is to look at the stove and be sure to point out to the owner all the flaws and the amount of work and dollars to get it back into running condition. Good luck.
Thanks Backwoods Savage! In your expert opinion, do you think these might be signs of serious abuse/overheating, which could have a more significant impact on the stove, or are they all (relatively easily) repairable things? I know that it might be hard to give a definitive opinion without actually seeing the stove live, but I’d love to know your thoughts. Also, with this in mind, if I do go to see the stove, could you give me a checklist of things I should do, like what you mentioned about the dollar bill on the door, and looking for warped cast iron? Speaking of this, is it very obvious to tell if the cast iron is warped, and is that fixable or is that a walk away from it type thing?
Warped cast parts basically are junk. But most can be replaced without too much trouble. But if there is too much, then it could definitely be a problem and I would not be interested in the stove at all. What I would look for. First, how have they taken care of the stove? Telltale signs are lots of scratches and chips out of the stone. Rust on cast. Of course how they tell about using the stove. Did they really know what the cat was? Ash how often they cleaned it and then follow up with asking how they cleaned it. Those answers could tell you a lot. Then ask how often they replaced gaskets. Which gaskets? What problems did they have with the stove? How many years did they actually use the stove. Look all around for warpage including the firebox door and then the frame for said door. Look around the top too for any bad signs. Open the top lid and inspect closely. We already know there is some warpage there and ask specificially about this knowing warpage is usually caused by overheating. While on this, ask if they used any temperature guages and if so, where were they placed? Carefully inspect the cat frame and along with this, look inside the firebox up toward the cat. No doubt you'll see some warping there. Look very close at that bypass door and why is is warped so badly (at least looks that way in the pictures)? Look not only at the bypass door but also the frame for it and the connecting rods going to the bypass. Look inside the firebox. Hopefully it is clean. If not, why not? Did they leave it dirty so as to cover up something? Look in all 4 corners for cracks (you'll probably have to reseal here anyway). Check the stone for cracks. Check the firebrick too. Check around the window for any leaks. Has that gasket ever been changed? Before you go, I would definitely get a price from Woodstock about reburbishing the stove. Even if you decided to not go that way, that price could be a good tool for you to use when negotiating the price of the stove. Not sure how much this helps but it should give you some guidelines to go with. Good luck.
One more thing I should mention and that is to look especially for damage done by people "throwing" wood into the stove. Perhaps the most common damage done to a soapstone stove is done in this way so cracked stone is the result.
So, I did it... last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, in one fell swoop I drove an hour and forty minutes to pick up the Fireview and from there drove two hours straight to Woodstock to have them rebuild the stove (followed by another two hours from Woodstock back to Beantown). I decided I didn’t want/have time to get into a big project, but I did want to have a stove that is in good shape, and that this was a good way to get a great stove at a reasonable price. The people at Woodstock are so incredibly amazing! They greeted me with open arms, congratulating me on my score. They said that for $350, I did very well and that while the stove had been overfired, everything was fixable. They are going to rebuild both all internal parts that need it (whole combuster pan area), put in a few new stones where some are busted (one corner one for sure), new seals and gaskets, and also do all aesthetic work like repainting and polishing the stone. They said when the stove leaves it will be like new. On a first look over they estimated it would be $920, which includes a new catalytic converter, but said it could go a little over or a little under - they said whenever they can come in under an estimate they enjoy that. So, for the $350 I paid plus the $920 complete rebuild, I walk away with a basically new Fireview for $1270 (or close to that). Not bad. They said they may have it done by the end of the year (a little over a month), but possibly longer as they are super busy right now. Also, I currently have an IS, which I’m returning under Woodstock’s guarantee as it’s just to physically big for my dining room where it is (heating-wise it’s been great, but just took over the room, which isn’t too big, and style-wise the FV fits our decor and 1890s home better), and Woodstock was so cool about this even with me buying a used stove instead of a new one from them. They said, “this is why we have the guarantee, we want you to be happy with what you have.” They even told me to hold onto my IS until the Fireview is ready, even if that’s past the end of 2018 when it’s supposed to be returned, and then I can swap them at the same time and they will be handing me the Fireview and a check for some money back after the whole deal is said and done!
Not bad at all, for a virtually new stove. I'm not surprised that the combustor pan area took a beating; In the last pic, I don't see a combustor scoop so there was nothing to shield the pan from direct flame in the fire box.
I think you did pretty well. I would have been hesitant on buying an overfired stove, but if Woodstock gave it the OK, that is great. Parts are replaceable. I'll be looking forward to your swap out.
I sent Woodstock pics of the stove first, they could tell from the pics that it had been overfired, but were basically completely unconcerned as they said everything on these stoves is replaceable or repairable. They said as long as the owner didn’t do anything crazy like drilling holes in it to run piping for hot water, they could send me parts and talk me through any repairs. I then decided it was worth it to have them do the work and get it done right. When I dropped the stove off they did confirm it had been overfired, but again were unconcerned and said it was all fixable and didn’t seem too bad. They have a whole new combuster unit that they are going to put in, swap out any busted stones, all new seals and seams, some polish and paint, and violà! I’ll update as things come along!
BeantownBurner .. This is why Woodstock is such a great company to deal with. In the end you get what you want!!
That’s awesome BeantownBurner! Congratulations on a great deal! And thanks for sharing your whole story. It’s such a super testament to what Woodstock Soapstone stands for: the utmost in quality and service. I’m feeling better about my purchase all the time. I used to have 2 pellet stoves in this house from the same company and they refuse to speak directly to an end user. You have to deal with a retailer and that can be frustrating at best with the general lack of knowledge out there. It seems anyone can sell a stove...but you know the rest! I always have to wonder what they’re trying to hide
Super great. I remember us in private conversations about this stove and you know how I feel and how I felt about Woodstock. I knew they would not let us down. They are super people and super easy to work with. Congratulations. In addition, what can you say about them telling you to keep the IS until the new stove is ready to go? Simply amazing, but I am not surprised at all. Tom has a great company.
