Should You Buy Used Pellet Stoves?

Getting a good pellet stove lets you turn down your thermostat while still keeping the house nice and warm. But these stoves can be expensive.

Buying used pellet stoves can reduce the cost and give you a great stove that works well. However, there are a few things you have to be aware of before you start looking for second-hand stoves.

Take a look at this simply used stove buying guide.

Should I Buy Used Pellet Stoves?

You can some pretty great deals on used pellet stoves. If you take your time and do your research, you can usually find a pellet stove that works almost as good as new for much less money.

We're talking hundreds of dollars less.

So yes, you should buy used pellet stoves if you get the chance, but only if you are willing to put in the work of finding a good one.

How Much Work Are We Talking About?

You have to know which used stoves are good deals and which stoves you should leave behind. You don't have to do a lot of work, per say, but you do have to understand what you're looking for.

This might take some patience.

We've put together a quick buying guide for used pellet stoves. If you follow this checklist during your search for a used stove, you can walk away with a pretty amazing deal.

So let's take a look.

1. Research like You're Buying a New Stove

Remember, you want to know what you're looking for, so researching good brands should be your first step.

This will let you know what should be included in a pellet stove, how it should work, and what it should look like. Once you know these things, you can start knocking down the price of a used stove if it doesn't have these things.

You should also make sure you can buy parts for the brand you choose to get used. This is very important. Some older brands no longer sell parts that are needed to repair the stove, and since you're buying a used stove, it could be one of those brands.

Some good brands to stick with are Breckwell, Whitfield, Austroflamm, and Breckwell.

2. Find Out What Comes with the Used Stove

Used pellet stoves that come with extras are definitely the ones you want to pay the most attention too. Learning which ones will most likely have these extras requires you to understand the different reasons someone is selling their stove in the first place.

Here are the two main reasons:

They're Selling so They Can Upgrade

Because they're getting a new stove, these people probably won't offer anything extra with the stove. They'll still need all their supplies for their next stove.

They're Selling Because the Stove Was too Much Work

Maybe they're tired of taking care of it or just want the stove gone. These are the people who will probably want all the supplies gone too. This includes things like the venting pipes, a hearth pad, the log set, and maybe even some leftover fuel.

These are typically the best kind of used deals you can find because getting those extra supplies can save you a lot of setup costs.

3. Other General Things to Look For

You'll want to get an idea of what kind of condition the stove is in. Asking a few pointed questions can help you get a good idea. If the seller doesn't know the answers to these questions or just aren't willing to answer them, you may want to find a different used stove.

When Was It Last Cleaned Professionally?

Pellet stoves should be professionally cleaned at least once a year. However, a stove that has been cleaned less than that isn't necessarily a bad deal.

Have Any Parts Been Replaced?

This gives you a good idea of how the stove has worked in the past and if it has been properly taken care of.

Do You Have Any Old Receipts?

Some replaced parts come with a year-long warranty, so you should also ask for any receipts if they have them. Even if they don't have a warranty, getting receipts can be handy in case you need to buy more parts in the future.

Old receipts will tell you what manufacturer they seller used previously.

4. Don't Worry if It Doesn't Look Nice

Minor surface damages like rust or a bad paint job shouldn't scare you away. Those things can be easily fixed.

If the stove works well and you're interested in buying, you can use surface details like rust to lower the price even further. This could get you an even better deal.

5. Always Test a Used Stove

Always.

Even if the deal seems good, it's pointless if the stove doesn't work. Don't just take the sellers word for it. If they haven't used it in a while, they may not even know if it runs well or not.

Whenever possible, you'll want to see how the stove starts up, runs, and shuts down. The entire process should take about 30 minutes.

Most pellet stoves have a start-up cycle that lasts about 12 minutes. After that, you should run it for at least 15 minutes. During this entire process, make sure the stove never stops feeding pellets and that the fire doesn't go out.

The stove should shut off completely when it's done. If it doesn't, the low limit switch probably isn't working right. This part is fairly easy to replace though, so you should still think about buying a stove with a bad low limit switch.

How Much Should I Pay for Used Pellet Stoves?

For a really good used stove in practically perfect condition, you could pay up to $2,000 dollars. But that's probably too much for most used stoves.

About $500 is usually a good price for a used trustworthy brand of pellet stove.  You can usually find used stoves on places like eBay or Craigslist.

Just give us a call and we'll make sure your stove keeps working the way it should.