How To Buy A Used Wood Stove—Cast Iron Or Heavy Gage Steel

Knowing how to buy a used wood stove is essential to get the cast iron or steel wood stove for your money, and it requires some knowledge and understanding. If you just go by price, or what the seller tells you, you may be quite disappointed.

How to buy a used wood stove—considerations

• Price range of your wood stove
• Purpose—what will you be heating?
• Size requirements—based on what you will be heating
• Cast iron or heavy gage steel?
• Wood supply—type of wood, price of firewood, storage space, etc.

Wood stove price range

Once you do know your price range, the options are more clearly defined. You can spend anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars on a good wood stove, so it is important to know what you are looking for. Price is not the only issue, but is obviously important.

Purpose for you wood stove

You must determine what you want the stove for. A hunting camp stove is one matter, a fireplace wood stove is another, and heating your new home is yet another. You may be looking for a good cast iron wood stove, or a pellet stove insert, all require special knowledge.

How big of wood stove do you really need?

Finding the right size stove is critical to having a successful heating experience. If your Fisher wood stove heats you out of the house, you are not going to be happy. On the other hand, you may buy a used Jotul cast iron wood stove that is just too small for you needs, you will not be happy with this either.

Type of wood stove—cast iron or heavy gage steel

Should you buy a cast iron or heavy gage steel stove? This depends entirely on your personal preference and budget. Most people consider cast iron superior to steel, but steel works well in many stoves.

Then there are the newer pellet wood stoves that many people find very efficient and easy to use. They are very low maintenance and require little storage for the wood.

Cast iron tends to take longer to heat up, and longer to cool off. Steel heats up very quickly and will take the chill off a room faster than cast iron. Cast iron generally lasts longer and is not likely to warp, while the heavy gage steel is likely to discolor and warp. The heavier the stove, the better it is, generally.

Quality cast iron wood stove manufacturers

Some cast iron makers include Jotul, Vermont Castings, Morso, Hampton, and The Woodstock Soapstone Company. All of these stoves are beautiful and highly efficient.

Quality steel wood stove stove companies

High quality steel stove makers include Lopi, Vogelzang, Enviro, and Ashley. Many of these stoves are excellent buys and are made to high quality standards to last for many years.

How to find a deal on a used wood stove

A very good way to prepare and educate yourself is to visit a showroom and check out the different models. You can also do this online, but there is no substitute for actually touching and seeing one. Ask a lot of questions from knowledgeable salesmen and friends.

The reputation of a stove means a lot, especially if it has been in production for many years. The European stoves have stood the test of many generations, plus they have very strict emission guidelines to adhere to.

The last used cast iron wood stove I bought was a Jotul Black Bear. I found it in the local Bargain News and paid $850. The receipt showed the owner had paid much more, and only used it for two seasons. I love this thing and have no complaints whatsoever.

Check out hardware store bulletin boards, Craigs List, your local newpaper, word of mouth, a wood stove store, and Ebay.

You can do the same thing with wood stove accessories, used gas chainsaw, chainsaw chains, firewood shed and anything else associated with wood heat are usually available with a little effort. Just educate yourself, check out the ads, ask a lot of questions and use common sense before buying.