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[ms1780]

So I have been looking for a good deal on a used owb for a while and came across a Hardy H4 today for $900. It has an external leak somewhere and a hole in the bottom of the ash pan and needs one pump. This seems like a heck of a deal but wanted to get opinions.  Has anyone shipped one to Hardy for a rebuild? Can you tell how old it is from the picture?

[WoodMOJoe]

I don't know anything about Hardys but does it have a serial number?  Does Hardy rebuild stoves at their plant? 

I would think shipping costs and the rebuild bill would be enough to pay for that Ridgewood that you were going to buy.  What happened to that deal?

[ms1780]

I'm just not quite sold on the idea of not having a thermostat controlled fan on the fire. I dont doubt it will work if you burn dry wood all the time but what if I run low and need to burn some green wood. I know the Hardy has been around a long time and will be around after the new EPA regs go into place.

[hondaracer2oo4]

MS, Interesting that you mention that it doesn't have a forced draft fan. My Hardy Circa build date 1991 has a forced draft with solenoid damper. I wasn't aware that they ever built them without forced draft but certainly could be the case. Mine has a build plate riveted on the top right hand corner on the front that has the build date, serial number and specs. Looks like yours doesn't from the pic. Im not sure what Hardy would 'rebuild' on it for you. Mine too had a leak around the aquastat bung, the previous owner cut out the bad section and welded in a new section of stainless with mild steel wire in his mig welder. The weld leaked so he got rid of it. I cut out the section that he had 'repaired' and had my brother in law tig the new piece in with stainless wire. Hasn't been a problem yet knock on wood! You could probably get it out of him for a little less. The asking price on mine was $750 and I got him down to $500.

[AirForcePOL]

Honestly, I wouldn't buy it if it is leaking anywhere.  You can buy replacement parts from Hardy like water jackets, fireboxes etc. but by the time you do that who knows what the cost would be.  $900 sounds cheap but not when you have to fix all of the problems and who knows if it can even be fixed? 

I was under the impression that you could add a blower to a Ridgewood.  Maybe I am wrong?  I wouldn't let that scare you away.  Also, I really don't know if Hardy will be able to hold on after the EPA regulations.  They just recently started selling Phase 2 boilers.  They have been around for a long time but I feel that they don't spend a lot of time trying to improve the design of their stoves.  I don't think the design has hardly changed since the 70's. 

If you want a Hardy, I have one I will be selling in a month or so lol 

[AirForcePOL]

What did you end up deciding on the stove?

[ms1780]

It was junk.  Ashes had been left in the box for who knows how long and the grates and the material that holds the grates were pretty much gone.  The electronics were junk and the pumps had been frozen with water in them.  Needless to say I passed.  Still weighing my options.  If I end up buying new I am leaning towards the Earth Mountain Man 505.  The dealer is literally a stones throw away from where I am building and super good to work with and I like the simplicity of their design.  I know the 1/2" firebox on them is not as effecient but I also know they have to last longer and wood is not really hard to come by round here.

[AirForcePOL]

Gotcha.  Probably a smart move to stay away from that Hardy. 

[Sprinter]

What a joke, $200 tops value and I don't care if it came with 2 circs and working controls. Once its a leaker it has only scrap value. For $900 there are good working units out there.

[woodywoodchucker]

I saw a h5 this past weekend.Never seen one before. I thought that I would not buy one brand new, never mind used.