Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ About Chambers Rescue

My workshop is located in Clifton, NJ. That’s close to Newark, 12 miles outside Manhattan and conveniently located near Interstate 80, the Garden State Parkway and Routes 46, 21 & 3.

Because my time on the phone is very limited, let’s get you all the answers you need in writing first, and then we can talk through the details after setting up an appointment.

No, I work on pretty much all gas stove brands made before 1956: Magic Chef, O’Keefe and Merritt, Wedgewood, Welbilt, Caloric, Western Holly, Quality, Glenwood. Detroit Vapor, Roper, and many, many others.

You can see it all spelled out in detail here:

About 40% of my clients send me their stoves and the rest buy one from me. The choice is all yours!

No, I only restore gas stoves.

Sometimes – if you’re nearby to me and you really need the help, I can come to you. But time out of the shop is precious, so I try to help you remotely first (and you’d be surprised how often the problem can be solved that way).

It depends on the stove and the scope of the restoration, but a basic mechanical restoration usually takes 6 to 8 months.

I tell everyone it’s a workshop, not a store. So it’s a bit like standing next to your car mechanic while he changes your oil. But if you’re up for an adventure, we can make you an appointment to come by.

Yes, that is usually no problem. There are some stoves that are more complex than others, though.

I work with movers I can recommend to deliver a restored stove to you throughout the United States. I will also work with a mover you hire if you prefer.

Yes. All Chambers Rescue work is covered by liability insurance.

Absolutely. I’ve worked with a number of museums and set designers to get something that looks right for where it needs to be.

I do not sell parts. There are two parts suppliers I highly recommend, though:

Steve Sansone

Grapevine Sally

Both have more parts than they could ever list online, though, so it’s worth writing them directly to ask if they have what you need.

FAQ About Vintage Stoves

If you’re buying from me, the work has been done and your stove will get everything it needs to be ready for your home.

But if you’re buying a stove online or locally, then definitely check out my “how to inspect a stove” video. It’s easy to fall in love with a vintage stove, so you need to know what to look for.

Here are a few details from it:

Check for rust. Every unrestored stove has some and, if it’s just on the surface it’s no big deal. But if the oven floor is rusted through or the metal has been weakened, you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Specifically, check the oven floor, around the oven door and below the burners. If it’s a Chambers, check around the top of the broiler box, too.

Check that it is complete. I can’t emphasize enough how difficult it can be to track down the exact knobs or burner grates a vintage stove came with. For some brands, there are plenty of parts. For others, the hunt can be long. So the more complete the stove is, the better.

Yes. Chips can be touched up or a panel can be completely reporcelained. The decision is both an aesthetic one and a matter of budget.

If a vintage stove has had a proper mechanical restoration, then yes, they are safe. If a stove has sat unused for years, though, there could be all kinds of issues – especially if it’s been sitting in a garage or a damp basement. Once a stove has been dismantled and rebuilt, it can continue to cook safely for decades to come.

As with any gas appliance, new or old, proper ventilation is important – you should either have a range hood, a window or another proper way to exhaust the stove – just like you have for your boiler, dryer or water heater.

It depends on the brand, but if you compare a Chambers, for example, to anything else, the Chambers will win the efficiency contest every time.

Chambers stoves retain heat better, use less gas and can even cook when the gas is turned off in the oven and Thermowell (or Thermodome).

Modern stoves with electric starters may seem like they use less gas over time, but they are very wasteful when it comes to actual cooking. Your vintage stove is a much more efficient choice.

They are smaller than you modern stoves, but that’s because they diffuse heat more evenly than modern stoves, so they don’t have to hold your food as far away from the burner.

For example, a Chambers stove can cook a 25lb turkey or 40lbs of ribs without any problem. For bakers, you may need a smaller cookie tray, but it’s a small price to pay for better tasting cookies!

FAQ About Selling Your Vintage Stove

Sometimes. Truth be told, the number of stoves I have is overwhelming, so I have to be very choosy (and very careful) about bringing in new stoves.

But my selling advice should help you find a new home for your stove.

Here’s how to find your stove a new home:
Take pictures of every side and the top of the stove. Open each door and drawer and take a picture with the flash on. Make sure nothing is in or on the stove – decorations (or clutter) interfere with an assessment of the actual condition of the stove.

Then measure the stove with the height of the backsplash and the height of the cooktop. Then post all that on Facebook Marketplace, being sure to include the term Vintage Stove in your title.

What makes Marketplace so effective is the fact that there are about a dozen vintage appliance groups there, the biggest of which is Vintage Stoves. Members are pretty active about sharing things they find so it will get shared around pretty quickly.
Here’s a list of the best groups to share your Marketplace listing if you’d like to ensure your stove gets the attention it deserves:
Vintage Stoves
Antique Stove Collectors
Vintage Appliance, Electronics, and Furniture Marketplace
Vintage Appliances from Around the World

For Chambers, also include
Chambers Range Fans
Chambers Stove lovers
Chambers buy sell trade only

You can also try listing on Ebay and Craigslist, of course, as listing there is free. But I find you have to rely more on luck to find a buyer there.

One general note on pricing: Most medium-size vintage stoves are worth only a few hundred dollars at most. If you have a service history for the stove, it’s important to put in the listing who did what work and when – that could boost your selling price significantly. The faster you want it to sell, the lower the price should be. If you start high and slowly reduce the price, the stove will likely get ignored.

I will be honest with you: most unrestored vintage stoves are difficult to sell. There are a lot of them, they’re heavy and only a few people service them. These things keep unrestored prices very low.

As a general rule of thumb, an unrestored, medium size stove can be worth up to $500.

Very large or rare and desirable stoves may be worth more, but most are worth less than $500.

Ultimately, the market value depends on many factors, including brand, model, exact condition and location.

But an unrestored stove is worth a very small fraction of the prices you see for a restored stove.