Is it too late in the year to see a good return on investment for the purchase of a Pellet Insert?

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RGurnsey

New Member
Jan 15, 2012
5
United States
I've been looking at the Enviro M55 Pellet Cast Inserts and really like the Chestnut color unit. I live in Maryland and would really like to purchase this unit but they are telling me it would be 4-6 weeks for delivery and installation which would put me into March. The price their asking for the Chestnut color stove is $4616.00 and another $550.00 for the piping kit and $995.00 for the installation. The price for the base black cast unit is $4016.00 which is about $800.00 more than the price I'm being quoted so I wasn't sure if this is due to the time of year or not.

I've seen reports of others paying $3250.00 for the stove and am wondering if this price is too high?

I'm wondering if anyone would think I could get a better price by waiting to purchase this in May or June?

I'm also very mechanically inclined to the point that I perform all of my own car and tractor maintenance and have remodeled much of my home myself so I'm wondering if this project would be too much for a do-it-yourself-er to install?

Thanks for any feedback you might be able to provide.
 
i think at that point you should wait til may, after march there is only a few weeks of winter and installation is very easy for an insert should take you a few hours or less
 
I suggest you shop around. From what I've read here. the M55 is a fine unit and a great alternative to the Mt. Vernon for less money. I looked into getting one myself but it turns out the dealer here was in the process of going out of business. There's another stove shop in the area that has since picked up the Enviro line.

The total price you were quoted is more than what I paid for my Mt. Vernon insert including the optional color, optional decorative cast iron surround, the chimney liner, installation of both the insert and OAK.
 
Price does sound on the high side from that dealer. I'd check around. But we are in full swing when stoves and pellets are at peak prices. Waiting until spring might save a couple of bucks?

Also look into the Regency. They are sisters to Enviro and their GCI60 is an M55 with a different badge on it. But I only see it available in black.
 
Thank you all for the quick responses. I will look into the Mt. Vernon and the Regency and check around for additional pricing. This has been very helpful.
 
Thank you for the recommendations to check around on pricing. I called everyone here in the Baltimore area and I found a retailer in Randallstown and he quoted a price 2000.00 lower than the original company I called and was at least 1500.00 lower than all the others I checked on. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the dealer name but if anyone wants to know the dealer name you can request it and I will provide it or if you go to the Enviro website you can find it on their as it's the only dealer in Randallstown. The unit will be in on Friday and they will be installing it next week. I will let you know how the installation turns out and provide installation pictures. Again thank you for all the help and recommendations. If anyone has a recommendation on what brand andor type of pellets to they like to burn that would be really helpful.
 
DocHammer said:
Thank you for the recommendations to check around on pricing. I called everyone here in the Baltimore area and I found a retailer in Randallstown and he quoted a price 2000.00 lower than the original company I called and was at least 1500.00 lower than all the others I checked on. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the dealer name but if anyone wants to know the dealer name you can request it and I will provide it or if you go to the Enviro website you can find it on their as it's the only dealer in Randallstown. The unit will be in on Friday and they will be installing it next week. I will let you know how the installation turns out and provide installation pictures. Again thank you for all the help and recommendations. If anyone has a recommendation on what brand andor type of pellets to they like to burn that would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

As you will hear on this site quite often, don't buy large quantities until you've tried them in your stove. One stoves garbage is another stoves gold. I sure there are a number of people from your area on here that can guide you.
 
For the money you would save in switching to pellets at this time of year to spring I would suggest you wait and get a stove during the summer months. You will find dealers are more apt to "deal" with you during the off season when sales are slim to none and they will have more time for installation. It is also the best time to stock up on pellets if you have a good place to store them.
 
DocHammer said:
Thank you for the recommendations to check around on pricing. I called everyone here in the Baltimore area and I found a retailer in Randallstown and he quoted a price 2000.00 lower than the original company I called and was at least 1500.00 lower than all the others I checked on. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to mention the dealer name but if anyone wants to know the dealer name you can request it and I will provide it or if you go to the Enviro website you can find it on their as it's the only dealer in Randallstown. The unit will be in on Friday and they will be installing it next week. I will let you know how the installation turns out and provide installation pictures. Again thank you for all the help and recommendations. If anyone has a recommendation on what brand andor type of pellets to they like to burn that would be really helpful.
Click to expand...

Did you end up going with the M55 cast insert? Enjoy!
 
Look around on ebay and craigslist too - I bought a brand new Tarm 4.0 pellet boiler for 1/3 new price....there are deals to be had...

As for ROI - yea probably bad timing to see much return this year....but if you buy it right obviously you have a faster return....
 
I'm sorry I left that out. I did go with the M55. I really liked the easy access of the unit but we went with it because my wife liked the arch at the top of the surround and the chestnut color. I gave her two options for the inserts and it was the Mt. Vernon and the M55. Thankfully she chose the M55. I've spoken with several technicians that have stated they have been on a lot more maintenance calls for the Mt. Vernon than the M55. One of the guys I spoke with did say that the Mt. Vernon does have a great diagnostic port that you can plug a computer into but in some cases it's not all that reliable. I don't know him personally so I don't know how true this or how helpful this would be as I wouldn't know what can and can't be done with it.
 
Out of curiosity what did you end up paying... if you don't mind me asking?

Also, I paid someone to install my stove and wish I hadn't. Running a liner up the chimney, there were 2 guys and if you don't include the time it took them to get the stove in the house, they probably worked for about 20 minutes. That being said, your buying a service. They sold and installed the stove so if I have any issues I can give them a call... they also spent about 30 minutes firing the stove up and explaining everything to me and I know it's done right.

So, $600.00 for installation gives me piece of mind and someone to call with any issues. It's not hard to install though.

.
 
I ended up paying $3600.00 for the stove, $350.00 for the piping and $600.00 for the installation. The total came out to $4550.00. I'm new to pellet stoves so I didn't want to attempt the install on my own and my wife insisted on me having someone else do it so she didn't have to witness my frustrations and the possibility of running back and forth to the store for additional items I might need after I get into it.
 
Doc, I think you did fine. I had a Harman insert installed TODAY and found shopping around to four places that the cost of the stove was non-negotiable (could be a Harman thing) but the installation varied -- but not by much. I paid someone to do it mainly because I didn't want to climb to the top of my 2 1/2 story house. (The guy today said he almost got blown off on a very gusty Massachusetts day.) Plus I pulled a permit and told my insurance company so I wanted it done by a licensed pro. Anyways, anytime you can start weaning yourself off fossil fuels is a good time to get a pellet stove -- even during this warm winter we're having. Good luck!
 
You did very well.... I paid $4320 installed. $2900 for the stove $600 for piping (25ft) and $600 for installation. Mine was a Enviro Milan which is much smaller! You basically paid $300 more than me for a much bigger stove. Well done! Of course in Mass. I also paid $220 for taxes.. I love this state.
 
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