Pros & Cons of Mt. Vernon AE/E2 and Enviro M55

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scottysail

New Member
Aug 23, 2014
1
Mendon, MA
Ok, I have been perhaps over thinking this a bit too much as it seems all three stoves (Mt. Vernon AE, Mt. Vernon E2, and Environ M55) are pretty good options for someone that needs 50k+ BTU.

Overall needs/concerns for the stoves:
- Reliability
- Noise

Mt. Vernon AE
Our local shop was nice enough to fire their MV AE yesterday (August!).
- It was surprisingly quiet at 5 with the blowers on at full tilt. The store was just us and you really couldn't hear much going on.
- I also like that this stove has been on the market a while and probably has it kinks all worked out.
- The wall thermostat seemed a little clunky though it does look like you can just set the stove to a simple "3" and call it a day.

Mt. Vernon E2
No one seems to have these on the floor yet and no one sales rep was knowledgeable about them yet. I think I frequently knew more about this new version than the shops did.
- What I don't know is noise level (though Quad claims its the same. Good if that's correct).
- My main concern is that this is a new model variant, new motors, etc. Looking through years of threads on various blogs like Hearth, it seems the first 1-2 years of a stove is riddled with minor/major defects and problems. Would I be buying into a stove that has issues right off the bat?

Environ M55
We have yet to find a shop that has a running M55 installed.
- No idea on the noise level. It sounds like its just as quiet as the Mt. Vernon but I keep reading over and over that the agitator IS noisy. Any insights?
- My primary concern: I don't like that the area around the burn pot is completely open and the working parts are exposed; arm for the agitator, area below the burn pot, etc. It seems like a just pain to clean out and more working equipment exposed to the dirt and grime. Any one have insight on this too? The Mt. Vernon seems to have a nice plate that covers it all up.

I tried reading through all the threads (including Pelletdude's on the M55) but I didn't quite get these remaining answers out of them.
 
The agitator on the m55 can be noisy, most common cause we have found is when the burn pot liner is not seated properly.

As for the "working parts being exposed" the agitator is run by a chain drive and the arm twist in place and untwist the opposite direction (1/2 turn +/-) cleaning is really quite simple.

we have the insert, the free standing, and the cast iron freestanding burning in our shop.

Both stove are great options, imho when you are looking at high quality stove the service you receive is far more important than the small differences in units. The dealer makes the difference. make sure they know how to set them up correctly and make sure they will be there after the sale

Thats my .02 anyway
 
I don't like my mount vernon. It's always giving me trouble.
 
I installed a Regency Hampton last fall which is the exact same stove as a M55. I burned 6 tons of pellets and had my share of issues with the stove. Some of which were just me not knowing the stove and being my first year burning pellets. Now, I am happy with the stove but here is what I ran into.

- Agitator was rubbing on the burn pot making a squealing noise It was a simple adjustment to the tabs that lock the burn pot in. Not a big deal once I figured out where it was coming from.
- Getting the proper amount of heat out of the stove which is mostly controlled by the amount of pellets it's burning. IMO there are too many adjustments on the stove for this. 1. Feed augur has a slide plate that you can raise or lower to allow more or less pellets. 2. There is a feed rate on the controls which determines how long the auger actually turns. 3. The size of your pellets will change all of this as well.
- Noise level is pretty good. Mine acted up and got really loud, but ended up being the blower which the dealer replaced.
- Heat output is good, I was able to heat a 1850's farm house, approx 1600sq ft all winter with no other heat source.
- Cleaning is very simple but needs to be done weekly at a minimum!
- Ease of dumping pellets in could be better. The cast iron door on top is small and you will need to push the pellets down in by hand. The access on the rear of the stove works OK but you cant fill the stove to maximum capacity using it.

Hope this helps.
 
Nick Sterner said:
- Cleaning is very simple but needs to be done weekly at a minimum!
Click to expand...

Nick Sterner said:
Getting the proper amount of heat out of the stove which is mostly controlled by the amount of pellets it's burning
Click to expand...
did you use a mag. gauge when installing?

I would say the slide damper and or convection trim are just as if not more important as feed rate. also the necessity of cleaning in a properly functioning m55 is far less than almost any other unit i have seen.



Nick Sterner said:
- Ease of dumping pellets in could be better. The cast iron door on top is small and you will need to push the pellets down in by hand. The access on the rear of the stove works OK but you cant fill the stove to maximum capacity using it.
Click to expand...
agreed!

i hope someone with some knowledge on the quad chimes in, i don't know much about them but the parts list and diagram are......... confusing
 
hwdemers said:
did you use a mag. gauge when installing?

I would say the slide damper and or convection trim are just as if not more important as feed rate. also the necessity of cleaning in a properly functioning m55 is far less than almost any other unit i have seen.




agreed!

i hope someone with some knowledge on the quad chimes in, i don't know much about them but the parts list and diagram are......... confusing
Click to expand...


I did use a MAG gauge a few times just to make sure things were running properly.
 
Nick Sterner said:
I installed a Regency Hampton last fall which is the exact same stove as a M55. I burned 6 tons of pellets and had my share of issues with the stove. Some of which were just me not knowing the stove and being my first year burning pellets. Now, I am happy with the stove but here is what I ran into.

- Agitator was rubbing on the burn pot making a squealing noise It was a simple adjustment to the tabs that lock the burn pot in. Not a big deal once I figured out where it was coming from.
- Getting the proper amount of heat out of the stove which is mostly controlled by the amount of pellets it's burning. IMO there are too many adjustments on the stove for this. 1. Feed augur has a slide plate that you can raise or lower to allow more or less pellets. 2. There is a feed rate on the controls which determines how long the auger actually turns. 3. The size of your pellets will change all of this as well.
- Noise level is pretty good. Mine acted up and got really loud, but ended up being the blower which the dealer replaced.
- Heat output is good, I was able to heat a 1850's farm house, approx 1600sq ft all winter with no other heat source.
- Cleaning is very simple but needs to be done weekly at a minimum!
- Ease of dumping pellets in could be better. The cast iron door on top is small and you will need to push the pellets down in by hand. The access on the rear of the stove works OK but you cant fill the stove to maximum capacity using it.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
 
I have an Enviro M55 which I used last season. It works well except for the squeaking from the burn pot auger. I have cleaned the auger and burn pot thoroughly with hammer,chisel and steel wool. It helps but does not eliminate it.
 
David in Maine said:
I have an Enviro M55 which I used last season. It works well except for the squeaking from the burn pot auger. I have cleaned the auger and burn pot thoroughly with hammer,chisel and steel wool. It helps but does not eliminate it.
Click to expand...


David,
If you are referring to the agitator rod, you should have gotten a small tube of anti seize which should be applied at the bushing end of the rod about a 1/2" up the rod. If you didn't get it, go to an auto parts store and buy the highest temperature anti seize they have. This could/should fix the squeaking you hear. I apply it at every cleaning.
John
 
johnnh said:
David,
If you are referring to the agitator rod, you should have gotten a small tube of anti seize which should be applied at the bushing end of the rod about a 1/2" up the rod. If you didn't get it, go to an auto parts store and buy the highest temperature anti seize they have. This could/should fix the squeaking you hear. I apply it at every cleaning.
John
Click to expand...
I will try it,thanks.
 
I purchased the QuadraFire Mt Vernon E2 and had it installed on October 2014. I can tell you this much...it's really quiet. Surprisingly I cannot tell the difference between the DC motors on the Mt Vernon verses the AC motors on the E2. So far I've had two issues....the remote control (which I love) wasn't communicating properly with the stove. QuadraFire had the technicians at my local stove dealer replace both the remote and the receiver on the stove and I have not had any problems since. The second problem occurred tonight as I was cleaning my stove...I noticed a crack on the baffle. I can't really blame the stove for that one. Luckily Quad has a 5 year warranty on all cast iron parts so I will call in the morning and have them order a replacement. Other than that no problems. I've only been burning since October and have gone through almost 3 tons. The stove has a long way to go to prove itself however so I will keep everyone posted.
 
I purchased a Quadrafire Mt Vernon E2 in September. I am new to pellet stoves but a quick Learner. After burning wood for many years I found I must be patient with the pellet stove. I Burn combination of LG Granules and Okanagan Platinum wood pellets. Both burn great in my stove. Have been combining them now in January and with positive results. Happy in Rhode Island.
 
I had a MVAE installed in 2011 and never looked back. Running on high the fan is a little noisey but does not preclude conversations at a normal volume. I've had two problems with it. The first was because I was not cleaning it thoroughly and it shut down. I had it serviced professionally. After the tech showed me what I was doing wrong I never had the problem again. The second problem happened 4 days ago when the ignitor died. I replaced it myself and it's back on line keeping my wife and I toasty.
 
wow,after reading posts about Quad mt Vernon series stoves here on this forum I got to tell ya fellas I not sure about my purchase now, I plan on having one installed by my local Quad dealer here in Penna in the next 2 weeks,not sure I made a good choice with the money I had to put out for being a first time buyer of of pellet stove

Jeff
 
riverat said:
wow,after reading posts about Quad mt Vernon series stoves here on this forum I got to tell ya fellas I not sure about my purchase now, I plan on having one installed by my local Quad dealer here in Penna in the next 2 weeks,not sure I made a good choice with the money I had to put out for being a first time buyer of of pellet stove

Jeff
Click to expand...

Like anything it seems, the more complex the electrical and mechanical workings, the higher the likelihood for component failure. I compare my 14 y/o 1st generation Castile, with essentially only a pellet feed gate adjustment to have to fiddle with, vs the 'late model' Quad designs with auto-clean, hopper safety switch, wall control fuel selection, air / fuel ratio adjustments, dual thermo-couples, DC auger motors, etc, and it's not a surprise that the newer models seem to have more breakdowns, with commensurate higher parts replacement and repair costs.

Call me 'old school' and / or 'technology challenged', but it seems when it comes to pellet stove reliability, that more bells and whistles don't necessarily equal better or more trouble-free performance. Add Chinese and Taiwan produced components / quality control issues, and I am guessing that that is why it seems we see more issues with the newer stove models, of all brands.

So not just a diss on Quad, FWIIW.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DMKNLD said:
Like anything it seems, the more complex the electrical and mechanical workings, the higher the likelihood for component failure. I compare my 14 y/o 1st generation Castile, with essentially only a pellet feed gate adjustment to have to fiddle with, vs the 'late model' Quad designs with auto-clean, hopper safety switch, wall control fuel selection, air / fuel ratio adjustments, dual thermo-couples, DC auger motors, etc, and it's not a surprise that the newer models seem to have more breakdowns, with commensurate higher parts replacement and repair costs.

Call me 'old school' and / or 'technology challenged', but it seems when it comes to pellet stove reliability, that more bells and whistles don't necessarily equal better or more trouble-free performance. Add Chinese and Taiwan produced components / quality control issues, and I am guessing that that is why it seems we see more issues with the newer stove models, of all brands.

So not just a diss on Quad, FWIIW.
Click to expand...
More about the Mt Vernon E2. One dial to adjust heat output, remote thermostat, manual fire pot cleanout lever and AC motors. I clean firebox every 3 to 5 days and glass the same. Very simple to operate with less computer components and moving parts. Only disadvantage is because system is AC. When loss of power occurs a suitable portable generator is a must.
 
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I clean my MVAE once a week and run the hell out of it. Usually two bags of pellets a day. You will mot be sorry with a a Quad.
 
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