So I'm one week in with my M55 insert. I've gone through only 3 bags of pellets.
Overall I'm very happy with the purchase, and I'm thinking I will see a huge difference in my oil consumption this winter, as the apparent air flow in my house is allowing the stove to heat MUCH more than I thought it would. Granted it's not cold yet, but I figured just getting the heat into some rooms might be challenging, but I guess not. We'll see when the cold really hits.
Here's my thoughts for anyone considering this insert, along with a couple of questions.
Observations:
1. Puts out a very solid amount of heat, even on low. Surprising actually. The auger feeder and firebox auger are quiet, as long as you keep the firebox auger properly greased/treated.
2. Very easy to clean. Disassembly and assembly of the firebox components is very simple, and it only goes back to together one way, taking any guess work out.
3. Flame size on heat settings 1 and 2 is almost non seeable, meaning, the height doesn't quite get over the top of the burnpot sides. I'm told this is normal by some folks here. Still agree? It would be nice to see a little more flame (just for aesthetics) on at least setting 2. Settings 3-4 looks great, setting 5 is like a mini inferno! Impressive. Heat output is fantastic though.
4. Noise level of blower on 1 isn't bad, but you know it's running. Sounded much quieter in the store, but I wasn't trying to hear every word of my favorite show with the TV low enough so as to not keep everyone in the house awake. 2 is bearable too, but 3-5 drowns out the room. To be expected, and I knew it. Not a complaint, just an observation. But still quieter than my friends Harman that I heard, so I'm still happy with my belief that it IS one of the quieter ones.
5. In not so cold temps (mid 40s) it burns about 1 bag of pellets in 24 hrs on setting 2, with a few hrs on 3. Seems pretty good to me.
6. It came through with some finish blemishes, so I think it could have been packed a bit better, in terms of protection in some areas. It was packed so tightly, that all of the blemishes are due to friction/rubbing of packing material. They should all be easy to fix with matching black touch up paint though, and you'll never see them.
7. Very easy to slide it back out if needed. A huge plus. The sides pop off, you unclip both sides, and just roll it out (with the service rails). That's cool.
Now two questions:
1. How do you guys clean the glass? It's getting frosted with black soot a bit. Not bad. After 2 bags it's in a half round shape on the top 1/3. I can wipe it off, but the glass is left dirty a bit. Any magic tricks here to get it sparkly, or just if it's cool enough, just a damp rag?
2. This will take a bit to explain...when they installed it, they realized something on the underside of the sliding hopper lid (the top) was hitting the tstat setting switch. To resolve it, they installed a small washer on each of the 4 bolts that hold the brackets (that connect to the slide rails on the side of the unit) to the hopper lid. It raised the lid only the thickness of the washers, maybe 1/32" of an inch but that was enough to eliminate the problem. But I was adjusting something else last night, and had to remove the lid. When I flipped it, I noticed the section of the lid that fits right over the actual pellet opening (where you fill it) was trimmed with the fireproof gasket/strip stuff. Not sure what it's called. Anyway, I wondered if the fact that they added the washers, which slightly lifted the height of the lid, was now reducing the contact of the firestrip and the frame of the hopper. Is that letting any air in? Is it a fire hazard? I can't imagine so, as the hopper is full of pellets. If there was any risk of fire inside there, all the pellets would burn. That's a major issue. And that fire gasket certainly doesn't appear to make anything air tight, given how the hopper lid just slides back into place (not cranked down like the firebox door is), so I can't imagine it was there to seal from say carbon monoxide escaping from the pellet fill box. So in short, does anyone think that needs to seal tightly? Could the 1/32" height difference make a difference for anything there? Should I be pushing for another solution that didn't require the washers? I plan on asking the dealer tomorrow, but I can just imagine getting a brush off answer of "You're fine, no issue at all." So I just want to see what others think. It was some type of little magnet that was hitting the switch for what it's worth. Looks like when the hopper lid is closed, the magnet sits directly over something, attracting it. Maybe some type of safety switch.
Anyway, to summarize, I'm VERY happy with this insert, but your mileage may vary, as house layout plays a big role in the effectiveness of a pellet stove in my opinion. But this fits my house well, and seems to do the job it was hired to do flawlessly.
Thanks.
