lookin for peoples experiences with these 2. new to the forums, and going to be new to pellet burning. have it down to these 2, but having a hard time deciding so i'm curious what ya'll think of them.
lopi agp vs breckwell big e
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lagger
Feeling the Heat
basically just curious as to what your experience with it has been. heat range, pellet consumption, noise, any problems, etc.
lagger
Feeling the Heat
only had it since April (see sig) so far it has done a fine job of heating the upstairs in a Bi-level home (1600 sq feet upstairs) with an open florr plan for the LR DR and Kit, 3 bedrooms down the hall and a bath. When the LR etc is at 70 deg., the back rooms are at about 68. I have been using about a bag a day in this cold snap (lows to 15 deg, highs at about 29) I don't run it all day and use a programable tstat placed on the wall to the right and behind the insert. as recommended by the installer (coolest spot in the room) the tstat has an adjustable swing setting I use 2 deg in colder weather and 1.5 in warmer times to prevent excessive cycling (start ups and shut downs) Been running it in this cold snap at about a med high setting, which also helps keep the fire box and glass clean a little longer. Ash output is related to what pellets you use as is heat output at any given setting. As my insert is in a zero clearance former fireplace, I was unable to extend the hopper as is possible with the insert so I can only load just under a bag at a time, the stand alone AGP holds at least twice as much. Have not done a major breakdown and cleaning yet but I do empty the ash pan ans needed (about every 3rd day) and clean the glass almost daily (a little OCD there I guess). My installer did not agree that I needed an OAK so I don't have one but next Summer I may install one as during the warming of the upstairs, the stove pulls up eddies of cold air from the lower level for a while ( I keep the tstat for the oil heat downstairs at 52 most of the time, when I do use the extra bedroom down there(my guitars and amps are there) I use a small ceramic space heater which is all I need in that room with the door closed). As to noise, like any stove while running there is a constant white noise from the blowers and fans, you tend not to notice it much until it is gone. So far the pellet platform instead of a pot in the AGP system has not produced any clinkers, clogged holes or other issues, occasionally you will hear the pellet cutter in the feed chain cut a pellet, but this is also dependent on the pellets you have, the Timber Heats I have seem to have more 2 inch plus pellets than the NEWPs or Green Supremes (also made by NEWP) but the TH seem to be a little hottwer and have a lighter colored ash (more softwood in the blend and maybe less bark)
Hope any of this helps
Hope any of this helps
zrtmatos
Feeling the Heat
Hello Lagger,
Can you tell me more about your zero clearance fireplace installation with the AGP? I am considering putting in an appliance in my ZCP also but was told it was not a good idea. Mine is not masonry at all. Any pics of yours that you can share?
lagger
Feeling the Heat
My home was built in 2003 so no masonary either, they took out the FP as it was modular, ran about 20' of 3" pipe up the chimney and capped it with the appropriate stainless cap after removing the old one for the FP. I think they may have included a metal liner behind the stove The stove slides out most of the way for major cleanings, which I have not had to do yet. I have no idea what someone told you an insert in a ZCFP was a bad idea though.. mine works just fine. I can take a pic or two this weekend of the finished install if that would help you any. The entire install including a ton of NEWPs was 5300 dollars
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Jason845845
Feeling the Heat
Would you mind telling us either what you paid for just the stove or the MSRP? I can't find it!
bioman
Feeling the Heat
Thank you bioman! How hot are you keeping it at and how fast are you going through pellets? I realize that layout, insulation, outside temp, etc all play a factor, I'm just trying to get a general idea before I pull the trigger, and the more info the better
And Jason, I dunno about the insert but the stand alone stove is about 2300 where I'd be getting it. Doesn't seem to be many people from the Pacific Northwest on here, so I dunno if that price would be accurate at all where you are
Mysticenchantment
Member
I have a freestanding AGP which replaced an Englander 25-PDVC. I cant attest to the Big E - but the AGP is 200% easier and better than the Englander. It also creates the same amount of heat using about 30% less pellets. The total cost was $4,600 installed (I built a platform to raise the stove to match exhaust height.
I'm in western New York - close to Rochester.
I'm in western New York - close to Rochester.
zrtmatos
Feeling the Heat
Mysticenchantment
Member
The only cleaning I've done so far is to clean off the burn platform before I turn it on.
What I like about it (compared to the 25-PDVC) is as follows:
When I turn it on it actually lights. The Englander was hit or miss - sometimes the only way to get it to light was to poke a pellet into the hole where the ignitor was, and that wasn't a guarantee it would light. This fires up in half the time, every time.
This is also much quieter than the Englander.
This requires far less maintenance and babysitting. The ash pan is huge and currently has about 0.25 of an inch of ash after burning 5 bags of lignetics pellets. I should mention that so far with those 5 bags I haven't had to clean the glass at all. It has remained completely clean.
As far as Big-E? I'm not sure.
PS - I've decided I don't like the granite the Mrs. picked up for the platform and I might reconstruct. Sigh.
What I like about it (compared to the 25-PDVC) is as follows:
When I turn it on it actually lights. The Englander was hit or miss - sometimes the only way to get it to light was to poke a pellet into the hole where the ignitor was, and that wasn't a guarantee it would light. This fires up in half the time, every time.
This is also much quieter than the Englander.
This requires far less maintenance and babysitting. The ash pan is huge and currently has about 0.25 of an inch of ash after burning 5 bags of lignetics pellets. I should mention that so far with those 5 bags I haven't had to clean the glass at all. It has remained completely clean.
As far as Big-E? I'm not sure.
PS - I've decided I don't like the granite the Mrs. picked up for the platform and I might reconstruct. Sigh.
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Thanks for the input guys. Bit the bullet and went with the breckwell. Better dealer reputation, and quite honestly, it was a grand cheaper delivered and with all the equipment to install than the agp would have been for just the stove. Should be delivered in the next few weeks, wife's ecstatic that we'll have at least one room that stays at the temp she likes it lol(in the words of room white, I like it at 68, she likes it at 10freakin5)
Make sure you read the manual and burn good pellets. You will have to play with the air damper if you are running it on manual, and when you get it set, mark it with a sharpie pen. Keep it clean, and you will get good heat. I run on manual only, and use heat settings 2-4. Running on 1, glass soots up, and I don't get good pellet burn. Setting 5 should only be used for an hour, as per manual.
Will do. Gonna be running it on manual at first. Found some press to logs for a buck a bag on Craigslist that Imma check out tomorrow. Figure as long as they aren't wet I can at worst mix em with another kind, but for the price I can't pass that up unless somethings royally screwed up with em
Sounds like you got a deal...Make sure you remove the 2 plates behind the ashpan and clean those. I bought a short (12-14 inch) brush with a flexible wire handle to go all the way up to the top by the tubes, and don't forget to brush the tubes! With those you may have to clean 1X per week, no big deal though. Good luck and send me a PM if you have more ?'s
Mysticenchantment
Member
I atually wanted a Harman that was about 800 cheaper (cheaper is good) but the Mrs. absolutely refused to have a Harman because it looked like a "box from the 80's". She also wanted the rust patina finish but I wasn't about to pay $200 more.
Ya, thankfully my wife isn't concerned with it being "pretty" she just wants warm lol. And since it's going in the back dining room and we rarely entertain, I think that helped too. I'll probably head down to the local harbor freight after I get it here and tear it down before install so I know how things come apart and how much room I have, and get brushes accordingly. Already have a small shop vac that will do until I can get my hands on an ash vac
itll be off while we're at work during the day. I get home about 3 hours before the wife does, so I plan on turning it on when I get home so the house will be nice and warmed up for her when she gets home from work. I don't mind a cool house, doesn't bother me a bit lol.
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