Quadrafire insert - Mt Vernon bugs resolved? Pellet use? Ash pan duties?

I really like the Mt Vernon INSERT, but I have heard of a lot of problems with models with up till late 2008, and that Quadrafire has worked them. I am mechanically skilled but this is for my kid who will use it in a fairly light colored formal living room (he needs the heat and this is the best location. The Accentra was the other contender, but for the same money, it is noisier but gives less heat, although dealers seem to like its reliabilty.)

That said:

Do folks who know the stove feel the bugs have been ironed out? I hear Quadra is not the most responsive company.

IN an area like eastern PA, I use a bag of pellets a day in my Breckwell P24 as an alternate heat source. Is this comparable in consumption on average (1600 square ft for him - he has a heat pump -I have heard they are voracious pellet eaters).

I have a monsterous ash pan on my breckwell. Ashpans on inserts are smaller and I hear this has some self cleaning ash dump system. How often must it be emptied on average in colder months?

Thanks for any input.

Dan M.

That's pretty decent and usage not bad. His house is all brick, walls not insulated, we did the ceiling last year with blow in cellulose abou 15" thick. All windows are single pane and we will be replacing them as we go. He is not considering using the pellet stove to heat the whole thing. It is a split level and the fireplace is one a far side of the middle level, but is it a very open floor plan and so it should do a pretty good job of heating middle and upper levels. He keeps the circulator fan going on his heat pump, that would help move the ari around a bit too.

Thanks!

Dan

kimeric,

looks like you are in Oshkosh. Cold up there!

dan

24 degrees her. That is COLD to me. It hit zero one night. That is crazy here.

Thanks!

Thanks. good info here.