Pacific Engery Insert Questions

Welcome to the forums, BJ

How old is the unit?

If it is the same unit as mine, it will more than do the job at 1200 sf, depending on your house layout, etc.

I'd add your location to your profile, so you can get more help.

I have this insert, and I love it. This is my first insert, so it took a little getting use to, but now it runs great. I usually still have coals after 10 hours on birch and oak. It heats my 1600 sp. ft. tri-level house from the basement with no problem until it gets below zero, but then again I'm not home all day to keep feeding it. I did have some trouble with it getting too hot, but after adjusting the door latch that seems to be fixed. And on occasion the fan will rattle, but if I turn it off and then back on it stops. Overall I've had a good experience with this insert, but I guess time will tell.

I have this insert and love it.
I am one of the lucky ones who is able to heat my main floor with this insert in my walk out basement.
I am certain there are many factors that contribute to my success, but I heat a total of just over 1900 sq.ft. with my heat pump kicking in only when the outside temps dip down below about 15ºF.
I would never ever suggest that it might work this perfectly for someone else or that this unit could handle that size area- I just got lucky.
I get seven hours of burn time if I do everything right- smartest investment I ever made. Mine runs hard from November through April and makes winter my favorite season.

bjanisieski said:

Thanks for all the replies, just need to see one in person before I go ahead and order it....how does Pacific Energy compare to Lopi and Quadra Fires?

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baffle is way better than the tube hanging down design, and blower is included, as well as a lifetime wtty on many of the components that take the most abuse (baffle, air manifold, rails,). Blower is louder, but it is mounted on the side air grill w/ a relative large access to get to it... being on the side also keeps it outta the line of falling ash off the ashlip... makes for less crap in the fins and thus a longer blower life. 1899 is a steal, as we can sell it for @ 2100-2500 depending on trim options.

that stove is awesome. I heated 1900 sq' with it.

I'm heating 1500 with it, not including the attached apartment of 500.

The unit heats the entire house until it hits about 20 °F . Then it just takes care of the main portion of the house and the burner runs for the rest.

I had NO burner for 3 days in January. The main was at 65-68 , and the apartment maintained at 60 - 63 °F , with 0 °F outside plus wind chill.

Well another me too...I installed the PE super (medium) insert you are looking at last fall and have been extremely happy with it. I am heating the entire 1410 Sq foot main floor (but not the basement) of my late 50's ranch house with it with no problem. We have had temps this winter dipping past 15 below F. My house is not insulated the best and has a ginormous original (not energy efficient) picture window in the front room. Even with this I have no trouble at all keeping the house above 70 F. I can't imagine what it will be like when I get some better insulation in the attic. On warmer days ie 30F or above the trouble is keeping the front room from getting too warm.
The only problem I had with mine was that the threadserts for the rear leveling feet were not installed properly..well one was missing and one broke as soon as weight was put on it. I fixed the problem myself and PE promptly paid me for my troubles..very easy to deal with. Overall very pleased with the quality, design, and product support.

I am running PE Pacific insert on its 5th winter. I am heating a 1500 square foot 1960s built bungalow and the insert is in the basement. I have done a lot of work insulating and sealing the house, but it isn't perfect (eg. the walls still have a low R-value). The main challenge is moving the heat from the basement to the groundfloor bedrooms. I do have the gas furnace programmed to come on first thing in the morning and at night (5-9pm). However, this isn't because the insert is not producing enough heat. I am sure if the insert were on the ground floor, the furnace would not come on at all.

The stove runs hot, but the stainless-steel baffle and plate steel firebox are pretty sturdy. I am pretty pleased with the stove and the company, even though I did experience some issues with the welds. Just do a search on the thread for more info. The company came through and rectified things, so you can be comforted by the fact that they have a great warranty that they honour.

The problems I experienced might have been limited to the date of production. However, it doesn't hurt to inspect the interior welds after your burn season is over, as part of your maintenance program. That said, I would buy another PE again.