After hours of research on this site and others, I have purchased a pellet insert. I decided on the Rika Integra ll inset and happy with it so far. I just finished the install today and lit the first fire. My first pellet stove but I think it was a good choice thanks owed to the information I gathered on this site. I was totally clueless when I first started the search for a pellet insert and during a short time, I was able to learn a lot from you guys and I think it paid off. Now if I'm smart enough to post a pic, you will be able to see it too.
The search is finally over.................
- Thread starter Buschpounder
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Looks great Buschpounder! 
The Austroflamm Rika stoves are very nice, and built like tanks....I almost bought one myself when I first was looking for a pellet stove, but they were too $$ for my budget.
Good luck....keep it clean and enjoy the heat!
BTW, don't know if it's just the pic, but the fuel/air mixture looks a little bit on the "rich" side (very tall, orangey flame with a hint of black tips).....can you increase the air intake a little (air damper control?) Flames should be a bright orange or bright yellow.
The Austroflamm Rika stoves are very nice, and built like tanks....I almost bought one myself when I first was looking for a pellet stove, but they were too $$ for my budget.Good luck....keep it clean and enjoy the heat!
BTW, don't know if it's just the pic, but the fuel/air mixture looks a little bit on the "rich" side (very tall, orangey flame with a hint of black tips).....can you increase the air intake a little (air damper control?) Flames should be a bright orange or bright yellow.
tinkabranc
Minister of Fire
quickrch
Member
thanks for the update. I am looking for an insert and the Integra II has come up on my radar as a good choice. How far does the insert stick out from the wall?
Nicholas440
Feeling the Heat
Welcome to the forum, thats one heck of a nice looking stove. I too almost got one when I was stove shopping. They really are built like a tank, and should serve you well with proper cleaning and feed it good pellets. I like the large area of fire view you have on that unit, and I agree with Macman, the photo leads us to think thats a high flame, and somewhat in need of more air to tame it down a little, this will also keep your glass cleaner, and make cleaning ash a lot easier as well. Great stove and thanks for the pic. We love love love to see pics.
defield
New Member
Buschpounder,
Very neat, nice looking install. You made an informed and intelligent choice.
Looks like the dog and the family will enjoy the heat.
Regards,
Ranger
Very neat, nice looking install. You made an informed and intelligent choice.
Looks like the dog and the family will enjoy the heat.
Regards,
Ranger
Xena
Minister of Fire
geek
Minister of Fire
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Very nice! Looks like the dog likes it too! Should be toasty at your house this winter!
What pellets you feeding it?
What pellets you feeding it?
mike56
Member
smwilliamson
The Stove Guy
Thanks for the compliments people. I did the install myself so it took me a little while. The flame was so large because I cheated for the photo and threw in a hand full of pellets for a larger flame. The integra has an O2 sensor that adjusts the fresh air intake, I dont think you can manually control it. I have Somersets since I got a ton free with the stove. I also picked up a few bags of Hardwood heat to try. The insert extends about 13 inches from the surround. I got lucky and the surround fit perfectly inside my fireplace and I was able to recess the insert about 4-5 inches inside the fireplace and I can still access the hopper. The weather here in NW PA has been mild lately so I have only fired the stove up the one day after I installed it. Hoping for cold weather soon........Did I actually say that? I must be going crazy.
gbreda
Minister of Fire
ct_administrator
Member
Pellet-King
Minister of Fire
Blew, Find a used Whitfield and restore it if needed and enjoy!, save $1000's, all I read here is about new stoves with blower and control board issue's, as the saying go's "They don't makum like they used too"
Good luck!!, If my stove ever dies, don't know why, maybe if the whole box rusted out, I would invest the money in a new Furnace and lay back.....
Look's like a wanna be Whit with that 3 sided glass....Who love's ya baby!
Good luck!!, If my stove ever dies, don't know why, maybe if the whole box rusted out, I would invest the money in a new Furnace and lay back.....
Look's like a wanna be Whit with that 3 sided glass....Who love's ya baby!
Nicholas440
Feeling the Heat
Pellet-King said:
Whitfield's were made from 1984 to 1996 , then Lennox bought them up, and in 2007 Lennox decided it was time to retire the Whitfield, the only Whitfield you can find today are used ones, and if you need parts you will need to search for them or get them from the Lennox company. Whitfields were once upon a time one of the best stoves you could buy, unfortunately, they arent made anymore.
Rika stoves and inserts are manufactured in Austria, from the finest quality parts, . These stoves also feature an O2 sensor that automatically adjusts the air mixture to insure a cleaner burn.
Sometimes called 'The Mercedes of Pellet Stoves', these Rika stoves have motors that use ball bearings for extreme quietness of operation. They have a seven day programmable timer, and can also be controlled by text messaging from a mobile phone.
Rika was founded more than 50 years ago in Micheldorf, Austria by Karl Riener and his family. From a small company, specializing in hand made wrought iron products, grew a large, well known company recognized today as Rika Metallwarengesellsch.
Pellet-King
Minister of Fire
Nicholas440 said:
Wow!, the "mercedes" of pellet stove's!, nice features, a whisper quiet auger motor would be nice on mine, I was going to ask whats the best insert today?, sound's like I found it.
imacman said:Looks great Buschpounder!
Good luck....keep it clean and enjoy the heat!
BTW, don't know if it's just the pic, but the fuel/air mixture looks a little bit on the "rich" side (very tall, orangey flame with a hint of black tips).....can you increase the air intake a little (air damper control?) Flames should be a bright orange or bright yellow.
That flame is small compared to what this unit does upon start-up. The initial 13 minute warm up time is quite the show. I bought one of the "burn-demos" from Earthsense, and installed it 2 weeks ago. Aside from the fact that they shipped it w/pellets inside(!), and the auger was jammed full of pulverized pellets, the unit is tremendously quieter than other stoves I've used (to include the Whitfield). Not so keen on the archaic programming of the cycles, but it definitely is a nice, heavy duty unit. 99lb hopper is hard to beat. The only other improvement I would make on it is having easier access to the back, but that's not what you buy an insert for. One other note, have had 3 bags go through so far; love the auto-cleaning feature. It does a great job of "flushing" out the burnpot and keeping the combustion holes clear. I think I have mine set to run that cycle every 100 minutes?
quickrch
Member
That is it :cheese: I want one. I may order from the same place since there are non near me for sale. The 13" is pretty far out but it'll fit.
Howdy,
I've got a freestanding Integra II that I've been running since 2006. I'm now researching a CPU upgrade option to include a thermostat. I did the same research two years ago when it first came out but I don't think it was quite ready for primetime use yet (so I waited). Do the newer inserts come with a true thermostat option?
Thanks.
I've got a freestanding Integra II that I've been running since 2006. I'm now researching a CPU upgrade option to include a thermostat. I did the same research two years ago when it first came out but I don't think it was quite ready for primetime use yet (so I waited). Do the newer inserts come with a true thermostat option?
Thanks.
Well, I'm not sure. Mine doesn't have the true thermostat and I thought mine was newly manufactured but i looked a little closer when I got the insert home (after I installed it). On the plate on the back it says Baujahr 2006. Baujahr I found out thanks to google means year of manufacture so I guess i bought a "new" 4 year old insert.
I've started another thread for tracking out the info I find on the thermostat option. The title is "New Member - Old Stove: Rika/Austroflamm Integra II Freestanding".
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/62452/
I have a .pdf of the thermostat function (a few years old) but it's all I've gotten my hands on for now. I can't post it as attachement cause it's 5 MB. If you want it let me know and I can try and email to you.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/62452/
I have a .pdf of the thermostat function (a few years old) but it's all I've gotten my hands on for now. I can't post it as attachement cause it's 5 MB. If you want it let me know and I can try and email to you.
Fsappo
Minister of Fire
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