took the plunge

Congrats and welcome aboard. I don't use a t-stat on my stove and have no disappointment. It will take a while to get used to settings/heat requirement of your home.

I love my FS Empress and I think you will be quite happy! I also don't use a thermostat and like doocrew says you will get used to it quick enough. Personally, I don't like the idea of my stove constantly turning on and off by itself. That's just me.

Congrats on the Enviro. Those machines are awsome! You will love it. I dont run my stoves on thermostats. It wastes fuel and puts alot more wear and tear on the ignitor. I would rather just run them on a 1 or 2 setting and keep the house at a comfy 68 degrees.

I love my EF3.

It came with the house when we purchased it. Not knowing anything about pellet stoves (and only vaguely aware of their existence) I really didn't care about it. But, after deciding to use it for a couple of weeks (and finding this forum), I can't imagine heating any home without a stove now.

It's proven reliable and is easy to maintain. The motor just went this week, but after 3 seasons with us and 2 with the previous owner, I guess I can't complain too much. I do know the previous owner did not maintain it well.

As for the thermostat, you won't miss it (as others have said). Mine runs 24/7 anyway...

Have fun and you're certainly in the right place, I've learned a lot on the forums

CJ-SR4ever said:

Congrats on the Enviro. Those machines are awsome! You will love it. I dont run my stoves on thermostats. It wastes fuel and puts alot more wear and tear on the ignitor. I would rather just run them on a 1 or 2 setting and keep the house at a comfy 68 degrees.

Click to expand...

I think the statement about thermostats wasting fuel is incorrect. If thermostats really wasted fuel, they wouldn't be putting them on most of the stoves made. The "true" fact of the matter is they save a considerable amount of fuel in the spring and fall. My stove is probably off 8-10 hours a day in the fall. That adds up to 240 - 300 lbs of pellets per month.
Don't worry about not having one, aside from the pellet savings, it's mainly a automatic convenience to keep a steady temperature (+-1degree) in your home without the highs and lows.

Phil,
Welcome to the forum!
I Have an Enviro Empress have had it for 3 years now and love it. I am also kinda local out in Palmer.
Enjoy the new stove!

Welcome to the forum phil!

Very happy with my enviro And if you ever need info on converting it to except a stat. Send me a PM.

Ok, I should have narrowed that down. Sorry about that. In the spring and fall it may save a little bit. But when you want the stove to put out consistant heat 24/7 when its 15 degrees outside, I feel in some cases a thermostat is a waste of space depending on the stove. Like for example, My Harman has the Room Temp mode that I tried. Was not happy at all. There is no control over the feed rate in room temp mode. It comes on, goes to its highest burn, then its lowest burn, then repeats the process. I used quite a bit more pellets in room temp. I like stove temp much better because I have full control over the operation of the machine. Sure there is the benefit of setting the thermostat and forgetting about it, but everybody has their own opinion and way of what they want their stove to do and how to do it. I wouldnt advise against using one because everybodys application is different, what works for you may be the exact opposite of the person next door. I always like to suggest trying both and whichever works better and feels more comfortable, stick with that. No harm no foul. ;-P

Congrats Phil. Enjoy the heat (and post some pics!)

Thermostats are for losers....Just kidding. Really, it's just a joke. I don't use a thermostat even though my stove comes with one. You will not regret it. I don't even use my auto ignitor. It just takes too long, uses too much juice and wears out and needs to be replaced. Keep it simple and you will have a long time, non-sexual crush on your pellet stove. Welcome to the forum!

relxn88 said:

CJ-SR4ever said:

Congrats on the Enviro. Those machines are awsome! You will love it. I dont run my stoves on thermostats. It wastes fuel and puts alot more wear and tear on the ignitor. I would rather just run them on a 1 or 2 setting and keep the house at a comfy 68 degrees.

Click to expand...

I think the statement about thermostats wasting fuel is incorrect. If thermostats really wasted fuel, they wouldn't be putting them on most of the stoves made. The "true" fact of the matter is they save a considerable amount of fuel in the spring and fall. My stove is probably off 8-10 hours a day in the fall. That adds up to 240 - 300 lbs of pellets per month.
Don't worry about not having one, aside from the pellet savings, it's mainly a automatic convenience to keep a steady temperature (+-1degree) in your home without the highs and lows.

Click to expand...

X2 on the Thermostat

I use my thermostat as a timer in the shoulder seasons. The stove goes on at 2 or 3 AM so the house is toasty warm when we get up. BTW in our area the coldest time of the day is usually from 4 to 6 AM in the morning. Last winter there were 2 nights the temp was - 6 by 5 AM !!

Then I have the stove goes off at 10 or 11 am. Then the insulation and the sun keeps the house warm the rest of the day and night! The heat setting for this case is one of the lowest setting 1 or 2.

If you have the control board model on that Enviro EF3, then you have Auto On/Off or Auto Hi/Lo by removing the jumper block! That is a nice feature!! All you need is a 12 or 24 volt Thermostat!!

Neat, you are going to be so impressed with that stove! With that good stove, clean + good pellets = warm and comfy home. Don't know how many tons of pellets you have put in, but it is hard to have too many, but easy to get some that are not as good as others. Best to try a few of a kind you might think you want first. Try to avoid any that have been kept outside for any length of time. Even good pellets not handled properly can be disappointing.(odors, and poor burn) Hope you don't see the oil man too often. I haven't had a delivery since last summer. We use it for hot water and for when it is exceptionally cold.
Stay with the forum. Several really knowledgeable members here that can take you as far as you may be willing to go with your stove.