Enviro M55 Multi Fuel Cast Iron - Reviews?

[cgbarbosa]

Hi all,

I'm new around here and consider myself a newbie regarding wood/pellet stoves, so was expecting to get some of your expertise with a couple of questions

We just bought a brand new Enviro M55 Multi-Fuel Cast Iron pellet stove. I've seen a couple of threads with very good comments on the stove but have not seen anything relatively new. Some folks have had it for a year already so I was wondering if someone can post here their experience with it.

Our main source of heat at home is electrical so we want to use the pellet stove in our basement to help out our power bills. Our goal really is to use it as a booster to the main heat source but if we are able to heat the house with it, then we'd be more than happy.

Anyway, if anyone has some experience with these stoves, I'd love to hear them

 

[flynfrfun]

I'm thinking about buying this model too. Will be interested to see peoples replies. I want a quiet, efficient and reliable pellet stove. Is that too much to ask? I see so many negative reviews of even what is considered the top brands like Harman, Quadrafire and etc, it just makes me nervous to plop down the $4 to 5000 dollars.

I do like the fire pattern on the M55 though

 

[Brianm58]

I just ordered the M55 Insert last week. Being installed Nov 14th. Will let everyone know how I make out.

 

[ARGlock]

I just ordered the M55 Insert last week. Being installed Nov 14th. Will let everyone know how I make out.

Brianm, Please keep us informed about your new M55 insert. I'm thinking about purchasing this unit for my home.

Thanks,

AR

 

[Brianm58]

Will do. I'd be interested to see what prices are doing in other parts of the country compared to here.

 

[imacman]

.....We just bought a brand new Enviro M55 Multi-Fuel Cast Iron pellet stove. I've seen a couple of threads with very good comments on the stove but have not seen anything relatively new.....

The cast version of the M55 just was released this fall, IIRC, so you won't see much, if any, reviews except maybe by a dealer or 2 that have store display units.

 

[jumpink]

I also just purchased the m55 cast stove. My installer should be here on Saturday to complete the install. I can't wait to fire her up.

 

[Nicholas440]

Im just kind of curious, when you refer to this as a cast iron stove, does this mean the entire stove is cast iron, including the firebox? Or is it outer trim only as is the case on my Quadrafire Castile insert. When I think cast iron Im thinking maybe they actually made a stove with a cast firebox.

 

[flynfrfun]

I've been trying to decide between the new cast M55 insert or Quadrafire Mt Vernon. The dealers around here don't have the M55 insert yet, but they did have the M55 freestanding (not the cast one). Seeing and listening to both in action, it seems the Mt Vernon is quieter. I can definitely hear the M55's agitator when it moves.

Since my stove is going to be in the living room pretty close to the TV, quietness of operation is important.

One thing of interest is that the Enviro dealers are telling me to build a concrete board box around the M55 cast insert. I am replacing my existing gas fireplace with the pellet stove. My fireplace is what I understand to be zero clearance in that it is in an exterior wall of the house with a "doghouse" built onto the outside of the house. My understanding is that the M55 insert is supposed to qualify as zero clearance and doesn't need a zero clearance kit. So, why would the dealers be telling me to essentially build a zero clearance kit out of concrete board?
Flynfrfun

 

[pelletdude]

As I have said before - the m55 is extremely quiet - If it wasn't for the big orange flame, you would not know the stove was on.

 

[flynfrfun]

As I have said before - the m55 is extremely quiet - If it wasn't for the big orange flame, you would not know the stove was on.

Pelletdude,
I went back to the Enviro store to listen to the M55 again. The dealer said he thought the agitator needed adjustment when I was in last. That is a common trick salesmen use to get someone to ignore a problem. But, he may have been right. This time I could just barely hear the agitator.
Flynfrfun

 

[flynfrfun]

WOW! I was looking thru the owner's manual and here is what I found:

AUTO/OFF MODE: (Requires a Thermostat or Timer)
INITIAL START-UP: See MANUAL MODE above.
OPERATION: When the thermostat contacts close, the unit will light
automatically. Once up to temperature, the stove operates the same as in
MANUAL. When the thermostat contacts open, the stove’s HEAT LEVEL and Fans
will drop down to the LOW setting for 30 minutes. If the thermostat contacts
close within the 30 minutes, the HEAT LEVEL will return to the previous MANUAL setting. If the thermostat contacts remain open, the stove automatically begins its shutdown routine. The
stove will re-light when the thermostat contacts close again.

THIS IS AWESOME This will stop the stove from shutting down and then re-lighting over and over as you are heating your house. I don't think the Quadrafire Mt Vernon has this capability. This just makes perfect sense!

Edit: I just looked at the M55 freestanding manual and it does the same thing. Is this a common feature on other pellet stoves?
Flynfrfun

 

[Stevekng]

I have a St. Croix that does the same thing. It has a mode called "smart stat". If the thermostat doesn't call for heat, then it automaticly goes on low for an hour before shutting down. If it does call for heat, then it simply fires up to your last assigned heat setting. It saves alot of igniter usage, thus electric usage.

 

[jumpink]

I just had the stove installed today. I noticed a high pitch hum when the pellets drop into the burn pan, is this normal? Can an adjustment be made? One other thing, when the stove is turned off, the blower still runs how long does it take before it shuts down completely?
Thanks

 

[flynfrfun]

I just had the stove installed today. I noticed a high pitch hum when the pellets drop into the burn pan, is this normal?...

Kevin,
I don't own an M55 yet, but I had the dealer fire up the freestanding M55 today (yet again :red: ) for my wife to see/hear. I could not hear any noise whatsoever out of the auger motor. I could only hear the sound of the pellets dropping into the burnpot. This dealer is in a smallish store and it is quiet inside. We ran it on low/med and hi to hear and see all modes of operation. When I put my head near the side of the stove, all I could hear was the sound of the blower running and it was much quieter than everything else I have heard other than the Mt Vernon.
Flynfrfun

 

[jtakeman]

I just had the stove installed today. I noticed a high pitch hum when the pellets drop into the burn pan, is this normal? Can an adjustment be made? One other thing, when the stove is turned off, the blower still runs how long does it take before it shuts down completely?
Thanks

Hi Kevin,

The auger noise should subside once its broke in some. I would keep an ear on it though, If it gets loader call the dealer ASAP.

The stove has a POF switch that it uses to sense the exhaust temp of the stove. Once the sensor cools down enough it shuts down the stove. It usaully takes some time for this to happen. Seeing your stove is the cast model and cast iron hold heat longer than a steel stove. It might take a little more time to cool down. This is normal though. My Omega takes a good 15 minutes to cool off enough for it to shutdown.

Enjoy the new toy!

 

[jumpink]

It took about 25 min or so after turning off the stove for it to completely shut off.
There is still a high pitched hum when the auger turns. I hope that you are right JT, I will keep a hopeful ear tuned in.
I started the stove up this morning. The flame was big and vibrant after 5 min but died down to barely above the burn pot soon after. I tried adjusting the feed trim and the combustion air as well as raising the stove to high but still a very small flame. The stove is putting out heat but not what I expected on the highest setting. Will a thermostat have an effect on the amount of heat output? The pellets are stove chow from Home Depot. Thanks

 

[jtakeman]

It took about 25 min or so after turning off the stove for it to completely shut off.
There is still a high pitched hum when the auger turns. I hope that you are right JT, I will keep a hopeful ear tuned in.
I started the stove up this morning. The flame was big and vibrant after 5 min but died down to barely above the burn pot soon after. I tried adjusting the feed trim and the combustion air as well as raising the stove to high but still a very small flame. The stove is putting out heat but not what I expected on the highest setting. Will a thermostat have an effect on the amount of heat output? The pellets are stove chow from Home Depot. Thanks

I need a bit more info to help with the flame. Do you have the stove in manual? And what heat setting is it on?

 

[Gweeper64]

WOW! I was looking thru the owner's manual and here is what I found:

AUTO/OFF MODE: (Requires a Thermostat or Timer)
INITIAL START-UP: See MANUAL MODE above.
OPERATION: When the thermostat contacts close, the unit will light
automatically. Once up to temperature, the stove operates the same as in
MANUAL. When the thermostat contacts open, the stove’s HEAT LEVEL and Fans
will drop down to the LOW setting for 30 minutes. If the thermostat contacts
close within the 30 minutes, the HEAT LEVEL will return to the previous MANUAL setting. If the thermostat contacts remain open, the stove automatically begins its shutdown routine. The
stove will re-light when the thermostat contacts close again.

THIS IS AWESOME This will stop the stove from shutting down and then re-lighting over and over as you are heating your house. I don't think the Quadrafire Mt Vernon has this capability. This just makes perfect sense!

Edit: I just looked at the M55 freestanding manual and it does the same thing. Is this a common feature on other pellet stoves?
Flynfrfun

The Mt Vernon in "auto" mode will drop down to "low heat" setting when it gets within about 2 degrees of what you set on the thermostat. If it is warm enough out, the room will continue to heat up, but more slowly and when it reaches set temperature, the stove will shut down. If it is colder out and the room starts loosing heat faster than the "low" setting is heating, the stove will kick back up to a higher heat level as necessary. I use "auto" mode most of the season.

As to the noise, the Mt Vernon is pretty quiet, even on the "normal" setting for the convection blowers. I would describe the noise more as "white noise". It isn't unpleasant. Our insert is in the living room and my wife and girls will typically camp out in there reading in the winter time.

 

[jumpink]

The stove is in manual mode. I have the heat set at 5, the highest setting. I have the combustion air and the feed trim set at 3.
I attached a pic of the lack of flame. Will a thermostat have an affect on the flame/heat? Shouldn't the manual settings do the same? No matter what manual setting I choose, it appears to have no change in the flame or heat. One more thing, the auger comes on about every 20 seconds, it drops only a few pellets at a time and sometimes none at all.

 

[jtakeman]

You definely have an issue with the auger motor or pellets bridging in the hopper. On setting 5 it should have a large flame. Manual over rides the thermostat. Adding a stat will not help this issue.

There is something else going on here. I worked on a stove that was installed by a dealer. They forgot to remove the manual from the hopper and added pellets on top of it. Needless to say the bag caught up in the auger. and I had to remove the auger to get the plastic out of it. I would shutdown the stove and scoop out the pellets. See if anything was left in the hopper that could jam it. If the auger is clear, Run the stove dry(no pellets) If it still makes a load noise call the dealer.

Only other thing it might be is the coupling that connects the auger motor to the shaft might be loose. The motor spins but it isn't fully spinning the shaft. It slips and makes a screetching noise. Its an easy fix all you need to do is make sure the motor coupling lines up to the flat spot and tighten it up again.

Keep us posted!

 

[imacman]

Does this stove have an agitator in the burn pot? (looks like the ends of a shaft in the above pic).

If so, could the rotation of that be causing the "screech" if it's a little out of alignment and rubbing against the edges of the burn pot? How far does it rotate on each cycle? Does it rotate at the same time as the auger motor turns on (mine does that).

just a thought.

 

[flynfrfun]

Will do. I'd be interested to see what prices are doing in other parts of the country compared to here.

My local dealer wants $4153 for the insert here in WA. What kind of price did you get?
Flynfrfun

 

[flynfrfun]

The stove is in manual mode. I have the heat set at 5, the highest setting. I have the combustion air and the feed trim set at 3.
I attached a pic of the lack of flame. Will a thermostat have an affect on the flame/heat? Shouldn't the manual settings do the same? No matter what manual setting I choose, it appears to have no change in the flame or heat. One more thing, the auger comes on about every 20 seconds, it drops only a few pellets at a time and sometimes none at all.

Is the air intake for the combustion blower blocked?
Are you sure you are hearing the auger or the agitator? You have to look close to see the agitator move. I'd check to see if you see the agitator move when you hear the noise. I know when I listened to the M55 in the store, I could not hear the auger motor. The only thing I could hear was the pellets falling into the pot and the whir of the blower motors.
Flynfrfun

 

[jumpink]

I didn't mean to hijack this thread so I opened a new one for the problem I am having
New thread