FPX Elite 44 Installed Yesterday, 1st Break-in Fire tonight, Pics!

[bfunk13]

Beautiful! Very nice looking install. Congrats

 

[Woods Dweller]

Hey Rob, I too was concerned about the draft problems. But the new fan does have a damper that stays shut when not running. I was checking it out before install. It remains to be seen if there will be a problem. I have seen no recent posts or reviews indicating current problems, the few I did see was from a couple of years ago, so I hope that the problem has been corrected. The install manual shows the "p" routing for the stove vent lines for cold weather installs. I'm not considered a cold region. We only ocasionally get down in the single digits. My vents are run up about 8 feet and straight out the chase. I think th stove is going to perform very well. Good luck with yours!

 

[Woods Dweller]

Thanks funk! I will post more pics when I get the stone work done.

 

[Trail_Time]

WD, So how is that FPX 44 performing? Been a few cold nights recently.

 

[Hogwildz]

A nice pc of granite or marble cut to fit in around the stove to fill in would look awesome. Just a though.

 

[Woods Dweller]

So far, I am very pleased with the stove. It burns great and the heat output is pretty impressive. It lights real easy. For appearance, the stove definately gets a 10. I wondered how the fire would look. The old unit was huge and I was concerned with fire viewing area. This stove has a very generous viewing area and it looks great. I haven't finished the stone yet. I couldn't make up my mind on continueing with the field stone or doing something a little different. I have decided to use some stone tile I discovered. It's a mosaic tile that has small random sized flat stone attached to a net backing. Like a pebble tile but flat stone of different shapes and sizes. Going to get the stone this weekend. I've been working on my new wood shed (gonna post pics when it's done) and haven't had a chance to get the stone tile yet. I've been burning mostly shoulder wood and the stove heats great. I burned some hardwood one night and it REALLY put out the heat. It got very warm in the house but it was only about 40 degrees outside. When it gets down in the 20's we're goiing to be nice and toasty!

 

[Trail_Time]

I am getting ready to purchase a ZCFP and have narrowed it down to the FPX or the NZ6000. So how is the wood consumption? From what I have read that is one of the only complaints on the fpx44. The other is the glass getting dirty when you turn down the air, not really a problem IMO. I know it hasn't been real cold yet, but have you noticed any cold air intrusion with the external blower? The mosaic sounds nice, be sure to post pics.

 

[FPX Dude]

Got a FPX 36 ZC installed '07. Had the blower fan installed ~ 6ft away and I barely notice any noise. Loved it all last Winter and looking forward to this season! Still can't get the wife to understand that it'll "pay for itself" in a few years with price of LP that I usually pay. Anyway, here's my pix...

 

[Woods Dweller]

I am getting ready to purchase a ZCFP and have narrowed it down to the FPX or the NZ6000. So how is the wood consumption? From what I have read that is one of the only complaints on the fpx44. The other is the glass getting dirty when you turn down the air, not really a problem IMO. I know it hasn't been real cold yet, but have you noticed any cold air intrusion with the external blower? The mosaic sounds nice, be sure to post pics.

I can't really say how much wood it consumes. It hasn't been cold enough to burn it continuely. I've been burning a few night fires and using mostly shoulder wood. I choked it all the way down one night (shoulder wood) and it did dirty the glass some. Mostly in the corners. But any stove I've ever owned clouds up when it is completely choked down. I burned some good hardwood one night and the difference in the heat out put was incredible. It was so warm in the house that I did not reload before bed. I choked it exactly half way and was surprised to wake up with a fire still burning and clear glass. I'm sure when it gets and stays cold I'll have to experiment with settings to tweak it just right. No cold air noticed but like you say, it hasn't been real cold yet. I did look at the blower during install and they have added the damper that is supposed to keep the air out when not in use. I expect mine to burn most of the time though. So far I love it. It looks great. Lights REAL easy (good draft) and burns great... I was hesitant about the cat. I thought the cat's "lazy flame" people talked about would not be as attractive, but I have no concerns about that now. The fire looks awsome when burning!

 

[rfrazier]

You are making me jealous! My FPX has been on order and I'm just waiting for Nov 20th when the dealer can finally install it! I hope we get snow for Thanskgiving!! Ok - not really; I am very happy to year all the positive on the FPX 44, I was unsure on the right manufacture and model but everything I have read on the FPX and heard from others like yourself is encouraging. Thanks - so in the meantime I've been cutting some wood... I figure I have about 6 to 7 cord when done.

 

[Burner73]

I got a 36 installed. Still haven't burned yet. Hopefully I'll have the hearth done in next couple of weeks.

I have a question for FPX owners. Do you have to use the grate? Why not just burn on the fire bricks? I could not find anything in the manual about it. Dealer just mentioned that typically owners by new grates about once every 1-2 years.

 

[FPX Dude]

No grate for me...I took it out. No problems and more room in the box, plus I think it looks better w/o it.

 

[Trail_Time]

Will be cold this week... keep the updates coming. I am interested in any additional feedback on the FPX.

 

[rfrazier]

FPX to be installed this Thursday! Can't wait.....

Here is a pic of the RO and what the hearth will look like, it is not installed yet just dry fitted to give the wife an idea of what it will look like. Still undecided how far up the wall the rock will go, I will post more pics after Thursday's install.

 

[Trail_Time]

Looks like you are all set. Please keep us updated with pics and comments. Good luck on the install.

 

[Got Wood]

I just saw this thread. I had a FXP 44 installed Friday. Did a few small break in fires - they kicked out a huge amount of heat! The fan is quiet and strong. The weather turned colder here last night and this puppy is up a running, doing a nice job heating the house with a fire of 4 medium size splits. I'm playing with the air flow to learn how to balance it all out. The POS system really does work. So far, I am very happy.... and warm! We still need to finish it off which is in progress... (field stone) will post pics when done (at this rate a few weeks).

 

[Got Wood]

Question/advice from you FXP Elite 44 owners:
What loading, air techniques are you using to achieve an overnight burn? I'm playing around and learning, last night was better as I had "warm" coals in the morning but there is certainly room for improvement.

Second question - do you find that you are burning alot of wood? Cutting down the air helps slow the burn but it still seems to me that this eats wood quickly.

 

[rfrazier]

Finally the day has arrived - Fireplace was installed yesterday, I had a very small fire in it last night to set the paint and finish.
We have started on the stone install today, the install was an all day job. At one point I was afraid it wasn't going to happen but the guys from Wakefield Fireplace in RI were great. (grate

For those that have a 44 already - how high up did you put the mantel? That is the one area my wife is giving me grief about, also not to sure if I should go all the way up with stone ... still undecided about that...

 

[Woods Dweller]

It's been a year now since my 44 was installed and I have a full burn season under my belt with it. The updated pic is with the finish stone work. I love the unit. The heat output is great. the variable blower is awsome. Definately worth the investment. I have a log home with 22 foot high cathedral ceilings and a 700 sq. ft. loft and the stove pushed the heat very well on both floors. Heats my cabin with plenty to spare, but doesn't burn us out when seated in front of or near it. I did have to ration my wood about half way through Feb. as I started to run low or i would have used practicly no propane for heat for the season I started burning in late September and went through about 4 cords. I have about 6 ready for this year and I think that should be about right, especially now that I know the stove's tendencies a lot better. There are a couple minor things I would change if possible, but overall, I'd rate this ZC stove very high.

 

[greythorn3]

wow that is nice! i was always under the impression teh ZC fireplaces were jsut for looks and not a good heating source.

 

[Woods Dweller]

Thanks Grey. aka snow mizer! I really did alot of research beforing buying the 44. I just hoped that it would live up to the hype. And it does! It performs great and puts out monster heat. The posi pressure (fresh outside air) and powerful variable speed blower are probaly key incredients to its performance. It will eat a decent amount of wood if you let it, but thats not a bad trade off for heating my whole house. The next test is how it holds up over time.

 

[Dan Osborne]

Just wanted to thank everyone on the hearth board who commented on their FPX 44. It really helped us in our decision making. We had our FP installed in November and its operating just great. Right now its 20 degrees and snowing with a stiff wind outside but inside its 72 degrees and the heat is cranking out.