MT. Vernon AE auto or manual mode

[tsmith]

how does everybody have their AE's running? In auto or manual mode. I am in manual MH but tought maybe auto would be better to keep it running and less igniter use. Would it use the same amount of fuel or more? I would probably set it 2 degrees higher than I want so it maintains what I need. Just not sure it would run the blower fast enough to heat upstairs like it does now.

 

[mainegeek]

Manual-Medium High

I stopped using auto after a few weeks of owning the stove. Auto might be good for the shoulder seasons (fall, spring) but for the dead of winter it can't keep up (IMO).

My installer recommended Utility pellet setting with a -2 flame. Last year I ran this religousey and was fairly happy with the results. This year I've been trying different settings. There has been some recent posts about using Sunflower seed setting with a negative flame setting with some good results. I tried it and, personally, found the ash was low but the feed rate (pellets burned per hour) was much more then my usual consumption with little benefit in heat. Some tweaking of settings might help you find the correct settings for your setup and pellet brand. I'm still tweaking myself.....

 

[smoke show]

I think every situation is different.
find what works best for yours.
I use auto all season.

 

[rschuerholz]

I always use the manual settings simply because I can get a better estimate of my pellet use for the season. Auto seems to vary the feed rate, settings, and heat output allot therefore making it more difficult to know how much fuel you will use throughout the year. Just my 2 cents!

 

[Gweeper64]

I tend to use auto most of the time. I've tried both and I really can't tell which mode uses more/less fuel.