Napoleon EPI3C Problems

[brabney09]

Hi all, we just had a Napoleon EPI3C installed this past week. We absolutely love the look of the insert and the large viewing glass. We browsed different inserts for months and finally decided on the EPI3C (wife loved the looks). We did read some negative reviews on the insert from Napoleon's website, but were reassured by our chimney company that the insert would "definitely" heat our 1300sqft brick ranch, even "run us out of the living room it'll get so warm". We had the stove installed with 6" SS liner ~15' high w/ cap. I read the manual front-back multiple times, and followed all the instructions from Napoleon. After starting multiple small "curing fires", we were ready to fire the stove up. We use only dry seasoned hardwood at 15-20% moisture and left a 1-2" bed of red coals as stated in the manual. After getting good kindling fire going, we put a few medium sized logs on the fire. Once they caught, we closed the door and anxiously waited for the blower to kick on. 4+ hours, multiple reloads, & a 550*F fire later, still no blower. I have a magnetic thermometer installed on the stove, but it will not read (possible that it is defective, will be getting a new one). I took the temp with an IR gun in several different places on the stove. I was dumbfounded. I double checked the power going to the blower, checked to see if there were any loose wires, and the thermodisk is still in place. Finally, after 5 hours, we heard the blower kick on. We were very excited to feel the heat coming from the fire, only to be let down. Once the door is shut, you can't feel any heat coming from the insert unless you are within a foot from the front. Sitting on our couch that is maybe 6' away, you can't even tell we have a fire going. I've played around with the air control, hoping to change the heat output into the room with no luck. I've switched from loading N to S and E to W, small/medium/large logs and no luck. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. The insert is beautiful, and the view of the fire from the glass is great. Unfortunately, we feel we sacrificed function for looks with this insert. We are at a complete loss and will be calling Napoleon as soon as they open this week. We've spent well over $3k for the stove + install. We hope the company will stand behind their product, since it is not performing as it was advertised.

Are there any other EPI3C owners out there who have experienced similar issues? Possibly I am doing something wrong. Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions, it'd be greatly appreciated!

 

[Pertzbro]

It should only take 30-45minutes for the snap disc to warm, expand and make the contact for the fan to click on. inserts like yours and mine basically require the fan to be on to produce much heat.

Alot of comments that will come are do you have a block off plate installed (esentially completely sealing off the chimney chase from the interior of the home). You have something wrong with the snap disc.

 

[brabney09]

Thanks for the reply. I do not have a block off plate due to the chimney company not installing one.

I’ve read up on the blower and yes sounds like it may be an issue with the thermo disc. Even after the fan kicks on high & burning around 500*F, the insert puts out NO heat. I can’t wven raise my 350sqft living room 1 degree. There are multiple negative reviews both on Napoleon’s website and YouTube documenting the same issue.

I’ve spoken with both my installation company & Napoleon. The install company will be out Friday to look at the stove with the aid of Napoleon support over the phone. They will then make a determination whether the stove is functioning properly or not

 

[NicoleM]

Hello brabney09 - we recently purchased this same model and are feeling a bit of concern after your post and after watching a few YouTube videos about the blower issues. Were you able to resolve your issue with Napoleon's assistance? Or did they provide a replacement?

 

[D12bake]

I'm also not impressed with the stove. Not sure what going on, as mentioned in the above post. Takes about an hr for the blower to kick on, seems the warm air on comes out on the side vents and nothing from the center vents. At best takes raises the room temp by a few degrees. Shame, beautiful stove. Anyone else get this figured out?

 

[begreen]

I'm also not impressed with the stove. Not sure what going on, as mentioned in the above post. Takes about an hr for the blower to kick on, seems the warm air on comes out on the side vents and nothing from the center vents. At best takes raises the room temp by a few degrees. Shame, beautiful stove. Anyone else get this figured out?

An hour from a cold start is not that unusual. What side vents?

 

[Anodari]

Hi Gents, I had the same issue. Here's what I did. Take off the top plate of the blower. Unplug the two wires that go to the thermocouple and jump wires. I spoke with the installer and they said the blower needs to be swapped because a thermocouple doesn't touch the stove face. That's why it's taking a long time for it to turn on. The new blower will have a cut out where the temperature probe reaches the stove and that should fix it.

 

[T-roy_]

Judging by how dirty your glass is I would suspect you have wet wood. Have you measured with a moisture meter?
Could be that the wood is causing lack of heat. Wood should measure under 20% mc.

 

[Anodari]

With these EPA units, you have to have dry seasoned wood.

 

[bayezid]

I've owned the Napoleon EPI for about 7 years now, and unfortunately, I've encountered a persistent issue, not with the blower but with its heating performance. Trying to address the problem, I wrapped some roxul around it, which did provide a slight improvement, but the overall experience has been quite frustrating. Given the substantial investment, I've been advising others to steer clear of this product.

Being a Canadian company, the customer service has been disappointingly lacking.

One notable concern is the need to replace the blower not once, but twice in a span of 2-3 years each time. Despite regular cleaning and lubricating the bearings, the blower's lifespan remains disappointingly short. It's disheartening to realize that an additional $500-$600 investment is required every couple of years just to keep the unit functional. Without a working blower, the fireplace essentially becomes ineffective, barely providing any meaningful heat output.

 

[begreen]

This is the first complaint I can recall about it. Is there a block-off plate installed to seal off the damper area?

Sorry the support has not been good. Being a Canadian company has nothing to do with that.

 

[bayezid]

While expressing my dissatisfaction with the customer service of this Canadian company, I want to highlight that my concerns are centered around the difficulty in communication and the lack of responsiveness. In addition to my personal experience, it seems others have faced similar challenges, as evidenced by comments regarding their customer service. The issue extends beyond borders, as being in the USA has presented additional communication hurdles. It's important to emphasize that my critique is solely directed at the company's customer service practices and the challenges I've encountered in reaching them.