Napoleon High Country nz6000

[jkupcha]

I just installed A Napoleon fireplace insert. Chose that model for looks as well as useful burn. Was expensive but because I was going for a nice house remodel it fit the bill. My house is a newer (9yrs) Cape Cod 3100sf. With a dormer bedroom and office. So far I have been able to heat the entire house on wood. Granted this has been a mild winter so far with lower temps here in Southern New Jersey around 29-40 degrees. I have been very pleased with the Napoleon. Large firebox and a very nice reburn with glowing red coals when I have the air cut down. The blower motor and intake is mounted below in the large walkout cellar so it is very quiet, just the whoosh of air. The front glass doors are very large so cleaning them takes awhile. Because I am still in the honeymoon stage I try to clean the glass daily but it is getting old so I am learning to just accept the light "coke" color of the glass when it is burning hot.
Great forum and I enjoy everyone elses stories Thanks - Pilot Joe

 

[elkimmeg]

I have the most frequent flyer miles on the forum but welcome aboard . did you install a full liner? damper block off plate
can you detail what your experiences with your model stove burn times how often you load it Stuff other possible purchasers might want to know

 

[DonCT]

Also, it's a prereq. to post pictures of your setup. So show what'cha got

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

I have the most frequent flyer miles on the forum but welcome aboard . did you install a full liner? damper block off plate
can you detail what your experiences with your model stove burn times how often you load it Stuff other possible purchasers might want to know

My brother-in-law owns this model, and I believe it is a
"zero clearance" unit, not an "insert" in the true sense
(no liner - pre-fab chimney instead)

Rob

 

[velvetfoot]

I really like the "quiet whooshing" concept - my fan is pretty noisy in my opinion. The vacuum created by the fan in the basement doesn't cause any problems with draft? Even if it needs a little more ducting, has anybody else relocated the fan?

 

[jkupcha]

Yes your right it is a zero clearance fireplace. Which is somewhat a misnomer as clearances required were close to 8-12 inches on various sides/top. Basement ducting was no problem as the total duct run lenght is like 12 inches because I mounted the fan immediately under the unit on the ceiling of the basement. Draw is good as the air intake seems to be taking in warmer air than fresh chilled outside air. The cellar is very large and the air being replaced seems to be just leaking in from down the cellar steps and the living area causing warm air to be sucked down from higher areas of the living space.
Burn time is acceptable but not the 14 hour advertised. I burn red oak and if I pack the box it will blow warm air for around 6-8 hours. I'll attempt a picture soon.

 

[surewood]

I am considering purchase of a Napoleon NZ6000 and wondered if you could share some of your experiences with it.

- Does the blower circulate air well? Does it have multiple speeds? Can you turn on the blower manually without the thermostat being triggered?
- Do you have much residue buildup on the glass when burning a hot fire?
- Did you install a hot air gravity vent system? - If so, does it contain a fan and is it loud?
- Did you consider other fireplaces? - If so, which, and why did you select the NZ6000? Are you still glad you picked this model? Have you had any problems with this model that I should be aware of? I am also looking at the QuadraFire 7100, Lennox Montecito Estate, and Heat & Glo North Star.

Finally, the NZ6000 is not EPA certified; instead it is compliant, which implies that 1) it uses more air than compliant fireplaces and 2) is less efficient. All of this concerns me, but it is nearly impossible to get a straight answer from a dealer or Napoleon, themselves, and I have been given many incorrect answers. Can you give me an idea of whether this is noticeable in terms of practical use:
- Is the fire comparable to that of a wood stove (visually and in terms of using the damper, etc). Does it use more wood than comparable high-efficiency fireplaces? Does it produce as much heat as you would expect?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for any help you can provide. Most of all, thank you for even POSTING your review, as there is very little out there regarding this model.

 

[jkupcha]

Hey surewood
First off I like my high country a lot and would buy it again. That said there are some goods and others. Very beautiful presentation. Windows so big that it resembles a real fireplace and adds a lot to the ambiance of a room. Blower is fantastic. quiet and blows so well it can heat my 3100 sq house. First thing people say when they walk in the door is how gorgeous the fireplace is.

Here is the down side. No matter how hot I burn it I get buildup on the glasss. I usually clean it everday and it is a chore. Need to use paper with ash to scrub the glass. takes 20 minutes everyday. tried all the suggestions everyone on this board has made but can't keep the glass clean. I beleive it is because the firebox is so big I cannot get it super hot. It is not epa compliant but is very airtight. No visible smoke when it is burning right. burns wood at a reasonable rate for its size. If I only cared about burn and not looks I would get a smaller insert with small firebox and small windows. I bought this to add beauty to my home as well as some warm and efficiency. With the napolean I got half of each.

If anybody else has some suggestions on keeping glass clean I would love to here it. Thanks all .

 

[surewood]

Thanks for the reply - was afraid this thread might be dead.

Do you have the blower in the same room or a remote location? Does it have multiple speeds? Can you turn on the blower manually before the thermostat heats up? Did you install a hot air gravity vent system? If so, does it contain a fan/is it loud?

I'm coming to the same conclusions regarding EPA compliance/exempt status vs. aesthetics. Would you agree that the exempt status is the result of using extra outside combustion air, or am I missing something? It is good to at least hear that the firebox is airtight. Does it burn with a secondary flame over the logs/under the baffle?

Any installation or operational glitches to be aware of or avoid?

As for the glass, I read somewhere to try oven cleaner (but cannot endorse this from personal experience). Have you tried this?

Thanks!

 

[scfa99]

surewood any specific questions on the 7100 let me know, i also have a ton of stuff posted on it so just do a search, i dont want to hijack this thread.

PJ, regarding the glass. how are you stacking your wood inside the fireplace front to back or side to side?

 

[jkupcha]

Oven Cleaner works no better than ash and newspaper. No secondary flame. Blower and intake mounted in large cellar below fireplace. Blower is variable speed set to come on/off when insert reaches temp. No switch for manual on/off but could be easily added. Don't know why there is no EPA cert? May be because cost or time investment is too high? Insert seems to be compliant.

 

[Corie]

Eh, it isn't quite compliant. When I looked at the stove in person, it didn't seem there was sufficient secondary air distributed evenly in the firebox roof to allow complete recombustion. That's just my take on things though. It is surprising that they wouldn't push for certification.


Glad you're happy with the unit though, it sure is a good looker! How have the door latches been for you? I noticed the ones on the stove I saw were lose and perhaps out of adjustment and the door was pretty sloppy.

 

[jkupcha]

When installed they were little lose. After adjustment they fit pretty tight.

 

[titan]

Pilot Joe, I just checked your fireplace on their website-what a beautiful beast!I'm considering building my own home in the near future and plan on building a large central hearth for pimary heating;that Napoleon is now up for consideration.Glad to hear you are happy with it.I'd be a little more excited though if I could find some eff.rating #'s and btu outputs.

 

[surewood]

Titan et. al.
BTU info is available at the Napoleon web site. I would suggest everyone email the company to ask that they provide emissions and efficiency ratings. I am sure they have this information, and I told them I would not purchase a unit without it - but they still have not been forthcoming. If they hear this often enough, maybe they will realize that they loose more sales from NOT providing efficiency info than they will from the values not being compliant. BTW, I also used to run a Regency 2400M, so am curious to compare to my past experience with that unit.

Corie - I had the same concerns about air distribution AND air supply to the wash system for the glass, which is also suggested by Pilot Joes observation that there is no secondary flame. Napoleon indicates that outdoor air supplies combustion air and "dilution" air, whatever that is. According to Napoleon's diagram of the unit, the latter seems to supply air to the chimney area rather than inside the stove (seems odd that they do not supply this air for secondary combustion, instead), presumably to improve the draft? This may be why the unit has exempt status (which indicates that the amount of air intake by the unit exceeds a maximum allowed for EPA compliance), even though outside air is used for this purpose and the firebox seems (?) airtight.

The doors, hinges, and latch on the NZ6000 I saw were very solid - in fact the door system is one of the reasons I was impressed with it! The double doors lack a vertical gasket where they meet, which I thought was odd. Is this typical of other units, too? Pilot Joe- does this draw house air through the doors where they meet?

FYI Corie, I also am from western PA and the Napoleon NZ6000 is on display at Fireplace Concepts, Inc. in Greensburg, just off the turnpike.

 

[titan]

Hi Surewood, I'd like to hear all about your experiences with the Regency.I just installed mine a month ago so my experience is lacking.So far though, I am impressed with the heat output,burn times,efficiency and clean glass(with good wood ).I did however put an i2400 insert in an old open hearth for my in-laws 3 years ago;they're still impressed with it.I must have looked at every other stove on the market but I kept coming back to steel stoves-I like the fast response time.My f2400m is black with nickel door,accents, and legs;there are prettier stoves on the market, but as a primary heat source my Regency is suiting me just fine.

 

[surewood]

Hi Titan. I liked the 2400. I had it set up with the blower, and no outside air, and used it as a secondary heat source. The glass stayed clean. The controls were no frills but worked well, and the thing was pretty solid. My only complaint was that I would have liked a larger firebox as log size was sometimes an issue. We also had a lot of problems with offgassing that would smell up the house and set off the fire alarms, particularly if it was a very hot fire. This apparently is not supposed to happen with the stove, so I suspect it may have had something to do with the stove pipe and paint the installers used, instead.

 

[titan]

Surewood, how long did you burn your 2400(seasons)?Did you replace it for any particular reasons?Did you experience any real disappointments with your stove?Just curious in case I should have any stove issues-although there isn't much to go wrong with the simple Regency design-they seem to apply the "K.I.S.S" principle which I believe in.In reply to the offgassing,my stove was pretty raunchy for the first week of use(smoke alarms et al.) but no odors now worth speaking of-except for my two year old son. 8-/

 

[mcrowleynh]

Hello All,

I had the NZ6000 delivered last week. It's "fit and finish" quality is very nice. It looks great. I still have to do the electrical hookup and stone work, so I have not fired it up.

I have a strong word of caution regarding the installers recommended on Napoleon's web-site: Be careful, the guys I went with are amoung the worst hacks I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Do your homework and get installer references. I learned my lesson. We felt very comfortable with the owner and his wife (decent people), but the install team was an absolute disaster - no clue on clearances and how to flash a chimney or customer interface skills. How do these jokers manage to get (and keep) an NFI Licence?

I learned early in the process, that there have been some design modifications to the unit to reduce the amout of soot accumulation on the windows, I am hoping that this worked and that I won't have the issue.

I'll let you know when I fire this up (it'll be a month or so).

BR,
Napoleon

 

[begreen]

Welcome BR. Congratulations on the new stove. Where are you located? Be sure to post some pictures when you've got the stove ready and burning.

 

[surewood]

Titan - we burned the R 2400 for 2.5 years, then moved. It (or the stovepipe) offgassed badly when burning during the entire time we had it. Other than that, I was happy with it.

 

[mcrowleynh]

I have been using the high country now for about 2 years. Other than a bad experience with a really sloppy installer, I have no complaints.

We bought the stove as a compromise between looks and burn. If I wanted just a good burn and efficiency, I would not choose this stove. However, don't get me wrong, I am satisfied, this stove burns very well and heats very well. I heat about 1500sq ft really well with a lot to spare.

The blower is great, strong, good speed control, access to bypass the thermal switch if you wire it correctly . Starting can be a little smoky, but that goes away once things get hot.

I find that the glass will stay clean if you burn hot and if you use high quality (oak, maple) very dry wood. Otherwise it can be difficult (I am burning cherry now and it is just not possible to keep the glass or walls clean). Sometimes the staining will come off with a good hot burn or even (if your lucky) some windex. I really hate using the lye based glass cleaner and am afraid I will scratch the glass if I use ash (1 good scratch could really ruin your day if the pane were to shatter when it gets hot).

Some of the hardware (just the handles, really) fit and finish are a bit sub par, but mostly it is top rate. The doors are really well made, the seal is tight.

We are very happy. Thank you Napoleon.

 

[jkupcha]

High country, you have never had a problem with the doors sagging and touching because of the hinges bending under the weight of the heavy doors? I have contacted 6 other owners and all six have experienced it. I need to replace the hinges every winter now for 3 winters because of it. Consider yourself lucky if you don't
Also concur with your glass comments. Very dry oak will keep the glass mostly clean or clean enough to wipe away with windex. I have not had any problem with smoke on startup. I load it up full, light off a super cedar firestarter, close the doors to a crack and once it gets going in 10 minutes shut the doors fully. Then later after it burns for 45 minutes I start choking it down for a 4-6 hour burn. Enjoy! -Joe

 

[mcrowleynh]

Burning Chunk,

No I have not seen any issues with the doors sagging. Can you describe how the hinges fail? Is it the pin or the receiver that fails?

That stinks, I hope I do not see this issue.

High Country

 

[jkupcha]

Each hinge (2 per door) has a block with a pin attached to the door and a block attached to the face. The ones on the face are machined from a solid block of steel. The ones attached to the doors (both upper and lower) are hollow and over time they bend. They seem to have been extruded or poured from a mold and are hollow. The doors are very heavy as you know and they bend the hinges over time. Quicker if you lean or push on them when you clean the glass. They are easy to replace, just 2 screws each. But I think Napoleon was just saving money here by not making them from a solid piece of steel like the ones on the face.
I've contacted Napoleon but they refuse to deal with the consumer and only talk to your certified installer. Not a problem if you have a good installer and a good relation with them. I do so they order me new hinge blocks each year. Glad to hear you don't have a problem and I hope you don't. All the best!