New pellet stove owner...newbie questions inside

[Estarrio]

Hi all!

I've been lurking for a couple of weeks while getting ready to install the new stove. I grew up in house that was heated exclusively by two wood stoves (our furnace was actually inoperable). I've missed having a fire for the past several years but I now lack the time to split/stack four cords of wood a year. I do still enjoy making bonfires and cooking BBQ over various woods.

We needed to heat our finished basement so I bought the Enviro EF3. I'm a timid do-it-it-yourselfer, and I liked the value added services of the dealer. It also makes me feel comfortable that they are within two miles of my house.

That being said, I don't see much info about the Enviro. I know it doesn't pack the best value but I hope it proves to be a solid Investment!

A few questions:

-I've run the unit at "medium" for two nights and a forty pound bag only seems to last 19 hours. Should the pellets be going this fast? I assumed I'd get at least a full day out of a bag.

-The dealer is really pushing a "special" vacuum designed for the pellet stove. Are these really worth the investment? I figured I'd use a brush to massage the ash to the pan before discarding outside. I've cleaned a lot of ash in my life and never thought of using a vacuum!

-Are Energex pellets good quality? I've been using a few bags of Ultra Fireside from Home Depot to get me started and I'm getting ready to have a couple of tons delivered. My dealer only sells the Energex and I haven't seen much info on them.

Thanks in advance! And thanks for all the great info on this site!

 

[hearthtools]

You dont hear a lot about the Enviro here because it is a solid stove and not a lot go go wrong as long as you keep it serviced.
The EF3 is a great value stove. A lot less money than most.
the EF3 is the older style stove. I don't sell them anymore but can order them in.
People want the more automatic stoves with thermostat, so we sell the other Enviro Meridian and Empress and now the new Omega.

To figure out how much pellet you are going to use you go by the feed rate
Low will feed about 1# per hour.
High will feed around 5#'s per hour
the Setting between will be between 1 and 5 #'s per hour.

The average home will use 1 bag with mild weather per 24 hour day
2 bags for colder weather
it all depends on the size of your home and insulation of your home

You don't need an Ash vac
but if it is faster to clean the Nooks out with a good shop vac with a cartridge filter and a secondary filter.

 

[jtp10181]

A good shop vac with one of the drywall dust filters or HEPA filters works pretty good. The "special" vacuum might have a metal can and heat resistant hose which would let you suck up warmer stuff than with an all plastic shop vac.

 

[Xena]

I don't know how the enviro stove is set up inside,
but our st croix has ash traps that I'd never be able
to clean out with a brush. I use a shop vac with
a drywall bag (on a cold stove only). Fast and easy.
The pellet dust is so fine that a brush would do
nothing but make a mess imo.

I ran a ton of Energex pellets through ours the first year we had this stove.
The stove ran very good with them. I'd buy them again if I had to.

I go through an average of one bag of pellets a day. Much of the
time one bag has lasted 30 hours. Don't think I've ever burned
through 2 bags in a day. It as if the colder it gets outside, the
warmer it gets in here without changing the stove setting.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Yep, same here. 'Bout a bag a day if the night is 30 and the day is 40.

Energex is great but the pellets are real small so more wood drops for each turn of the auger. It all depends on the stove. My old Thelin loved it ... my brand new Quad seems to do better on New England whose pellets can get up to 1"

 

[cielomelo]

Hi everybody,

Its been a while since I've been here, due to everybody's great advice, we bought a Mt. Vernon Quad. We had it installed today but now have to buy our pellets. I've been told that we should buy a pellet that is not white and not too dark, can you tell me what is the best and does anybody know where I can buy them at a great price. I live in the North Shore in Massachusetts, thanks so much.

 

[MrWinkey]

Well pellet quality can vary from batch to batch and there is nothing wrong with white pellets.

I would go buy several bags from a few stores. Find out what brand you like and clean the stove between brands.

 

[GVA]

Hi everybody,

Its been a while since I've been here, due to everybody's great advice, we bought a Mt. Vernon Quad. We had it installed today but now have to buy our pellets. I've been told that we should buy a pellet that is not white and not too dark, can you tell me what is the best and does anybody know where I can buy them at a great price. I live in the North Shore in Massachusetts, thanks so much.

Dark usually means there is bark in it though not always..... This would be standard grade.
White are usually softwood and they seem to burn hotter with less clinkers.
Anything in this range should be good but stick with the premium grades..
If you want, PM me you're location and I can let you know where you should buy from.. I think you were near where I lived...

 

[begreen]

Hi everybody,

Its been a while since I've been here, due to everybody's great advice, we bought a Mt. Vernon Quad. We had it installed today but now have to buy our pellets. I've been told that we should buy a pellet that is not white and not too dark, can you tell me what is the best and does anybody know where I can buy them at a great price. I live in the North Shore in Massachusetts, thanks so much.

Woohoo! Congratulations! Look for pellets that are consistent in the bag. They should be about 1/4" in diameter and 1/2" to 3/4" in length. There should be little sawdust (fines) at the bottom of the bag. Try to buy only Premium grade pellets for the best results. Ideally you want a consistently sized pellet that has a low sodium content and little fines. Softwood pellets preferred if you can get them, but hardwood will work well too.

 

[CygnusX1]

I have an Enviro Meridian insert.

I generally burn a 40 lb bag a day, unless the temp falls below 20 degrees.

I've found that my stove works best using Bearfoot or Comfort pellets.