Quadra CB1200 or Enviro M55

[jumpink]

We want to buy a pellet stove. Currently have oil heat. The area we are looking to heat is around 1600sq ft

I really like the ambiance of the fire from a wood stove, but we like the convenience of the pellet stove.

We have looked at the Quadra Classic Bay 1200. Two of our neighbors have it and they love it.
I recently came upon the Enviro M55. It looks to be about $1000 more than the Quadra but I love the way the flame looks.
There seems to be alot of discord about the manufacturer of the Enviro. People have mentioned that service from the manufacturer is lacking or non existent.

Being that we are first time buyers, I wanted to see what pros and cons some of the veterans would have to say. Thanks in advance.

Kevin

 

[ARGlock]

We want to buy a pellet stove. Currently have oil heat. The area we are looking to heat is around 1600sq ft

I really like the ambiance of the fire from a wood stove, but we like the convenience of the pellet stove.

We have looked at the Quadra Classic Bay 1200. Two of our neighbors have it and they love it.
I recently came upon the Enviro M55. It looks to be about $1000 more than the Quadra but I love the way the flame looks.
There seems to be alot of discord about the manufacturer of the Enviro. People have mentioned that service from the manufacturer is lacking or non existent.

Being that we are first time buyers, I wanted to see what pros and cons some of the veterans would have to say. Thanks in advance.

Kevin

I would go with the Enviro M55. It's a higher Btu stove and is not made in China. The new Quad 1200's are shipped completed from China. At least north American workers could get a chance to work on your M55. PelletDude (on this forum) sells them and has excellent reviews of the M55. I'm waiting patiently to get a new Enviro M55 Cast Insert

My 2 cents worth!

AR

 

[jtakeman]

I vote for the Enviro. Yes I am biased! Seeing as I haved owned a Quad and a Enviro. The Quad was a good stove but the Enviro is that much plus. It is more versital and will burn even bad pellets with ease.

I had no issue with service with my Enviro. I used my dealer for the warranty service. There the first line of deffense.Pick a good dealer and you will not have an issue!

 

[krooser]

I'd buy the M55 simply because of the North American build...

 

[imacman]

I'd buy the M55 simply because of the North American build...

X2, plus it's getting good reviews.

 

[jumpink]

I read somewhere that a person with a warranty issue was asked to pay in full until they (enviro) had a chance to examine the defective part. The dealer who sells the m55 said that stove has only been around for about a year. Plus the additional $1100, $1300 for the cast makes me think twice.

 

[imacman]

If top notch customer service is what you want, and you're somewhat handy doing basic maintenance, then Englander is the only way to go. Senior Tech is regular contributor on this forum. I have their multi fuel unit and LOVE it (I got mine as a factory refurb off ebay...still had 1 yr. factory warranty and free shipping).

www.englanderstoves.com

 

[ARGlock]

I read somewhere that a person with a warranty issue was asked to pay in full until they (enviro) had a chance to examine the defective part. The dealer who sells the m55 said that stove has only been around for about a year. Plus the additional $1100, $1300 for the cast makes me think twice.

I think they sell a free-standing M55 that is not cast. Ask pelletdude or check out the Enviro website.


AR

 

[jtakeman]

I read somewhere that a person with a warranty issue was asked to pay in full until they (enviro) had a chance to examine the defective part. The dealer who sells the m55 said that stove has only been around for about a year. Plus the additional $1100, $1300 for the cast makes me think twice.

This could be a extreme case and would need more info provided.

Last season I lost my ignitor. My dealer(out of state even) replace no issue. Once the igniter arrived I noticed the air pump wasn't working and bench tested. He sent one red tag UPS. Once that came in I assembled the stove only to find the control board wasn't providing power to the igniter or the air pump. I called him and he talked me through some steps to diagnose the issue. By the end of the call the control board was being shipped to me ASAP. I was not charged a single penny for anything. The only thing they asked was I send back the control board for the Factory to inspect. Again it totally depends on how good your dealer is and how he stands up for you. Why I say there the first line of defense! After all this I would buy another Enviro in a second!

Top notch in my book!

 

[smoke show]

Last season I lost my ignitor. My dealer(out of state even) replace no issue. Once the igniter arrived I noticed the air pump wasn't working and bench tested. He sent one red tag UPS. Once that came in I assembled the stove only to find the control board wasn't providing power to the igniter or the air pump. I called him and he talked me through some steps to diagnose the issue. By the end of the call the control board was being shipped to me ASAP. I was not charged a single penny for anything. The only thing they asked was I send back the control board for the Factory to inspect. Again it totally depends on how good your dealer is and how he stands up for you. Why I say there the first line of defense! After all this I would buy another Enviro in a second!

Top notch in my book!

So you've had three problems with your stove already? just askin.

 

[jtakeman]

Last season I lost my ignitor. My dealer(out of state even) replace no issue. Once the igniter arrived I noticed the air pump wasn't working and bench tested. He sent one red tag UPS. Once that came in I assembled the stove only to find the control board wasn't providing power to the igniter or the air pump. I called him and he talked me through some steps to diagnose the issue. By the end of the call the control board was being shipped to me ASAP. I was not charged a single penny for anything. The only thing they asked was I send back the control board for the Factory to inspect. Again it totally depends on how good your dealer is and how he stands up for you. Why I say there the first line of defense! After all this I would buy another Enviro in a second!

Top notch in my book!

So you've had three problems with your stove already? just askin.

It was deemed one problem that took out 3 components. Ignitor dead shorted and fried the air pump and control boards 3A relay. You would not need to worry on the M55 or the M55 cast. They have a separate fuse for the igniter circuit and So does mine now! I heard back from the factory that the relay on the control board was the only thing that fried. Stove ran fine with the old board, Just had to manually light it! I have a post on it here somewhere! The air pump had a thermal fuse that popped.

No worse than the Harmans tossing igniters 1 to 2 per season. I have change 2 on a 1 year old P43. Not counting the defective unit the dealer gave him. ;-P

All stoves could have an issue, Its how good the dealer standing behind it was my point! Lack luster dealer support=PO costumer or worse!

 

[smoke show]

ahh gotcha... one failed component wiped out multiple things.
3rd year with the AE no parts replaced yet.(fingers crossed)

 

[jumpink]

Then to refine my question... The dealer who has a great reputation in my area doesn't sell Enviro stoves he specializes in Quads. There is a dealer nearby that does sell Enviros but I know nothing about them. The Enviro dealer has been in business for over 20 years and they are polite on the phone. I have Googled their name and asked around but cannot seem to find anything good or bad.

 

[imacman]

......I have Googled their name and asked around but cannot seem to find anything good or bad.

Have you check the BBB? Also, how about asking the dealer for some customer references?

 

[stovelark]

Hello Kevin,

Firstly I work on most all brands of pellet stoves have sold quads, breckwell and enviro, stcroix. A good stove is a good stove. There are good about all the brands- I will tell you I have 2 enviros (wood 1700 and EF3 pellet) in my house. I think they offer the best value around. Quadrafire would be my 2nd choice tho, the 1200 CB is a workhorse. The enviro M55 is a superb stove, versatile and super quiet. Can it break?? sure, but hopefully your dealer will do the right thing. I know for our store that tries to be our priority... Enviro is very good about dealer support, the M55 is beautiful and only Quad's MV AE can compare to it, but for about another 500-700 dollars average. Both great choices tho. For 1500 sq feet in NJ I believe you said- the EF3 would be good, and the M55 if you want quietest stove available. If you are leaning toward the CB1200, check into Enviro's EF3, a pretty much bullet proof, similar styling (bay window) but I would say quieter unit. Hope this helps.

Stovelark
Enviro 1700 FS steel wood
Enviro EF3 pellet

 

[jumpink]

Stovelark,
Thank for the info! Hopefully it may help someone who is also interested in purchasing the M55.
We purchased an M55 at the end of last month and we are very happy with the heat it provides. We are having some noise issues with the auger motor but hopefully the dealer will be able to resolve it. I have a thread started for the issue I am having.
M55 Auger Motor Noise

 

[ARGlock]

Sounds like the M55 is a winner! M55 owner's keep us updated on how you like your unit and what issues you are having. I still have not seen a photo of the "Three" sided ash pan.


Stay Warm,

AR

 

[chris288]

I was torn between the Enviro M55 cast or the Harman XXV, both in brown Enamel, both very visually appealing stoves, but after reading so many bad reviews about the Enviro's, one person said they would rather drink poision than deal with their stove. We asked the dealer if we could see the M55 run, after unplugging it, resettting it, adding pellets to it, after about 10 minutes it decided to start, with pellets burning out of pot, an agitator that made noise and looked like a Rube Goldberg device, we went with the XXV.

Not having owned an enviro I cant comment on long term reliability but we had our whitfield for 14 heating seasons and all I ever did to it was replace an auger motor, and i'm hoping to have similar luck with our Harman.