Ambiance Flair 34 Experience?

[Trent Steel]

Anyone have experience with Ambiance Flair 34 wood burning insert? Got a quote for unit and install and it seems like a great deal. Researching it seems this is manufactured by Supreme, but don't know much else besides manufacturers site.
Was looking at this unit vs. Enerzone Destination 2.7. Similar price, but the Ambiance has a larger viewing area, larger firebox, higher HHV, and soapstone lining. Seems a winner but can't find any reviews on the unit in the forums or anywhere online. Anyone have feedback or thoughts? https://ambiancefireplaces.com/products/fireplaces/wood-fireplaces/wood-inserts/flair-34/

 

[begreen]

This is the first I have seen the Flair. It's a nice looking unit. Neither HHV is very high. The Flair HHV is 66.07%. The Enerzone 2.7 is 64%. For higher efficiency, take a look at the Regency Ci2700 (74% HHV), the Lopi Large Flush Hybrid (73% HHV) and the Blaze King Sirocco 25 (77% HHV).

 

[Trent Steel]

Thanks for the reply begreen! I should have added that we're looking to update an open hearth fireplace and we'll be using it a couple days a week during colder months as a secondary heating source. More about the ambiance with large viewing area and flush mounted. I did get a quote on the Lopi model, but estimates were an additional $2,500 installation and needing a mantel shield. With our limited usage I can't justify the cost.
I will definitely take a look at the Ci2700.

 

[begreen]

It's a good one. There is a lot of info on the Ci2600/Ci2700 in the Regency forum.

The Regency CI2600 & CI2700 operation thread

After reading through all the blogs I decide to buy the CI2600 in October. Since then I have had several fires and am pretty happy with the burn time and heat output. I am wondering about the effectiveness of the air wash as my glass gets regularly quickly dirty with buildup once I close the...

www.hearth.com

 

[raiderfan]

I've never heard of it, but its definitely a good looking unit. Nice size, too. Wish I had gone with something like a 3.0cuft

 

[DrDieter]

We got our Flair 34 installed last week. After a few small break in fires, I've had a couple medium sized (with the windows open) and would say that the performance has been outstanding. We 10+ acres of forest and a ton of ash, burr oak, and cherry that I like to burn. Our masonry fireplace is really large (32×48") so we wanted a large unit to fill the hole. I din't want a catalytic unit and I was sure that the large Lopi was what I would buy. Our fireplace store recommended looking at this one for our space. I knew of supreme from my research over the two years, but never really considered the stainless box instead of 1/4" steel or cast iron. The larger viewing area and match to our fireplace were the sellers for my wife. I was skeptical, but the soapstone made me feel a bit better. The controller seems to work really well, feeding extra air to get it going and then transferring control to the other air control once the box is up to temp. The baffle is different than the tubes in most and I do like that it is easy to remove to do a chimney sweep in the future. The glass has stayed really clean. Price was less than the Lopi by around a grand but wasn't the driver. Even though the door and face are well made and look nice, if Ambiance offered a 1/4 or 5/16 steel face/door, I would probably upgrade to that just because that's my bias of what a wood stove looks like. My first impression is that it will be a great insert. Overall the functions are really well thought out and a little different than most others.

 

[Trent Steel]

Thanks for the information @DrDieter! I also went ahead with the Flair 34. Mine was installed in March of this year, so I haven't used it too much as that was near end of the season. My initial reaction is how easy it is to use (my first insert or woodstove), how nice it looks, and the warmth. Only drawback that I've noticed is the blower doesn't appear to move much air. I contacted our installer about the fan concern who contacted Supreme and advised this has been a common complaint. Supreme is apparently working on engineering an improvement to retrofit onto current units. Our installer put me on the callback list once the update is ready to go. If you experience the same, I'd suggest you ask to be added to the callback list as well.

 

[DrDieter]

@Trent Steel Mine got trimmed out today. I mentioned the fans to my installer. He said that Supreme went from a single to dual fan setup last year and would keep an eye on any new updates. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[webby3650]

We were really impressed with these units at the trade show last year. We ordered 2 but have yet to install one. We always enjoy talking to the folks at supreme. A true family owned and operated company.

 

[cpatria]

Thanks for the information @DrDieter! I also went ahead with the Flair 34. Mine was installed in March of this year, so I haven't used it too much as that was near end of the season. My initial reaction is how easy it is to use (my first insert or woodstove), how nice it looks, and the warmth. Only drawback that I've noticed is the blower doesn't appear to move much air. I contacted our installer about the fan concern who contacted Supreme and advised this has been a common complaint. Supreme is apparently working on engineering an improvement to retrofit onto current units. Our installer put me on the callback list once the update is ready to go. If you experience the same, I'd suggest you ask to be added to the callback list as well.

We had ours installed last January and had the same issue with the blowers. We had the retrofit installed about a month ago and it doesn’t really seem to be much of an improvement. It’s hard to tell of the airflow is even from the blowers or just radiant heat off of the panel. Did you have this retrofit installed as well?

 

[Trent Steel]

We had ours installed last January and had the same issue with the blowers. We had the retrofit installed about a month ago and it doesn’t really seem to be much of an improvement. It’s hard to tell of the airflow is even from the blowers or just radiant heat off of the panel. Did you have this retrofit installed as well?

I hadn't been contacted yet by the company that installed my unit. I'll give them a call to ask about the update. I'll report back to you after the update is installed. Hopefully my experience is different than yours. I really like the unit just want a little more air movement.

 

[cpatria]

I hadn't been contacted yet by the company that installed my unit. I'll give them a call to ask about the update. I'll report back to you after the update is installed. Hopefully my experience is different than yours. I really like the unit just want a little more air movement.

I ended up opening the unit after the retrofit was installed. It turns out the fans were supposed to also be rotated by the installers for the retrofit channel to redirect the airflow. We do now notice some additional airflow which we needed. You will probably need to reach out directly to the manufacturer to get the ball rolling on that retrofit.

 

[Trent Steel]

I ended up opening the unit after the retrofit was installed. It turns out the fans were supposed to also be rotated by the installers for the retrofit channel to redirect the airflow. We do now notice some additional airflow which we needed. You will probably need to reach out directly to the manufacturer to get the ball rolling on that retrofit.

Talked with the company I worked with and they'll be installing the update sometime in January. I'll report back once the retrofit is complete and I've had a chance to test it out.