Any Drolet Eco-65 owner?

[Lewis]

I just bought a Drolet Eco-65 to replace my PSG Cobra 55 000 btu. Both stoves comes from Quebec Canada so some of you might have never heard of those brands ;-)

So far, I'm not completely satisfied with my new Eco-65. The glass gets really dirty after 2 bags and I can't really tell if it produces more heat than my previous +10 years old stove. I had installed both stoves myself. My old stove was connected to a 3" pipe than to my 30' high brick chimney with metal sleeve. The new one has the same set up except that it's running on a 4" pipe instead of 3". The 4" pipe is definitely not as hot as my old one. I also add a home made OAK. It's made of a 25' long insulated 4" flex pipe. I can't tell a difference of heat before and after I've installed my OAK. I could add some pics later but from what I've told, can someone tell me if there's something wrong with my setup? I've been trying 3 different brands of pellets without any change.

I have also to consider that temperature have reach rock bottom records of -31°C or -24°F last few nights. Highest temp had been around -20°C or -4°F in the afternoons! Does this low temperature might affect the combustion heat in the pot?

Thanks in advance for any hint and please excuse my poor english. I'm from the french part of Canada (hey?)

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Did you buy that Drolet new and unused?

If it was used it likely needs a really good cleaning (possible dirty glass cause).

If it is new you might want to check the door gasket just in case something loosened up while it was being moved around (possible dirty glass cause).

A bit later I'll download the manual for it and see what it has to say.

 

[Lewis]

Yeah it's brand new.

The flame is really alive, not dancing at all! That's why I didn't suspect an air leak from the glass door or ash door... But I'll definitely take a look at it tonight ;-)

 

[pete324rocket]

I know the eco-45 very well and so am I to assume that the "65" means 65,000 btu's or is the designation got to do with hopper capacity(which some of the later models offered a larger hopper). Regardless,I have found it to be a pretty good stove, and to be sure ,it has been bitterly cold and I have had to jack my stoves output like never before....and so it is important not to let the house cool down at all. I would suggest that you wait for the weather to moderate before passing judgement. It is simple science that -20 Celsius or more with the wind will put any heating device to the test. As for the dirty glass.....I donno. People fuss and fight about their dirty glass. For me,I have a simple magnetic heat gauge(less than 20 bucks) that tells me what kind of temps I'm getting.It is more important than seeing the fire for me. This past cold snap I am hitting 700 degrees......and thats hot! (and only on a three setting).

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I know the eco-45 very well and so am I to assume that the "65" means 65,000 btu's or is the designation got to do with hopper capacity(which some of the later models offered a larger hopper). Regardless,I have found it to be a pretty good stove, and to be sure ,it has been bitterly cold and I have had to jack my stoves output like never before....and so it is important not to let the house cool down at all. I would suggest that you wait for the weather to moderate before passing judgement. It is simple science that -20 Celsius or more with the wind will put any heating device to the test. As for the dirty glass.....I donno. People fuss and fight about their dirty glass. For me,I have a simple magnetic heat gauge(less than 20 bucks) that tells me what kind of temps I'm getting.It is more important than seeing the fire for me. This past cold snap I am hitting 700 degrees......and thats hot! (and only on a three setting).

It is a 65,000 BTU unit with an up to 125 pound hopper.

To the OP, looks like your installation is well within specifications.

When you changed out the venting did you get the blocking plate sealed?

 

[Lewis]

It is a 65,000 BTU unit with an up to 125 pound hopper.

To the OP, looks like your installation is well within specifications.

When you changed out the venting did you get the blocking plate sealed?

Yes, that's the one!

Blocking plate sealed? I don't know what you are refering to... I know someone who needs to take a deeper look at his owner manual ;-)

The owner manual said that the OAK shouldn't be longer than 10' while I had 25'. So I relocated it and shorten it to 10'. I then cleaned the glass, brushed the pot and started it... Few hours later, I can tell that glass is still getting dirty :-(

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

It is a 65,000 BTU unit with an up to 125 pound hopper.

To the OP, looks like your installation is well within specifications.

When you changed out the venting did you get the blocking plate sealed?

Yes, that's the one!

Blocking plate sealed? I don't know what you are refering to... I know someone who needs to take a deeper look at his owner manual ;-)

The owner manual said that the OAK shouldn't be longer than 10' while I had 25'. So I relocated it and shorten it to 10'. I then cleaned the glass, brushed the pot and started it... Few hours later, I can tell that glass is still getting dirty :-(

The ten foot was for a mobile home IIRC.

Blocking plate seals the vent to the walls of the chimney if the venting is going up a former fireplace chimney and stops any possibility of house air being drafted out of the house..

 

[Lewis]

[/quote]

The ten foot was for a mobile home IIRC.

Blocking plate seals the vent to the walls of the chimney if the venting is going up a former fireplace chimney and stops any possibility of house air being drafted out of the house..[/quote]

Oh! I see! I'm using the existing chimney that was connected initially to a wood stove, not a fireplace... So no blocking plate ;-)

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Oh! I see! I'm using the existing chimney that was connected initially to a wood stove, not a fireplace... So no blocking plate ;-)

Ok, on the no blocking plate, I was just trying to find a reason for your perceived loss of heat, the only thing off the top of my head was that you might have that thing installed into a fireplace chimney and hadn't gotten the blocking plate all sealed. Heated house air then can be drafted up the chimney if a path to the outside existed.

Trying to get all of the bases covered.

 

[Lewis]

Well, I realized one thing so far. The hot air from my old stove was coming out of ±10 pipes on the stove's front. The air seems hotter with a higher volume. The Eco-65 has an opening of ± 6" x 18" to let the hot air out. Air volume and temp are then "diluted". That might be the reason why it seems not as hot as my old stove. That combined to the fact that exterior temperature dropped significantly the day that I switched stove... I may be wrong about the heat output.

On the other hand, I'm still complaining about the glass getting dirty. Yesterday evening I shorten the OAK to 10', washed the glass and it was all amber this morning :-(

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Well, I realized one thing so far. The hot air from my old stove was coming out of ±10 pipes on the stove's front. The air seems hotter with a higher volume. The Eco-65 has an opening of ± 6" x 18" to let the hot air out. Air volume and temp are then "diluted". That might be the reason why it seems not as hot as my old stove. That combined to the fact that exterior temperature dropped significantly the day that I switched stove... I may be wrong about the heat output.

On the other hand, I'm still complaining about the glass getting dirty. Yesterday evening I shorten the OAK to 10', washed the glass and it was all amber this morning :-(

I never noticed mention of an air wash in the manual, it is possible that if it exists it needs an adjustment or is plugged and needs cleaning.

 

[pete324rocket]

Well, I realized one thing so far. The hot air from my old stove was coming out of ±10 pipes on the stove's front. The air seems hotter with a higher volume. The Eco-65 has an opening of ± 6" x 18" to let the hot air out. Air volume and temp are then "diluted". That might be the reason why it seems not as hot as my old stove. That combined to the fact that exterior temperature dropped significantly the day that I switched stove... I may be wrong about the heat output.

On the other hand, I'm still complaining about the glass getting dirty. Yesterday evening I shorten the OAK to 10', washed the glass and it was all amber this morning :-(

I haven't seen a picture of your stove and maybe it is not much different than mine,but I'm wondering if you have that vent thingy on a hinge that cover the front of the tubes on the front. I took mine off so the heat can flow straight out.It took some work though.Won't make it any hotter but at least the heat won't be pointed to the floor. If you have a picture,post it. I am curious to what they did to make it a hotter stove. I hope they have used some heavier material in some places. I have gone thru a warped baffle and cracked burnpot. The thin steel plates at the back of the stove warped a long time ago,but thats par for the course I figure. I also have it vented to a stainless piped chimney,and the draft is lots. I have modified the damper on the right side(if you have it there) because it was so sloppy. I get better heat sometimes with it shut tight,regardless of pellet build up. A good investment,as I have been preaching all along,is a cheap(less than 20 bucks) magnetic flue temperature gauge,that you can stick on the front,so you can actually understand what draft settings and heat output have in commom.

 

[JoeNezZ]

the drolet eco 35 & 45 do not have airwash glass so the 65 probably does not either, my eco 45 starts getting a light haze on the glass after 2 hours after 6 hrs U cant see the flame, in the most it is just light ash coating that wipes off easy with a damp rag every time I reload & scrape the burn pot once a day.

I see the 65 uses the old hamster wheel style convection blowers, they are alot better than the tubaxial blowers they switched to with the series II eco 45

the 65 appears to use two separate "record player" style intake & exhaust blower motors this should be cheaper to repair or replace than the combex design used in the 35 & 45 but the air intake may be trickier to get perfect for a clean burn, I don't really see the type of heat exchanger they are using it appears to be different with the eco 65 no cleaning rod that I can see by looking at the manual, it looks like a much larger cleaning job than the 35 & 45

I am burning enviro pellet premium they are clean burning high BTU & produce little ash, I clean the ash well once a week & empty the ash drawer once a month durring full use, I burn between a bag & a bag & a half a day on setting 3-4 that will heat ok at -25c, I have it on a set back so it shuts down at 12:30 am to 5:30 am when I am in the bed room & use a propane wall furnace to heat the bedroom, the main house is at around 65-68 degrees f when I get up at 7:30 then I bump the feed up a notch to warm it up to 72 in about 20 minutes.

Joe

 

[pete324rocket]

yeah its a pretty good stove I think,and to be sure,my glass gets coated easily but its not that big a deal. Can you tell me....when you cut the draft back all the way,van you get a "lazy" flame?...and by lazy, I mean really slow. Any warped parts? There was a few people having a pile of problems a few years back of all different sorts and mostly just a learning curve of using pellets. I don't see too many complaints so far this year,and that good. Wait till the warrrantys start to run out I suppose, but they have a good one and that is a plus.

 

[JoeNezZ]

yeah its a pretty good stove I think,and to be sure,my glass gets coated easily but its not that big a deal. Can you tell me....when you cut the draft back all the way,van you get a "lazy" flame?...and by lazy, I mean really slow. Any warped parts? There was a few people having a pile of problems a few years back of all different sorts and mostly just a learning curve of using pellets. I don't see too many complaints so far this year,and that good. Wait till the warrrantys start to run out I suppose, but they have a good one and that is a plus.

I have the eco 45 witch uses the combex system that has the combustion intake & exhaust blowers on the same duel shaft motor, this system is not as picky with air adjustment as the separate intake & exhaust motor or exhaust only systems.

currently my air intake remains 1/3 to 1/4 open all the time with no problems, however with some brands of pellets if you are using it on low setting & the fire burns up the pellets too fast & or goes out, then you close the air intake completely but this will cause excessively dirty glass so once the out door temp drops to a level that you can run it on 2 or higher then open the intake about 1/4

Over all I am happy with it, if you are moving from a wood stove to a pellet stove like I did you won,t get that hot high heat blasting out at 400-600F, but you will get a very nicely regulated heat like you would get with a furnace but more even heat when the stove is not cycling on & off.

Price wise I pay about $60.00 more per ton of premium pellets than for a cord of fire wood delivered & 1 ton heats my place to 72 degrees for the same number of days as I could heat with 1 cord of wood in an epa approved wood stove.

whats not impressive is about the drolet eco45 is the crap quality of the parts they used, in the second season the igniter went after about 8 months of use, this was covered under warranty, now in the 3rd season about 15 months of use the tubaxial convection fans had to be replaced due to bad bearings (at my expense) and the combex blower motor also has noisy bearings when the stove starts from cold but quiets down when the stove warms up, and the burn pot started showing cracks after 6 months because of the stainless steel being to the thin & will probably only last this season before it will need replacing.

To me when you pay $2000.00 + for a heating appliance it should last at least 10 seasons (5 years of combined use before you have to start replacing parts)

Joe

 

[Lewis]

I'm not sure about what an air wash should looks like but there's a thin slot in the combustion chamber, just under the glass, same width as the door. There's another one on top. I'll get my camera back this week-end so I'll post some pics later. But as some mentionned, I didn't see any sign of an air wash in the user manual :-s ...but they seems to troubleshoot if the glass gets dirty quickly. As someone wrote, my glass is turning amber slowly after 2h of burns...

 

[badzooka]

hey fellas! nice to see others using this unit - hard as heck to find community info and drolet {sbi} takes forever to reply to emails. i remember reading about an airwash system on the eco-65. A quik heads-up here - if u ever run into the "3 reset lockout" and subsequent code-h your stove will become inoperable even with "pull-the-plug" type reset. there is a sequence of buttons to recover from this it goes as follows :.(one button at a time)
(Reset) (mode) (+) (-) (the fan logo for 3 seconds) you wont find that info in the manual! as for dirty glass mine gets dirty after about 12 hrs operation but scrapes easy with flat razor even when hot. interesting to hear your issues with as i am burning a 20% pellet /80% corn mix and corn is supposed to be much dirtier. btw dont tell drolet about ur grain experiments as it voids warranty ;-) but so as u know it works just fine, proly gotta empty ash pot more often and gotta squish the fluffy ash down once or twice a day. Home hardware is advertising unit as grain capable [ google their online ad!] but sbi says no way.

 

[pete324rocket]

Yes I posted the reset somewhere on the board here awhile back when mine and then others had the same problem. As for the glass,I've used a razor at first but thankfully I realized(like others) that a damp rag with wood ashes on it makes a superior cleaner although messy sometimes.

 

[pete324rocket]

yeah its a pretty good stove I think,and to be sure,my glass gets coated easily but its not that big a deal. Can you tell me....when you cut the draft back all the way,van you get a "lazy" flame?...and by lazy, I mean really slow. Any warped parts? There was a few people having a pile of problems a few years back of all different sorts and mostly just a learning curve of using pellets. I don't see too many complaints so far this year,and that good. Wait till the warrrantys start to run out I suppose, but they have a good one and that is a plus.

I have the eco 45 witch uses the combex system that has the combustion intake & exhaust blowers on the same duel shaft motor, this system is not as picky with air adjustment as the separate intake & exhaust motor or exhaust only systems.

currently my air intake remains 1/3 to 1/4 open all the time with no problems, however with some brands of pellets if you are using it on low setting & the fire burns up the pellets too fast & or goes out, then you close the air intake completely but this will cause excessively dirty glass so once the out door temp drops to a level that you can run it on 2 or higher then open the intake about 1/4

Over all I am happy with it, if you are moving from a wood stove to a pellet stove like I did you won,t get that hot high heat blasting out at 400-600F, but you will get a very nicely regulated heat like you would get with a furnace but more even heat when the stove is not cycling on & off.

Price wise I pay about $60.00 more per ton of premium pellets than for a cord of fire wood delivered & 1 ton heats my place to 72 degrees for the same number of days as I could heat with 1 cord of wood in an epa approved wood stove.

whats not impressive is about the drolet eco45 is the crap quality of the parts they used, in the second season the igniter went after about 8 months of use, this was covered under warranty, now in the 3rd season about 15 months of use the tubaxial convection fans had to be replaced due to bad bearings (at my expense) and the combex blower motor also has noisy bearings when the stove starts from cold but quiets down when the stove warms up, and the burn pot started showing cracks after 6 months because of the stainless steel being to the thin & will probably only last this season before it will need replacing.

To me when you pay $2000.00 + for a heating appliance it should last at least 10 seasons (5 years of combined use before you have to start replacing parts)

Joe

Joe,does the silencer feature work on your stove? Mine doesn't seem to do anything....

 

[Lewis]

So here's my setup. There seems to be an airwash as you can see on a picture. There's a small opening below the door opening and above also. You'll also see my home made OAK. I've installed it in january that way 'cause it wouldn't be a good idea to drill a hole in the wall at this time of the year here up north. I know that having the stove sat on a wood pallet is not really up to code but this stove weight a ton or two an I'm planning to build a tile podium next spring. By the way, please do not comment on the wall color as it was painted by previous owner...

After a good cleaning, the glass gets dirty after a few hours of burn and I also noticed that there's alot of ash in the drawer... I might contact Drolet next week to see what they have to say about that. An other thing that is bugging me is when I turn the stove off, the convection blower turn to its highest speed (don't know why but I don't really care) and there's a smoke odor coming along with that hot air? I don't understand how that hot air can come in contact with smoke...

Lewis

 

[Lewis]

A quick follow-up...

I've talked with the SBI (Drolet) tech support last week and the guy was seriously suspecting a smoke leak from the chimney. He asked me what brand of chimney I had. He told me that Selkirk often leaks from the T... The guy was right. I took a lighter and ran the flame all along the cleaning cap and the air leak blew the flame off. I also noticed some leaks on the vertical seam of a chimney section. So the lesson I've learned is that we should not only tape the junction between chimney sections but also along the seams.

What happened is when heating, there was no smoke leak due to natural chimney draft and exhaust fan high speed. When the stove was cooling down, the exhaust fan is slowing down and the convection fan is spinning at its highest speed. The convection fan is located at the rear of the stove and is a squirrel cage type. At its highest speed, it was drafting the light fume coming from the chimney leak and was blowing it in the convection duct. All in all, problem solved. Excuse my poor english as I'm french-canadian :-s

 

[heat seeker]

Glad you got it solved!
Your English is a lot better than mon français!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Lewis,

Your English is just fine. We won't throw the stairs down you ;-) .

About that air wash see if you can get a thin business card into it and move it from side to side to clean it out.

If they get covered in ashes they'll plug and become useless. Some of them ( I'm not saying yours does or does not) have a means of making minor adjustments.

 

[Michhump]

Had a Eco 65 installed in early January...works and heats great. My glass also gets dirty fast, but I found when restarting the stove, put it on 4 for an hour or so then turn it down. The higher temps seems to burn off any soot on the glass. I also find when I clean the unit that the Mr. Clean magic eraser works great. Just wipe it off with a paper towel and its crystal clean. I mix my pellets too...hard and soft...seems to burn hotter and longer. My basement easily gets to 35C with the stove on 4 and then I lower it to 2, keeps the temp around 30c. Upstairs in the main level it usually stays around 23c. I average around 1 to 1.5 bags a day..stove runs 24/7..shut down once a week for cleaning. The only thing different in our setup Lewis, is my installer didn't put in a fresh air line. Said it wasn't needed in this house. Stove just sucks air from the floor. We heat our place with just the stove, haven't turned on a baseboard heater yet.

 

[DV]

Just saw this post. I've got the Drolet Eco 65 as well. Installed it late last winter so didnt really get to use it. I've had it running everyday now for the past 3 weeks. Same issue as everyone says about the glass getting dirty quickly. My little girls say look daddy a butterfly! Gotta love that. I love the heat. Its in my finished basement. Approx 800 sf. With the basement door open the heat does pretty well getting up the main floor. We also have an open foyer to the upstairs which also seems to help the hot air get up. I have not tried adjusting the damper on the fresh air intake to see if that makes any difference?
My next project is the OAK and adding a duct directly upstairs. Just waiting for the parts to arrive.
All in all I am very happy with the stove. I'm burning about a bag a day. Basement is toasty aroung 82. Main level will stay between 70 and 74. My upstairs bedroom between 66 and 70. I'm hoping once I get the duct installed I should have less heat in basement and more heat main and upstairs level. Heres a pic