Hopper extension for a Mt. Vernon AE insert?

[evil]

Hey guys! I have been playing with the idea of building a hopper extension for my insert. Being that the insert is in an interior wall of my home and I have full access to the rear. Because of this I was thinking maybe making a metal hopper with a 3" or larger diameter metal drop tube that will fill the current hopper on my stove. Has anybody tried this yet with an insert or has thoughts, issues with this idea? Thanks!

 

[JoeS]

Good Luck, this is one of the biggest problems with the design of the AE Insert, the hopper is just to damn small.

It is like having a 500 HP car that only holds 5 gallons of fuel!

 

[NoMoreOPEC]

It needs to be air tight. The current lid on the AE has rubber gaskets to provide the correct air draw.