Is Ecotek a good stove? Opinions needed.

[zrtmatos]

I am looking into if this type of stove is a good choice. Does anyone have any experience with it? Repairs, problems, issues??????

http://www.pelletstovefires.com/ecoteck-pellet-stoves.html
The model I am considering is the Elena model which puts out 48, 000 btu's.

 

[Bioburner]

The good, really put out the heat, quiet, german made fans. A lot of variability in setting up controls.
The bad, need frequent cleaning and high quality pellets. May need some minor finishing touches in sealing up hopper etc.
We use the unit as a shouldering stove and to bump the upstairs heat when the Harman downstairs is not quite getting enough heat upstairs. Typical on time is about an hour in the AM and PM. Takes usually under 5 minutes to ignite and a couple more to start shoving heat into room. LBT a must to keep performing without the fuss of pulling the back chamber ports.

 

[zrtmatos]

The good, really put out the heat, quiet, german made fans. A lot of variability in setting up controls.
The bad, need frequent cleaning and high quality pellets. May need some minor finishing touches in sealing up hopper etc.
We use the unit as a shouldering stove and to bump the upstairs heat when the Harman downstairs is not quite getting enough heat upstairs. Typical on time is about an hour in the AM and PM. Takes usually under 5 minutes to ignite and a couple more to start shoving heat into room. LBT a must to keep performing without the fuss of pulling the back chamber ports.

Thanks for the quick reply Bioburner. Can you send me any more info on the unit? I have a Harman and a Lopi Leyden. The Lopi requires some attention; doesn't like to be dirty at all. The Harman I can leave alone. How fussy is this one? Anymore pics on this you can provide?

 

[coolnuke]

we have a similar ecoteck stove for the main heat. clean it every wednesday and sunday, takes about a half hour. deep clean every ton. keeps the house nice and comfy/its on a thermostat so it puts out heat a hour before getting up then cuts back after we leave for school/work. then heat again an hour before getting home. cuts back again at night after in bed.

love this stove over wood stove and oil heat.

 

[zrtmatos]

we have a similar ecoteck stove for the main heat. clean it every wednesday and sunday, takes about a half hour. deep clean every ton. keeps the house nice and comfy/its on a thermostat so it puts out heat a hour before getting up then cuts back after we leave for school/work. then heat again an hour before getting home. cuts back again at night after in bed.

love this stove over wood stove and oil heat.

Can you send me more info on this stove? Any pics of your install? Seems like this unit is a neglected topic on this forum.

 

[coolnuke]

dont really have pictures of the stove. its in the living room on a small pedstal hearth. i have the stove set to blow into the room thru the front vents, sealed off the rear vents. burns thru about a 40#bag about a day and a half or so depening on the heat load.

 

[zrtmatos]

dont really have pictures of the stove. its in the living room on a small pedstal hearth. i have the stove set to blow into the room thru the front vents, sealed off the rear vents. burns thru about a 40#bag about a day and a half or so depening on the heat load.

can you tell me what you clean every Wednesday and Sunday? Other maintenance? Cleaning the tubes?

 

[zrtmatos]

How about the glass on these? Does it stay clean?

 

[coolnuke]

i clean the ash and dust from the bucket and glass. vaccuum the stove inside and remove the inside covers and vaccuum the soot. clean the burn pot and upper baffel.
the glass soots up quickly if its burning on low for a long time, otherwise its stays fairly clean between cleaning.

 

[Bioburner]

Couple more pictures. After new paint to match room. Exhaust fan. Burn pot. Corner install with a 45 elbow thru wall with no rise in pipe and stove has no power out issue at all. Minimal hearth needed below unit as the burn unit is well above floor which is great for our install as it blows air over the dining table. Like coolnuke cleaned about twice a week as the ashpan is small. Cant find my downloaded manuals.

 

[Bioburner]

How about the glass on these? Does it stay clean?

Ours stays very clean, but seems to be pellet dependent.

 

[zrtmatos]

Thanks guys, gals? Anymore info posted would be appreciated.

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/pellet-newbie-ecoteck-installed.72279/page-2#post-1574520
I have the Elena model, burning it for the third season now, burning about 2 to 3 tons a season. No problems, a well built and very quiet stove. Has a heat-exchanger scraper rod on the front. Stainless steel heat exchanger and burn-pot. I clean mine about once every 120 to 160 pounds of pellets, just a quick 10 minute vacuum and a glass-cleaning. I clean out my all-horizontal flue pipe every ton, and a full cleaning of the entire stove at the end of the season. Stove is not pickey about pellets or fines. Never have vacuumed out the hopper, and never had any auger or hopper jams. Hopper holds 76 pounds. It is a nice feature to have the programmable thermostat built-in. You can also easily connect an external standard low-voltage thermostat. Also has an IR Remote control. All the programmed operating parameters can be easily accessed and changed, if you feel like tinkering. The fuel feed rate and combustion blower speed can be easily tweeked from the control panel, and you can monitor the exhaust gas temperature. Also has a run-time hour-meter. Parts are easily availible from North Forge Heating (Annville PA), and are reasonable-priced (ignitor = $60, burn-pot = $90, room temp probe = $25). The outside air system is properly designed, sealed into the burn-pot (unlike some stoves where the outside air pipe is just open, inside the stove cabinet, allowing outside air to leak into the house when the stove is not being used.) You can get copy of the Factory Service Manual from me.

 

[zrtmatos]

Thanks Pelleting in NJ. Just the info and pics I was hoping to see.

 

[Lake Girl]

The good news is that I really like my Elena; the bad news is that they no longer produce the Elena (and other models). The page you have is an old page... here's the newest page of models available. http://usa.ravelligroup.it/

Unfortunately, they do not list dealers in the US or Canada on their website. You have to contact the Italian rep.

Still trying to figure out the deal on parts...

 

[zrtmatos]

Thanks Lake Girl. I guess everyone is on the Good news, bad news kick today. I wonder what is up with them and not having local dealers for them. I saw them at a local stove store a year ago. They were pushing them quite a lot. I should stop by again and see if they are being carried by them anymore.
So what do you like most about your model?

 

[Lake Girl]

What can I say - I'm shallow - she's pretty It's not just a squat black box. Heat production is very good and we get extremes of cold (near International Falls, MN). Install was straight forward (horizontal install) with min. 18" clearance of window with the Elena model. Clearances from stove are not extreme. I prefer softwood pellets which cost a little more but produce a lighter weight ash so less internal clogging.

Negatives - lousy quality metric screws (changed most of mine out as about half stripped). Exhaust cleaning as stated above has difficult areas to reach. Current confusion on dealers and sources for parts.

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

There are a couple of brand-new Ecotecks on Ebay, good prices, no sales tax and some with free shipping.

 

[Viking Girl]

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/pellet-newbie-ecoteck-installed.72279/page-2#post-1574520
I have the Elena model, burning it for the third season now, burning about 2 to 3 tons a season. No problems, a well built and very quiet stove. Has a heat-exchanger scraper rod on the front. Stainless steel heat exchanger and burn-pot. I clean mine about once every 120 to 160 pounds of pellets, just a quick 10 minute vacuum and a glass-cleaning. I clean out my all-horizontal flue pipe every ton, and a full cleaning of the entire stove at the end of the season. Stove is not pickey about pellets or fines. Never have vacuumed out the hopper, and never had any auger or hopper jams. Hopper holds 76 pounds. It is a nice feature to have the programmable thermostat built-in. You can also easily connect an external standard low-voltage thermostat. Also has an IR Remote control. All the programmed operating parameters can be easily accessed and changed, if you feel like tinkering. The fuel feed rate and combustion blower speed can be easily tweeked from the control panel, and you can monitor the exhaust gas temperature. Also has a run-time hour-meter. Parts are easily availible from North Forge Heating (Annville PA), and are reasonable-priced (ignitor = $60, burn-pot = $90, room temp probe = $25). The outside air system is properly designed, sealed into the burn-pot (unlike some stoves where the outside air pipe is just open, inside the stove cabinet, allowing outside air to leak into the house when the stove is not being used.) You can get copy of the Factory Service Manual from me.

We just put in a new Elena model stove that was stored for a number of years and have been looking for a Service Manual. Thanks for the info and the place I can get parts.

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

Send me your email thru the "Conversation" feature of this forum, see "Inbox" the tab at the upper right of the page, and I can send you the service manual.

 

[Bioburner]

We just put in a new Elena model stove that was stored for a number of years and have been looking for a Service Manual. Thanks for the info and the place I can get parts.

Try burning the pellets from the animal feed section of Fleet Farm. Has a horse head on a clear bag from Marth. Aspen pine blend and almost no fines for $4.89 a bag and cheaper than straight pine from the stove section. Smell pretty good too. No tax.

 

[Pelleting In NJ]

Viking Girl : I sent you the Service Manual today.....sorry I forgot about your request till today.