So I have had my Mini A for about 5 or 6 years now. Pretty reliable other than the igniter, but figured that out as well. The mini is small but the room it is heating is pretty small so I run it on 2 for a majority of the year and 3 (of 5) for the cold parts. I had a dealer tell me that hard woods work better in the mini a, and I can confirm. I have burned La cretes and Cleanfire pacific softwoods, and while the ash is less, the residue is always more orange than when I burn Northerns (Luazon) or even New England Wood pellets or Ultras. The residue left by hardwoods is always a light grey which means it is burning cleaner. The heat seems to be better as well. Has anyone had this experience with burning pellets in a Mini A?