swap Enviro Mini burn pot for Mini-A?

[NowhereMan]

We have a 2008 Enviro Mini (not Mini-A) and the burn pot liner is deteriorating. I'm wondering if anybody here has successfully used a Mini-A burn pot and liner in a Mini. The Mini-A versions are about 1.5 inches wider than the Mini. It look to me like it might be do-able modification, but I'm not sure, and I'm also not sure whether it would be a wise modification...

 

[johneh]

Right from Enviro
Important Note**:

• There are two versions of this burn pot that fit different variations of the Enviro Mini Pellet Stove. There is the Enviro Mini (2005-2008), and the Enviro Mini Version A (2009-Present)- the burn pots for each of these models is slightly different (the holes are slightly different in size). Ensure you select the correct burn pot for your unit- if you have the manual it should be clearly labelled on the cover and you can verify the part numbers match those in the replacement part list. See below for more details

Enviro Part Number/Applicable Models:

• 50-1166 ( Only Compatible with Enviro Mini which was manufactured from 2005-2008)
• 50-1922 ( Only Compatible with the Enviro Mini Version A which was manufactured in 2009-Present Day )

 

[NowhereMan]

Yes, I know which burn pot my Enviro Mini currently has. As I mentioned, we have a 2008 model, and it is not a Mini-A. I also realize that the burn pots are not the same size (the Mini-A burn pot liner is 1.5 inches longer).

The question is whether anybody has tried the Mini-A burn pot in a Mini-not-A. It looks to me like it could be done with a fairly minor mod.

 

[johneh]

If you want to try that is up to you but the holes on the newer
stove are bigger so your first problem is to fill and redrill to your stove size and position
or you would have massive air leaks around the pipes you would also need a burn pot liner
If you try keep us informed, please

 

[NowhereMan]

Thanks for the reply. I don't have a Mini-A nearby that I can measure, but from the images and descriptions of the parts, it looks to me like the 2 holes (air intake and ignitor) in the burn pot are the same size and spacing in both our version of the Mini and the Mini-A. If so, the mods required would be relatively minor and I can't see what would possible cause "air leaks".

If anyone has a Mini-A and could provide precise measurements of the burn pot (not the liner), that would be much appreciated.

 

[NowhereMan]

A little more searching and I've found that somebody has already done this and, not surprisingly, they posted to this same forum:

Enviro Mini to Mini-A Upgrade - New Control Board and Burn Pot/Liner

I was considering a control board upgrade on my early model Mini ( see https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/50061/ ), but decided to upgrade a few other items as well. I had a great phone call with an Enviro Factory Tech, and based on his recommendation I opted for the new board and larger burn...

www.hearth.com

Since I need a new burn pot liner, I'll go ahead with the Mini-A burn pot and liner mod. I don't plan to change the control board just now, but I'll probably do that eventually, as it gives much finer control (I wish I'd known about that when my control board got fried in a power surge a few years ago).

I'll post updates here as things progress...

 

[NowhereMan]

I got the parts and installed them today. It was literally a 10 minute job, and everything seems to be working fine. If I notice any problems later, I'll post here.

The new burn pot took a little persuasion (with a hammer) to get it positioned properly, but otherwise it was all trivially easy. In our version, there was a slider under the (open) burn pot, but the Mini-A has an enclosed burn pot, so that slider has to go--I just bent the handle slightly to remove it, and if need be, I could put it back in place (there is a small hole where the handle for that slider exited that I'll need to plug). There are a couple of tabs on the Mini-A burn pot that align perfectly with the grate, so it was obvious when it was positioned correctly.

The first picture is our Mini setup before the swap, 2nd shows the old and new parts, the 3rd shows the new burn pot installed, the 4th is the new burn pot with the burn pot liner inserted, 5th shows the slider thing I mentioned above, and the last one is the payoff...

 

[NowhereMan]

Just a quick update: So far, so great!

This is definitely an upgrade to the original Mini, and I would strongly recommend it to one who bought the Mini before it became the Mini-A. The benefits to this Mini-A upgrade include

1) More consistent ignition
2) Far less crud building up on the glass
3) More heat

With the original Mini, starting the fire usually worked, but it was always iffy, with the fire either failing to start or dying (by getting smothered by pellets) a significant percentage of the time. With the larger burn pot, this issue seems to have completely vanished, as it starts much more easily. Previously, the glass would start to foul almost immediately, and after a few days of light usage, it would need cleaning. With the Mini-A setup, the air circulation across the glass is vastly improved, and the buildup is far, far, far less. And, yes, the Mini-A mod does even seem to put out slightly more heat on the same setting (I have not tinkered with the pellet feed rate). Heat-wise, I'd say it is at least 10% more at a give setting.

 

[NowhereMan]

We've had this mod for 11 months, and here is another quick update...

Everything continues to work well. If anybody out there is still running an ancient Enviro Mini (pre-Mini-A), I strongly recommend this simple mod, as it is a definite upgrade.