# Is Enviro Mini the stove for us??



## yogajohn (Feb 26, 2012)

I've been using this site to help me figure out a good pellet stove for our condo.  It's seems like the Mini is it, but I'd love opinions one way or the other.

This is what we have now:  3 story condo that is 1150 sq/ft.  We currently have a wood stove on the main floor (which is the second floor).   The 1st floor has a 10K btu Empire propane stove that barely does the job to keep 1st floor warm,  and costs a ton if we run as much as needed.  3rd floor is 2 beds and bath - 1st & 2nd floor have open floor plan.

Our plan:  Replace Empire with Mini, and hopefully significantly reduce wood (or no wood) use as well.  We are also doing an extreme energy efficient upgrade - so the condo should be very tight.

What do you think?  Good plan? Other stove better?  Will Mini do the job?

Thanks for any feedback!!

John


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## imacman (Feb 26, 2012)

I have a friend who installed a Mini last year and loved it.  VERY quiet and seemed to have no problem burning most any pellet he put in it.  

Approx. how many sq. ft are you reasonably trying to heat with the stove?


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## yogajohn (Feb 26, 2012)

Thanks for responding! Glad to hear your friend likes the Mini.  So, my 1st floor is 350 sq/ft and the 2nd/3rd are 400 sq/ft.  If we are able to keep the first 2 comfortable that would be great.  The 3rd floor is 3 rooms - so I guess a strategy would be to keep those doors closed...but, the hope would be for the first 2 being really comfortable - 3rd
Floor doesn't matter as much.


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## Easternshore Bob (Feb 26, 2012)

I have had our Mini for about 5 years. Great stove, we are in MD and have a 2 story house 1200 sq ft with 2 bedrooms and a bath upstairs with the mini at the bottom of the staircase in our living room. The house was built in 1930 and is not the tightest. When it is 35 and below or the wind is blowing good we have to keep the bedroom doors closed to keep the temps up down stairs. If I was trying to heat the first and second floor I would be at the upper limit with this stove. Alot has to do with the placement of my stove at the bottom of the staircase. If I could have located the stove on the other side of the room I think it would be better.  That being said we chose the Mini for the small footprint and not needing a large base to sit on. The stove has 5 heat settings 1 the lowest and 5 the highest, I only need to run the stove on the 5 to bring the temp up and then our usual setting is 2 or 3 depending on the wind. When we first installed the stove it was in our dinning room, the following year we relocated it to the living room, heat was OK but much better in the living room.

Not sure if this helps but if I were to replace the stove I would get another Mini.


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## jrsdws (Feb 26, 2012)

The Mini looks to get good reviews and has a nice small footprint.  I wonder if the next step up to the Evolution might do better?  At only 4" wider, but 1" more shallow on the depth, it is rated at 1/3 more output than the Mini.  Something to think about should you want to heat that 3rd floor.  Food for thought.


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## LI-Mini-Owner (Feb 26, 2012)

Been happy with my Mini.  I bought it the first season it came out, and it did have some shortcomings with the burn pot and control board design.  I took care of this by upgrading to the newer components.   These changes were incorporated shortly after in the "Mini-A", which AFAIK is still the configuration being sold today.

The only component failure I've had was an igniter.

My only gripe is with the OAK design, in that it does not terminate directly into air intake for the burn pot.  Therefore, during a power failure, even with the OAK connected there will be some smoke that escapes into the cabinet (and house).     It's one of the reasons I went for a UPS in hopes that most power outages are less than the 45 minutes that the UPS can handle.


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## mikkeeh (Feb 26, 2012)

I was also considering a mini as a second stove......more for the "ambiance" than for heating ability.  i was told by local dealers..(who dont carrry Enviro) that parts ar nearly impossible to get.   Is there a problem obtaining parts for these?


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## jtakeman (Feb 26, 2012)

mikkeeh said:
			
		

> I was also considering a mini as a second stove......more for the "ambiance" than for heating ability.  i was told by local dealers..(who dont carrry Enviro) that parts ar nearly impossible to get.   Is there a problem obtaining parts for these?



No, not at all. And trust me you won't need many spare parts anyway! Very dependable stove if treated properly! 

A dealer that sells Enviro, can usually get about any part required quickly. If not stocked in house they can usually have them drop shipped right to you. The mini are pretty popular so they should have most items in stock. My less popular Omega is also very easy to get replacements for. Usually less than a week.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Feb 26, 2012)

mikkeeh said:
			
		

> I was also considering a mini as a second stove......more for the "ambiance" than for heating ability.  i was told by local dealers..(who dont carrry Enviro) that parts ar nearly impossible to get.   Is there a problem obtaining parts for these?



Funny Enviro is still in the Mini business: http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#mini


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## jtakeman (Feb 26, 2012)

SmokeyTheBe said:
			
		

> mikkeeh said:
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Certainly sounds more like some dealer BS too me! They don't sell Enviro so its easier to bad mouth them so the people buy what they sell instead! Wonder why we don't trust many of these dealers! I had a dealer talk me out of a Maxx because he couldn't get them. So he said they had major door seal issues. Talked me into a Breckwell bigE. That had many issues and I learned quickly that he was full of chit! 

Heck, You can even get Enviro parts online! Some big named stoves(no names mentioned on purpose!)! You don't have that option!


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## hoverfly (Feb 26, 2012)

JohnM said:
			
		

> I've been using this site to help me figure out a good pellet stove for our condo. It's seems like the Mini is it, but I'd love opinions one way or the other.
> 
> This is what we have now: 3 story condo that is 1150 sq/ft. We currently have a wood stove on the main floor (which is the second floor). The 1st floor has a 10K btu Empire propane stove that barely does the job to keep 1st floor warm, and costs a ton if we run as much as needed. 3rd floor is 2 beds and bath - 1st & 2nd floor have open floor plan.
> 
> ...



If you are well insulated, the Mini should be adequate. The only thing is the cold air intake does not terminate at the burner.


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## yogajohn (Feb 26, 2012)

So...from everyone's comments it seems like, in general, people think the Mini will work.  Cool!   Because we really like the look of the Mini.    We did look at the Enviro Evolution, but we just really love the look of the Mini.  We did go to a dealer and look at the Wittus that are really beautiful styling, but they are nearly twice as expensive.  

The other thing, with tightening the house, having the air intake with the stove seems good -- right?  I don't understand what you are saying about the OAK  "does not terminate directly into air intake for the burn pot".  Why does this matter?  Also, will the OAK act as a fresh air circulator, which is recommend if the house is really tight.

Because our chimney already has a stove, we can't vent this through the chimney, so we are going to direct vent it.  Is that part of the OAK?  Don't understand to OAK I guess.  I did see how the fan can be outside and I love that idea just because I'm used to a wood stove that is quite, so the quieter this can be the better!!

Thanks everyone.  This is such a help.

John


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## LI-Mini-Owner (Feb 26, 2012)

OAK=Outside Air Kit.  2" diameter flex pipe from outside the house to provide combustion air.   Not required by code in all municipalities, but a good idea, especially if your house is "tight".   Without it, things like bathroom fan, kitchen range hood can starve the pellet stove for air.

When you're at the dealer, have them open up the right side of the mini, and you'll see how the OAK just stops at the cabinet.  Check other stoves, and you'll find that most if not all terminate right at the air inlet to the burn pot.   Not a big deal, or a show stopper IMO.

It's probably a hundred bucks more for the external blower housing.  It will make a quiet stove even quieter.  It does need annual servicing, I might not go for that option if it's very high off the ground.


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## yogajohn (Feb 26, 2012)

LI-Mini-Owner said:
			
		

> OAK=Outside Air Kit.  2" diameter flex pipe from outside the house to provide combustion air.   Not required by code in all municipalities, but a good idea, especially if your house is "tight".   Without it, things like bathroom fan, kitchen range hood can starve the pellet stove for air.
> 
> When you're at the dealer, have them open up the right side of the mini, and you'll see how the OAK just stops at the cabinet.  Check other stoves, and you'll find that most if not all terminate right at the air inlet to the burn pot.   Not a big deal, or a show stopper IMO.
> 
> It's probably a hundred bucks more for the external blower housing.  It will make a quiet stove even quieter.  It does need annual servicing, I might not go for that option if it's very high off the ground.



OK -- good to know.  Why do you say you might not go for it if it's high off the ground?   Though, it won't be.  The stove will be right on ground floor.


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## hoverfly (Feb 26, 2012)

JohnM said:
			
		

> LI-Mini-Owner said:
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To be able to service the blower from the outside, if you choose to use the external blower option.


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## 1Dtml (Feb 26, 2012)

You can go here and click on the technical manual pdf to familiarize yourself with the terminology, and the actual install information, so you can plan out the install location.

http://www.enviro.com/fireplace-products/pellet/freestanding-fireplace.html#mini

I hope this helps,

1D


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## skinanbones (Feb 27, 2012)

You will love the Mini.  We sell about 20 a year and almost no issuses with them and most people are heating upwards of 2000 sq ft most of the year.


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## yogajohn (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for all the info and feedback about the Mini from everyone -- I'm learning stuff.     It's nice to hear about the fact that people like it and sounds like a really good stove, as well as the OAK information -- something I didn't know about.  I'll check out the technical manual so I'm more on top of things when I go back to the dealer.

WELL...with that -- I guess in buying the stove do you think there is room to negotiate the price?   When I went to a place to talk about price they said $2600 for the stove, $195 for vent kit (is think that isn't OAK) and $375 for installation.   Just wondering if this seems ok.   I know nothing about what this should cost.


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## jrsdws (Feb 27, 2012)

Always room to TRY to negotiate.  I see it advertised for as low as $2329 on one store's website.  That doesn't mean much, but would make me want to compare prices with other stores at the very least.  $195 for the vent kit is probably pretty standard IF it will work for your situation.  Make sure that kit will work for your site.  I'm sure that's a standard up and out kit.  The OAK is probably seperate but can be done with flexible aluminum dryer vent and is pretty cheap.  Good luck and keep us posted.


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## skinanbones (Feb 27, 2012)

If you want to take a drive to Ontario Canada a few of us dealers are selling Mini's for $1899 plus 13% Hst


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## yogajohn (Feb 27, 2012)

skinanbones said:
			
		

> If you want to take a drive to Ontario Canada a few of us dealers are selling Mini's for $1899 plus 13% Hst



Wow!  Well, actually, I'm only an hour from the Canadian border, then another hour to Montreal.  It's quite a ways to your place, though. Do you have any dealers you know between Montreal and the US border area who are doing that price?  I'd seriously think about going across the border and buying it.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Feb 27, 2012)

JohnM said:
			
		

> skinanbones said:
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Watch out for customs duty fees if any.


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## Brokenwing (Feb 27, 2012)

I looked at the mini also here in Maryland, The dealer was selling it Brand new for 1800.00.  Plus there was 100.00 off from enviro.  It was a big sale they were having which ends this month!  If you were not so far away I would tell you to come to MD Lol!


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## hoverfly (Feb 27, 2012)

Brokenwing said:
			
		

> I looked at the mini also here in Maryland, The dealer was selling it Brand new for 1800.00.  Plus there was 100.00 off from enviro.  It was a big sale they were having which ends this month!  If you were not so far away I would tell you to come to MD Lol!



Grab those Minis!!  That's a good price!


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## skinanbones (Feb 28, 2012)

there might be some dealers closer to you that would be in on the deal.  Its something our distributor The Foundry and Enrivo put together, if i order 6 units i get the $1899 price for the year.  I would check out dealers around Ottawa as The Foundry only sells Enviro in Ontario i beileve.  By the way the Mini and the M55 cast are what made us Enviro's top dealer in Ontario last year.


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## saigon71 (Feb 28, 2012)

Last Fall, I paid $2299 for the Mini, plus $237 for venting, and $175 in labor in Bernardston, MA.  I think that price in Burlington sounds really high!


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## yogajohn (Feb 28, 2012)

saigon71 said:
			
		

> Last Fall, I paid $2299 for the Mini, plus $237 for venting, and $175 in labor in Bernardston, MA.  I think that price in Burlington sounds really high!



Yup...it definitely looks that way!  I'm feeling like I need to either go to Canada or Maryland for a really good price.  It's nice to know there are options out there.  That's for telling me about the venting and labor as well -- even those prices are higher.


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## will711 (Feb 28, 2012)

JohnM said:
			
		

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Just an FYI, I did a dealer search on Enviro web site there are  3-4 dealers with in a hour of Burlington maybe worth a call to shop around do some price comparisons.


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## Enviro Mini Owner (Mar 7, 2013)

yogajohn said:


> Thanks for all the info and feedback about the Mini from everyone -- I'm learning stuff.  It's nice to hear about the fact that people like it and sounds like a really good stove, as well as the OAK information -- something I didn't know about. I'll check out the technical manual so I'm more on top of things when I go back to the dealer.
> 
> WELL...with that -- I guess in buying the stove do you think there is room to negotiate the price? When I went to a place to talk about price they said $2600 for the stove, $195 for vent kit (is think that isn't OAK) and $375 for installation. Just wondering if this seems ok. I know nothing about what this should cost.


I had the Mini installed just after the new year without the OAK. Mistake. The stove was sucking the cold air up out of the basement, since I was not using the forced air anymore and it was a lot colder down there. Watch out for pipes freezing. Since putting the OAK in, I spend no time fussing with the settings now, and the down side of cold air coming into the house through the back of the stove is not an issue at all. By the way get a copy of the older technical manual for the Mini, not the Mini A, it has more detail. And make sure whoever does the install does a Magnehelic reading of the vacuum pressure to set the best damper position. My installer did not do it so I just bought the guage and did it myself yesterday. Wow was I surprised. The info as to where to set the damper that I was given on this site was completely wrong for my stove. I do have to say the advice given on the forum is considerate and invaluable.


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## jhanan (Mar 2, 2014)

Did you get the mimi?  Please give us a report.  I'm looking for a mini now in the capital area region of NY


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## jhanan (Mar 9, 2014)

Purchased a used Mini A.  Installed it today.  Running great!


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## stovelark (Mar 10, 2014)

Hi Burlington-   Like most have said, the Mini is a great little quiet, very quiet stove.  Here is SE CT, it will heat effectively around 1000 sqft.  We sell the Mini for 2399, 2599 sounds like normal retail price.  Most dealers can be reasoned with, espec if you get the full venting/installation with them.  The venting and install price sounded reasonable though.  Good luck, you'll like the mini.


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## jhanan (Mar 10, 2014)

chickenman said:


> That is a great looking little stove.  Very similar to our Nero.  Just fix the air intake and you are laughing



What is your air intake fix?  It is direct connection to burn inlet or other?


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## Lake Girl (Mar 12, 2014)

Chickenman - the HHT tech should talk to his dealers.  Most dealers seem to neglect telling customers about an OAK or flat out tell you that you don't need an OAK when you ask (my experience).  Hopefully this will improve but many learn the hard way after the install is done...

Found the deluxe terminator pipe by Bio-Vent - similar to the Selkirk DT.
http://dalsinmfg.com/downloads/BioVent-Consumer.pdf
page 7


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## stovelark (Mar 12, 2014)

As a dealer who does bring out the benefits of fresh air, its been my experience as soon as you mention extra cost for fresh air, most people (generally, not all) go away from it.  Most DIY'ers also tend to want a simple and quick install, most fresh air installs are a bit more work.  In my own house, I have one Selkirk system (very nice too- it went into a gas stove d/v hole through the wall, fit perfectly) and an insert not on fresh air, both work fine.  When I was doing installs, most people did not want to pay extra for fresh air installs either, espec if their stove worked fine without it.  So it goes both ways, but really get tired of hearing people saying always "its the dealer's fault".  If it isn't theirs, then its the "stove's fault".  Haven't seen many that actually was.....   Anyway, good luck.


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## Lake Girl (Mar 12, 2014)

Kudos stovelark on trying to set folks on the proper path.  Didn't mean to imply all dealers are like this but my experience was a flat out don't need one... why is the inlet there then?   It would probably help if stove manufacturers make the OAK required like they do for mobile homes not optional/recommended (guess that's building code/NFPA on the mobile home install).  User error factors in...

chickenman - Bio-Vent also has multi-fuel deluxe terminator with fresh air (page 12)
*Deluxe Terminator - Type AL29-4C Stainless Steel (Multi-Fuel)
*


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## jhanan (Mar 12, 2014)

BTW, just loving my new-to-me Mini.  Been running 24/7 since Sunday - running like champ on 2 or 3 - temps in NY in the upper 20's, but single digits are coming back by weekend.  I'm going to wait awhile before putting in the OAK.  I installed OA to my unit in the basement, but that open air design of the mini is got me wondering.  Anyway, the mini has been running great without OA so far - I'm impressed by this stove.


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## Lake Girl (Mar 13, 2014)

I saw a pic of a stove on  here that has a section of metal flex pipe between the two flanges within the body of the stove.  Not sure about the insides on yours but it might work for you...  Still enough winter left to get some use out of your new "best friend" as long as you can get pellets!  Did you/Will you get hit with the snow like they did in the Niagara region?


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## jhanan (Mar 17, 2014)

Snow was W and S of us.....just got about 2 inch and then bitter cold, single digits again.  I'm out of pellets - down to last 5 bags on on the hunt for another ton.  My normal supplier (free delivery) is sold out.  Going to have to try Curtis lumber or somewhere to finds some more.


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## Lake Girl (Mar 18, 2014)

jhanan said:


> Snow was W and S of us.....just got about 2 inch and then bitter cold, single digits again.  I'm out of pellets - down to last 5 bags on on the hunt for another ton.  My normal supplier (free delivery) is sold out.  Going to have to try Curtis lumber or somewhere to finds some more.


Hope the hunt is successful....


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## jhanan (Jan 18, 2015)

Had my 1st big Mini A issue.  Stopped feeding the burn pot but I could hear the auger motor running.  I looked up the drop shoot with a light to see if it was clogged - but no.  Also could see the auger turning when the motor was running.  So was wondering what the heck was going on.  So I emptied out hopper using a cup and a 5 gal bucket and discovered the cover had separated off the auger housing.  One of the little sheet metal screws had worked its way out and the pellets were just pushing out the side of the cover.  Also discovered the sealant had failed too.  So I removed the other little screws and cleaned the whole thing, put fresh high temp RTV on the cover and re installed it.  The cover is held on by only 4 little self tapping sheet metal screws.  Not impressed with the mounting of the cover, but anyway glued it back together put the screws back in and let it sit overnight to cure.  Fired up the stove this morning and all working good again.  So for the mini A owners out there check the cover and make sure the little sheet metal screws are all in tight!


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## Enviro Mini Owner (Jan 21, 2015)

jhanan said:


> Had my 1st big Mini A issue.  Stopped feeding the burn pot but I could hear the auger motor running.  I looked up the drop shoot with a light to see if it was clogged - but no.  Also could see the auger turning when the motor was running.  So was wondering what the heck was going on.  So I emptied out hopper using a cup and a 5 gal bucket and discovered the cover had separated off the auger housing.  One of the little sheet metal screws had worked its way out and the pellets were just pushing out the side of the cover.  Also discovered the sealant had failed too.  So I removed the other little screws and cleaned the whole thing, put fresh high temp RTV on the cover and re installed it.  The cover is held on by only 4 little self tapping sheet metal screws.  Not impressed with the mounting of the cover, but anyway glued it back together put the screws back in and let it sit overnight to cure.  Fired up the stove this morning and all working good again.  So for the mini A owners out there check the cover and make sure the little sheet metal screws are all in tight!


This is really good information and the fact that you took the time to inform us Mini owners is much appreciated. 
I had a small issue beginning of the year. Resulted in the problem was my f... up. I could not start the stove. The spark from the igniter would not reach the pellets. I assumed it was a problem with the vacuum switch, but a hard to reach area in the thru wall vent was clogged. I thought I had done a good cleaning job last spring but the stove behaved just the way it should and shut down. Does anyone know of heat resistant flexible tubing I could attach to a shop vac? I will clean out after every 2 tons from now on.


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