# FPX/Avalon Large Flush Wood Hybrid, any input



## hotjava66 (Jul 30, 2012)

Anyone using this insert or looked at it? Been looking at inserts since last spring and getting ready to make a move soon, really like the looks of this insert, fits the style of the house and love the large viewing area. Other strong contenders are the hearthstone clydesdale or maybe a kuma sequoia. Have also looked at the supreme volcano plus but seems to be a bit light and there have been some issues posted about it.  I looked at the previous model of the FPX/Avalon but this one is new and seems to be a lot better.


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## Jags (Jul 31, 2012)

Just to clarify - is this the stove in question?


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## hotjava66 (Jul 31, 2012)

This one.  Looked at the previous model last winter, this one is bigger, and is now hybrid.


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## Jags (Jul 31, 2012)

It sure is sexy looking.  Of course, being a new model and design there won't be much of a track record.  What are the specs on that thing?


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## hotjava66 (Jul 31, 2012)

3 cubic foot firebox, accepts up to 24" splits, they say 10-12 hr burn times and will heat 2000-2500 sq ft.  No info on BTU, but supposed to be over 80% efficiency.


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## Jags (Jul 31, 2012)

Sounds like a pretty stout box.  Don't sweat the btu info.  It is just marketing hype anyhow.


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## Todd (Jul 31, 2012)

That's a good looking insert with a big view of the fire. Yet another so called hybrid.


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## glenncz (Nov 22, 2012)

I just had one of these installed.  I don't have experience with other inserts to compare this one to.  We have a large house and the insert is in a 2 story family room.  Yesterday it kept the 2 story family room to 70 degrees, while it was 32 outside.  The heat was off throughout the house.  Also, it takes at least a 24" log, probably an inch or two bigger.  I wouldn't trust the 12 hour burn time, there might be a few coals at 12 hrs, not much more.  I am thinking the fan should be blowing harder than it is, but maybe that's the largest output it gives??  It looks nice in our old ZC hole, and actually looks nicer than what we had there before.


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## cbarlage (Dec 16, 2012)

We just had one installed, and we like the large firebox and viewing area.  I'm still working out the best way to keep the glass from getting creasote build up, but it definitely puts out the heat.  This was the largest one I could find that would fit inside my fireplace.  As far as burning all night, I too was down to embers in the box, but with the fire brick holding some heat, it did pretty well.  Need more cold weather to really assess the overnight burn.


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## weatherguy (Dec 16, 2012)

cbarlage said:


> We just had one installed, and we like the large firebox and viewing area. I'm still working out the best way to keep the glass from getting creasote build up, but it definitely puts out the heat. This was the largest one I could find that would fit inside my fireplace. As far as burning all night, I too was down to embers in the box, but with the fire brick holding some heat, it did pretty well. Need more cold weather to really assess the overnight burn.


 
Is your wood seasoned? or are you burning on low at night?


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## flyingpig (Dec 16, 2012)

cbarlage said:


> We just had one installed, and we like the large firebox and viewing area. I'm still working out the best way to keep the glass from getting creasote build up, but it definitely puts out the heat. This was the largest one I could find that would fit inside my fireplace. As far as burning all night, I too was down to embers in the box, but with the fire brick holding some heat, it did pretty well. Need more cold weather to really assess the overnight burn.


 
I have the pre-hybrid model (FPX33). I've found that my glass is much cleaner laying wood E/W since wood tends to gas out on both ends. I need to reload at higher temp compare with N/S to get the fire going but that's not an issue.


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## jdp1152 (Dec 16, 2012)

That's a good looking insert.  Definitely interested in hearing about other experiences with this one.


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## weatherguy (Dec 16, 2012)

jdp1152 said:


> That's a good looking insert. Definitely interested in hearing about other experiences with this one.


 
I agree, I didnt realize they converted over to a hybrid, too bad the new one is one inch too big for my fireplace.


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## cbarlage (Dec 17, 2012)

weatherguy said:


> Is your wood seasoned? or are you burning on low at night?


My wood tests at 10-18% and I'm getting most of my smoke at startup, even with the damper and air flow wide open. Next time, I'll crack the door since it seems as if its not getting enough air.   When burning at night (just one time so far) I had the air control in about 1 inch.  So, 1 inch from full closed.  I still had embers in the morning, but the fan had shut down since it was cool.


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## jdp1152 (Dec 17, 2012)

What's the ballpark price on this insert? I've done some googling, but haven't seen anything concrete.


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## glenncz (Dec 17, 2012)

weatherguy said:


> I agree, I didnt realize they converted over to a hybrid, too bad the new one is one inch too big for my fireplace.


 
We had our installed beginning of last month.  Luckily our box was just an inch larger than it had to be.  We love the look of the fireplace, that it doesn't stick out onto our shelf, (raised above the floor about 18").  It does throw a lot of heat, but I'm a little disappointed with it.  I was hoping it would make our family room where it is "cozy", but it doesn't.  I think the problem is we have a big story family room and the heat DEFINITELY rise.  As you walk halfway up the steps the air temp increases by a couple of degrees.  The heat rises and goes through the bedrooms upstairs doing a good job of keeping the temp's up up there w/o the heat going on.  But our family room and kitchen are connected and it is a fairly large space.  I guess I can't expect it to heat the whole thing.

Likely a fireplace that came out onto the shelf would heat better because of more radiant heat, but we are glad we have a flush model.  Even though our stone shelf is a little over a foot wide, and we have over 3 feet of tile in front of that, there have been times when we open the doors and coals and hot ash spill over, over the shelf and onto the tile, because of ash building up or a log falling and burning against the window. 

The fan is nice because it's adjustable.  On high it's a little loud, but it's a smooth sound.  But it's infinitely adjustable and can be as quiet as you want it and still pushed air out.  I don't know how the amount of hot air it pushes compared to other models.

One nice thing is the firebox is huge!  I have a lot of wood cut up from before, and this box takes at least a 24" log, probably a few inches longer.  That means less chainsaw cuts for me and less carrying/stacking/moving small pieces of wood. 

The glass is a pain.  I just clean it yesterday morning and by the evening it was already black, and the fire was hot.  My brother has the Osburne glass fronted fireplace and recommended the Sams Club oven cleaner, that works much better than the fireplace glass cleaner i had.  I know oven/stove/broiler cleaner is not recommended, but I wonder why?  Does it hurt the glass?  After using a month it doesn't seem to be doing any harm, i open newspapers up below the opened door to catch the drips. 

Also, can anyone tell me how to take the front place off this unit.  I would like to see if there is any insulation or that special fire retardant stuff around the chimney so the radiant inside doesn't escape up the chimney.  I don't think they did that during my installation. 

The thing burns for about 6 hrs.  Last night I put two moderate logs on at 11pm, and at 6:30am I just put a few smaller pieces on and it started right up.  The fan runs through the night most nights, but sometimes it shuts off, I guess that is dependent on how hard the wood i put in is.  Some of my wood is a little old and starting to rot.

One last thing.  I'm a firebug and like running the fireplace.  But luckily I live in the country and have an inexhaustible supply of hardwoods (cherry/maple) right on my property.  I enjoy the exercise of the wood.  But I am not sure if this whole thing is worth it if I had to buy my wood.

We had the box installed w/o a fax until our custom made front came in from mid-oct to early nov, we compared heating bills and out oil useage definitely was lower, but we'll have a better gauge when we get the next refill.  But the oil burner keeps running, probably for the basement and the hot water.   But I'd like to fine tune this set up as much as possible and get everything I can for my money and effort in keeping this fed. It's a hungry beast 24/7!


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## jdp1152 (Dec 17, 2012)

Be patient on the glass.  I had a similar issue with my alterra the first month or so, but now I can keep it pretty clean.  I don't know if it's just the ceramic glass breaking in or just learning the judge the airflow needs better....maybe both.

Flush inserts will never provide the heat of one of the protruding inserts, but that's a compromise I'm willing to make for aesthetics.  I'm just happy to have positive heat gain instead negative.  I'm really just looking for supplemental heat, ambiance, and something to keep the place reasonably warm during power outtages.


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## glenncz (Dec 17, 2012)

[quote=" I'm getting most of my smoke at startup, even with the damper and air flow wide open. Next time, I'll crack the door since it seems as if its not getting enough air..[/quote]
Whenever I open the door I open the damper and the air flow, then crack the door for a few seconds, and I also turn off the fan because that can blow some ash out.  In the morning, depending on how good the coals are, it's a big help to keep the door cracked a few inches until the draft gets going.  To start my fires I take a dixie cup, and put inside it a firestart with a paper towel around, then i just put a few drips of kerosene on it to get it started.  And of course smaller wood or kindling until it gets going.  I like how i can put big knotted stumps in there that are too big to bust up with my maul.  There the best for the longest and hot burning.

The celing fan on high, helps bring down the heat from the two story ceiling, but it annoys m wife and she feels a slight draft.


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## Stax (Dec 17, 2012)

Hot...I have the Lopi Declaration (last year's 2 door model).  Travis Indust. makes Avalon, Lopi & Fireplace Xtroidinair.  They put out a central model and make minor tweaks for each brand.  My firebox is 2.9 cu. ft, just under the new 3 cu. ft. size.  Same with advertised burn time.  I'd be floored if you get 10-12 hr burn time.  I don't even get 8 with mine.  However, she does cook with the blowers on.  Definitely enough heat for my drafty 1,700 sq. ft. single level open floor plan.  Looks like the main difference is with the inclusion of a catalytic combustor and the GreenStart push button ignitor.  Have fun with it.          

The Avalon Large Flush Wood Hybrid-FyreTM insert features the World’s cleanest burning technology and a fire viewing area like never before. The fusion of advanced wood combustion and Catalytic technology have given us the ultra-green, Hybrid-Fyre. Primary combustion for this unit occurs in the firebox and secondary tubes help re-burn the gases before they leave the firebox. Those unburned gases are then passed through the catalytic combustor further reducing emissions and car- bon monoxide. Because of this hybrid technology, virtually no smoke exits the appliance. This super clean burning insert boasts emissions of only 0.58 grams an hour as well as virtually no carbon monoxide output throughout all burn cycles. The insert burns wood, the most inexpensive fuel as well as a renewable resource.


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## jdp1152 (Dec 17, 2012)

cbarlage said:


> My wood tests at 10-18% and I'm getting most of my smoke at startup, even with the damper and air flow wide open. Next time, I'll crack the door since it seems as if its not getting enough air.   When burning at night (just one time so far) I had the air control in about 1 inch.  So, 1 inch from full closed.  I still had embers in the morning, but the fan had shut down since it was cool.


If you're doing a cool start with the door closed, you're definitely going to fog up the glass.  You have to get the fire going hot enough to get the secondary burn or the box is going to fill up before you get any air wash.


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## Hickorynut (Dec 18, 2012)

Way less burntimes and much dirtier glass contradictory to what Lopi advertises has been my experiences.  Others seem to fair better.


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## hotjava66 (Dec 25, 2012)

Well, I finally got my insert.  Took a while because I had to have a custom surround panel made for it.  Did the install myself, went ok, a few hiccups here and there but not too bad.  Ran a 6" stainless liner, insulated, with rock wool at top and bottom of flue, as well as behind the surround.  I also ordered the green start, installed that as well.  The green start air pump cannot be installed inside the firebox, which I did not know.  Drilled a hole through the back corner of the firebox and brought the green start stuff and power in that way to keep the install clean.  Have burned for one day now, so far so good.  The green start is a great accessory, works really well.  It starts fires quickly, though I think it will take some tweaking on my part for kindling placement.  It also works good for warm starts, has a mode to just blow air into the firebox, gets everything going well.  Our house is around 2000 square feet, pretty well insulated and only one room with a high ceiling.  Stove is in high ceiling room at one end of the house, not much airflow out.  Ran the fan on our central heat/air the whole time, fan on unit about medium setting.  Outside temp in high 20's, the main room was very warm, probably close to 80.  The rest of the house was at 71-72.  It seems to throw a lot of heat, especially radiant heat off the big glass door.  Sitting in the living room facing it a 12 feet you can feel it on your face.  Still playing around with settings but it seems happy with the air about 3/4 out.  Put 2 logs on last night at 11, pulled air all the way out, this morning at 9 the stove was still warm and the fan running but the coals did not have enough heat to start a fresh log.  Glass got a bit dirty from the low burn too.  Will be playing around a bit, and update soon.  Any advice from the rest of you guys as far as settings and ways to get best burn times is much appreciated. 
To the guy looking to see behind the panel, they should just lift off, mine just hook on tabs on the stove.


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## HotCoals (Dec 25, 2012)

This green start deal as me intrigued.
I guess I'll google some!


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## jdp1152 (Dec 26, 2012)

HotCoals said:


> This green start deal as me intrigued.
> I guess I'll google some!


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## jdp1152 (Jan 2, 2013)

Went and checked out this insert today.  Shop about 5 miles from my house had one on display.  Figured I'd go give a look in case there are still some funds left in the Mass Woodstove Exchange Program when Jan 17 rolls around.  Great looking insert and really big firebox, though seems like it would be near impossible to keep wood from falling out compared to a free standing stove.  Was hoping to find it a bit less expensive, but I guess with the exchage voucher, it's not too bad.  The wife loves the way it looks, which is good.  Will check out the Osburn Matrix this weekend.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 3, 2013)

Did any of you have the catalytic combustor probe installed on this unit?  Wondering what impact the probe has on appearance.  Would this work at providing stove top temp?  Really like the look of the insert and am considering pulling the trigger sooner rather than later but many of the posts on here have me leery of a catalytic flush insert.

Manual for reference...page 32 discusses the probe.

http://www.fireplacex.com/TravisDocs/100-01273_000.pdf


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## hotjava66 (Jan 4, 2013)

I did not get the probe.  Saw it in the manual though, and may add it later.  My only concern is it really does not show what the indicator/display looks like or where it is mounted.  Sure would be nice to see internal stove temp.  I have not had any issues of over firing the stove but I do think sometimes I dial the air back too soon.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 4, 2013)

Yeah...I'm pretty sure I don't push my current insert enough and that's likely going to be the case with another one.  Given what I've learned here, I'm not sure how it's possible really.  Taking my wife to look at this one in person in the morning.  Have two shops dueling on discounting right now so the price has improved.  One has said it's as low as they will go which is about 400 bucks more than the other.  Need to get into the finer details of install, but didn't get much/any feedback from another thread I started.  Will also be looking at the Osburn Matrix tomorrow as well.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 5, 2013)

Pulled the trigger on this one today.  Was planning on a new one this summer/fall, but with discounting, the price hit the sweet spot.  Getting the liner insulated and and an insulated block off plate as part of the deal.  Install next week sometime.


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## weatherguy (Jan 5, 2013)

jdp1152 said:


> Pulled the trigger on this one today. Was planning on a new one this summer/fall, but with discounting, the price hit the sweet spot. Getting the liner insulated and and an insulated block off plate as part of the deal. Install next week sometime.


 Good deal, dont forget pictures when its installed, I really like this unit but its just a bit too big to fit in my fireplace. You have plenty of dry wood? I know theres a lot of locust out your way.


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## jdp1152 (Jan 5, 2013)

weatherguy said:


> Good deal, dont forget pictures when its installed, I really like this unit but its just a bit too big to fit in my fireplace. You have plenty of dry wood? I know theres a lot of locust out your way.


 
Will do.  I don't have enough wood for this year.  I was hoping that a purchased cord from last year was going to be good to go this year, but it's not.  I have about a 3/4 of a face cord of seasoned wood left and a a few cords of white ash that varies in MC from high teens to low/mid 20s (Cut in March, S/S in August).  I've been mixing it in, but getting some big coals from it.   It's not gunking up the flue though  Actually think I might swap some of the wood on the wood from the driveway stack with the porch stack.  Moved the wood to the porch too soon and it doesn't seem as dry as stuff that's been stacked in the open for a few more months this fall..  I'll probably split those smaller and make it work.  Not burning as primary heat and will be off of oil completely on Jan 17th, so I'm not too concerned other than the fact that I love having fires going.

People talk about locust being abundant around here.  I don't seem to be that fortunate.  My land is predominately ash (many dead), maple (Norway, Sugar, Red, Silver), red oak, and many white pines.  Most of the hardwoods are concentrated around my home or street, making many difficult to take down without tree services.  I've also got a few cords of white willow that came down during Sandy.  Probably go ahead and split whatever I can't convince people to come take away.

Hey...anyone in MA want to trade some seasoned wood for a wood boiler?


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## cbarlage (Jan 24, 2014)

After using my insert for a year, I've gotten better at keeping the glass clear.  The main things are to have dry wood, and when starting the fire, letting the door ajar to really heat up the box before closing the door and reducing the air via the damper.  This tends to shorten the burn time, I can barely get an overnight bed of coals to re-stoke in the morning.   I did add a grate to help keep the wood from falling into the glass, I cut some off the legs of an 18" grate and it works well.  I wish the damper could let in more air to keep from having to mess with the door, and I also wish the fans would move more air with less noise.  One last thing, it takes a long time for the fans to kick in, since the sensor is on the outside of the box behind the firebricks.  Could use a second sensor on top to turn the fans on, and the current one to turn them off.    Other than that, we really like the large viewing area and large firebox while still fitting flush into the fireplace.


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## glenncz (Jan 25, 2014)

I've had this box for well over a year and it has burned constantly during the winter.  We don't worry about the glass anymore.  It's too much trouble to worry about cleaning it.  At times it cleans up, but soon enough it darkens again.  I don't have a problem with starting morning burns.  I keep a small box of splitting scraps and it's it almost out I throw those on first, but mostly I just use the smaller pieces, and crack open the door with the black extender thingy that came with it, and it will almost always start up in a few minutes.  I'll clean it up next summer.  

I wish the fan exhaust came out on the bottom, not the top, because we loose a lot of heat right up to the top of our 2 story ceiling, it's nice and warm up there.  The big box is a HUGE HUGE plus.  It can easily fit 24" logs and more.  It burns for about 6 hours before reloading.  It would be nice to have a freestanding insert, because I think this thing should be putting out more heat than it does, but that is not possible.  The fan is a bit loud, but I don't have another one to compare it to.  We usually leave it on high, but when watching TV we often turn it to half speed.  Turning our ceiling fan on high speed instead of medium can add a degree of heat to 2 story family room.  

Another issue is that we chose this model because it is flush with our brick.  Good and bad.  Aesthetically, very good.  But I would think we are loosing quite a bit of heat production.  But the fireplace is elevated about 16" above the floor with a 10" stone mantle lip in front.  When this loads up with ash it can easily spill big coals out when opening the door, but we have the 10" mantle and then ceramiic tiled floor in front.  But if this insert stuck out 8" we would lose that needed safety from ash spill.  

I need to clean the ashes out about every 5 days.  Another issue - when i set the ash can in front of the unit and shovel it into the bucket, we get quite a bit of ash dust in the house.  So I place the bottom lip of the ash can on the bottom of the insert opening and tilt it the can opening into the fireplace, so when i shovel the ash mostly drifts backs into the fireplace.  But it can get a little hot during this maneuver!


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## jdp1152 (Feb 9, 2014)

First full season burning with it...and a very cold one at that. No major issue with glass.  Simple wipe down with damp towel works.  I'm not packing it full since my splits are all 16 inches.  Planning on some faceplate modifications since I got the one without slots to let the air our freely.  It heats a very large open floor plan and upstairs quite well.   It does take a while for the blower to kick on, but mine is on an exterior chimney so it takes a bit longer to get up to temp.  Not even remotely packing it, I get 5-6 hrs of food heat.  Only legit complaint is the blower...at lower speeds it rattles.  Think I read a fix on here, so might work on that in the off season.  I use a lot less wood and get more heat for long periods than my other insert


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## prezes13 (Feb 10, 2014)

Just want to put my 2 cents on the blackening glass.  I have my cape cod insert for two years, last year every over night burn = black glass.  Reasons?  Wet wood and too low temprature.  This year I run her a bit hotter and since my wood is not the greatest I throw two Eco Bricks with every load.  Now my glass stays clean, stove throws much more heat, having a longer burns (avarege 5-8 hrs), before 3 tops and I have a feeling that I should push her a bit harder.  My conclusion so far is need a DRY wood, run it HOT.


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## Leikeze (Nov 7, 2014)

Hi All,

Was just wondering.

What if you run the FPX Large Flush Hybrid with out ever opening the bypass to the Cat? 
Can you have best of both worlds with this insert as far as having a cat and a non-cat?

Also, I want to say thank you to everyone who has posted about this insert for I'm in the market and seriously considering.


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## jdp1152 (Nov 7, 2014)

The bypass doesn't go to the cat.  The bypass makes it operate in similar fashion as a fireplace.  When open, your heat is going straight up the flue...which helps get the right amount of air moving through at start up and reload to get the fire going faster.  When closed, the you should get both secondary burn and catalytic clean up.  If anything it should function more from the secondaries, but in my case I get more of a cat like burn from the stove.  Personally, the way I use the insert, I would like to go back in time and get the model (avalon or fpx...cant remember) that was secondary tubes only as it's easier to deal with.  I still like the heat output however.


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## Grisu (Nov 7, 2014)

You need to open the bypass when doing a startup and reload. Leave it open while the stove gets up to temp then close the bypass to engage the cat. Never open the door of a hot stove without first opening the bypass. The thermal shock when opening the door and having the bypass closed will crack the cat.


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## pdxdave (Nov 7, 2014)

jdp1152 said:


> The bypass doesn't go to the cat.  The bypass makes it operate in similar fashion as a fireplace.  When open, your heat is going straight up the flue...which helps get the right amount of air moving through at start up and reload to get the fire going faster.  When closed, the you should get both secondary burn and catalytic clean up.  If anything it should function more from the secondaries, but in my case I get more of a cat like burn from the stove.  Personally, the way I use the insert, I would like to go back in time and get the model (avalon or fpx...cant remember) that was secondary tubes only as it's easier to deal with.  I still like the heat output however.



Really ? I'm surprised to hear you'd rather not have the cat. I have the Declaration.. and well.. it's a turd in my opinion. Has many issues, not the least being the way it hammers through wood. There's no middle ground, it either blast through your wood or turn it into a smoldering mess. I was thinking a cat would at least help somewhat with this.


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## Leikeze (Nov 7, 2014)

Ok if the cat isn't engaged the heat goes up the flue.

I know this is a carry on question but let's say I remove the cat. Will the stove still work as efficient as if it only had the combustion area?

With reading it is not a combustion chamber but combustion tubes. 

Going tithe store tomorrow to check this bad boy out.


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## jdp1152 (Nov 14, 2014)

pdxdave said:


> Really ? I'm surprised to hear you'd rather not have the cat. I have the Declaration.. and well.. it's a turd in my opinion. Has many issues, not the least being the way it hammers through wood. There's no middle ground, it either blast through your wood or turn it into a smoldering mess. I was thinking a cat would at least help somewhat with this.



Yeah...really.  My heat is cheap so I mostly burn for supplement and pleasure.  It's the process I like (from tree to seasoned firewood) and I'm not trying to get any overnight burns unless I don't have electricity.  I prefer one lever, get it hot, start closing it down.


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## cableman (Nov 14, 2014)

One of the cats is shot and crumbling after one season of use on my buddys. Im not sure how he burns it so i cant say its a bad stove! But he hasnt really been too happy with it, but i didnt install it!


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## Hal9000 (Nov 25, 2014)

I bought this unit mid winter last year based on a really helpful and informative review I read on this forum.  There was next to no other information available other than from the dealer (biased) so for that I am grateful.  I wanted to get some time with it before posting and have now had about 5 cold months in total to work with the stove.  For context, we had installed a Quadrafire 5100 (55k btu) in our last house (2200 sf bi level) and we installed the Avalon large flush hybrid in our new home (3000 sf colonial with a very open floor plan) at a total cost of 5500 installed.  The short version is that we absolutely love this stove.  It looks great even when it's not in use.  Aesthetically, it can't be beat.  People always remark how nice it looks and ask where we got it and ask how well it works etc..   

We are also extremely happy with the functionality (75k btu I think).  Our first few months in our new house last winter with a normal open fireplace was costing us 800 per month for oil to heat the house.  I was really hopeful this unit would make a serious dent in that cost.  We had the unit installed on February 19th and fired it up and I was astonished when the oil heat just stopped coming on altogether (except for water heater).  This unit effectively heats our entire house here in SE Pennsylvania.  Our family room and kitchen are open where the FP is and we can get the temp up to 75 to 80 there and be in the mid 60's upstairs (this is fine for us since we are only sleeping there).  We had a cold spell the other day here (20's) and these interior temperatures were no problem.  Last year we hit single digits and it still performed admirably.

The large window is great, kicks off a radiant heat you can feel from across the room and of course watching the fire is nice.  As others have mentioned, the glass will get dirty unless you run it nice and hot. We use Rutland glass cleaner which takes some elbow grease but does work (available on Amazon).  I like this blower much better than the quadrafire's.  For the amount of heat it kicks out it is reasonably quiet (smooth versus the quad).  I found the best setting is actually the lowest fan speed if you can keep it running continuously.  Slow and steady it just keeps pushing the heat out.  Last year, we ran the stove from the installation day straight through to April, we never had to restart.  We have had a couple of ceiling fans installed for this year so things will only get better (fans in winter mode).  We can load the stove at 10 pm and reload at 7 am (on the lowest setting) and get it cranked up again.  The house is definitely colder in the morning after this but we have no trouble getting it revved up again especially with a small, thicker load of kindling to start.

The stove is pretty flexible with various combinations of air settings.  At its hottest it is almost uncomfortably hot and at it lowest you can get a nice long burn.

The unit requires a large space - dealer told me my dimensions were fine and then the installers told me it wouldn't fit when they got on site so they wanted to downsize me.  I said nope take it back I don't want anything.  The supervisor came and they "managed" to mysteriously make it fit.  

Overall we are extremely happy with this unit.  Feel free to drop me any questions...


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## Mwstaab (Feb 21, 2015)

I have a declaration plus that was installed this past fall -- are you guys getting any secondary burn from the top tubes in you declarations? I was very much looking forward to the mesmorizing dancing flames as the secondary combustion kicked in, but my stove doesn't do it???


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## jdp1152 (Feb 22, 2015)

No idea about the declaration.  I get them on the FPX (exterior chimney), but not as pronounced as my smaller firebox insert (interior chimney).  As mentioned above, i get more of the hovering/dancing flame in the FPX Hybird than the rocket like secondaries on my tiny regency.  

Lots of reasons why you wouldn't get a good (or absent) secondary combustion.  The primary reason is lack of stove heat.  With a flush insert, it's a guessing game for the most part on stove temp.  A lot of trial and error that isn't remotely transferrable from one to the next (well, procedurally testing what works is transferable, but the end result will be very different).  Some general thoughts:

1. Exterior vs Interior chimney.   You'll take a lot longer and need more air to maintain appropriate temps (and decreased burn times) to burn efficiently.
2. Wood quality.  If your wood isn't optimal, it may never get hot enough.  I don't know about your area, but kiln dried up my way is crap compared to where it was several year ago, yet it's now more expensive despite increased competition.  I guess now it's regulated as heat treated...don't remember and not inclined to look it up.  It was about moisture content then, whereas now it's just about bare minimum to meet the cert levels to insure no insects since most of it comes down from NH.  Most of it probably isn't even flirting with 20% MC (I've tested some and seen perfect to 30%).  Properly seasoned wood is the only way to go (2+ years for most hardwoods after splitting and stacking)
3.  Operator error...you're just not getting the box to a good enough blaze before closing the door and stepping the air down.

Borrow some legit wood, if you can, and start there.  If not, try some of the bioblocks (though not sure how these impact secondary combustion/off gassing)


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## prezes13 (Feb 22, 2015)

You should be getting nice secondaries.  That's what the design of the stove is.  To have secondary burn that's why you have those tubes.  How strong they are depends on off gassing of your wood and a temperature of your stove and draft.  Most of of it relates to quality of your wood.  If you have good dry wood, you should be able to get your stove hot enough to get secondaries.  Draft play a role also I assume you have a six liner hooked up to your stove?  How tall is your flue?


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