# ENVIRO M55 trim settings?



## mutsuura (Dec 1, 2010)

Hi All

Am a newbie. After struggling for several months w/ dealer(s) to agree to install unit into existing LENNOX pre-fab, finally just got an ENVIRO M55 insert installed yesterday (see attached image - support under stove was my handy-work) *without* modifying existing fireplace! Burned for better part of the day & night! Am very pleased... so far w/ investment!

Bought a ton o' O'Malley premium pellets from dealer along w/ stove. I was skeptical about the quality of the pellets but after one day of burn, there's very little ash and good amount of heat so am pleased w/ both stove and fuel. 

Have few follow on questions for M55 [FPI] users...

1) Owner's manual explains how to change feed and air trims BUT it does not explain what they're for and how/when to use/change. Can someone pls explain what exactly they do? I surmise (combustion) air trim adjusts intake of combustion air but how is that different from intake slide? Is it just a 'fine' adjustment?

2) What exactly does the 'feed' trim do? How is it different from setting the heat level which determines the rate at which pellets are dropped into the burn pit?

3) I assume there is no way to increase the blower rate through the heat exchanger. Correct?

And lastly...

4) I have the fuel type set to "premium", heat level set to "3" on manual mode. I went through ~40lbs of fuel in ~18 hours I was under the impression that under nominal/moderate settings the unit would/should burn ~24 hours w/ 40lbs of fuel. What can/should one expect in terms of burn rate with these settings? Since the stove is on manual mode, I imagine the burn rate is independent of environmental conditions and fuel quality.

Thanks in advance

Warm 'n Cozy in Annapolis!


----------



## SmokeyTheBear (Dec 1, 2010)

Usually trim controls make relatively minor adjustments and on some stoves may only work in lower heat level settings which tend to be a bit finicky, a little too much air sends the pellets out of the pot or a couple of missed feed cycle causes the fuel to not make it to the fire pot on time to keep things going.   These trim controls allow you to make finer adjustments than the heat level or damper might.

Your manual should explain how they work.


----------



## discodottie2 (Dec 2, 2010)

I am by no means an 'expert' in this area, however we just purchased an Enviro M55 2 weeks ago.  We went through a lot of pellets (almost 1-40lb bag per day) until we installed our wireless thermostat.  Now, we are still on the same bag of pellets from Monday.  We keep our house cool 65-68 and it has not been too cold (30's-60's) we live on the Eastern Shore in MD, so our weather is crazy now.  But I have noticed the we are burning a significantly less amount of  pellets with the thermostat.  ALSO....our dealer said to set the fuel type to standard for the best burn-even if you are using premium pellets.  I am still not educated on why to do some things, but those 2 changes have made a big difference so far.  BTW, your stove looks beautiful!
Katie


----------



## SmokeyTheBear (Dec 2, 2010)

I'll take a stab at question #4 the heat level determines how much fuel the auger feeds the stove.  If you look in your manual there is apt to be a table showing the weight of pellets dumped into the fire pot at each heat level.  Please note the table is in pounds (weight) however the feed is actually by volume.  40 pounds of pellets can and normally is different in terms of volume between different brands.  So the actual feed rate in pounds isn't going to tell you exactly how long a bag will last 

If you divide 40 by the number in the table you'll get an idea of how long a bag will last at that heat setting.


----------



## jtakeman (Dec 2, 2010)

With the fuel feed trim I use it for varied pellet quality as its a *fine* adjustment tool. If the fire is varing slightly(burning a good fire and then going kind of low) I increase the feed trim to help even the fire. If the fire seems to bold or large I reduce it. I also use the feed trim for pellets that seem to burn a bit dirty. I reduce the trim to help clean the burn up some. If the flame starts to varing, Go back on the feed trim and I then go to the combustion blower trim(in my case the damper).

The combustion blower trim can also be used to adjust pellets that are burning dirty(raise the comb trim) or if the fire is inconsistant(lower the combustion trim). Using the combustion trim is also just a fine adjustment for the damper setting. 

Katie has a good point on the fuel setting. The Regular/standard mode is a different program that helps with pellet quality. The reason is it's a different feed rate or fuel curve. Hard to explain but its putting a bit less fuel into the burnpot to comp for pellets that don't quite burn as well. Also helps clean up the burn with less fuel. So you will use a bit less fuel. We also learned that the Premium fuel mode doesn't spin the agitator motor but once every 30 minuts. Where the Regular mode turns the agitator with every auger cycle. This keeps the burnpot air holes clean and keeps them from clogging. Thus more air in the mix.  

These stoves give you lots of adjustments to play with for even the worst fuels out there. Tinker where you need to But for the most part the defaults work rather well. So I always start with them. Just tweek where you need to! I also recommend the thermostat. Its your equalizer and only runs the stove when needed. A programable stat is even better if you aren't home for long spells. Set the temp lower when you aren't home and have it warm when you are. Definetly saves pellets for you!


----------



## mutsuura (Dec 2, 2010)

Thx all for great suggestions/ideas. This is only our 2nd day/night with this VERY expensive appliance. It'll take a while to get accustomed to using it. Our stove is co-located with the thermostat in a 2 story centrally located great-room of our house. I decided to try it manually as I wasn't sure how effective the thermostat would be.

Any suggests re: ash vacs? Cheetah ash vacs seem most common and most reasonably priced. Is anyone aware of any "wet" ash vacs - similar to http://www.amazon.com/MT800-Sand-Kl...A1K8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1290916608&sr=8-9 I own one of these and there are excellent at trapping the finest particles. I haven't been able to locate an equivalent wet ash vac on the market. The only thing I found that comes close are HEPA filtered vacs like http://www.badashfireplacecleaner.com/badash1.aspx

Thx to all again!


----------



## Darin Walker (Nov 23, 2012)

discodottie2 said:


> I am by no means an 'expert' in this area, however we just purchased an Enviro M55 2 weeks ago. We went through a lot of pellets (almost 1-40lb bag per day) until we installed our wireless thermostat. Now, we are still on the same bag of pellets from Monday. We keep our house cool 65-68 and it has not been too cold (30's-60's) we live on the Eastern Shore in MD, so our weather is crazy now. But I have noticed the we are burning a significantly less amount of pellets with the thermostat. ALSO....our dealer said to set the fuel type to standard for the best burn-even if you are using premium pellets. I am still not educated on why to do some things, but those 2 changes have made a big difference so far. BTW, your stove looks beautiful!
> Katie


Hi,

I'm thinking of getting the M55 and interested in hearing what kind of wireless t-stat you have and where you got it?
Thanks!


----------

