# 5 year long term review- Enviro M55 FS steel



## Threerun (Jan 6, 2016)

I can't believe I am writing this.. A 5 year review since I bought the Enviro M55. This post is sort of an add on to the diary of my experiences (found here- https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/new-enviro-m55-fs-stove-owner.61814/ )
I'll summarize this review up-front- the M55 FS steel pellet stove has far exceeded my expectations. It is a workhorse of a heater and has provided relatively trouble free heat for 5 Montana winters.

My goal is to be honest and base the review on what I consider to be the most important aspects _to me. _A little bit about me, the reviewer. I have heated with wood for over 20 years. I used to live in West Virginia and I always had a Dutchwest Extra Large wood stove (and sometimes a second wood heater in the unfinished basement). I used to cut, split, stack and use up to 5 cords of hardwood a year for many years. I loved my wood stove heat and I loved the old Consolidated Dutchwest cast iron wood stoves. However when I moved to Montana 5.5 years ago, the house I bought had no chimney and there was a propane stand alone steel 'wood stove wanna be' in the basement. The basement area (finished is over 1,300 sq ft). Propane for primary heat is out of the question for me, and also the thought of lugging pine wood to a basement woodstove that was finished didn't set well either, so my wife and I started investigating pellet stoves.

We spent quite a bit of time looking at pellet stoves. We researched Harman, Quadrafire- you name it, we looked at it. One of the local shops had Enviro and we went to look at that one. What caught or eye on the Enviro was pretty obvious- it was a bullet proof design that produced a ton of heat. I didn't like that it was controlled by a mother board, but we bit the bullet anyway (and the tax credit period was soon to expire). The other plus is that local ski hill has a main lodge (huge) with vaulted ceilings. It is heated with one of these, and it is warm in there!

I'll base my scores on a scale of 1-5, one being deficient and 5 being superior.

*Build quality- 4*
It's not a 'pretty' unit. It is a free standing steel pedestal pellet stove. However it is built very well. All edges are smooth, the main door and glass are heavy and well constructed, the hopper and lid are tight and the burn pot, auger and other parts associated with the 'heat' are top notch fit and finish. Why didn't I give it a 5? The paint could probably be a bit more durable. 

*Set-up- 5*
Our install was straight forward. Remove old propane unit, place in new unit, plumb the new exhaust pipe through the existing hole in the concrete, plug it and go. The unit can accept an OAK but we opted not. Our house is over 2,500 sq ft, tall ceilings- we have plenty of inside air. Dogs go in and out all day and we also leave a window cracked for fresh air year round. We used no gauges to test the unit. We simply fired it up and away she went. I watched the flame spread and adjusted the feed and air trim on the mother board and it produced the proper flame and height. I haven't  had to mess with it for 5 years.

*Ease of use- 5*
It is very simple to use. I can load 2 bags of pellets, press a button and walk away. You can set the temp manually at one desired setting, you can choose a Hi/Lo function on a thermostat (which we use), or you can set it to go on and off on a thermostat, take your pick. I generally only have to empty the ash drawer after each ton burned. Let me say that again- _I only have to empty my ash drawer after one ton of burned fuel. _To me that is amazing! I used to have to empty my wood stove every other day! Honestly- It doesn't get any easier with this unit! The other great thing? It burns whatever pellet I throw at it. It has a setting for pellet quality- premium, standard and something else. I have run premium pellets, low cost pellets and everything in between through this stove and it will burn it.

(Ssshhhh- I'll tell you a little secret.... I don't know what that setting actually 'does'. I just load different pellets in there while it's set on premium and it all burns the same to me!)

*Dependability- 4*
The unit is a workhorse. I have had only one issue with it- the original blower fan. The first run of these units had a weak blower fan and it simply could not evacuate the heat fast enough or with enough volume. As a result the unit's over temp limit switch would trip and cause the unit to shut down. That left for a few cold mornings. However I purchased the upgraded fan (the unit was out of warranty for that component, grrrrr....) and have no problems since. The original burn-pot, auger, mother board, drive chain- it's all working fine. If not for the fan- I'd give it a '5'..

*Noise- 3 *
Normally this wouldn't bother me, but I see a lot of comments on this board about noise. Not having been accustomed to pellet 'noise' before I was not aware of this. However after living with it for 5 years here's my opinion. The unit makes noise. You know the blower is on but it's not unbearable. The auger makes noise when it's feeding pellets. You can hear it rotate through the motions. The agitator rod near the burn pot will develop a squeak and I have to apply some hi-temp grease twice a year to calm it down. So yes- it is noisy. Noisier than a fridge or a dishwasher, but I can live with it.

*Cleaning- 5+++*
Okay purists- you are really going to hate me on this one. I love the cleaning regimen on my unit! Know why? Cause I only do it about three times a year! Twice during burning and one really good one when I am done.

Do I scrape the burn pot every day? Oh heck no!

Do I pull that little rod above the baffles every know and again to clean those off? Umm... NOPE! 

I know, I know- you're saying "What a fool".. Well guess what? I cleaned a wood stove every week, a chimney once a month.. Then I swept the dust, bark and everything else out of the shop and home.. When I bought this and noticed how little I had to do and it still kept heating? I tested the boundaries!

Seriously I clean the burn pot twice a year, wipe all the ash out and vacuum the unit, oil the chain and grease the moving parts twice during the season. That's it! This bugger just keeps sucking in pellets and spitting out heat whether it's spotlessly clean on the inside or if it's covered in ash and the burn pot has a heavy layer of carbon. I have a method of cleaning all that caked on carbon that takes less than 5 minutes of my handling time so it's worth it!

5 years of heat- that's 15-18 tons of fuel. That's awesome.. I love this thing just for that. Really.

*Heat- 5*
Okay the biggie- "Does this thing really heat 3,000 sq. ft like it says? Really??"
Yes. It does. The unit has 5 heat settings. The coldest it has been here has been -28F. It has only seen level '3' once. It will throw some heat! Normally it bounces from 1-2 on the Hi-Lo setting and the basement stays 76-ish and the upstairs stays 65-67 degrees. Perfect for us. Actually when we are in our big open basement family room we turn it off for a while and then set it back to '1'. It runs us out. The house is 20 years old, 2x6 walls, 1" of insulating board then drywall. Standard windows (and lots of them) and only a propane fire place in the upstairs living room. *It throws out a lot of heat. 

That's about it. In short- I like this ugly duckling unit. It heats, it's easy to maintain, it's durable and dependable. Not much more you can ask for in a heating appliance. *


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## Lake Girl (Jan 6, 2016)

Great to hear you love the ugly duckling!  Sounds like you have chosen the right stove for your home and lifestyle.


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## bags (Jan 6, 2016)

I had it narrowed down between an M55 or Max and a Harman P68. I can say the same for the Harman but this is my 2nd heating season. I do like the Enviros but there was an idiot dealing them here. Very unreliable and sketchy so I passed on that alone. Dude wouldn't even answer his phone. I did go to his make shift shop eventually and was only able to see the cast and an EF2 IIRC. All said and done he finally called me back three weeks after my 68 was running and keeping me warm. LOL!

So it is good to know I would have been good either way even though I would have been on my own big time had I dealt with that flighty tool. Glad you have had a good experience and thanks for the great review. Many people are happy with their Enviro stoves and I've read many good raves about them but your's is a very good one and very well detailed. Stay Warm!


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## bostonfan49 (Jan 6, 2016)

Hey Threerun, I have the insert model going into my 5th winter and I have pretty much the same results and I am very happy. As far as your little secret....the Red/Green/Yellow setting for the type of pellet used is pretty simple. The Red setting for Premium pellet goes under the theory that it will produce less carbon, thus the agitator turns less frequently. At the opposite end is the yellow setting....garbage pellets would produce more carbon and quicker build-up so the agitator turns more frequently. The setting and agitator bar is really suited for alternative fuels like corn and beet that leave a much higher residue build-up. 
         I find it amazing that you only have to scrape the burn pot 3 times a season I do mine once a week with 3 cold steel chisels....First, after I dump out any ash, I take my "battering ram" chisel and beat the hell out of each side and bottom of the burn pot, then I take my 2nd chisel and chip of any visual build up that remains. Finally I take my supe sharp finishing chisel and kind of shave the entire inside and make sure it's clean and smooth. Like you this takes all of 5 minutes. If possible could you share your cleaning method.....?
Thanks, Bill


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## alternativeheat (Jan 6, 2016)

The main Enviro Dealer here was really into gas stoves and inserts and fireplaces. His Enviro pellet stove line was a secondary thing to him and I think he stocked an insert and two display stoves non functional.. Nice people but the Harman dealer was full time. We bought a Harman, every model was displayed and functional except the 35i that I wasn't interested in anyway. He also handled Lennox at the time and St. Croix, also functional. I think now, two years later, he also has taken on Enviro.

I will say this, what I saw of the Enviro stoves they looked very well made. But could not witness one run . Had we seen a couple run we might have owned an Enviro now.


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## Threerun (Jan 6, 2016)

bostonfan49 said:


> I find it amazing that you only have to scrape the burn pot 3 times a season I do mine once a week with 3 cold steel chisels....First, after I dump out any ash, I take my "battering ram" chisel and beat the hell out of each side and bottom of the burn pot, then I take my 2nd chisel and chip of any visual build up that remains. Finally I take my supe sharp finishing chisel and kind of shave the entire inside and make sure it's clean and smooth. Like you this takes all of 5 minutes. If possible could you share your cleaning method.....?
> Thanks, Bill



Sure- 
I take the burn pot to the garage and set across two cinder blocks. I take a propane blow torch and place it underneath and heat the burn pot for a few minutes or more. Usually the carbon is heavier near the ends, so I'll focus one spot first. After the burn pot gets good and hot, pick it up with some pliers and dunk it in a bucket of cold water. The carbon 'pops' off due to expansion / contraction. No scraping (or very little) required. 

The burn pot is so thick and well made that this causes no issue with the steel. I've done this trick for 4 years with no problems, still using the same burn pot. No signs of wear or fatigue.


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## bags (Jan 7, 2016)

You could also buy another extra burn pot and just switch them out and then clean at your convenience. Sure they aren't cheap but just another thought.


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## Threerun (May 29, 2016)

We've wrapped up our pellet heating season. Another great year- no issues. Easy cleaning, great burning and low maintenance. Super impressed by this unit. Next year will be our 6th season with it.


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## smwilliamson (Jun 1, 2016)

I'm very happy to see a good m55 review. The steel stove has the least amount of issues. I'd say the insert had the most, all of which I think they addressed but it took 4 years to get there. I've sold I think 10 of the steel m55 stoves and sincerely, all are very happy with it....except for the one dude I had go through 3 or 4 door handles...but honestly, maybe it was his hook for a hand


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## johneh (Jun 1, 2016)

smwilliamson said:


> maybe it was his hook for a hand


Honestly   Do you think


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## crizpynutz (Jun 3, 2016)

Nice write up!  I just finished my second year with my GC60 which from what I've read is a rebranded Enviro M55.  Thanks for sharing the burn pot trick, I'll have to remember that.


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## Cleetussnow (Oct 26, 2016)

You have been lucky in the dependability department.  In the same 5 years, I would rate this stove no higher than a 2. Nealry every moving component on mine has had to be replaced: both fans, agitator motor, and a burn pot included.  The original wore to the point is wasn't serviceable.  Also replaced the mother daughter board tape and the actual motherboard.

Even my service tech said these stoves are unreliable as there are, in his opinion, too many moving parts.  I agree.  We have had this discussion too many times on visits when the stove was under warranty. The local dealer also has harmon stoves, and if ever there was an opportunity for a do over I would go that route. 

I asked my dealer to remove it, and he agreed to do it, but since oil prices are so low, we both agreed this stove might as well serve an ornamental purpose. To his credit he gave some wear parts to me, including the agitator which broke in half.  I am on the third one.  As I type this, the blower fan is failing. I am wondering if it's worth the energy to pull the stove and screw with it, or not. the wife will want a fire at times this winter so I suppose I will do that but the alternative to carry out the 'remove it forever' plan is getting more near. 

My review is therefore completely opposite.  While it makes a lot of heat when working, it's like tony romo.  He's great when he's not hurt.  Otherwise you need a good backup.


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## Threerun (Dec 4, 2016)

Well it's chugging along nicely this season as well. I'm giving it a good cleaning today before the temps drop to below 0 next week. 

Sorry to hear about your experience- sounds like a lemon. Was it the steel FS stove?


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## Threerun (Feb 21, 2017)

3 months burning this season. Lots of temps below zero. Several weeks night time temps below -10. 
2.5 tons burned so far, 1 thorough cleaning.

No problems. Workhorse of a unit.


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