# Enviro Mini problems



## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 6, 2008)

I purchased and installed a new Enviro Mini pellet stove a couple months ago. We're just now having cold weather and the stove seems to generate plenty of heat, and it seems to be very efficient wrt its use of pellets, etc. However, I have found a couple of annoying problems and I was wondering if anybody has had similar experiences.

Sometimes, the stove makes a terrible rattling noise. This seems to only happen when it is set to it's highest level and the fire is going full bore. The rattling seems to be coming from somewhere near the top, but it's difficult to tell for sure. In any case, it is very loud.

Another problem I have is related to the thermostat. It seems that whenever the stove goes off due to the thermostat (by reaching the desired temp, or I reduce the thermostat setting, or I turn off the thermostat), the pellets keep coming out at the same rate throughout the "cool down" cycle. The result is that the pellets always spill out of the burn pot, and then I need to open the front and clean it out before it cycles back on. This happens whether it is set to the on/off mode or to the hi/low mode.

Has anyone had either of these problems? Thanks.

Mark Stamp


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## kast (Nov 6, 2008)

I also just installed a MINI and I have seen your first issue with the noise during high heat, I tightened all the screws down and most of it went away. I also noticed that after it runs for a few hours I don't hear it as much. I think it has become less and less as I run the stove. If you look on the side of your stove at the top right (or left) between the fins there is a slanted piece of metal, if you press on that when the noise is going it will stop it. Therefore, what I have done is tap it hard when it happens and it will stop.  



For your second issue I haven’t hooked up my thermostat yet (this weekend!) but I have noticed that on low I need the auger trip set to the slowest mode with the 5 and 1 options selected or the pellets smother the fire  and over fills the pot.

Oh and from what I have read HI/LOW mode is better for the stove, less ware and tear from not having to start and stop every time the thermostat stops calling for heat


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## kast (Nov 7, 2008)

Any luck?


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 7, 2008)

I haven't had a chance to take it apart and try tightening the screws (too busy installing a standby generator and automatic transfer switch, but that's another story...). I did take that right side panel off when I installed the thermometer, so I suppose there could be a problem there. However, the sound is so loud (like someone banging on it with a hammer) that I'm not optimistic. I plan to talk to the dealer next week and I'll let you know how that goes. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can reproduce the noise (it doesn't seem to happen every time), so even if they come out, I don't think they can do any more than I can. The excessive dropping of pellets is consistent (always happens with the thermostat, never happens in manual mode), so I might have better luck with the dealer on that issue.

Mark Stamp


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## kast (Nov 7, 2008)

I'm hopefully installing my tstat next week ill let you know if i run into the same issue.


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## kast (Nov 8, 2008)

In perpetration for my Tstat I started looking again at the option I have for the MINI and the manual I have is showing a different looking control board then my unit has, can you tell me which board yours looks like, the one from the manual or the picture of mine?

The Manual says it has a AUTO/OFF – HIGH/LOW- MANUAL  switch at the top of the control board, but I don’t seem to have that


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## kast (Nov 8, 2008)

2nd picture


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## kast (Nov 8, 2008)

Ok It turns out that I have two sets of manuals for the MINI both are 50-1220 but the one I downloaded off the net has different pages from the one that came with the stove. Turns out that ON/OFF and HI/LOW etc… are set by jumper.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 8, 2008)

Mine looks just like the picture from the manual---not like the 2nd picture that you posted. That's strange...


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## kast (Nov 8, 2008)

What year is it? mine is 05 that prob why.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 8, 2008)

My Mini is supposed to be new. I assume that means a 2008 model, but I'm not sure where I'd find this info. In any case, I'd think noise problems (and any thermostat problems) would have been corrected by now...


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## kast (Nov 8, 2008)

yeah i was able to get an 05 floor model in a month of going in, and installed in SEPT!, so i took it. my date is on the label on the back of the ash pan door take a look


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 9, 2008)

Mine is dated August 2008.

Btw, scratch what I said about the pellets overflowing the burn pot _only_ when I use the thermostat. Yesterday, I ran it in manual mode and when I shut it off last night, all was fine. Apparently, during the cool-down cycle, it continued to drop copious amounts of pellets, which I did not notice when I turned it on this morning. I happened to see a lot of smoke coming out of the chimney and I rushed over to the Mini just in time to see a mini-explosion as a huge pile of smoldering pellets finally ignited. So, now I have a huge fire that is overflowing the burn pot on both sides, and it is also making that wonderful hammer-banging noise. What joy...

The local dealer claimed that demand for pellet stoves was at an all-time high this fall, and we were "lucky" to get this stove. I'm wondering just how lucky we really were. I suspect that quality control has suffered on the newer models, so that Enviro could meet the increased demand. Anyways, I'll see what the dealer has to say when they re-open on Tuesday.


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## kast (Nov 9, 2008)

I know that on the 1 setting I have the auger trim to  the lowest it can go (on my model) 2.5 seconds. I also make sure it is on the lowest setting when it starts because I to get many pellets in the pot before it ignites. (small pot!)

I get a weird  banging sound when the stove first starts up but It goes away, I have chalked it up to the metal being cold then getting hit with a lot of heat, since when I first installed the stove and ran it to burn off the smell it was still warm outside and it never made that sound.

Question: with your wireless tstat did you run the wire out the back, or did you leave the wireless module inside the panel? was wondering if just tucking it inside would interfere with the wireless transmission.


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## gw2kpro (Nov 9, 2008)

I have a 2005 mini (bought it new this year) and the pellets always stop dropping the second it goes into shut down / cool down mode.

FYI, I have had the same thing happen (once) with my Breckwell upon igniting a full burnpot of pellets, it took a real long time for it to ignite and when it finally did, a whole bunch started all at once and it made the same type of mini-explosion.  Scared the you know what out of me.


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## gw2kpro (Nov 9, 2008)

One other note to mini users:  twice I have had mine seem like it was burning a little lazy and the burnpot was filling up faster than it was burning, regardless of which setting I had it on.  

Both times it was right after I cleaned it and emptied out the ash pan.  

There are two hooks at the bottom that hold the ash pan in place.  The first time, I missed one of those hooks when putting the ashpan back in. The rope seal around ashpan didn't seal up and the unit was pulling air in through the ashpan instead of through the air intake.  The second time I had it hooked correctly but a small pile of ashes had fallen out of the pan and were in the bottom of the housing.  When I put the pan back in, it sat on top of the ashes enough that the top rope seal on the pan didn't seal well and the same thing happened.


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## kast (Nov 9, 2008)

Great points! 
Those are both top 5 on calls people pay allot of $ on just for someone to come out and solve, thanks for mentioning them I had totally forgotten about it. I had spoke to a tech when I first got the unit installed and he showed me the most common mistakes made, and those where them.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 10, 2008)

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.


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## gw2kpro (Nov 10, 2008)

Jeremy Hillary Boob said:
			
		

> Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?
> 
> Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.



Did they set the damper when it was installed?


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## kast (Nov 10, 2008)

if your flame looks good then i would check the auger trim settings like i mentioned above i have mine on the lowest setting (auger trim 2.5SEC)when its on the 1 option, or i to get pellets smothering. 

Ok that might be the highest setting? lol either way it is the setting that waits the most between auger turns.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 10, 2008)

Liter of Cola said:
			
		

> Jeremy Hillary Boob said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"They" didn't do anything other than deliver the Mini. I installed the chimney and did all of the setup. After some trial and error, I believe the damper is set properly (at least close to optimal).

As for the auger feed rate, I think that is about right too, since the flame is never huge (under normal operation)---if anything, it tends to run a bit on the small side. It seems to me that the problem goes well beyond occasionally smothering the fire (which, as far as I can tell, has happened at most once). Whenever the thing goes into its cool down cycle (no fire, just the fan running), pellets continue to drop, overflowing the fire pot. It seems obvious to me that when it is shutting down and there is no fire, pellets ought to stop flowing into the fire pot. Anyways, suggestions and/or comments are appreciated.

I also took the side off to take try and resolve the hammer-banging noise. All screws were tight, but I did discover that there is a large sheet metal piece next to the blower which is not firmly attached to anything. The smallest vibration is sure to cause this to produce a lot of noise. It seems like a pretty poor design. Maybe I can drill a couple of holes and attach it properly... or maybe not.

Mark Stamp


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## kast (Nov 10, 2008)

Sounds like a control board issue maybe. The pellets should stop when you hit the power so that is strange indeed.  

as for the metal and banging if you search the forum there are other model stoves that have been built with what seems like to much metal! Some people have some unique fixes.


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## kast (Nov 10, 2008)

> Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?
> 
> Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.





** Improper ash pan and or door placement*
(Make sure both hooks are in there place before placing the pan backing)

** Ash build-up under ash pan (causing pan to lift and the seal to break)*
(I always vacuum under the pan when I do the cleaning)

** Improper placement of burn pot and liner (causing igniter issue/no flame on start-up)*
  (If the burn pot and liner are not seated correctly then the igniter will not line up and you will not get a flame)

** Damper settings, too much/too little air.*
(The service tech that came by said about two finger widths wide (about and inch and half or two inches) for the damper will get the stove started 99% of the time, from there you can adjust the damper for best flame depending on if you have an outside air kit, horizontal or vertical piping)

** Burn pot clean-out lever*
(Make sure you push that back in after cleaning. I left mine open a little, and while it didn’t cause the stove to fail it did effect the flame and was a source of aggravation just when I thought I got the damper settings right!)

Just a few please feel free to add/ change if needed.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 10, 2008)

kast said:
			
		

> > Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?
> >
> > Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.
> 
> ...


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## kast (Nov 10, 2008)

Now this is on a 05 model. sorry for the crappy quality my good camera is unavailable right now.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Nov 11, 2008)

I turned the auger feed rate down to its lowest setting and it seems to be behaving much better, at least in manual mode---I haven't tried the thermostat yet. I'll let you know how the thermostat works. Also, I can't seem to reproduce the banging noise. I took off the side panel, but I don't feel like I changed anything in that process. Curiouser and curiouser...

I'm wondering what auger setting other Mini users use. I'm burning "Golden Fire" pellets, which, as I recall, are 100% douglas fir. For these pellets, the lowest auger trim setting (i.e., 2 seconds "on" per cycle) seems to work best for me.

Mark Stamp


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## kast (Nov 11, 2008)

I have burned two different hard woods and a soft and all like the low trim settings for #1. Received my thermostat today, will see if I have time to install tonight, still not sure, if I am going the HIGH/LOW or ON/OFF route


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## kast (Nov 14, 2008)

Ok I installed my Skytech 3301P tstat last night with out any problems. I went the ON/OFF route, setting the stove at a temperature (50 degrees) that will shut it off at 10:00PM, come back on at 5:30AM (75 degrees), and remain at a temperature during the day that will keep it going until we feel like shutting it down manually. I place the tstat in THERMO (not the PROGRAM) mode before I go to work so my wife can just turn the temperature down or up to shutdown and turn on the stove when I’m not home.

I also reprogrammed my Zone 1 digital tstat in the dinning room to come on from 4:30 – 5:30am at 68 degrees before the stove comes on at 5:30 to even out the heat. This morning it worked flawlessly and I woke up to an even-tempered house. 

The temperature was on the mild side though so I will have to wait for a bigger test in the coming days. The worst case I see is I have to place the digital tstat in the dinning room to come on at 4:00AM instead of 4:30AM then play with it from there until it feels comfortable in the morning.


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## enviromini (Dec 15, 2008)

Hi, I just bought an Enviro Mini and the auger seems to drop pellets faster then they can burn in the pot. I think the draft is set ok, but it seems to overflow on each heat setting after 30 min of operation. How do I adjust the auger trim? Is there a button combo on the operation panel to push, or is it an internal knob? 
Thanks.


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## kast (Dec 15, 2008)

Well my MINI is a 2005 so the control board might be a little different, with that said I know with my model the auger trim only works with the lowest setting, so there might be a different issue here. 

Tell us about your setup, piping config, how old of a house, what type of pellets are you burning; does it have an outside air kit? Etc…  

If you run it on high and it overflows sounds like it might be an airflow issue.  The only time I see the overflow is if I do not set the auger to low when burning on the 1st setting.


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Dec 15, 2008)

miniowner said:
			
		

> Hi, I just bought an Enviro Mini and the auger seems to drop pellets faster then they can burn in the pot. I think the draft is set ok, but it seems to overflow on each heat setting after 30 min of operation. How do I adjust the auger trim? Is there a button combo on the operation panel to push, or is it an internal knob?
> Thanks.



For my version of the mini (dated August 2008), this is explained (albeit, not too clearly) in the Owner's Manual on the top of p. 7. Said manual can be found here:
http://www.enviro.com/help/manuals.html
However, I see  there is also a "Mini A", and that manual shows a different control board, which does not have an "auger trim" light. Instead, there is a "feed rate trim". The "A" manual also explains the trim function on p. 7, and it looks to be much better than the trim function on mine---the Mini A is adjustable in 1/4 second increments, while my Mini only has 3 different setting (essentially, normal, fast, and slow).


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## gw2kpro (Dec 15, 2008)

Check your ash pan seal / placement.

The same thing has happened to me twice, the burn pot overfilling when running.  Both times it was right after I had cleaned the stove.  Both times it was related to the ashpan.  Once I had missed catching one of the bottom latches when replacing the ash pan.  The other time I had some ashes fall in behind the pan, then when I put the pan back, it sat on top of the ashes on one end.

What this causes is a break in the ash pan seal (the rope gasket).  The combustion blower will pull air through this seal instead of through the burn pot.  Your fire doesn't get the air is't supposed to get, so it doesn't burn well / completely and consume the pellets it's supposed to.


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## kast (Dec 15, 2008)

kast said:
			
		

> > Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?
> >
> > Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.
> 
> ...




Check out everything listed above.


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## bjhjjh (Jan 14, 2009)

Hi I have been reading your posts especially regarding the overflowing burn pot and the banging noise. I might have an answer to the noise issue. On our stove I found out that the hearth pad that you attach to the stove will rattle or bang sometimes when the auger comes on. We have our stove on a hard surface and it can vibrate and make a horrible racket. Also I am experiencing the same overflow problems that have been mentioned here and I did just clean my stove. I had to remove the side panel because my damper would not push in to the proper setting and I found quite a bit pellet dust back there so I vacuumed it out and now the damper slides freely again. I am wondering if when I cleaned it something got in the way of the ash pot so it is not sealing right. 

BJ


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## kast (Jan 14, 2009)

BJ, 

Confused on your issue, you start by making some comments then end with an ash pan not closing right. Please feel free to elaborate for me. thanks!


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## bjhjjh (Jan 15, 2009)

Sorry I was on my lunch hour when I was reading the forum so I was writing the post in a hurry. I was having problems with my burn pot overflowing which was my original  reason for reading. I read the post regarding the possibility of the ash pan not seated right. When I got home tonight I checked and sure enough the pan was not set on the bottom hinge so the gasket was not sealed right. I cleaned out the burn pot again and the ash pan re-started the stove and so far it seems to be working much better.

I also read about the banging noise that some of the other posts mentioned. I have experienced the same type of noise and I finally figured out that because our stove sits on a hard surface the attached hearth pad on the stove vibrates sometimes. I made sure the leveling feet were set and the banging seems to have stopped. 

I do have another question though. My co-worker was told that she should run her pellet stove on high for at least 1 hour every day I have never run ours on that setting should I?

BJ


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## Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD (Jan 15, 2009)

bjhjjh said:
			
		

> Sorry I was on my lunch hour when I was reading the forum so I was writing the post in a hurry. I was having problems with my burn pot overflowing which was my original  reason for reading. I read the post regarding the possibility of the ash pan not seated right. When I got home tonight I checked and sure enough the pan was not set on the bottom hinge so the gasket was not sealed right. I cleaned out the burn pot again and the ash pan re-started the stove and so far it seems to be working much better.
> 
> I also read about the banging noise that some of the other posts mentioned. I have experienced the same type of noise and I finally figured out that because our stove sits on a hard surface the attached hearth pad on the stove vibrates sometimes. I made sure the leveling feet were set and the banging seems to have stopped.
> 
> ...




I finally got somebody out to look at my Enviro Mini. I'd had problems with a loud banging noise (only on the highest setting) and the burn pot overflowing when using the thermostat. As for the banging noise, they removed the back and decided that the noise was coming from the convection fan. The beat on the fan a little bit and the noise mysteriously disappeared. Of course, 10 minutes after they left, the noise was back, as loud as ever. They said that if the noise came back, they'd probably have to replace the fan, so it looks like that might be the next step. I'm not really convinced that will solve the problem, so I'm hesitant to go that route, but unless I can come up with a better idea, I suppose we'll have to try it.

As for the overflow problem I was having, one of the tech guys who came out to my house called Enviro, and after a long conversation, they convinced him that it was functioning properly. It seems that when the thermostat turns it "off", it actually goes into a low setting, regardless of which mode its set on. And on my current settings, my stove seems to always kill the fire on the low setting. I'm not sure what that happens, but, in any case, that explains why the thermostat gives us problems, but it still doesn't make the thermostat usable.

The bottom line is that this pellet stove is very finicky. Maybe one of these days I'll manage to get it dialed in just perfectly, but so far I don't feel like I've come close, and it's not for lack of trying. It certainly puts out the heat and so it works well in that sense, but a lot of the functions (highest setting, lowest setting, thermostat, ...) are currently useless.


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## Pat Shuff (Jan 15, 2009)

* Improper ash pan and or door placement 
(Make sure both hooks are in there place before placing the pan backing) 

* Ash build-up under ash pan (causing pan to lift and the seal to break) 
(I always vacuum under the pan when I do the cleaning) 

* Improper placement of burn pot and liner (causing igniter issue/no flame on start-up) 
(If the burn pot and liner are not seated correctly then the igniter will not line up and you will not get a flame) 

* Damper settings, too much/too little air. 
(The service tech that came by said about two finger widths wide (about and inch and half or two inches) for the damper will get the stove started 99% of the time, from there you can adjust the damper for best flame depending on if you have an outside air kit, horizontal or vertical piping) 

* Burn pot clean-out lever 
(Make sure you push that back in after cleaning. I left mine open a little, and while it didn’t cause the stove to fail it did effect the flame and was a source of aggravation just when I thought I got the damper settings right!) 

Just a few please feel free to add/ change if needed

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've burned about 6 tons of pellets in an Enviro Mini since installing in summer '07. I encountered each of the above issues resulting in poor burning/airflow
before finding this forum. Also had the ignitor tube  pushed back from the burn pot resulting in hit-or-miss ignition before discovering the problem on this
forum, thanks. If the ash pan is sealed and burn pot/clean out lever positioned correctly, and thoroughly cleaned after each ton or so, it burns excellently on
every heat setting. No overflow on the highest setting and stays lit on the lowest setting with good heat output (auger trim is at factory default midpoint 2sec,
two fingers of damper control.) The only noise rattle I've had is from the heat exchanger clean lever, a jiggle stops the noise. 

    The Mini provides 100% of our heating needs here on the moderate OR coast, compact 1 1/2 story, year round temp range 30-65 degrees, it rarely barely
freezes. Heating needs are mostly to take the chill off. The tiny burn pot and lowest setting heat output are perfect,
unlike a previous Whitfield pellet insert 20 yrs ago that required feed and combustion air turned up so high to keep it lit it drove us out of the house. No thermostat, we just use the manual control panel. 

After reading about the leaf blower trick here, I attached a powerful ShopVac to the horizontal outside wall vent using a beer huggie cut out to fit the vac hose which fit and sealed the 3" pipe
with no duct tape. The billowing clouds of ash looked like a minor weather system. Seems to burn cleaner, using 100% doug fir pellets since new, either Golden Fire or America's Best, both made by Bear Mountain, $199/ton.


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## kast (Jan 15, 2009)

I still get the random noises, but they are either lower in nature, or I am just getting used to them.  As far as the lower burn setting goes I keep it on 3, if I put it on 1 (with the lower auger trim) it will just burn horrid, get a lot of black soot on my glass, 1 with the default auger trim will over flow, as well as the fast trim. I have messed with the air trim to I’m blue in the face and in the end I just leave it pushed all the way in and it burns like a champ as long is its not on 1 setting. If I pull it out a little, I can get 1 to burn better, but then I get over burn on setting 3 and black smoke out the pipe.

So in the end since I have it on 3-4 99% of the time I decided to tweak it to work better on those settings.

I also have a wireless thermostat but I have had no issue with it, I have my MINI set to ON/OFF mode and I have the tstat set to turn off at a certain time (night/days no one is home) and turn back on, with out issue.


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