Been lurking awhile...

[dogsluvtrux]

Hi guys, I've been lurking awhile and am getting ready to buy a lopi pellet insert from a local dealer. Just wanted to run this by the experts...

My three choice in my area are
1. Lopi - 2nd choice of stove, but first choice of dealer
2. QuadraFire - 1rst choice stove, close (but not quite close enough) 2nd choice dealer
3. Lennox - Dealer really downplayed pellet stoves, citing lots of maintenance, problem with electronics etc...

So what I have are two dealer telling me the pellets are the way to go, and one saying wood...are pellet stoves really that high of maintenance? They sure don't seem complicated, just have to take care of them like any other piece of machinery? Or does lennox just have a bad stove?

By the way, the only reason Lopi is 2nd choice is there aren't alot of reviews to read...in case you were wondering.


Thanks!!

 

[homeskillet]

I have a Lennox Montage.........and have had no issues with it. I was going to buy a Quadra-but settled on the Montage

I burn mostly Bear Mountain, which to me are the best. I am always "testing" other brands but, to this point, none can compare to BM

 

[defield]

Dogsluvtrux,

Sounds like you are doing your proper "due diligence".

First, As most on this site will tell you, the dealer is a VERY important consideration.

Second, we have a Lopi Leyden and have been very pleased with the quality and performance.

Third, pellet stoves do require daily and/or weekly maintenance and attention, but, the maintenance can usually be done in a short amount of time and easily worked into most schedules. Maintenance for a Lopi is fairly minimal. In heating season, I spend 5 to 10 minutes a day ( primarily because I like clean glass and a clean burn pot ) and perhaps 30 minutes a month for the more thorough cleaning cycle.

Fourth, as you have read on this site, quality pellets ARE important. Do your homework by searching and reading posts on this site , as well as talking to friends with pellet stoves in your area, before purchasing.

A hot ash vac or a shop vac with a HEPA or drywall filter is strongly recommended for keeping maintenance time short. I just vacuum ashes daily with the hot ash vac, and vacuum the ash pan once a week ( rather than remove it and dump it. Works great. Installer recommended that process. Seemed strange to a long time wood burner, at first, but, Glad he did.).

We have burned wood for more than 35 years in some form; fireplace, franklin fireplace ( wood burning stove), Vermont Castings Vigilant air tight wood stove, and Tarm wood boiler. Pellets are by far the cleanest, safest, most efficient, and require the least maintenance of any other solid fuel device we have used.

We chose to set our free standing Lopi on a short hearth extension in front of the fireplace opening. Have a nice looking, black painted, sheet metal panel that closes off the fireplace opening. 4" flex stainless exhaust, with cap the the chimney top.

And . . . the Lopi works great on a programmable thermostat.

Good luck and keep us posted on your decisions.

Old Ranger

 

[homeskillet]

Does your Stove dealer also sell pellets......if so, see if you can get a deal on pellets this year and in the future. I bought a stove and got the option to buy 2 tons of pellets yearly for the next 5 yrs at my dealers cost + 20%......they normally mark them up 50 or 60%. That way he makes money on the stove and 20% on the pellets. If you dont buy a stove from him....he loses money on the stove AND the pellets. Its incentive for him to make the sale

 

[dogsluvtrux]

Talked to dealer tonight, he's urging me to buy and take delivery of pellets now at $230 a ton (he doesn't deliver), I've got more than enough places to store them, and reading the forum, this seems like a good price, but I didn't ask what brand he is selling.

I think I'll need 3-4 ton for the winter....

 

[newf lover]

I would be very curious to see what the pellets are. I agree with other forum members who say it does make a difference (most of the time) what pellet you use. Especially being new to pellet stoves, if you have problems, it makes life easier to eliminate crappy pellets as the cause. Also, the older I get, the more valuable my time is. I would rather spend a little more on a good quality pellet so I won't be spending a ridiculous amount of time cleaning my stove and taking care of other problems crappy pellets cause. I would cal the dealer back and ask the brand name ASAP. If he's suggesting something like Appling pellets, I think my trust level would immediately go down and I'd reconsider my dealer choice. Do a search here and you'll know why I say that. Good luck!