New Enviro M55 FS stove owner

[Threerun]

Well we bit the bullet and bought a M-55 stove. It replaced a Quadrafire propane stand alone stove situated in our downstairs family room. We were using about 75-100 gal of propane in the coldest months here in Montana (we also have a propane gas fired fireplace upstairs and a propane shop heater in our 3 car garage)..

I've never owned a pellet stove before. Prior to moving to MT we lived in West Virginia and used a Dutchwest Catalytic extra large wood stove for our heating needs, usually burning 4-5 cords of hardwoods p/yr. Our house in MT has no chimney, and the basement has no door access to the outside so pellets seemed to fit the bill nicely, and should be more than half the cost of using propane.

I did a lot of research and narrowed down the stove choices to a EF3 or the M55. I liked the EF3, but the wife preferred the M55 for styling, so there it is

It's only been running for 24 hours, but it is doing a good job thusfar. Loaded it with some premium pellets on the maiden fire and set it on high/low mode with a remote thermostat. 1,200 finished square feet in the basement, another 1,400 upstairs. Temps last night were in the upper 20's and the house stayed warm enough, no propane kicked on last night. Obviously back bedrooms down hallways are cooler, but thats how we like it. Forecast for the next week is single digits, minus 0 at night so we'll see how it does. Gonna try some Home Depot fuel next.

I'll keep updates on the performance, possibly post up a pic in a while.

 

[jtakeman]

Welcome Threerun,

Going with the M55 is good choice as the EF3 is much older technology and wouldn't run on a stat without lots of work. Both are great stoves, But the M55 is just loaded with more options for you. The high/low is great for clod weather.

Keep us posted on how it does for you and YES, we would love some pictures of the stove!

Enjoy the new toy!

 

[BT ENT LLC]

you bought an awesome stove. I have two that I have running besides one that I have a friend running. They can burn just about any pellet and produce plenty of heat with little ash.

 

[Threerun]

As soon as the wifey gets home I'll snap a photo. The install is pretty straightforward- there is no dedicated hearth area, just a pad that coordinates with the room colors.. We've been in the process of remodeling the basement and I'm about 90% there. I may install some lick and stick stone veneer on the wall at some point and dress the stove area up. Maybe do a matching veneered wet bar. I did that in our first house and that turned out really neat.

All it takes is time and money, lol.

Lowe's has Eureka brand premium pellets for $179 a ton. I've heard some good reports on those.. Anybody use them? They are manufactured in Missoula MT..

 

[Threerun]

So 3 days, 4 bags of pellets and no complaints. Cleaned the burn pot today and it fired right back up no problems. 3 degrees outside and all is well.

 

[imacman]

Congrats on the M55, Threerun. Keep the stove and exhaust pipe clean, run good pellets, and it should keep you toasty.

But remember, no pics = it really didn't happen! :lol:

Enjoy the heat!!

 

[Threerun]

So.. been a few weeks and still doing well. I've burned 4 different types of pellets and the device doesn't have a problem with any of them. Eureka premium, Lignetic Press-to-logs, whatever..

Burning about 1.5 bags a day, but my propane gauge still reads 30% (500gal tank) which is where it was when I installed this thing. The propane fireplace upstairs hardly comes on, even though the pellet stove is in the basement. I don't find the unit overly noisy or difficult to clean.

Images don't show the long hallway run off the family room or the stairwell leading upstairs. Basically the main family room is 18 x 30, then a long, angled hallway with two bedrooms off them. The basement is still under construction, need to patch some old speaker holes, change some light fixtures, re-route wires for the home theatre, yadda-yadda.. At least it's WARM down here.

You can still see the old propane line running next to the pellet stove. That comes out in the spring.

 

[jtakeman]

Threerun,

The stove fits nicely! Enjoy!

 

[imacman]

Looks great, Threerun. that's a nice cozy room you have there, and I especially like the computer i see on the desk in pic #3 ......looks just like mine! ;-)

 

[Threerun]

It's a nice family room for sure. Needs some work though. When we bought it the carpet was baby blue and dog p*ss stained, the walls were all baby blue and there were holes in the drywall. We've been here 6 months, so I'm plugging away.

It's 75deg down here and the stove is on LOW.. 28deg outside.. Mmmmmm.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Looking Good Threerun ! Welcome and enjoy the heat!

 

[Threerun]

So it's been about a month and the unit is running flawlessly. Still set on HI/LO with a remote thermostat. Feed and air trim set at 3 and seems to produce good results with the pellets I'm using (Eureka Premiums). Exhaust is clean, good clean burning in the pot, no clinkers etc.. Little soot build up on the door glass but easily cleaned with a mildly damp paper towel. I clean the unit thoroughly once a week, but scrape the pot every other day (and I don't think that is necessary- it always looks really, really clean). The auto ignite feature works perfectly.

The unit does give off some really nice heat. Our basement is toasty, but obviously transferring the heat upstairs is a challenge. It stays about 10 deg cooler up there, but we will add a ceiling fan to help draw the air from the basement stairwell.
I've been burning about a bag to a bag and a half a day. Temps here fluctuate quite a bit. Several weeks ago it was in the 40's-50's, then back down to zero and -10.. Right now we're in the freezer again.

So my overall impressions after a month- the unit is pricey but looks good (wife was right). It works really well, and a lot better than what I anticipated. I've been an ardent woodburner all my life and really sing praises on the VC Dutchwest stoves (cat types) for the efficiency and heat- but I am pleasantly surprised with this unit.

Will add comments at least monthly or as issues may arise.

 

[Threerun]

Been running two months now.. About a ton and a half of fuel I suppose. The unit is running just fine. I love the Hi/Lo feature with a remote thermostat and the easy maintenance as compared to a wood burner. What a snap!

I am still amazed at the amount of heat it outs out, definitely the right thing to buy. With the Federal tax credits and the $500 through the state of Montana, it really was a no brainer to yank the step-top propane heater out of this place. If fuel costs for pellets remain $200 a ton or less- I'll get a full payback in 2- 2 1/2 years. Amazing.

I've settled in with Eureka premium pellets and they do pretty well. The stove gets cleaned once a week, and I just finished a thorough break down and cleaning inside the unit. The glass gets dirty in the same spot as everyone else's- the upper right corner. The best way to combat that is a daily swipe with a slightly damp paper towel. No biggie.

I'm still going to burn the unit when heat is required here, which could last until May. I'll switch from Hi/Lo to manual and just set it as the weather requires.

Overall I rate this unit as a solid 8 to 9 out of 10 for performance, looks and convenience. I'm not unhappy about this purchase at all.

 

[vinny11950]

Great stove and install, Threerun. You made a good choice. I have the same one, and I love it.

Thanks for the updates.

vinny

 

[Threerun]

Okay- at 3 months + now, still burning. Basically shut it off during the day, back on at night when temps drop. Still going strong. Good cleaning once a week, the auger needs a little oiling (getting squeaky) but no complaints from me.

Pretty darned pleased with the unit... I figured I'll burn 5 tons a year on average.

 

[Threerun]

Pretty much done for the season now.

I'm pleased. (with the unit that is). No complaints, found it much easier to deal with my 20+ years of burning a wood stove. Thankful I don't have to scramble for wood for next season. Only complaint with the unit is the accumulation of soot in that one corner, but frankly that pales in comparison to the amount of the crud I scraped off the glass of my DutchWest woodstoves. I really, really don't care about the soot on this unit- it wipes off with a damp paper towel.

Talk to you folks back in November!

 

[Threerun]

Started the stove for the first time Friday evening. I gave everything a thorough cleaning in the spring from the stove pipe down. Only complaints thus far is the squeaky agitator and it appears the baffle plate is pretty darned warped. It is a really, really thin piece of sheet steel. Hopefully it's not a big issue for performance (I doubt it).

Going to get about 4 toms of pellets this week. More than likely stick to the Eureka brand I mostly used last year.

Sold the old quadrafire propane free standing unit that the M55 replaced. Glad to see that thing out of the garage finally.

 

[Millsk]

The squeaky agitator is a bit of a concern for me, as our M55 is in our main living space. Any one else have thisnissue, there is a place where grease or other lube can be added? Perhaps some silicon?

 

[vinny11950]

the agitator squeaks on mine too. I learned from this forum that putting some high temperature lube, that you can find in the auto store, fixes that. just add some to the end of the agitator rod on the left side.

as for the baffle, that should not be warped. mine is still pretty straight. if yours is warped, put a claim in with the dealer. That piece should still be covered under that warranty. Unless you are putting rocked fuel in your stove, i don't see how you could overfire it. especially this model, as it is built like a boxy tank. and it was a computer board with sensors that prevents overfiring.

 

[Threerun]

It's definitely warped. It bows a good 2" in the center.

The stove hasn't shut down due to an over fire since I've had it, so I doubt that was the cause. Feed trim always 3, air at 2. So it shouldn't be overfiring at all.

 

[JBiBBs5]

Did your stove give off a scent for a while when burning?

 

[stoveguy13]

Did your stove give off a scent for a while when burning?

they smell is from the paint burning of it can take a few fires to get get rid of it you may want to try and put the stove on manual and heat level 5 and just let it burn for a good 5-6 hrs it should take care of most of the smell you may need to open a window when you do this

 

[JBiBBs5]

Did your stove give off a scent for a while when burning?

they smell is from the paint burning of it can take a few fires to get get rid of it you may want to try and put the stove on manual and heat level 5 and just let it burn for a good 5-6 hrs it should take care of most of the smell you may need to open a window when you do this

I've done about 4 overnight burns now and I'm still getting a smell. The stove is set to high/low so it is only switching between 1 and 3.

I just can't tell if its the paint curing or a little bit of smoke.

 

[Threerun]

I had a bit of a smell for a little while but it abated.

 

[flynfrfun]

Yeah, your not running it hot enough. You need to put it in manual mode, open some windows and let her rip on 5 for a couple of hrs ;-) Running it on 3 is just going to prolong the burn in period. Mine took about a week of just running it in the evenings before the burn in smell was pretty much gone.