Enviro Mini Pellet Stove Review

enviro mini wood pellet stoveThe Enviro Mini is a neat little pellet stove. It might not be big enough to heat your whole house, but its compact size and quiet operation make it fit in almost anywhere you need a shot of coziness. Enviro is a trade name for Sherwood Industries, located in Saanichten on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Enviro has a big product line of wood stoves, wood pellet stoves, natural gas stoves, and fireplace inserts.

Sherwood started making stoves in 1989. Their first offering was the Seefire wood stove. It had a large viewing window, which was something of a novelty at the time. Since then, they’ve expanded their production facilities and the sophistication of their products. The Enviro Mini is a great example of the evolution in biomass heaters in the last few decades. The Mini has a compact, European design that appeals to today’s modern consumer. It also has very sophisticated engineering that makes it efficient and easy to operate.

There are many manufacturers of freestanding pellet stoves in today’s marketplace, but the designs are basically either rustic-lodge-style or European appliance. Because wood stoves weren’t used for primary heat sources in regular homes, they stuck to a tradition of ski lodge looks and rugged construction. They also operate more like an appliance than an enclosed fireplace. That’s why the Enviro Mini is in high demand. It works well, and it looks nice in a modern home.

Enviro Mini Wood Pellet Facts

  • Automatic freestanding wood pellet stove
  • Produces up to 30,000 BTUs
  • Heats up to 1,200 square feet
  • 78 percent efficient
  • Optional thermostat available
  • Hold 48 pounds of wood pellets
  • Burns 36 hours on one load
  • Air wash glass
  • EPA-approved
  • Blower moves 130 CFM
  • Burns standard or premium pellets
  • Low draft shutdown
  • Comes in black or stainless steel
  • Flue vent size: 3 inches
  • Rear vent
  • Unit dimensions: 17-1/2″ x 19-1/2″ deep x 34-1/4″ high
  • Hearth pad is 19-3/4″ wide x 24-7/8″ deep
  • Weighs 202 pounds
  • Limited lifetime warranty on stove
  • Limited 3-year warranty on burn pot
  • Limited 2-year warranty on electronics and blowers
  • Limited 1-year warranty on surface finishes, materials, and workmanship

Enviro Mini Features and Benefits

The Enviro Mini is made for convenience. It’s easy to find a spot big enough to place the Mini. It’s approximately 18 inches square, and it’s less than 3 feet tall. Most pellet stoves load from the top, and some stoves are too tall to fill comfortably if you’re petite. The Mini is slightly lower than a kitchen counter, so almost anyone will have an easy time refilling the hopper.

The Mini doesn’t come with a thermostat, but you can purchase one from a dealer or the manufacturer. Small pellets stoves like the Mini can usually be set to maintain a steady temperature in a small area, but a thermostat can be handy to avoid having to fiddle with the unit at all.

Users of the Enviro Mini remark on how quiet the unit is during operation. Pellet stove manufacturers have to compromise between the power of the blowers and the amount of noise their units emit. The Mini produces 130 CFM while running, and the stove has the option to turn the fan off if you like. It can also be rigged so that the combustion fan is located on the exterior of the building which will make the unit half as noisy.

If you’re in a shoulder season, and just want a little bit of heat, the Mini can be dialed down to only 12,000 BTUs. That makes it possible to install the Mini in alcoves and nooks where a more powerful stove might be too hot.

The Enviro Mini has a big ash pan that only needs emptying once a week, and will run a day and a half on a load of pellets. Every two or three days, you should clean the burn pot, heat exchanger, and the viewing glass. You should check the fresh air inlet and clean fly ash from the exhaust system twice a year. Clean the flue every two tons of pellets. Here’s a video of the Enviro Mini in action, with advice on adjusting the flame:

Pros:

  • Sleek European design
  • Fits almost anywhere
  • Easy to operate and to clean
  • Hopper is easy to load
  • Long run time
  • Very quiet operation
  • Reasonably priced
  • Can heat one floor of a small, open house
  • Big viewing window to enjoy the flames
  • Adjustable feet makes leveling the unit easy
  • Built-in hearth pad

Cons:

  • Using a thermostat can cause the automatic igniter to wear out faster
  • Only has two blower settings

Final Word on the Enviro Mini

The Mini has been on the market for a long while, so it’s easy to find a lot of feedback from owners. The Mini gets glowing reviews from the vast majority of owners. Many mention how easy the unit is to operate and to clean. Users that have tried other brands that were too noisy rave about the Mini. It’s one of the quietest pellet stoves on the market. The optional exterior combustion air blower is a real winner with owners.

The Enviro Mini has a retail price around $2,500. You’ll also need an exhaust flue, and installation costs. That means you can have the Mini installed for under $3,000, which is quite affordable. There are many coupons and specials available for the unit. It’s possible to find a Mini priced under $2,000 if you hunt around. With so much to recommend it, the Enviro Mini should be considered a best buy.

Do you own an Enviro Mini pellet stove? Let us know how you like it in the comments!

61 thoughts on “Enviro Mini Pellet Stove Review”

  1. We’ve owned our Mini A for four years. If cleaned on regular intervals it will perform flawlessly. The past winter (2015-2016) we burnt 4 tons of pellets. I burn Hamers Hot Ones, and they seem to produce extreme heat with low ash. I’ve tried three other brands, some worked good, some were just ok. Find a pellet that works in your stove and stick with it. Using the Hamers, my cleaning has become the easiest yet. I don’t get 36 hrs on a load of pellets, but I can go a week with out cleaning the burn pot and dumping the ash pan.
    Would I purchase another Mini A…………….without a thought!

  2. Hello Kenny- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts, and for offering our readers the benefit of your experience with the Enviro Mini A.

    We’ve also found that certain brands of pellets seem to work best with a particular pellet stove. With a little experimentation, you can find the right brand at the right price, and then stick with it.

    I think the amount of cleaning a pellet stove requires doesn’t get enough attention when rating pellets stoves. A pellet stove like yours, that only requires weekly maintenance, is a big plus.

  3. This is heating season 3 and I think the Enviro Mini A is a great buy. Make sure you clean all the places as per manual. Also make sure that the rake that cleans the heat exchanger tubes is pushed in all the way to “lock” in position or the stove will buzz at certain feed and fan blower rates. It took me until this fall to figure that out. (much to my annoyance). Overall I am very happy with the stove but it will sometimes go out if I have it on the lowest heating number 1.I use pellets from the Okanagan Pellets or from Pinnacle Natural Pellets, both SPF pellets.

  4. Hello Elmer- Thank you for visiting Wood Pellet Facts, and for offering our readers the benefit of your experience with the Enviro Mini A.

    We find that small details like your advice on locking the cleaning rake to avoid buzzing noises have a big effect on users’ level of satisfaction with their stove.

    We have recently tested Okanagan Pellets and will be posting out review soon.

  5. Hello Pat- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts, and for leaving a comment.

    We have not had a chance to properly test the Green Supreme pellets from Lowe’s yet. They get very mixed reviews in many places. Many users report a lot of ash, and low burn temps. We suggest that you try three bags of these pellets in your pellet stove before you commit to purchasing a ton or more. That way, you’ll see how the pellet performs in your particular stove.

    The Enviro Mini has a nice, big viewing window, so it pays to use pellets that burn a little hotter and produce less soot. That keeps the glass clear. I believe Green Supreme is 90% hardwood, 10% softwood. You might have better luck with a pellet with at least 50% softwood.

  6. I was told there is an air adjustment on the Mini stove to increase or decrease the temperature of the burn.

  7. Hello R Fry- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts, and for leaving a comment about your problems with Enviro Mini pellet stove.

    It can be especially frustrating for pellet stove owners when their stoves don’t work shortly after installation. After you’ve owned it for a while, you have a store of experience for dealing with problems like you’ve described.

    Whenever a stove won’t light, I immediately suspect a problem with the ignitor. Some Enviro Mini users report a problem when their burn pot isn’t pushed all the way back against the igniter tube. In any case, the igniter should glow red during startup. If it doesn’t, it probably needs to be replaced.

  8. Hi, Can a Enviro-Mini be lit from another source, for instance a propane torch, if the igniter fails, so the stove can be used until repaired ?

  9. Hello Tom- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts.

    It is possible, but it’s not recommended to light your Enviro Mini using a propane torch. The combustion chamber must be closed for the stove to work normally. The stove is equipped with a vacuum switch that senses that the door is open and automatically turns off the stove.

    I have seen videos of pellet stove owners who dumped a handful of pellets into the burn pot, hit the on button, and then lit the pellets with a torch. The pellet stove would turn off after several seconds, so they needed to keep restarting it while holding the torch on the pellets. Eventually it kept burning and he closed the door, but it took maybe ten pushes on the startup button to accomplish it. I might chance it in an emergency, but I wouldn’t try it otherwise.

    One other thing: there are a lot of videos on YouTube that show people using firestarting gel on the pellets to start a pellet stove without an ignitor. I’d never try anything like that under any circumstances.

  10. Hi, I bought a used mini back in the summer and tested it out doors for a few hours to see if it worked ok. I installed it last week dec11/17 after my faithful window pellet stove failed. The mini has run for about a week now and as I said to my wife “this is too good to be true”, very quiet.I don’t know much about the stove yet, I called the dealer in Halifax but phones were tied up. My concern is to get critical components on hand or to know where to get them quickly. (I hope I never need any)The parts manual lists them all in detail so I want to get the best prices if you know what I mean, thanks.

  11. Hello Vic- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.

    You’ve highlighted an important detail about pellet stoves that’s often overlooked. Some pellet stoves are too noisy to be used in a room where you watch TV. In some cases, the pellet stove is simply too large for the room. Big pellet stoves can turn out over 50,000 BTUs, and even if the fan motor is fairly quiet, the rushing air can be pretty loud. The Enviro Mini is designed for smaller spaces, and the fans aren’t that big or noisy. That’s a big plus if you like to sit near the stove to enjoy the flickering flames, and the radiant heat, but still like to listen to music or watch TV.

    Ebay isn’t a bad resource for older pellet stove parts, but you have to poke around, and be careful about who you buy from. Having the part numbers makes it easier to find what you’re looking for.

  12. Glenn in Ontario, Canada

    Bought a well-used Mini this fall, overall pleased with it. I clean it out every 3-4 days using a shop vac with a fine particle dust bag. Learned it’s *especially* important to vacuum out the blower box since ash can get pulled into & clog the vacuum hose connector and then the stove won’t start. As recommended, keeping the burn pot clean is essential. Using the shop vac with a wide nozzle attachment positioned where the closed door would be is *highly* recommended when cleaning the heat exchange tubes!

  13. Hello Glenn- Thanks for visiting Wood Pellet Facts, and for leaving a useful comment.

    The Enviro Mini is getting good reviews. I’ve inspected it, and it does seem quite well made for such an inexpensive pellet stove. I think the design doesn’t try to do too much. It’s a small, compact stove that puts out a moderate amount of BTUs, and it gets the job done. Your observations about the importance of smart, regular cleaning are spot on. In our experience, most pellet stove problems are dirty stove or exhaust flue problems. It’s especially useful for new owners of the Enviro Mini to be able to hear from users like you about the tricks you’ve learned about this particular stove.

    Thanks again!

  14. I have had my mini for 1 and a half years now and i like it even though i have had to make 4 improvements to it
    1 i had to rise the sides of outer burn box 1/2 inch to stop pellets from bouncing all over the bottom of stove.
    2 had to drill 2 more holes in burn pot .
    3 had to take igniter rod out and bend mounting bracket to get igniter rod to sit in center of air tube so it dosent sit on bottom of tube witch would make it burn out sooner.
    4 center inside baffle behind burn pot needed two tabs welded on stede curtens to prevent it from falling forward against door glass.

    Not very good qwality control

  15. Hello Ted- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts, and for leaving a detailed description of your experience with the Enviro Mini pellet stove.

    The modifications you made to your Mini sound smart. They also demonstrate that you fully understand how your pellet stove works, and how to improve its performance. Not very many pellet stove owners understand exactly how their pellet stove operates, and have trouble diagnosing problems and explaining them to the manufacturer’s support staff.

    I think pellet stove manufacturers expect too much from their customers. They assume that everyone who purchases a stove will be comfortable with troubleshooting, repairing, and modifying their stoves. At the same time, they market the stoves to the general public like they were regular appliances, like a refrigerator or stove. The operation of a pellet stove is more complex, and requires more user effort than other appliances, and they should say so.

    Your modification of the burn pot fixes a very common problem with pellet stoves. Almost no standard burn pot is deep enough to catch errant pellets. That’s why so many people modify the burn pots themselves, or purchase a burn pot improver after suffering with smoldering pellets in the ash dump. Pellet stove manufacturers would be smart to listen to their customers, and change the dimensions of the burn pots at the factory.

    Thanks again for offering our readers the benefit of your experience with the Enviro Mini pellet stove.

  16. I came across a used Enviro Mini pellet stove and would like to know what to watch for on a used unit. What kind of questionsnwould you ask the vendor? I have no experience with pellet burning, but due to age and the mess that firewood makes, i am switching over.

  17. Hello Werner- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.
    Asking about the age of the Enviro Mini pellet stove you’re thinking about buying is important. Perhaps more important is how many tons of pellets have been burned in the machine during that time. If the pellets stove was only used occasionally, then most of the moving parts should be in good shape. If the previous owner used it a lot, parts like the augur, burnpot, thermodiscs, etc. might be on their last legs.

  18. Thank you for your information. It has been very helpful. I am seriously considering purchasing the mini but have a question about heat distribution. I have a small wood stove located in my living room but it does not heat the back rooms of my home very well. I live in an 1100 sq. foot mobile home with a layout that is choppy/compartmentalized (long hallway with four rooms off of it). I am wondering if I get a mini installed in one of the back bedrooms, would the heat radiate from the bedroom to warm up the other rooms or would most of the heat tend to stay in the room the mini is installed in? Thank you for your advice.

  19. Hello Linda- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.

    Based on your description of your home, the Enviro Mini should be a substantial upgrade over a small wood stove. Wood stoves are a radiant heating device, and you have to sit close to them to feel really warm (too warm, sometimes). Pellet stoves make warm air that travels further from the unit itself. The fan on the mini produces 130 CFM. A rule of thumb in heating is that you need 1 CFM for every square foot of floor space. Mobile homes have lower ceiling heights than most homes, so they a bit cosier, and require less CFM to heat the same floor area. The amount of BTUs required to heat your mobile home varies depending on the climate where you live, but the Mini sounds about right for your home.

    Pellet stove manufacturers warn against installing their products in sleeping rooms, and we agree that it’s not good idea. Heated air from the stove can’t travel through walls and doors. In your case, perhaps the best way to ensure a more even heat is to install the pellet stove in the largest open area in your home, and then install small, through-the-wall fans. Fans like that are easy to install and don’t cost too much. They’ll even work with the door closed, although you should cut about an inch off the bottom of the door to the room to let air return to the pellet stove.

    I hope this was helpful.

  20. Hi I had my Mini for a year and now when burning for a while the blower turn of for a minute or two and sometimes longer what’s wrong…thanks…..help….Rick….

  21. Hello Rick- Thanks for reading Wood Pellet Facts.
    That’s a very unusual problem in my experience. Usually fans either work, or they don’t. Intermittent operation could mean that there is a loose connection somewhere, or that the control board that sends electricity to the fan is malfunctioning.

    It’s not clear from your question whether you’re talking about the convection fan (blows hot air into the room), or the combustion (exhaust) fan. Enviro has an unusual convection fan setup, and replacements are expensive. You can find replacements for the exhaust blower for a little more than a hundred dollars if you search online using the part number if that’s the problem.

    I’d try to find the exact cause of the problem before replacing lots of expensive parts. However, it’s really not safe to operate a pellet stove if the fans aren’t operating properly. It could overheat, or fill your house with smoke.

  22. just installed the mini , the hopper is way to small at the top, realy hard to fill, also the controls are way down on the stove & hard to see what u r doing. if these 2 items where fixed would be much better elmer

  23. I had my mini cleaned in the spring by a dealer. For a couple of weeks worked great. Now it seems like the rate the pellets are dropping is too much…pellets outside burn pot etc. I have tried different settings with the augers. Any advice?

  24. Hello Linda- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.

    When we encounter a problem with overflowing pellet baskets, the problem gets blamed on the feed rate, but that’s usually not the problem. The feed rates are preset so that the pellets are consumed as more are added. Pellet stove control boards don’t change their minds about this setting overnight. Malfunctions in a control board aren’t usually subtle. If the board is bad, the pellet stove usually won’t operate at all, or malfunctions in several, substantial ways.

    If your stove worked normally after it was cleaned, but doesn’t now, it probably needs to be cleaned again. Any blockage in the air inlets or exhaust flue results in a lazy fire that consumes the pellets too slowly for the feed rate. A lazy, smoldering fire accelerates the buildup of ash and creosote, so the problem gets worse even faster.

    It’s likely that the only answer to your problem is to clean the stove more often. Also, you may want to shop around for pellets that produce very low ash compared to other brands. It’s also useful to make sure your pellets are stored in a very dry environment, so they have as little moisture in them as possible.

  25. I have the enviro mini its a 2 year old model, is it normal for the lights under the auger light to flicker now and then subtly? i have been tripping a breaker a lot that the stove is plugged into and im not sure if its the stove causing it due to a short in the board or if the flickering lights are a result of the breaker tripping so often and harming the board?

  26. Hello Pat- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts.

    You’re smart to investigate a problem with a tripping breaker, because it indicates an unsafe condition, not just a nuisance. Here’s how I would run down the problem if it happened to me:

    Pellet stoves don’t draw very many amps during operation. I’ve measured my larger pellet stove at just 2 or 3 amps when both fans are running, perhaps as high as 4 amps with the igniter working. If your pellet stove was added to a circuit that already had too many appliances or outlets on it, it could be the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” but it shouldn’t trip a breaker on a regular circuit. To determine how “full” a circuit is, find the amperage on the breaker (typically 15 amps, or perhaps 20). Multiply that by 120 volts to get the available wattage of the circuit (volts x amps = watts). Add up all the wattages of the items on the circuit to see if it’s overloaded. (Here’s a link to a list of typical wattages)

    I’d try temporarily running an extension cord (heavy gauge) from the stove to another plug in the house that’s on a different circuit breaker. If the problem doesn’t repeat itself, then you’ll know the stove is OK. That would mean that the original circuit is overloaded, or perhaps the circuit breaker itself is bad, and should be replaced.

    Flickering lights on appliances are also caused by brownouts. Brownouts are short periods when the voltage being supplied to your home dips as adjustments are made to the power grid. In some rural areas, these can be quite common. If that’s your problem, the lights in the house will also dim at the same time. You can purchase a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and plug the stove into it to solve this problem. These used to be pricey, but you can find them for under $100 now.

    Good luck!

  27. I apparently bought a lemon. As much as I like the look of the stove it has had a series of problems since 6 months after I purchased it to this date. Those problems include the burn pot rotting out, the locking mechanism to the ash pot breaking TWICE, the augur failing and having had to be replaced, the control panel cracking, the pellet bin cover not closing properly, and the combustion fan making a very high pitched whine when the heat level for the stove is set below 4. I have had the stove services by a reputable dealer and operated per intrructions. I am really fond of the stove and the heat it supplies but I have never owned anything that had this many problems within four years or so of purchase.

  28. Where can I buy an Enviro Mini in Victoria? They are made here, but I can’t find a phone number or contact information .

    Thanks,
    Beverley

  29. Alex (from Wood Pellet Facts) says in his …review: “That means you can have the Mini installed for under $3,000, which is quite affordable.”

    Yes Alex, this is QUITE affordable for you, too bad it is NOT for the majority of middle class, blue collar families struggling to make ends meet, and YES, I understand you are now shaking your head, you have NO idea what am I talking about.

  30. We have an Enviro mini and our power has gone out 4 times this winter causing the stove to shutdown and our room to be filled with smoke. We’re looking into purchasing a UPS but are uncertain which size to get. Find the wattage/ volts a little confusing. We just want the battery backup to be able to safely shut down the stove.

  31. Hello Michele- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts. A backup power supply is a great idea if you depend on your pellet stove to continue heating your house during a power outage. Power ratings for pellet stoves can be confusing. The formula for calculating power draw is: Volts x Amps = Watts. So for instance, the Enviro website lists their Mini pellet stove at 4.1 Amps of maximum current (amps)draw. If you multiply 120 volts (typical household voltage) by 4.1 Amps, you get 492 watts. That’s a rating of the maximum amount of power the unit uses. This could include enough electricity to power an igniter, and both fans running at full speed. In our experience, a running pellet stove uses about 2-3 amps when it’s in normal operation, not in startup or shutdown mode, although your unit might be different. Your UPS has to be large enough to handle the maximum wattage (about 500 watts). UPS manufacturers usually have a rating for “runtime at 100 watts” or something similar. That should help you select a UPS that suits your needs. In our experience, having a UPS simply bridges short outages, and it allows you to shut down your pellet stove in an orderly fashion if there’s a more lengthy outage. For running the pellet stove during long outages, we use a generator.

  32. My Enviro Mini will start fine and burn at the desired setting. I shut the stove off and it shuts down as usual. However after a while the stove will act as though it wants to start on its own. After I hear the stove try to “restart” I just unplug the power cord. The stove does no have a thermostat and is set at manual. A technician with 25+ years of experience was stumped. Checked sensors, voltage to motors. I am going to purchase a new Enviro Mini for the house and take the old pellet stove to the shop. I can live with the old stove in the shop requiring me to hang around until the stove shuts down and then unplugging the power cord….but in the meantime any suggestions to fix the problem would be appreciated.
    Oh and I am not the same Elmer who commented on the small hopper opening and hard to locate the touch pad.

  33. Hello Elmer- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts. That’s a very tricky problem you have there. Many pellet stoves use a timing sequence during shutdown. The fans operate on full speed, igniters are disabled, and proof of fire sensors aren’t needed. We have encountered a problem with an exhaust fan turning back on after a full shut down. The stove didn’t initiate a full new startup sequence, only the fan would run. This was due to a faulty proof of fire sensor. If you’ve already had a technician in to look at the unit, I assume he checked that, but you never know. It might be useful for you to contact Enviro directly to see if they’ve encountered a similar problem with other customers. I think you’re smart not to operate the unit in your home any longer if the startup sequence isn’t reliable.

  34. I can’t find the decibels or sones listed anywhere. I’d like to know how loud these are, beyond just “quieter than bigger stoves” … Any ideas?

  35. Hello Michelle- Thanks for visiting Wood Pellet Facts.

    You, know, that’s a fantastic question. How loud, exactly, are pellet stoves? Wood pellet stove manufacturers aren’t forthcoming with that information, even though it’s probably one of the most important details to the pellet stove user. They’re probably avoiding the issue because most pellet stoves are pretty loud. I’ve seen pellet stoves measured at 65 decibels, which is about the same as a hair dryer. Of course it depends on the model, but also whether the stove is operating on low or high speed, and whether the fans are in good working order.

    There’s a limit to how quiet a stove can be, because the fan motors themselves aren’t the only noise. Moving air, especially at high speed, contributes a lot to the total volume of the sound. In a central heating system, the fans can be fairly loud, but they’re usually located in the basement or a utility area where it doesn’t matter much, and by the time the air reaches the end of the duct runs, it’s just a whisper. Pellet stove circulating fans are smaller than central HVAC fans, but they’re right in the room with you, and there’s no duct to dampen the sound.

    On the low end, I’d estimate that a small, quiet pellet stove runs about 40-50 decibels, similar to the background noise in an office. Larger stoves on high speeds might go as high as 65 decibels, about the noise level of a busy restaurant.

    Many of our readers complain that they’re unable to enjoy watching television in the same room as their pellet stoves. In our experience, a pellet stove is about the same volume as someone sitting nearby and speaking to you in a normal voice.

    For people wondering about their stoves, you can use your smartphone as a decibel meter with any number of free apps: Google Play store decibel apps.

  36. jai commander un enviro mini chez materieaux 3+ 2 amos abitibi canada.Je me suis informer chez foyer noéra a rouyn abitibi canada et il me disent me plus vendre ce poele au granule a cause quil a trop de probleme avec pourquoi il ya gros de probleme avec ce poele

  37. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. The general decibel range was really helpful. I’ve been trying to decide whether to get a bigger (and noisier) stove for the basement or a smaller stove (enviro mini or the like) for the main floor. We want to sit and enjoy the fire (pro for main floor) but don’t want to have a loud fan in our main living space (con for main floor).

    I installed a decibel meter and measured our hood fan (60 db) and a small space heater (50) and our fridge (45). I hate talking over the heater and hood fan, and feel immediate auditory relief whenever they’re switched off. I don’t even notice the fridge.

    So, all of that to say, if you happen to have an estimate of the decibel range for an enviro mini or P3, could you possibly post it? It would help decide the basement or main floor debate.

    Thanks again!

  38. Bonjour Donat- Merci de visiter Wood Pellet Facts.

    Nous n’avons connaissance d’aucun problème particulier avec ce poêle à granulés qui entraînerait l’arrêt des ventes. Les poêles Enviro disposent d’un vaste réseau de revendeurs, et chaque revendeur peut décider d’arrêter de vendre ses produits à tout moment. Il est possible que Materiaux 3 + 2 ne soit pas bien équipé pour faire face à l’engagement continu qu’exige la vente de poêles à pellets. Si un magasin d’articles pour la maison ne peut pas gérer des problèmes tels que les retours ou les réparations sous garantie, il peut cesser de vendre ces poêles. D’autres concessionnaires sont plus intéressés par des relations à long terme avec les clients.

    Si vous souhaitez trouver un autre revendeur dans votre région pour les poêles à pellets Enviro, le site Enviro a un localisateur de magasin pratique: Trouver un concessionnaire

    For our English speaking readers, Donat is from Canada, and he asked why a home goods store in his area, Materiaux 3+2, has stopped carrying the Enviro Mini pellet stoves. He reported that the store told him that they no longer sell this pellet stove because it has too many problems, and he wondered if there was indeed a big problem with this brand and model of pellet stove.

    We answered: We’re not aware of any particular problem with this pellet stove which would cause sales to be discontinued. Enviro stoves have a large network of dealers, and each dealer can decide to stop selling their products at any time. It’s possible that Materieaux 3+2 isn’t well-equipped to deal with the ongoing commitment that selling pellets stoves requires. If a home goods store can’t handle problems like returns or warranty repairs, they might stop selling these stoves. Other dealers are more interested in long-term relationships with the customers.

    If you wish to find another dealer in your area for Enviro pellet stoves, the Enviro site has a handy store finder: Find a Dealer

  39. Hello again Michelle- We’re not able to test an Enviro Mini with a decibel meter, but we’re willing to make an estimated guess for you. The Mini has a variable speed convection blower. This fan is relatively small, putting out a max of 130 CFM. This fan is what is called a “tangential blower.” This means that it has a small motor on one end, which turns a long, small-circumference squirrel cage fan. This blows air out of a wide, short slot. This type of fan has been used in circulating fans designed for fireplace inserts, and those fans have been measured for noise. Units with fans like that max out about 50 decibels. On lower speeds, it should be down around 40, perhaps even lower. I hope this helps.

  40. je voudrais savoir ou se trouve le numéro de série et numéro de modèle sur le poele Enviro mini, on ne le trouve pas sur l’appareil

  41. Michelle je viens d’acheter un enviro mini et je peut te dire que le ventilateur est tres tres silancieux

  42. Bonjour.
    Le problème que je rencontre avec mon Mini Enviro est le suivant. Je l’ai acheté il y a environ 7 ans. J’ai changé 3 fois l’allumeur et dernièrement j’ai changé la carte électronique. Je crois que ce qui a bousillé ma carte est le fait que je dois pratiquement toujours repartir le poêle manuellement même s’il était réglé sur automatique parce que les lumières clignotent et que la vis sans fin ne démarre pas l’alimentation en granules. Je dois donc appuyer sur le bouton de mise en marche pour l’arrêter et le repartir à nouveau et là la vis sans fin se met en marche et tout fonctionne normalement. Mais chaque fois que le poêle atteint la chaleur demandé il s’arrête et dès qu’il doit redémarrer je dois l’arrêter et le repartir pour que la vis se mette en fonction. Il y a sûrement une solution mais je ne l’ai pas trouvé et il n’y a pas de technicien dans les environs. Merci de bien vouloir m’aider à résoudre ce problème.

  43. This stove is a piece of junk. Ours is 7 years old and is on its SIXTH igniter. Enviro’s warranty is worthless. They have no presence in the US and are untouchable. Their customer service is a joke; they basically ignore you. Also their replacement price is FIVE TIMES higher than can be found from other sources. Had my son not been able to replace the igniters (practice, lots of practice makes perfect), we would have more than paid again the cost of the stove for parts and labor. Stay far, far away from this company’s products!!!

  44. Bonjour Francine- For the benefit of our readers who don’t speak Francais, here is your comment in English:
    Hello.
    The problem I am having with my Mini Enviro is as follows. I bought it about 7 years ago. I changed the igniter 3 times and recently I changed the electronic card. I believe what screwed up my motherboard is the fact that I almost always have to restart the stove manually even though it was set to automatic because the lights are flickering and the auger won’t start the pellet feed. So I have to press the start button to stop it and start it again and then the auger starts up and everything works normally. But each time the stove reaches the required heat it stops and as soon as it has to restart, I have to stop it and start it again so that the screw starts working. Surely there is a solution but I haven’t found it and there is no technician around. Please kindly help me to solve this problem.

    That sounds like a very difficult problem to diagnose. Changing the control board would be a likely fix, but since you’ve already done that, it’s hard to recommend another fix. In our experience, pellet stoves like the Enviro Mini basically have a useful life of about five years if they’re used a lot. After that, they require more and more maintenance and part replacements to keep going. Your igniter failures seem to happen too often, too. You might have better luck giving up and simply running the stove manually instead of using its automatic settings, or replacing the stove.

    Cela ressemble à un problème très difficile à diagnostiquer. Changer le tableau de commande serait une solution probable, mais puisque vous l’avez déjà fait, il est difficile de recommander une autre solution. D’après notre expérience, les poêles à pellets comme l’Enviro Mini ont une durée de vie utile d’environ cinq ans s’ils sont beaucoup utilisés. Après cela, ils nécessitent de plus en plus d’entretien et de remplacements de pièces pour continuer à fonctionner. Vos échecs d’allumage semblent se produire trop souvent aussi. Vous aurez peut-être plus de chance d’abandonner et de simplement faire fonctionner le poêle manuellement au lieu d’utiliser ses réglages automatiques ou de remplacer le poêle.

  45. Hi Sam- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts. Thank you for sharing your experience with your Enviro Mini pellet stove with our readers.

    Our readers often are faced with very poor customer service from a lot of pellet stove manufacturers. It sounds like customer service for your stove is no better than many others. Six igniters in seven years is way out of the norm, in our experience. We use our personal pellet stove heavily in the winter, with a lot of ignition cycles, and we’ve only had to replace the igniter once in nine years or so (a Vogelzang large hopper stove).

    I’m sure you’ve discovered non-original equipment manufacturer parts already, but for our readers who are unfamiliar with aftermarket pellet stove parts, in many cases, replacement parts that aren’t from the manufacturer are fairly easy to find on the internet, cost much less than OEM parts, and in many cases work better and last longer too.

  46. I installed our Mini over 12 years ago and have run it 24/7 every year from late October until late March, and intermittently before and after. That’s 3-4 tons/year. I’ve replaced one viewing glass and one igniter!

    It’s not silent, but way more quiet than my last pellet stove. That’s why we purchased this model.

    Initially burned hardwood pellets but had to clean every 1-2 days — not fun! With the proper softwood pellets we only clean every 2-3 weeks (when the ash pan fills up!) I also drilled out some of the firebox vent holes and spent a lot of time fiddling with the air/feed settings. It doesn’t feed consistently with pellets that are randomly longer (like 3/4″-1″).

    Overall very happy

  47. Hello Jim- Welcome to Wood Pellet Facts. Thanks for offering our readers the benefit of your experience with your Enviro mini pellet stove.

    We’ve also found that pure softwood pellets like Okanagans produce less ash than blends like Maine Woods, and the ash is lighter. When you burn a lot of pellets, it makes a big difference in the amount of cleaning the stove needs.

    Twelve years with only one failure of an operating component is amazing for a stove that gets that much use!

  48. Love my mini and after several years I have replaced with up grade to p3, love,love love this stove, however I have to replace igniter one or two times a season.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *