Comments about Breckwell Big E Pellet Heater and Furnace:

I have owned a Breckwell Big E for five years and it is the worst investment I have ever made. I detest this stove. It constantly breaks down, parts are difficult to find, and when you can, they are very expensive. Every year since we have owned this stove, the combustion fan has broken and costs $250 to replace, not to mention being without heat. The first fan took six weeks to arrive. The retailers even tell me when I replace the fan that Breckwell knows this is a problem, yet they do nothing to fix it. The "Troubleshooting" is a joke as there are at least ten different problems for each trouble code. When the stove actually works, it is tempermental, dirty, and requires constant cleaning and maintanence. I do not recommend this for any application. Save yourself the trouble and buy a real furnace.

Comments about Breckwell Big E Pellet Heater and Furnace:

Purchased two of these this year. One was a display model for 1100.00, the second we purchased was brand new. The display model was cheaper but a few years older. An '05 model, but never used. I couldn't pass up on the price. Both work great in our house and have replaced the furnace. The hopper says it will hold 140 pounds but that is only done by leaving the lid open and rounding it up. But it still holds three bags which is more than most stoves. We looked at the Avalon Astoria. It was priced at over 3k dollars and it's only rated at 45k btu. I'm glad we went with the Big E because one stove wouldn't be enough for our house. Depending on layout and size over 2k square feet is pushing it with just one stove. When it gets below 30 at our house a second stove is needed. Still both stoves together were less than the Astoria. So far haven't had any problems other than the new model came with a cast iron burn pot vs. the metal one. We had problems with it starting and staying running and I think the cast iron burn pot is just a bad design. The display model didn't have the metal shroud that keeps the pellets from bouncing out, but after a call to Breckwell they sent out both items at no charge. Now everything is good. I'd say for the cost they're about the best you can get. They don't look as attractive as the more expensive models but sitting in the basement they're fine. I've used wood stoves before and I have to say pellet stoves don't get as hot. There's not as much surface area that is heated. Most of the heat from pellet stoves comes from the front and through the glass and vents. But not having to mess with opening the door and putting wood in, the smoke smell, plus the mess, it's worth it. When you go to bed at night the stove is still running the same temperature when you get up, so I think it evens out in the end.Who has time to keep feeding a fire any more?As far as the 5 heat settings go, setting 1 is basically for starting. Two is good for low if you have it in an area where the heat will reach you. If you have it in the basement don't expect the first two settings to do much. Three is a good medium heat, the fan kicks up a notch and the pellets start to drop in a little more. I use this setting the most with the stove on the main level of our home. The stove in the basement we use when the temp. drops below 30. I run it on 4 down there and sometimes 3 if the house is too hot. On setting 4 the fan kicks up to it's highest setting and the pellets are dropping pretty good. You'll go through a 40 pound bag somewhere between 12 and 14 hours. On setting two a bag will last around 20 hours.The stoves have to be shut down after 24 to 36 hours to empty the burn pot. It suggests that you stir the burn pot. But even doing that you still have to dump it because it will clog up and shut off. But every other day isn't too bad.It suggests not to use setting 5 for more than two hours. Basically setting 5 drops more pellets. The fan is already on high at setting 4. Cleaning the ashes out requires removing the ash pan and ashes from bottom of fire box. A sealed vacuum is a must. You can brush it out but the easiest way is a vacuum. One problem with the stove and probably many others is that the ash pan doesn't catch all the ashes. Some end up on the sides around the ash pan. I'd recommend this stove to anyone wanting to save money on their heating. It's a good way to go, just make sure you have access to pellets in your area. Make sure you check the cost per ton. We bought two tones for this winter and I think with two stoves will need a third by February. [$] .Also consider the layout of your house before you buy one. If your house is larger than 2000 square feet it might have trouble getting heat to the whole house.