Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: slimjim on October 16, 2014, 04:36:26 AM
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OK guys here it is in a nutshell, Our office thinks I spend to much time on here and that I should do more sales stuff, I personally think that many of you bought our product simply because you know I'm here to answer questions, I like to call it one throat to choke if you know what I mean, I don't like sales and I think helping by promoting the industry brings more sales to our office than any amount of shows. I need to know for my own head space, Did my presence have anything to do with your decision to purchase a P+M product?
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Slimjim, tell the bean counters at the office to pull there heads out of there @%S'S and see the light. You being on here is the only reason I went with a P & M and not the central boiler I almost bought.
If they need to hear it from me you can give them my cell number.
Thanks, Larry
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Thanks Larry, I knew I could count on you, how's the install coming?
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I am trying to build the inside system now. I have about 60 % of the prim / sec system soldered up and Have almost all the parts to
finish. With two kids in collage and there cars having problems all the time I am not getting to finish. I may have to call you in if it gets
to cold soon :bash:
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It will be a while before I can get to it, You better get on it my friend, it IS getting cold, before long the yeunglings won't need to be stored in the fridge
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I didn't happen to buy a p&m but you most certainly help my desicion on buying a OWB. I was originally only looking at indoor wood burners but I found this forum and a lot of your comments and posts swayed my mind which put P&M as a new option along with other OWBs that wouldn't have other wise been on my radar to purchase. I'm sure you helped many others and with out that help P&M would have never had a chance at that business.
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Thanks Elvis!
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I had never heard of portage and main and I'm only a few hours from Piney. Now where I live there are lots of boilers smokin throughout the country side and I've talked to many people with boilers, here is what I see around here. 1) central boiler 2) Heatmor 3) heatmaster
Now as for how I purchased a Portage and Main can pretty much be blamed on you Slim and the fact that you pretty much reply to any post and trust me when someone googles info on P&M this forum and your name will be some of the only stuff they find besides the actual website. So what you do here is a great thing for P&M in my opinion its huge!
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Thanks Jwood, that was really nice, I truly enjoy the opportunity to help, it just seems that some in the office forget the importance of servicing the customer after the sale, perhaps this pole will enlighten them to their mistake!
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Let's hope so, I would imagine they must know how much time you spend promoting P&M with all the shows and events you do, also you are helping every P&M dealer out there regardless if they know it or not.
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Didn't find this forum until after I bought mine and don't think you were on it yet. Bought mine after picking up literature at a state show (Ohio), didn't think much of them at first, but after reviewing the literature though they were better built than the others. Eventually bought one at the next show after the office got me in touch with the local dealer.
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Slim,
I am new to this site and new to owning an OWB. I currently own a Central Boiler simply because I was given an 18 yr. old unit that is still functioning. However, I know that it will not last forever and I started looking at new boilers as soon as I got my CB hooked up. I can honestly say that I had never heard of Portage and Main until I joined this site. Your presence on this site along with the respect all of the other members seem to give you was the sole reason that I looked into P&M and discovered that they have a dealer near me. I recently checked out some of the units and have decided that my next boiler will be a P&M. Can I suggest that you add another choice to your pole that says: "I currently own another boiler but Slims presence on this site has convinced me that my next boiler will be a P&M". I'll check that option for sure.
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That is a great idea, Thank you, I have no idea how to do it so if one of you moderators could do that for me or explain how to do it, it would be appreciated!
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Done, Thanks for the Idea GCTerpfan.
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Slimjim,
I stickied this poll so it will stay on top for awhile and be much more noticeable.
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Thank You again!
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I recently bought a P+M and would not have even known they were an option (no local dealer) without you slim.
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Thanks 12 valve, I truly don't think they realize the power of this forum and what it does so Please folks, Vote On !
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Hi Slim,as per our conversation last night, you would be the sole reason I bought the unit,DEFINITELY NOT the dealer OR head office,neither of which I would recommend to anyone
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Thanks Mr. Maple, nice to be recognized!
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Slim, I Bought a HeatMaster which I really like so far, but I would have bought a P&M if I would have had a dealer closer to me on just your presents and knowledge from this site. The heads to be do not know every thing, we need more dealers like you and Scott that give their time to help us DUMMIES (mainly me) get the knowledge that we all need. Thank you Gents I appreciate very thing you do. :)
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Thanks Ched Bull, where the heck is Scott anyways? I thought he was back!
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Voted for your presence here on OWFI(dot)com slimjim! And that's not just because you offer so much help on here... I recommend people that ask me and I always send them the Portage & Main way. I can confidently say that your presence is being read by (and is in large part, responsible) for 2 or 3 BL34-44 Ultimizer sales in central Indiana. Considering this a double-pull on the slimjim train whistle! 8)
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Thanks Slopster, it helps a lot!
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Slimjim - Had there been a P&M dealer closer to me, I would have purchased one mainly due to your presence on this site. The CB dealer is only a 35 to 40 minute drive away (really nice on the motorcycle) was the only reason I went with the CB. Roger
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I had my mind set on another brand, but switched over to P and M because of the unit and especially because of you. My nearest dealer is almost 1000 miles away so I needed someone to coach me along this whole install process. Couldn't have picked a better man. I spoke with Brian a few weeks ago and told him that if it wasn't for you on this forum I don't think I would have even purchased one period. You are a wealth of knowledge and very much appreciated.
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I have been running an indoor wood furnace since I bought my house and had been real loosely considering an OWB. A few years ago I read up on wood gasification and decided that I wanted to buy an outdoor wood gasification boiler. My research led me to this forum and up until that point I had never heard of Portage and Main. Come to find out the nearest dealer is 6 hours away from me. I read many posts from Slimjim and others about P&M boilers. So I went to their website and checked them out and could tell they were a very well built boiler. In the end it was down to the Optimizer 250 or the Central Boiler E-1450. The thing that lead me toward the Optimizer was Slimjim’s knowledge and honesty along with everyone else’s experiences on here. I felt like I knew all the small downfalls the Optimizer has and I wouldn’t be in for any surprises after making a large investment in a boiler. I couldn’t afford a new one but recently bought a used Optimizer 250 from a dealer who was retiring.
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Great stuff guys, I want to make a note here that this is not a contest or a peeing match, I want to give cudos to our office for the final sale but also want to attempt to track the assisted sales that I have been involved in, we simply need to know where our money in promoting these units is best spent. Thanks again to all of you that have posted so far and I certainly hope the survey enlightens us all as to what truly matters, Remember Portage and Main pays my salary to be here, I hope other manufacturers will follow our lead! Let's promote wood boilers!
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I myself had not heard of P & M until getting to this website. My search started about 2 years ago learning about gasification boilers. After reading some info on this site I called the main office and conversed with Rory a couple of times. All my questions were answered, calls returned. A very good experience. I felt that their customer service was a priority. After that, I (and the wife) met Slimjim at the Cornish, NH fair where he answered all my questions and never made me feel rushed to get to someone else. I walked away from that first meeting and told her that I felt like the decision was made right there. Her comment was that he answered all HER questions as well. There are so many people that talk over/above women and that is a real shame since most times you are selling a product to both. Slim has the ability to speak to people whether they have never burned wood or they are an experienced boiler tech. There's a saying "People don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care". Slim does both.
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KEN, YOU DESERVE A GREAT BIG HUG, that was a wonderful thing to say THANK YOU sooo much!
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Slim I have not purchased a boiler if I had to buy 1 p&m def would be at the top of my list in my opinion this site would be at a great loss without your presence you not only help p&m customers you are helpful to all to me this is the best sales pitch p&m could ever ask for And the time u spend at all the fairs is that not for sales?
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I to would have gone with a pm had I found this site first, the only reason I got a cb is that the only dealer for any brand around here is cb and I wanted to be able to go and talk to them if I ever I had a problem. Now that I no slim is on here, I would not hesitate to get a pm noing that slim is here to guide me threw any problems
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Seems to me corporate better look close at what you do Slim, You are correct in say "taking care of the customer after" I do suppose you could stop doing what you do and see how that feels to the head office.
But I know you, if it has to do with wood, you will be wealth of knowledge.
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I gave you a :thumbup: Slim. The questions I have had have been answered by you and most times been asked by someone else. Thanks for all you do here, Slim.
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Your honest information on the forum is helpful to everyone. You don't try to beat down other brands, you just try to be helpful. Portage and Main should listen on the forum for a while. They would realize they had a gem.
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Thanks for all the cudos guys, I must say I feel like I have gained some like minded friends on this forum and I certainly appreciate the comments. That being said, I know our office watches the posts, I would like to publicly give a Thank You to Brian for asking me to join and post on here, he pays my salary and part of that is for what I do here, Thanks also to our staff for taking care of the part I don't like and that is sales, without us all being a team, I would no way be able to spend the time I do here, we have had some growing pains and made some mistakes just like any company, the difference is in how those issues get resolved. Soon, our staff will be in our brand new building as we have outgrown the one we are in, we can then get more staff so the phone lines won't all be busy and perhaps that will help free up a bit of time for more great experimental projects like this one has been, perhaps I can get back up to Prince Albert and see the new building for myself, I would like that! Perhaps even spend some time with the factory working on some new ideas, anyways, for those who haven't posted or voted, Please do, again it helps us understand what's important to not only us but you our customer as well and for those of you who are our competition in the wood boiler industry, Please follow our lead on this one and appoint a knowledgable rep for your product line to help your customers, I believe the biggest hurdle this industry needs to overcome is the tendency to bury it's head in the sand when there is a problem, nobody is perfect, we can't solve every issue but we can sure as hell try! Again folks Thanks for all the kind words and support!
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Slim P&M would be wise to consider the model that has been created on this forum. Your work making sure people enjoy the correct information on P&M and or other units you are knowledgable about is what the industry should be about, not just the sale. Four years ago, when I fired up my boiler, I had no idea the knowledge that was needed to operate e-classic correctly. My dealer did not spend the time that was needed either. If not for this forum, and people like yourself, I would still be floundering. P&M and CB take note on what a successful business model is about and the contribution such as Slim adds to that model. I and others can't thank you enough. Trail master
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Slim - my next purchase will be from you. Your knowledge, support and willingness to help on this site is huge. You have helped me over the years with advice and never charged me a dime. I do remember the first time we met and you came up to the farm and helped me install my boiler. I also remember it was a cold day and you were puffin on a cigar and working like a dog in that white box trailer. Keep up the good work. AND feel free to give my cell number to P and M and I'll attempt to straighten them out. Remember to vote for LePage.
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HE"S GOT MY VOTE FOR SURE!!!!!!
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Hey Slim
I just recently bought my bl2840. (working on the install now ). You are a big reason i bought the stove. Was it the only reason i decided to buy the stove, no. The reputation of the stoves and research i did before making my choice. (a good chunck of the research came from your posts by the way). But your presence here and the quick response to every question almost every person posts is what tipped the scales in favor of the BL2840. This forum is the best sales tool if you ask me.
Tell your bosses to ask who convinced them to buy a portage and main stove I'm sure more than a few will mention you and this forum.
slowtime
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Stay on here. I'm not a P and M guy though.
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I have researched OWB for ~ 3 years now. I have visited all OWB suppliers at the National Farm Machinery show in Louisville, KY every year. This year, after hearing about the government getting involved I decided this was the year to purchase. The decision to purchase was tough. However, the brand was not. The 2840 that has recently found it's new home (new concrete pad) looks awesome. I have gotten more comments than space available to post. My brand had already been decided, but not guaranteed... price affected. The main reason for choosing the 2840 was my many discussions with Brian and Rory. Not until later discussions did I have the chance to meet you Slim. I'm sure you remember your Kentucky visit to my place, but that visit is what solidified my choice. How many reps would drive a couple hours out of their way - back from a Florida install - to "visit" and talk wood boilers. I remember one comment you made was that you just wanted more people to burn wood. I would agree 100%. What a great renewable resource we have the freedom to utilize. If any of the P&M representative besides you are reading this, including Brian or Rory, please take note.... In a few weeks count how many units Slim has had a direct impact on the MANY choices of wood boiler manufacturers out there. Believe me, there are two dealers (all very eager to help) within 30 minutes of me and I bought one manufactured in Canada ! People around here are talking. I have visited several recent installs VERY close to my place (damn near walking distance) and your product AND service (Slim) gets promoted every time. In my opinion, a superior piece of equipment in look, design, and craftsmanship. As we all know, Slim is an asset to P&M and to the industry. Is P&M coming to the GIE show in Louisville this weekend ? If not, I think you should plan on it at future events. Keep up the good work and look for my posts in the near future. Again, thanks to you and Danny for the earlier visit. It is much appreciated....
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Don't worry folks, I'm not going anywhere, again this is simply to justify what we do here, I know it helps with sales and there is no real way to track how many of those sales had something to do with our presence here so if you bought one of our products or have been influenced by my posts then Please by all means let us know, with the posts already I can tell you that our money is better spent here than at all my county fairs combined, perhaps it's just that most folks at the county fair don't feel comfortable handing their check to an old long haired Libertarian Hippie but most folks will not do business at a show, Thank You all so much for the kind words and helping to track these sales, I think it has opened the eyes of those questioning the worth of this forum, if you haven't commented yet and should then Please do, even if you have another brand as I know our competition watches as well and I would like to see them on here doing with their products, as we try to do with ours.
Thank You
SlimJim
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In 2010 I started researching owb's and attending various trade shows talking to dealers and manufacturing rep's from various companies. Living here in maine I was faced with the challenge of finding a boiler that not only complied with phase 2 guidelines but also one that was represented buy a dealer who would help me along the way, let's face it I am a car dealer not a boiler tech lol.in 2007 I built a new home with about 2700 sq feet of heated living space I installed a hot water baseboard/radiant system using an energy kinetics system2000 oil boiler. When heating oil began to rise sharply my heating costs were over $4000 per year. I looked into a propane conversion for my boiler,but was fearful that price would rise eventually and I was correct, I live on a 50 acre parcel of land and had grown up with wood heat, I started looking into a tarm indoor gasser but vowed I would not have wood inside my new home, mold, mildew, smell etc... So this led me to the out door brands I researched garn and central boiler as well as heat more. all three of these companies have great products but poor poor dealer representation in this area. So I stumbled across this forum in late 2012, buy early 2013 I decided after reading a some positive things on here about P&M to contact the company, it was a shot in the dark as I was leaning toward a central boiler basically because they had two dealers within an hour and a half from me and I figured the chances of getting some support would be better than the other brands to this point, with that phone call I met slim and let's just say the rest is history. He is now a part of the family lol. Everything he said he would do he has done and much more. I wish my sales reps were as thorough as he is... Thanks slim for everything and thank you brian for having the fore site that other manufacturers don't. Anyone can build a quality product it's how the customer is treated that makes the difference, I don't care if it's wood boilers or automobiles or refrigerators a lot of american companies have forgotten this part about business, I belive this is one of the reasons our great country had faultered in the world market place...
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WOW Randy, part of the family, do you know what you are getting yourself into? Thank you for everything my brother!
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I bought a BL 34/44 this past summer.
P+M head office served as my dealer. Always friendly and very helpful.
My final decision however was confirmed after the discussions I had with Richard.
I had followed the forum closely and had observed how he willingly offered his experience, both technical and practical to help everyone with their problems regardless of what boiler they had.
I was a newbie as far as hydronic heating was concerned but he patiently walked me through it step by step.
An absolutely invaluable asset in my opinion.
Bob
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Slim, is there a number back in Saskatchewan that we can call and demonstrate some personal advocacy on your behalf? With the help and wealth of information you assist members on this forum with, that's the least we can do. I would love an opportunity to give you a little something back.
Cando
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Thank You cando, it is appreciated, not sure you will get through easily but the office number should do it if you would like to voice your opinion, they are very busy up there guys so Please don't keep them on the line for long because that means somebody else is waiting on hold, our new office with lots of lines should be on line soon. Thanks again for your support
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I found this site after I had problems with my ML-30. I originally saw the stove at a show in Escanaba Michigan. I had a very bad experience with that dealer and he is no longer a dealer. I have worked with the Canada office on replacing to the BL2840. Reading about the BL series on here is what made me want to upgrade to the BL. I had mixed feelings on the ML, but so far love the BL. I wish my father-in-law could upgrade to a BL.
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Why can't he?
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He isn't having any issues. There hasn't been a reason to. Too bad that the BL isn't EPA certified.
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I bought my BL 2840 back in the spring. This will be my first winter heating with it and so far it has exceeded my expectations.
I had been looking at changing out our antique indoor wood furnace for about a year and had pretty well settled on a Hawken until I looked at the P&M. I never saw one fire when I bought it. I went solely off of what I saw on the P&M website and what people were saying on here.
I can’t say I bought it because of slimjim, but he sure helped influence my decision before and after.
Slim, you sir have been a valuable resource. Cheers.
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Hello all,
As of now I have not purchased in owb. I have an old indoor hot air wood furnace that is very tender. I was originally thinking about a Tarm gasifier. Then I went to Sandwich fair and spoke with Slim's wife who introduce me to P & M and this forum. Now I plan to purchase an Optimizer 250 from Slim this coming spring.
Thank you all for your honest posts!
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My new BL2840 has been heating the house for a week now. I dealt with Rory at head office and picked up the stove at the Factory in Piney. Everyone was a pleasure to deal with. Very happy so far.
Rick R
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I'm anew owner of a. Bl 2840 and if it wasn't fir slimjim I would have been having a lot of issues. My dealer couldn't answer or help me with the items slimjim did.
Having slimjim on this site sets PM apart from the other vendors and that is a good thing.
Please keep up the post and helping out.
:thumbup:
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I spent weeks researching what to buy for a new construction home, since I've never had an outdoor wood boiler. I got it narrowed down to P&M and Central. Having slimjim here answering questions that I had (I didn't post many) but mostly all the information I saw that he posted on everyone's questions tilted me to P&M. I spent over $9,000 on my furnace (BL 3444) and it would have gone to Central if not for slimjim. The central dealer in Sagola (about an hour from me) Michigan was a heckuva nice guy, very helpful, and I was almost going to buy from him. I actually decided on P&M before I called to find my "local" P&M dealer was 6 hours west of me in Wisconsin. I still made the drive to pick up the stove.
So having you here has helped sell at least one furnace slimjim.
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I also researched boilers this past year, I made my decision from this site and mainly from slim Jim... I bought a 3444. My dad has a CB 6048 and my granpa has a CB 5036. I'm glad I bought the P&M over the central boilers, for many reasons ( ash removal, blower, bricks, round fire box, heat exchanger, and you can split the boiler for future repairs or replace water jacket). My dad and grandpa also have to go out and throw wood in late at night ( 9pm or 10pm when it get cold) to get them through until morning and there water temps are still down. I dont have to do that with the 3444. My dad said when his boiler is done he will be buying a P&M.
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One of the things that I considered really important was that I don't see ANY sparks coming out the stack. My stove is near some large pines and also some out buildings so I thought the P&Ms were a safer bet, I hope the new ones are the same.
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I looked and searched for an OWB for a few months before finally making my purchase of a bl 3444 this past summer. Everytime I found a brand that sounded like they had a good thing going I changed my mind. Then I found this forum and watched and read posts by many of you for a few weeks. Until then I had never even heard of P & M, it was down to Central and Heatmaster who were both just under an hour away. But reading the posts from slim, either on the P&M threads or some of the other companys threads, I realized that for a company to have someone that knowledgable to be basically stationed on forums was exactly how a company can reach out to their customers and potential customers and gain trust. Well, it didn't take long to make my decision and drive almost 4 hours to put a down payment on my p&m and the rest is history. This past weekend I was at the PA farm show in Harrisburg, and although there was no P&M dealer there, there were a few others and I'm really glad with the decision i made. So heres to you slim.
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Very nicely said drex, Thank you. Simply curiosity, Whom did you buy from, perhaps you could persuade that dealer to join us here on the forum, it has been a wonderful experience for me, I have learned a lot and am very happy to be part of this group. Thank You Brian Martin @ Portage and Main for asking me to join! drex I will PM you my contact info, For ALL of you that have bought from P+M Please don't be afraid to call or E-Mail me with ANY questions or complaints you may have, that is what I get paid for.
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I purchase my BL28-40 directly from the factory last fall. I met Richard at the Common Ground Fair and was on the phone the following Monday to order my boiler. I was concerned that we do not have any P&M dealers in CT. But after meeting Richard my fears were put to rest. It was his wealth of knowledge, passion for what he does, and the fact that he is always just a phone call away if you have any questions that made us comfortable with our purchase. He was kind enough to stop by our farm in November while he was in the area attending a trade show. He left me with some fittings for our Logstar piping and walked me through the install even though it was 25 miles out of his way. Customer service like that is hard to find these days. We were not close to firing up our boiler when he was here so I had several questions along the way. whenever I called Richard he was always there with good sound advice. I hope the folks at P&M realize what an asset they have in Richard.
I know we certainly do.
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I voted that I bought P&M because of its reputation. I would also like to vote I didn't buy P+M but would have if I knew about them when I bought. I did not run across them when researching my first owb, which I am now replacing with a P&M. RObert and ROry have been very helpful although I am guessing that Robert's handwriting could use some work. (He says with a wink.)
I also supa-appreciate SlimJim's presence here and hope he stays with it.
I'll be adding his low temp mod to my new P&M. Hey factory, how about you make this an option? Or offer a kit?