March 19, 2012

It has been a great pleasure to deal with Brian Crawford of Up North Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC in Northern Michigan.
In the fall of 2011 I purchased an effecta lambda 35 boiler from Brian who is located in Northern Michigan. After driving approx. 7 hours from my location in Canada to pick up my lambda 35 boiler I began to become a little concerned about what would happen if I needed parts/service/installation assistance with my new effecta  boiler from Brian who is 7 hours away.

Brian had told me repeatedly to call him anytime or leave a message on his cell phone as I was installing the effecta boiler. He patiently walked me through the initial set up steps and answered absolutely all of my questions. On the evening I planned to start my first fire in the boiler I called Brian and he stayed on the phone for a long time while he walked me through the detailed steps of starting the fire.

Once the fire got started everything appeared to be going just fine until the fan on the boiler shut off after approx. running for an hour or so. Brian was puzzled with this problem but I must say he was very patient in walking me through the steps to determine what exactly was going on (by the way Brian was talking to me I knew he was prepared to spend as much time as needed to correct this situation). After talking with Brian for several hours over the course of the evening we both realized that there was a problem occurring that was not normal.

The next day Brian contacted the effecta engineering department in Kungsbacka, Sweden and explained the situation to them. Brian called me later that same evening and explained to me that effecta was sending several components directly to my Canada location via. Express shipping and assured me that I would not be charged for the components or the express shipping.

When these components arrived in just a few days (much to my surprise!!!!) I called Brian again and he walked me through the process of replacing the current components with the new components I had just received extremely fast from effecta in Sweden. As it turns out, there was a problem with the location of two of the sensors on the boiler (they had been switched around) and once we corrected this simple problem the boiler ran very well.
I must say that I was extremely impressed with the entire troubleshooting process including the detailed, very friendly technical phone support provided by Brian Crawford at Up North Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC and the effecta  factory support in Sweden (as is evidenced by them shipping me replacement parts free of charge and very quickly all the way from Sweden).

I have now been operating my effecta lambda 35 boiler for almost 2 months with absolutely no problems and am very impressed with the large amount of heat it provides, the small amount of wood it requires to produce the heat and its overall ease of operation.

I look forward to sharing my new effecta lambda 35 boiler system with my friends, family and locals and look forward to helping Brian sell more effecta boilers in the area in which I live.

Once again, I am extremely happy with the service I received from both Brian at Up North Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC in East Jordan, MI and Effecta Energy Solutions, AB in Kungsbacka Sweden and would highly recommend that anyone looking for a very high efficiency, very nice looking and very easy to use wood gasification boiler system contact Brian. I have offered to Brian that I would be more than happy to speak directly (and share with them my experiences) with anyone considering an effecta boiler system.

Luke W.
Kitchener, ON Canada

March 4, 2012

I have been doing a lot of research and have decided on Effecta. I have spoken with other Effecta users in the US as well as Canada. They have nothing but good things to say about Up North Alternative Energy Solutions, LLC and the Effecta boilers (wood gasification and pellet) they import and distribute in North America. I looked at many options including Tarm, Froling (wood and P4 pellet), Garn, EKO etc.

I will be finalizing my order tonight with Brian; it is a bit trying since I am in Alaska and the 4 hour time difference. I decided on the Effecta based off word of mouth experience, price, size and configuration, and also because I wish to burn pellets and wood using the same boiler.

I am putting in 2-500 gallon tanks and 1-300 gallon tank; for pellet operation I will use the 300 gallon tank and for wood use it will incorporate the whole 1300 gallons.

Brian has been instrumental in my research and also very patient and willing to talk about other products in a reflective and positive manner. He never once tried to bad mouth any other company. He was very supportive in helping me design a system meeting my wants and I am sure he will be there for assistance throughout my installation.

Regards,

Morgan B.
NP Alaska

February 17, 2012

After doing 3 years of research and talking to numerous dealers for
wood gasification boilers, I decided on an Effecta Lambda 35 boiler
from Brian Crawford of UP North Energy. Not only was I convinced this
was one of the better boilers on the market(because of its high quality, good looks and price) but the deciding factor for me was being convinced
of Brian's detailed knowledge of wood gasification boiler systems and his
dedication to overseeing the proper installation of the boiler and making
sure the buyer was completely satisfied.

Under Brian's direction, I installed the Lambda 35 boiler and 1000 gallons
of water storage with only a couple minor setbacks which Brian helped me
correct immediately. As long as you have good quality, dry hardwood,
the boiler is pretty much idiot proof. I have not burned one gallon of LP
since installing my boiler in the UP of Michigan and cannot express enough how satisfied I am with the Effecta Lambda 35 boiler and Brian's detailed guidance through the entire boiler installation project.

Craig Potvin
UP Realty
Manistique, MI

April 18, 2010

In the fall of 2009 I became interested in gasification wood boilers and by October, 2009 we had purchased and installed such a system from Brian Crawford at Up North Alternative Energy Solutions.

Brian worked with our plumber in engineering and overseeing the proper installation of a complete solution for our 3,000 ft2 home. The system consisted of a Paxo 40 boiler installed in a boiler room on the side of our garage and an open, 1,200 gallon storage tank w/ heat exchanger located in our basement, approx. 80’ from the Paxo boiler. The system was tied together with our existing Burnham propane boiler and worked extremely well during the winter of 2009/2010. It provided heat for our home and domestic hot water for showers. It worked so well in fact that we only
used 13 face cords of seasoned firewood.   

As we came into the spring of 2010 we soon discovered that our original idea of keeping the thermal storage close to our existing propane boiler (and in the house) was probably not the best idea (early on in the design phase Brian had discussed and highly recommended a large water storage
tank located near the garage but we choose to have it located in the
basement).

Last month Brian once again worked with our plumber in engineering and overseeing the proper installation of a 1,000 gallon thermal storage tank (used propane tank) on the back of our garage (this required a major
re-work of our entire Paxo system) and the system is now operating
very well.

If you are looking for a person with a great amount of knowledge about wood gasification systems (both engineering and installation related details) we would highly recommend Brian Crawford at Up North Alternative Energy Solutions. His knowledge of these systems, positive can-do attitude and truthful spirit made our entire conversion from propane to wood gasification a very pleasant experience. Please feel free to visit our home and look at our Paxo boiler system (Brian has our permission to arrange this for you) if you are in anyway considering a similar alternative energy heating system.

Ray and Amy Dillion
Cadillac MI

May 24, 2010

If you are looking for a person with knowledge about wood gasification systems or for someone you can count on to do the best job possible, Brian Crawford is your man. I speak from personal experience. I installed an EKO 40 with 1000 gallons of water storage in the fall of 2009. Initially I couldn’t believe how much wood I was using and how difficult it was to keep a fire going properly-and I had to keep the fire going non stop to get enough
heat to keep my house warm.  This was the exact opposite of what I had been led to believe would occur. I had previously met Brian, but didn’t buy my system through his company.

After much dissatisfaction with the way my EKO was performing and not being able to get help elsewhere I contacted him, told him of the problems I was having and he immediately agreed to help me. He gave me hours of advice on the telephone, reviewed my system and made two different trips to my home.

We eventually made plumbing and control changes, which made all the difference. Now I get great heat, get a great fire and with my 1000 gallons of water storage don’t have to keep a continuous fire in the boiler. I highly recommend Brian and his company to anyone that is considering a wood gasification system. You won’t go wrong.

Mike Springsteen
Upper Peninsula MI