Summit burn times?

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FatttFire

FatttFire

Member
Feb 14, 2008
195
Snowbelt, Ohio
Now that we are into winter finally here in the snow belt of Ohio, I have a few questions. When you make a fire in your Summit how many splits do you load in there, and if you burn it on "HIGH" how long do u get and at what temp? Or if you choke it down to around 500 degree burn, how long do u get before the wood is down to coals? Just wondered bc next year I am looking into getting one, to replace my smoke dragon Fisher!

Thanks,

J
 
I have a t6 which is just a summit dressed in cast iron. You are looking for absolute numbers for things that are very variable such as what kind of wood what the temps are in your area etc.. I will try some. When I need a long burn [overnight] I put in 2-8" rounds and a small 4"round between them. On top of this I put as many splits as it takes to stuff the box full usually 3 or4 5" splits with smaller addedto fill box.
To start a fire I only put 2-5" splits in NS and load them up with kindling leaving the air on high. Once everything has burned down I add whats needed to the coals setting the air to middle of the road so to speak it all depends on how much heat I need. You will get quick heat if you use small splits. The summit will take longer to get the heat going compared to your steel stove.
As far as choking it down to 500 its way to difficult to say I am going to stop the stove a 500 for such and such hours. It will burn in the vicinity for a long period and you will learn the ropes.
One of the biggest problems to giving you a specific set answer is the chimney is just as important [some would say more so] than the stove in determining your stoves reaction to air and wood. When you decide to go ahead keep this in mind and try to make a straight run for the chimney and be sure its tall enough.
Also remember this is a convection stove so most of the heat will come out the top. You will only get the searing heat out of the front glass and top. Some who go from old steel take a while adjusting to this. It really is a benefit as you can sit to the side of the stove and not get burned out.
I hope these rambling thoughts help.
 
Agreed, the only way I can choke it down to 500 is to start with less wood (like burning 2-3 medium splits at a time) or wait until it is at the coaling stage. I don't like to run it much below 450 on the stove top with a fresh load of wood because the secondary burn isn't as good or thorough. With a full wood packing, it likes to cruise at about 600-650 after closing the air down. I do this in stages, waiting for good secondary burn first. The length of time depends on the wood species and how tightly packed it is. Note that I am usually burning softwoods. Usually with a loose, full pack it's 3-4 hrs. But I have seen 5 hrs with more careful packing. Even after that the decline to needing a refilling is pretty gradual.
 
All good points! I was trying to keep it simple! I have an inside chimney, clay tile, 4 ft are exposed to the outside. I burn all hardwood, average size would be 6" splits, dried in HH for 1 year and few months, moisture around 6 or below. I start with two splits N.S. on each side of fire box. Then I "bridge" the two bottom splits with splits running E.W.! I can get 9 splits on top of bottom two splits. Once the stove top hits 500, I choke the air down to minimum. It will stay cruzing at 500 for 2 hours, then idles down to 300 for another 1, then down to 200 for an hour or so, with a nice bed of coals to relight once loaded! The whole reason, and many times might I add, I ask is bc I would like the new stove for efficiency! Right now I use 4 cords a winter, and was wondering if it will be worth the cost, without giving up the heating capacity. Just want to be happy with my purchase and not cus out my new $2500 steel box, while the smoke dragon laughs at me from the corner of the room!
 
stuffed full w/ oak/maple, shut down, I get upwards of 10 hrs of usable burn (where i just need to reload, and open her up to get her going again)
 
summit said:
stuffed full w/ oak/maple, shut down, I get upwards of 10 hrs of usable burn (where i just need to reload, and open her up to get her going again)
Click to expand...

me too.
 
If starting with a nice coal bed, I can usually fit 6-7 medium sized splits. I use maple, ash, locust and cherry. It only burns for about 3-4 hrs max and the rest is coaling. I must reload every 6hrs to keep the house >64F. Outdoor temps from 0F-20F. This is with the air at L or lower and with the blower on med-high setting. Without the blower, my house would drop into the 50s. I get up once in the middle of the night to stoke a fire. The summit is my only heat source. Type of insulation and draftiness play a big part in time between reloads. I plan to install an oudoor air kit for next year and improve again on some of the insulation on my house. With those improvements I hope to get 8hrs or more between reloads. House size 1800sf with open floor plan.

Hope this helps.
 
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