PE Summit? Good investment?

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cookidge

Member
Oct 27, 2011
5
Hudson Valley, NY
Hello everyone,

My wife and I just bought our first home a few months ago and are about to spend our first winter in it (although it did snow for a while tonight). We live in the Northeast, and our home has an existing masonry fireplace.

We are planning on putting in a fireplace insert, and had decided to go with the PE Summit. I know that there seemed to be quite a problem with the ones that were manufactured in the 2006-2007 time frame, so hopefully that's worked out.

However, my wife showed me some comments on another site where every single one of them adamantly said not to buy the PE Summit. Most of the complaints were related to the baffle wearing out or warping annually, as well how noisy they are. Has anyone here had similar problems with their Summit?

The dealer we are getting it from has given us a quote for around $2500 for the insert, door, trim, and installation. I still want to go ahead with it, but don't want to regret it in a year. I figured it was time to ask the experts on this site!

BTW, I have really enjoyed and appreciated reading all of the different threads on this site. Everyone has an enormous amount of information on inserts and how best to burn. I hope to learn a lot from you guys and gals! So thanks is advance for all of the info.
 
cookidge said:
Hello everyone,

My wife and I just bought our first home a few months ago and are about to spend our first winter in it (although it did snow for a while tonight). We live in the Northeast, and our home has an existing masonry fireplace.

We are planning on putting in a fireplace insert, and had decided to go with the PE Summit. I know that there seemed to be quite a problem with the ones that were manufactured in the 2006-2007 time frame, so hopefully that's worked out.

However, my wife showed me some comments on another site where every single one of them adamantly said not to buy the PE Summit. Most of the complaints were related to the baffle wearing out or warping annually, as well how noisy they are. Has anyone here had similar problems with their Summit?

The dealer we are getting it from has given us a quote for around $2500 for the insert, door, trim, and installation. I still want to go ahead with it, but don't want to regret it in a year. I figured it was time to ask the experts on this site!

BTW, I have really enjoyed and appreciated reading all of the different threads on this site. Everyone has an enormous amount of information on inserts and how best to burn. I hope to learn a lot from you guys and gals! So thanks is advance for all of the info.
Click to expand...


Every manufacturer has issues if you talk to enough people. VC has expensive maintenance, Quadrafire has expensive replacement parts, Blaze King has been having paint peeling issues, Jotul has had some issues with castings crack recently, and there have been some reports of cracks in the fireboxes of some PE stoves.

There isn't one manufacturer out there that hasn't had some reported problems. Are they wide spread? Doesn't seem to be the case at all.

The summit is a very good stove and it should give you a ton of heat this winter. Enjoy it.
 
I don't know that I'd buy one of PE's inserts based on the comments I have read with regard to getting their stoves fixed or replaced under warranty - but...

I like their free standing stoves, particularily the Alderlea series stoves. You may be OK with the Summit insert, just be careful not to overfire, keep an eye on cracks in welds and know that if you get some, it might be a mighty pain in the arse to get fixed.

Good luck,
Bill
 
Just do what nobody ever does. Get agreement with the dealer, right off the bat before they get your dough, on how warranty issues will be handled. Onsite or you have to drag it to the shop or what ever. You probably won't ever need to look back to it but most of the problems people have revolve around that. You won't be dealing with the maker, you will be dealing with the dealer.

The Summit is a great stove and that is a good price. As to the baffle, they all develop a "belly sag" from the heat. It is a non issue. They have one of the best baffles in the business.
 
Depending upon the quality and design of your existing masonry fireplace and chimney, you might consider putting a free-standing stove (ex. PE Super27) in front of the existing fireplace and installing its own metal chimney.
I had a typical 1968 masonry fireplace 'for show' and ended up blocking the opening, installing a free-standing stove, and eventually demolishing the masonry chimney (when I was having the roof redone anyway).
 
Thanks a lot for the quick responses everyone.

BrotherBart: the baffle was my main concern, so thanks for clearing that up for me.

Dougstove: We have a fieldstone fireplace that we love, and a free-standing stove is not really practical for us. our living room is fairly narrow, and we are about to have a baby so want to keep as much of the area clean as possible.
 
For $2,500.00, I didn't see anything about a full liner in there? Make sure your not getting a slammer. I bet the price he gave you isn't for a full liner from insert to top of chimney.
 
I think the thing I would be the least worried about is the baffle.
Brother Bart had a great idea on getting it in writing how the warranty will be handled. Dealers will agree to a lot when they want to sell a stove. The dealer that sold me mine put it in writing that he would swap me out for a Jotul or a Dutchwest should I not like my T6 after a full year of burning with it.
 
Hogwildz said:
For $2,500.00, I didn't see anything about a full liner in there? Make sure your not getting a slammer. I bet the price he gave you isn't for a full liner from insert to top of chimney.
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Hey Hogwildz,

The installation includes connecting the insert with a stainless steel insert to a ceramic liner that is already in there.
 
I have a PE Summit free standing, and a jotul 600CB firelight, the summit is great, performs better than the Jotul, burning the same wood seasoned in the same pile. I was just thinking the other day i should have gone with an Alderlea T-6.
 
cookidge said:
Hogwildz,

The liner is actually terra cota, not sure if that is the same thing.
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That doesn't sound like the right way to install that insert. What are the dimensions on the terra cotta they are hooking to? Is it square or round?
 
A 'slammer' is installing an insert into a fireplace with just a few feet of stainless steel chimney extending up into the masonry (with clay lining). There are a few reasons you want to have a stainless liner all the way up to the top of your existing chimney even though it will cost. First, the smaller diameter will mean that your chimney will draft better, which means your stove will perform better. Second, the increased draft and better stove performance leads to far less creosote build up and therefore a safer set-up. Finally, cleaning with a liner is much easier than without. With a liner you simply remove the baffle from inside the stove and sweep the chimney from the top. Whatever is in the chimney will fall into the stove where you remove it. If you have a slammer install, you need to remove the stove first, then sweep which is a far larger and more costly job.

When I installed an insert money was tight, but the decision to line my chimney was an easy one.
 
Fully line the insert, no questions ask. Hilly is right on all his points. It will be a little more expensive, but it it will be safer, easier to clean, and better performing.
 
Do yourself a favor, get the full liner installed. The reason mentioned above are the reasons why most of us do.
Pulling that thing out ever year to sweep the chimney is not a fun task by any stretch. And go the extra mile and have the liner insulated.
I did self install, and used double wall pre insulated rigid liner, accept for a 5' section of flex through the smoke shelf to the insert.
Money well spent. And i can almost guarantee you will wish you had, when the insert was installed, rather than finding out afterwards, and then deciding to install a full liner.
Research, research, research, and get it done right the first time. Rush in, and you most likely will regret it later.
 
Hogwildz said:
Do yourself a favor, get the full liner installed. The reason mentioned above are the reasons why most of us do.
Pulling that thing out ever year to sweep the chimney is not a fun task by any stretch. And go the extra mile and have the liner insulated.
I did self install, and used double wall pre insulated rigid liner, accept for a 5' section of flex through the smoke shelf to the insert.
Money well spent. And i can almost guarantee you will wish you had, when the insert was installed, rather than finding out afterwards, and then deciding to install a full liner.
Research, research, research, and get it done right the first time. Rush in, and you most likely will regret it later.
Click to expand...

Last year I half assed adapted my freestanding PE summit to my fireplace with a big steel plate, I ran just a 6' piece of insulated SS liner to the flu tiles, I can tell you unless I had that thing rockin is was backdrafting (on an outside chimney) This year went for the duraliner to the top it was about $2500 but the Summit is running as sweet as I 've ever seen it!! go for the full liner!!!
 
cookidge said:
Thanks for all of the info everyone. You guys are actually making me question the dealer/installer. He told me the existing terra cota liner would be perfect.
Click to expand...
The dealer is busy as all are now. If you didn't ask, not all will offer. Ask him, and see what he says when you tell him you want a full liner. If he has no problem with doing so, and at a decent price, then don't write him off immediately. If he baulks, then go elsewhere or consider installing yourself if your handy.
 
Agreed. At this time of year, good dealers are going to be slammed until the end of December. If the dealer is honest and says I can do the liner, but it will delay the job by xx weeks, you could have the liner installed separately by a CSIA certified chimney sweep.
 
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