My Summit is acting a bit weird

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

michiganwinters

Member
Aug 24, 2007
113
This is year 4 of burning. We burn only 2 yr slpit seasoned white, red and black oak. We have 6ft of double wall inside and 10ft class A ouside straight up.

So seems to be running cold? Burn the same way we have for 4 yrs. Start by opening it up, let temp climb, then shut it down to 3/4, then half, 1/4 and closed. My secondary seems sluggish although I havent changed out my baffle gasket yet. Could that be be my issue?

Also, how often do you change out the door gasket?

Forgot to add. I live in a brand new house, tons of blown insulation in the walls and ceiling. Im not understanding whats causing the cold air to come up the stairs from the basement?? I have the cold air intake installed. Can someone help a gal out to figreout whats causing the cold to come up the stairs? Thanks in advance
 
Where are ya Mich ?

You need to post more often ;-)
 
michiganwinters said:
We have 6ft of double wall inside and 10ft class A outside straight up. So seems to be running cold? B My secondary seems sluggish although I havent changed out my baffle gasket yet. Could that be be my issue? Also, how often do you change out the door gasket? I live in a brand new house, tons of blown insulation in the walls and ceiling. Im not understanding whats causing the cold air to come up the stairs from the basement?? I have the cold air intake installed. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Doesn't sound like you have a lot of draft potential. Your OAK may not be working well, given the symptoms, especially in a new tight home. I have the Summit pedestal w/OAK. You can tell if your OAK is working by either the draft at the fresh air intake (I separate a tissue into 1 ply and watch it get pulled into the intake), or by feeling the base at startup when it is cold out. My base is freezing at startup because the air comes in cold and the base has yet to warm up. The insulation on the duct also helps.

I changed out the gasket after one year, less than 2 cords. It was toasted and not usable. I made my own out of door rope.
 
The baffle gasket is not that big a deal, some people dont even use one, mine was shot last winter and it worked the same as when it was good.
 
If that stove is sluggish and cold air is rising, something in that house is sucking a bunch of air out of the house. Vent a hood, clothes dryer or something.
 
All I can think of is to check your outside air intake pipe and make sure no friendly mice have made a winter home inside.
 
By the description the chimney is too short. Almost anything can upset the balance. Have you done any home remodeling or tightening up this summer?
 
The thing is we've always used well seasoned oak. Never had an issue, nothing has changed in the past 4 years. Not the chimney height, nothing done to the house. Nada. Hmm

As for the cold air coming up, we've always had that problem and its annoying. YOur sitting in a nice warm room and laying on the floor you can feel the cold air. Being that its a new house they install air intakes in the basement for the water heater and furnace and in the upstairs 1/2 bath washer dryer room. I do have an open stair case leading to the basement. Meaning in our living room there are 1/2 walls and the steps leading down and the door is at the bottom of the stairwell. We never run our furnace, so Im lost?
 
It sounds like your chimney is way to short.....If that is the case your secondaries will be very sluggish for sure and the stove won't respond well to being shut down. I would also take a shop vac and blow your outside air line out to make sure it isn't clogged.
As for the cold air flow you are feeling I'm afraid it's probably just the nature of the beast. If I sit near either of the doorways in our living room with the stove going I can feel the cold air rushing by m on it's way to the stove to get warmed up. You can blame the laws of thermodynamics for that one however if the air didn't do that you would never get your house warmed up which would be a bigger problem.
 
A couple thoughts:
1. If you have cleaned your chimney/stove in the past four yrs, couple it be possible that you could have gotten debris in the secondary air channel in the back of the stove? This would restrict airflow to the baffle.

2. You do not mention the temps, are they monitored, this could help with comparison to other users.

3. With the height of your chimney, closing all the way down may be restricting the draft too much. Try leaving it open a bit.

4. If this is a freestanding summit, you could easily try removing the OAK to rule it out.

5. Door gasket, not the problem here, but do the dollar bill test and adjust door while you are working on the stove. Mine is the original, ~ 4yrs, still looks like new.
 
I don't understand why some think 16' of chimney is too short. We have even less than that with a 90 degree bend and have plenty of draft.

Although you still burn oak like you have in the past, there could still be a lot of difference in that wood. That is why we will not burn oak until it has been split and stacked out in the wind for 3 years. Yes, the same Michigan oak that you have.

As for door gaskets, they usually do not need changing very often. I've changed one door gasket in the last 30+ years.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
I don't understand why some think 16' of chimney is too short. We have even less than that with a 90 degree bend and have plenty of draft.

Although you still burn oak like you have in the past, there could still be a lot of difference in that wood. That is why we will not burn oak until it has been split and stacked out in the wind for 3 years. Yes, the same Michigan oak that you have.

As for door gaskets, they usually do not need changing very often. I've changed one door gasket in the last 30+ years.
Click to expand...
BW, I dont think 16 feet is too short but its getting there, no two situtations are the same and I have 21 feet total chimney with no 90's and I would not want anything any shorter.
 
You are correct oldspark. With our old stove we also needed a higher chimney. Did you get any of that snow?
 
Backwoods Savage said:
You are correct oldspark. With our old stove we also needed a higher chimney. Did you get any of that snow?
Click to expand...
No moisture to speak of since middle of Aug., maybe a little rain and snow tomorrow I hope.
 
Dang, that is dry!
 
I missed the fact it was 16 ft, I thought it was a total of ten foot. Given the fact it is 16 feet it should probably be ok if everything is ideal. I will say though that I can tell a difference in my draft during warmer weather and I don't usually close my T6 all the way down until it gets down in the low 30's My T6 has around 24 ft of chimney straight up from the stove to the cap and it drafts beautifully! It also worked well on my Dutchwest never had a bit of backpuffing.
 
Per the manual, pg 8 .."Minimum system height is 15 feet (4.6 m.) (measured from base of appliance)."

As stated above, any right angles would limit the draft, possibly necessitating increasing the total height of the stack.

I would suggest removing the baffle and shop vac out the secondary air channel and clean up the baffle. Baffle gasket could be made or purchased while you have the baffle out. FYI the Baffle is heavy.

Manual link: http://www.pacificenergy.net/pacificenergy/pdfs/SUMMIT-A211105-20.pdf
 
Check the cap to make sure it isn't clogged or partially clogged.
Gasket shouldn't make that drastic a difference.
Your front lower baffle holes may be clogged with ash.
Your wood may not be as dry as you think.
What temps is the stove getting to?
No pipe damper that may have been closed accidentally?
The OAK may have frozen shut if it has a flapper on it, or like another said, maybe a rodent nest clogging it?
If your not getting good temps, my gut says wood is not as dry as you think. That and the cap would be the first things I would check.
 
One more thing if Hog's good suggestions don't show up anything. Was the flue/chimney cleaned this year? If one is not careful and doesn't cover the secondary tube that feeds the baffle, debris can fall down there and can block secondary air. If this happens you'll need to pull the baffle and vacuum it out with an improvised hose extension.
 
Wow, seasoning oak 3 years! I split stack in very dry wood shed facing south great wind very hot in the summer and what I cut this year will be used the year after next. Ive never had issues with the wood. Ive cut the wood, split and stacked the exact same way. Everything is exactly the same. I will pull baffle tomorrow once it cools. Im thinking debris in secondary burn chamber could be a possibilty. Could be a dead bird for all I know since Ive had a few show up inside my stove. Will let you know what we find tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestions :)
 
If you have not removed the baffle yet to clean the stack, then no debris got down there. If you did and swept it without covering the rear vertical channel at the top, that the baffle rests over, then yeah you got a pile of crap down in there. I'd still check the cap first if you have one. Don't forget to check the holes behind the boost manifold in the front of the stove on the lower part just under door. The boost manifold plate pulls right up and the holes rest behind there facing inward.
 
Just checking in and wanted to say thanks. Had a chance to pull baffle and clean. Thinking crud was in my secondary air feed to the baffle. Did a thorough cleaning and stuck a hose down inside the vertical air chamber in the back. Works perfectly now. Great secondaries, better overall burning. I think it may have been a little clogged up with stink bugs too....LOL
 
oldspark said:
The baffle gasket is not that big a deal, some people dont even use one, mine was shot last winter and it worked the same as when it was good.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. I lost mine last year (first winter burning) and went for months without one. I got a new one from the stove shop when I bought my second Super 27 but when I compared it to the one that came with my new stove, I realized that the opening in it was much larger. I put it in my stove anyway. I saw a tip from an older post about using gasket rope to make a baffle gasket. They tied or sowed the ends of a short piece of gasket rope together to make a small ring that fit over the pipe opening in the back of the stove. I think I'll try that when I need a new gasket.
 
aroth said:
oldspark said:
The baffle gasket is not that big a deal, some people dont even use one, mine was shot last winter and it worked the same as when it was good.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. I lost mine last year (first winter burning) and went for months without one. I got a new one from the stove shop when I bought my second Super 27 but when I compared it to the one that came with my new stove, I realized that the opening in it was much larger. I put it in my stove anyway. I saw a tip from an older post about using gasket rope to make a baffle gasket. They tied or sowed the ends of a short piece of gasket rope together to make a small ring that fit over the pipe opening in the back of the stove. I think I'll try that when I need a new gasket.
Click to expand...

That would be me, and yes lasts much longer then the stock gaskets.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

N
Wood Stove Insert decision- Englander or Drolet?
Replies
51
Views
4K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
turbo-power
T
J
Catalytic stove or non-catalytic, which is right for me?
Replies
7
Views
891
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
C
In desperate need of heat I mean help!
Replies
5
Views
1K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
nanuk
N
S
Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 has very little air control
Replies
5
Views
730
Pacific Energy
begreen
begreen
R
Do I have a defective stove?
Replies
28
Views
3K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
Trevor Tahclep
Trevor Tahclep
Top Bottom
Back