Shutting down air all the way on PE Super 27

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Manitoulin Maples

Manitoulin Maples

Member
Oct 10, 2011
105
Manitoulin Island, Ontario
I'm wondering if anyone with a PE Super 27 (or similar) shuts down the air ALL the way for overnight burns? FYI my stove is vented with outside air. I get good overnight burns so no worries there....I set the intake below the "Low" setting but not all the way closed, like open 10% or so. I've always been under the assumption I should not close the air down all the way...that a little air is good. But in the interest of even longer burns I'm wondering about just shutting it off. Will there be enough air coming through the secondary intake to keep it going efficiently and minimize extra creasote build up? Thx.
 
That depends on several variables such as wood and draft which can change from home to home and season to season. I have the PE Super insert. Last winter I was burning dry maple and ash left by the previous homeowner. After bringing the insert up to temp I could close the air all the way down with the secondaries still going strong. I cleaned it after the winter and got only a very moderate amount of creosote. This year I am burning so-so ash and leave the air a bit open because of that. I will also do a cleaning soon to see how I am doing. In the end, you will need to play around with the settings to find your sweet spot.
 
I am only in my second season with my S27 but yes, I always close down my draft completely. (as complete as the epa will allow anyway....)

This fall when I cleaned my chimney I had no more than a cereal bowl full of soot (zero creosote) after all burning 2.5 cord last year.
 
while I dont have your brand, I can close mine completely with good dry hard wood, and still be plenty hot at 600. Until the cold weather gets here I mostly burn soft woods and find the air need is all over the board, so its really about the fuel.
 
Summit here, have to close the air leaver all the way to lowest setting, or this sucker will run mega hot.
 
Hogwildz said:
Summit here, have to close the air leaver all the way to lowest setting, or this sucker will run mega hot.
Click to expand...
How much chimney do you have, I have 16 ft of class A and 5 ft of stove pipe all straight up and do not have that issue at all.
 
I have a P.E. T6. I couldn't turn it down enough so I did a mod to the air control lever.
 
Once my T-5 is cruising along I will lower the air as low as it will go and it runs well.. It is important that you have dry wood and have allowed some charring of the wood..

Ray
 
I rarely close the air control completely down at night or before leaving work in the morning. I usually slide the air control all the way to the right and then move it open about an inch. The overnight burns are much better when there is a thick bed of coals and the wood is charred or burning before I back off the air flow. Last year, there were mornings when the glass would be black around the bottom corners. This year, with drier wood, the glass is clean or has only a film that can be easily wiped off with a damp rag and some ash.
 
I have the T5 and i am just trying to figure out how to do a good burn. If the stove pipe thermometer gets to 600F the SS liner which is connected to the stove glows a bit. Even if i shut it down halfway. then the temp drops down to 300-400

still trying to get a good burn in the 500F range. if i cut the air back to 3/4 - 7/8's then temp drops to 300F

I have good draft 35 foot insulated liner interior chimney

I am only a weekend warrior with this thing as its up at our cabin but i like it but it has a learning curve
 
oldspark said:
Hogwildz said:
Summit here, have to close the air leaver all the way to lowest setting, or this sucker will run mega hot.
Click to expand...
How much chimney do you have, I have 16 ft of class A and 5 ft of stove pipe all straight up and do not have that issue at all.
Click to expand...

22' OF insulated double wall rigid, with another 5' of flex at the bottom through the smoke shelf to the insert. 27' total, and she drafts like a hot fart after some spicy food.
 
grinnell said:
I have the T5 and i am just trying to figure out how to do a good burn. If the stove pipe thermometer gets to 600F the SS liner which is connected to the stove glows a bit. Even if i shut it down halfway. then the temp drops down to 300-400

still trying to get a good burn in the 500F range. if i cut the air back to 3/4 - 7/8's then temp drops to 300F

I have good draft 35 foot insulated liner interior chimney

I am only a weekend warrior with this thing as its up at our cabin but i like it but it has a learning curve
Click to expand...

Check your wood. Ain't no way in hell that thing would be dropping from 500 or so down to 300 unless the wood is not as dry as you think.
Your overfiring if the connector is glowing. And again, if you have the connector glowing, yet it drops after cutting the air back, you should check your wood. Unless there is a draft issue due to the house bring real tight.
That thing should draft like a motha with 35' of stack.
 
Shut down to max at the moment. Cruising @ 750F. Sweet.
 
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Depends on the wood. When I burn softwood, I tend to leave it open about 3/4" away from fully "closed". With a good load of hardwood - I'll shut it down fully once it's up to temp and have had no issues at all. So long as the wood is not smoldering, your alright. Just get to know the difference between a smoldering fire and a lazy clean burning fire.
 
thanks guys. i tried it all the way down last night and it seemed to burn just fine. I tried it all the way down last winter but ended up with dirty glass so clearly it all comes back to the wood and that i'm burning properly seasoned stuff this year.
 
I am running a Super insert now. I shut it down all the way, once the wood is burning well. As already mentioned, you need dry wood. Secondly, if you shut it down too soon, the wood will smolder. Either will contribute to dirty glass. It is a fine art of not shutting down too soon, too late, or reloading wood too soon to a hot coal bed.
 
Sisu said:
I am running a Super insert now. I shut it down all the way, once the wood is burning well. As already mentioned, you need dry wood. Secondly, if you shut it down too soon, the wood will smolder. Either will contribute to dirty glass. It is a fine art of not shutting down too soon, too late, or reloading wood too soon to a hot coal bed.
Click to expand...

Just wondering how things are going with the new firebox.. Do you notice any difference in how it burns ?

Ray
 
Sisu said:
I am running a Super insert now. I shut it down all the way, once the wood is burning well. As already mentioned, you need dry wood. Secondly, if you shut it down too soon, the wood will smolder. Either will contribute to dirty glass. It is a fine art of not shutting down too soon, too late, or reloading wood too soon to a hot coal bed.
Click to expand...

Have to agree with this. I can shut it down all the way and get fairly decent secondaries with no smouldering. But, it all has to do with WHEN I shut it down. Too soon and stove turns black inside, too late and it wont cruise high enough. Im still working on perfecting this. Its only my second year with it so im still learning. Normally, Ill shut it down all the way then just ever so slightly crack it open, maybe a 1/4".

My chimney setup isnt ideal either...short, too big, unlined. Soooo....
 
Even off the same tree I have to vary my air due to wood. Usually between a 1/4 and full closed. I set the air and wait a bit ( I smoke so I have to go outside to do that), then I check the flame and the stack and see where I'm at.
 
I've got a Super 27 with 35 - 40 ft of clay lined chimney and with dry wood it drafts like crazy. Best thing I did was install an inline damper. When the stove pipe temp starts get on the high side I close the damper some to back off the draft - major difference in the amount of control and burn time for me. Sometimes I close the air all the way down if the stove is really cranking but usually I leave it open just barley, very rarely does the lever ever go past the L position once the fire is going.
 
raybonz said:
Sisu said:
I am running a Super insert now. I shut it down all the way, once the wood is burning well. As already mentioned, you need dry wood. Secondly, if you shut it down too soon, the wood will smolder. Either will contribute to dirty glass. It is a fine art of not shutting down too soon, too late, or reloading wood too soon to a hot coal bed.
Click to expand...

Just wondering how things are going with the new firebox.. Do you notice any difference in how it burns ?

Ray
Click to expand...

Yes there is a difference. I was going to start a new thread with my observations. But in summary, it seems more controllable, burns longer, heats better, and doesn't peak as high. I can get it to cruise between 650 -750 F. The old Pacific (2005 model) always went higher, despite the air control being at the lowest setting.

Mind you, it can go higher, if you add wood too soon on a hot coal bed and don't shut it down, like any other stove. I am able to get a nice overnight burn and wake up in the morning with the fans still going and a nice coal bed for a restart. With the old Pacific, the fan would always be off and there would be less coals (compared to the Super) for a restart.

The Super in my opinion is super!
 
Sisu said:
raybonz said:
Sisu said:
I am running a Super insert now. I shut it down all the way, once the wood is burning well. As already mentioned, you need dry wood. Secondly, if you shut it down too soon, the wood will smolder. Either will contribute to dirty glass. It is a fine art of not shutting down too soon, too late, or reloading wood too soon to a hot coal bed.
Click to expand...

Just wondering how things are going with the new firebox.. Do you notice any difference in how it burns ?

Ray
Click to expand...

Yes there is a difference. I was going to start a new thread with my observations. But in summary, it seems more controllable, burns longer, heats better, and doesn't peak as high. I can get it to cruise between 650 -750 F. The old Pacific (2005 model) always went higher, despite the air control being at the lowest setting.

Mind you, it can go higher, if you add wood too soon on a hot coal bed and don't shut it down, like any other stove. I am able to get a nice overnight burn and wake up in the morning with the fans still going and a nice coal bed for a restart. With the old Pacific, the fan would always be off and there would be less coals (compared to the Super) for a restart.

The Super in my opinion is super!
Click to expand...

Happy to hear that Sisu! Your experience sounds similar to my T-5 and I really like this heater so far! I think it will heat my 1600+ sq. ft. home without straining too hard and has been easy to learn.. I am impressed that a secondary burn stove can burn so efficiently and still provide a great fire show..

Ray
 
Last night I had a fairly large piece of wood in our Super 27 but the fire was not burning very well. I added a second piece on top of it (half split rather than a quarter) and watched the fire take off. It was one of the few times that I have turned the air completely shut for any length of time. Last year, we found that fires would burn much hotter if we would stack wood as high as possible in the fire box rather than spreading it out. When the afterburner kicks in, the blue flames work like a torch to cut the wood at the top of the stove. It's fun to watch. I split a lot of wood into halves rather than quarters because they seem to burn very well in our stove and can be stacked.
 
aroth said:
Last night I had a fairly large piece of wood in our Super 27 but the fire was not burning very well. I added a second piece on top of it (half split rather than a quarter) and watched the fire take off. It was one of the few times that I have turned the air completely shut for any length of time. Last year, we found that fires would burn much hotter if we would stack wood as high as possible in the fire box rather than spreading it out. When the afterburner kicks in, the blue flames work like a torch to cut the wood at the top of the stove. It's fun to watch. I split a lot of wood into halves rather than quarters because they seem to burn very well in our stove and can be stacked.
Click to expand...

Yeah mine will do that too. This morning's fire at 7:30 was about 6 or 7 small rounds of seasoned maple - 16" long and maybe 3 wide inches or so, stacked high. Once everything was charred nicely I turned the air practically off. It burned awesome and didn't reload until 3:30 this afternoon.
 
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