PE SUMMIT Natural Air Flow

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Dec 17, 2011
106
Bar Harbor, Maine
I have been using a PE Summit for this winter, and I believe its one of the best stoves on the market. However I think that it could be better if the interior of the stove combustion chamber had a means for utilizing the natural air flow of the stove. In watching the primary air, I see that it enters above the cermaic glass, flows down the glass, moves along the bottom toward the back, up the back of the stove, and then across the top picking up secondary air and out through the baffle above the combustion chamber and out the pipe.

The problem, if it could even be called a problem, is that the air is usually stopped by the wood. PE recommends putting the wood in with the ends front to back, but this is not always the most effective to get a really hot burn when you need a really hot burn.

I have devised a set of upside down slotted pieces of angle iron. I used two right angle pieces and one flat piece. The two angle piece go together to make and inverted T, and between the long part of the T, I put the flat piece so that it does look like a T. When I decide to use these, I put one on one side and one on the other. Then I put wood pieces side to side on top of them. Because the are slotted plenty of air goes all around them, but also air moves under the wood front to back.

I used to use a couple of big longs on the sides but eventually they would dissolve and then I would lose the front to back movement of the air blocked by coals, and will tno way to get the air to the back coals.

I'll continue to try using the metal pieces at different times in the burn to see if they really work or I am just imagining it.
 
I use the boost manifold to get air under the N/S loaded splits. Messed with other orientations and settled on N/S. Considered drilling some holes in the rear upper corner of the baffle but have not pulled the trigger on that potentially bad idea.

Couple suggestions, add a blower if you do not already have one. Use smaller/shorter/dryer splits to increase max temp quickly. E/W IMHO will not burn as hot and leads to chunk buildup in the back of the firebox.
 
I don't know what you mean by the "boost manifold". I have a blower that came with it and its wonderful. I also have a Bailey Smart splitter that lets me get the wood pieces down to ridculously narrow widths. E/W will do that unless you can get air uner it, which is why I'm using the metal devices that I described, and then that doesn't happen.
 
I have never seen this problem with a N/S loading (splits parallel to the sides of the stove). By nature, there are plenty of gaps between the splits for air to travel. I don't want total airflow to the back until the splits have burned down. That would seem to accelerate the fire and hasten reloading. There is a boost manifold in the front bottom of the firebox that further adds airflow here. Even with an E/W load burning, the circulation in the firebox seems more than adequate. The burn is slower, but fairly even other than the notch in the middle from the secondary air.

If you are finding you need to add something to elevate the wood to get it to burn better, it suggests that there may be a problem with the wood. If this is the case, use a couple 1-2" thick splits or limb pieces as sleepers. A grate (which is what the angle-irons are doing) is not recommended.
 
Its not a "REAL" problem.... as I stated in the initial post. I simply indicated that there were some circumstances when I wanted a better under the bottom of the wood air flow, and wanted to use big pieces of wood, and I devised this little metal device to make that easier.

Its no big thing. I was just offering the information. I wasn't looking for a solution to a problem that I don't have. Everybody here always blames the wood. its the standard reply; obviously the wood is not dry enough. And yes I know that PE doesn't recomend grates, and if the post was read carefully, anyone could see that I wasn't atalking about adding grates. The device is not a grate, and in a short time it gets completely covered by ash just like a pice of wood. And the item has holes all through it like swiss cheeze.
 
When I bought mine,the boost manifold was in with the holes pointing up.I believe this is wrong and they are supposed to be facing back.I didnt know which way the holes were supposed to go,I found out after looking at another stove.It made a big difference in the performance of the stove.The boost manifold is that thin piece of metal on the bottom of the door opening,it is held in place with a couple of pins on the side of the stove.Make sure that ash doesnt block off the holes by raking toward the rear.
 
N-S loading here and have no problems for great combustion.
These stove really seem to burn from top down.
 
Hogwildz said:
N-S loading here and have no problems for great combustion.
These stove really seem to burn from top down.

Funny you say that I have noticed this too.. Once the secondaries get going the fire tends to reverse from bottom up to top down..

Ray
 
madison said:
I use the boost manifold to get air under the N/S loaded splits. Messed with other orientations and settled on N/S. Considered drilling some holes in the rear upper corner of the baffle but have not pulled the trigger on that potentially bad idea.

Couple suggestions, add a blower if you do not already have one. Use smaller/shorter/dryer splits to increase max temp quickly. E/W IMHO will not burn as hot and leads to chunk buildup in the back of the firebox.
How do you control the boost manifold in these stoves?
 
Hoping someone can answer my question, here is what I found and believe it to be the way it is.
"the main air goes in at the bottom front.its controlled by air lever that you control.that air goes up then down over the window (air wash).
the secondaries go in from the bottom back of the box,underneath.it isnt controlled.
the boost manifold is the air that goes in through the EBT at the front bottom of the box then through those holes inside bottom front of the box."
 
http://www.pacificenergy.net/pacificenergy/manualarchives/SUMMIT-A211105-20.pdf

Go to page 13 , sorta describes the airflow

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In color, but also confusing: http://www.pacificenergy.net/pacificenergy/pdfs/PECat2010-2011(LR).pdf

page 22
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IMHO primary air is directed into the boost manifold and exits the six holes, and along the gaps at either side
 
From the king himself!
"There definitely is some confusion here. The Summit/T6 has a large primary air port at the front, right of the stove. The air control moves a simple slider valve over this 1.25� hole. The EBT is also on the front and feeds the boost air manifold in front of the stove through a smaller hole in the EBT. The secondary port is open and unregulated at the back of the stove"
 
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