PE Super 27 burn times - is there something wrong?

You need to remove the baffle every time you clean the stack! If you pull the pin and drop the baffle down, you will find your problem. All the crap the sweep brushed down the stack, which is now laying on the baffle top around the stove outlet, prolly clogging it mostly. Either that or your cap is clogged already.

I think you're right hog. The dude who installed the stove is coming over tomorrow morning to show me how to remove the chimney pipe from the stove to get all the crud out and also how to remove the baffle (I'm assuming that is the plate on the ceiling of the firebox) to do the same. I did go on the roof to look at the cap and it wasn't 'clogged' but there was some ice on it (never saw that with the old stove) and there was quite a bit of black crud on it. Is there anything you can do to reduce the amount of soot forming on the inside of the cap and chimney?

Hold on. If the stack is dropping straight into the stove. No need to remove the pipe. Is this a straight up install or does it go through the wall?
As far as the cap. If your burning really good dry wood, you should not get enough build up all winter to worry about it. This year, you may want to check it once a month just to get a feel for what it is doing.
If the cap has a screen, if the screen openings are smaller than 1/2", change the screen out for one that has at least 1/2" or larger openings. Mine are 1/2" and not a problem. They got a lil clogged my first year cause I was burning less than dry wood. What temps are you cruising at?

It's a straight install - the chimney is from an old stove which I replaced with my new one just a couple of months ago. No through the wall stuff. No screen on the cap and there's about a 3/4 gap going all the way around where smoke is supposed to escape. The guy coming over thinks that it's easier to ease the accordion stovepipe up from the base to clean rather than remove the baffle from the inside. However, he's going to show me how to do both.

Yeah, we've been burning what I would consider dry stuff. It's all standing dead or pretty easy to split driftwood.

Any comments on burning the beer can idea?

Bozol, would you be able to take some pics as you go along? I'd like to see the process and see which method you think is better, and it may help to see what you have built up in there.

Just how new is this installation? I'm a little concerned if you have such a buildup of crud with a new stove install. Was the pipe and chimney cleaned before the new stove was installed? On one hand you say the the wood is burning quickly which sounds like dry wood, but what you are describing in the chimney sounds like poor wood. I've gotten into standing snags that were a lot wetter than I thought. If you don't have a moisture meter, I'd suggest getting one. Otherwise, it's just guesswork. Also, what is the source of the driftwood? You definitely don't want to use saltwater driftwood.

What stovetop temps are you getting?

Bozol,
The baffle should come out to clean properly. If not, the crap that is swept down will only pile right on top of the baffle at the stoves outlet hole. Did he at least vacuum the crap out for the outlet with the pipe off?
If/when you take the baffle out, and sweep that way, make sure you cover the secondary supply channel at the back of the stove(vertical channel and the baffle shits over), otherwise the crud will fall right down into the channel. Don't see how he thinks its easier leaving the baffle in. Taking it out, meas you don't have to disturb the stack, and the crap all falls right into the stove, no dust, no mess.

I cleaned my liner earlier this year and did not remove the baffle to get evrything out of the top of the stove. I went to light a fire and smoke poured out everywhere. So I pulled the baffle down and the soot that had fallen from the liner had clogged the path for the smoke to exit the stove and up the liner, dropped the baffle and cleaned it right and never an issue after that.

moisture meter asap

Hi there, I too have the Super 27 (love it)!! anyways when I had mine installed by a "wett" dude I too had some issues, a little back puffing in to the room and just not burning as I thought it should. Turns out the installed did not remove the circular cut out from under neath the stove. One I pounded that out my problems were over. Now i admit I did not read this whole thread so I don't know if you covered this.

Once I pounded that out my draft was better. When I open the door to reload I open slowly to about an inch then real slow the rest of the way. No smoke!!

Good luck!!

Bozol, you say you're burning standing dead softwood and driftwood, and turning your air control down for the longest possible burn, and wonder why your cap plugged up with creosote?

Because you're burning standing dead softwood and driftwood, and turning your air control down for the longest possible burn.

Never burn any wood unless you know its moisture content. You can determine this by cutting and stacking the wood out of the rain where air can circulate for one year before you burn it, or you can invest in a moisture meter. Standing dead wood and driftwood are to be presumed to be too wet to burn, and will demonstrate that by causing the kind of creosote formation that rapidly plugs up your cap.

Ha, Don't mean to sound like a "wood snob". Just stating what type of wood I burn and that it is well seasoned. It makes a big difference on the over all stove performance.

When I first started burning wood, a neighbor had a hickory tree that was dead and had been dead for several years. It was straight up, no limbs. He said " thats been standing dead for a few years, it's ready to burn". I took it home and tried to burn it. It wouldnt burn. Dead standing trees aren't seasoned.
When I clean my Super 27, I take the single wall pipe off from the stove ( to the ceiling ) and wrap a pillow case and a trash bag over the pipe (sticking through the ceiling) and attach it with rope to the pipe to catch all the creosote. I then remove the baffle and clean the top of it.

The soda or beer can trick, is a myth. Ain't going to do jack.

Your wood is not dry enough.

The can will do nothing.

Like has been said Good Dry wood and load it up full not one or two pieces at a time.

A Full load on hot coals will leave a only space up at top , the small space between the wood and the baffle plate that space with secondaries firing will heat up quickly with good dry wood loaded. Burning the wood smoke gas produces much more heat then just burning wood with flames. Stove has to be up to temps to get the secondaries to fire up in the top of the stove. Like 400 degree stove top temp then as you slowly close down the input air in 1/4 ways increments you will see better and better secondaries as the primary air is turned down with good heat in the stove. By quickly getting the heat up in the stove and primary air turned back down in due time you will not burn up all your wood for a long burn time.

Think of the stove once it has a stove top temp of 400 or more as a smoke burner rather than a wood burner.