Why is my PE Summit stove not heating my house???

[ladder6]

Hi everyone. We have just bought a new PE Summit wood stove. It is said to heat 3000 sq/ft. Our 4 year old colonial is 2800 sq/ft, an open foyer to the upstairs with 3 bedroom's. The stove heats the living room that it's in, but the rest of the downstairs stays comfortable (67-68), and upstairs stays 64-65 degrees (too cold for my wife). I load the stove full and still am not getting the heat I expect.
I have been told to try and use some small corner fans in the doorway opening. Someone also suggested running the fan for the central air so that that the warm air will get circulated thru the system and pupmed back into the rooms.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My wife thinks I'm a fool and that the wood stove isn't all it's cracxked up to be. I'm sure that I am not doing something right. Thanks for your input

 

[tradergordo]

I'm betting the problem is your wood. Where did you get it? Is it seasoned?

How open is your floorplan exactly, and where is the stove located in relation to heat flow to the upstairs? I have a really open floorplan and my upstairs is always a few degrees warmer than down because heat rises.

Most people that have tried using the HVAC/duct air circulation haven't had great results from it, plus the blowers often use 6-10 times the electricity of a ceiling fan, and there can be quite a loss of heat to the ductwork itself.

If you don't have a stovetop thermometer, you need to get one. Let us know what temps you are seeing. Also the way you load the wood can affect how much heat it puts out. North-South orientation will burn faster and hotter.

You might be interested in this video:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/default.asp?lang=En&n=8011CD70-1

 

[BrotherBart]

Crank that puppy up ladder6. The first due will still sleep well tonight and the wife won't be making you sleep at the firehall.

If it isn't 80 in the room with the stove, get it there.

 

[Burn-1]

Ladder6 I'm with BB on this one. I wasn't getting the heat in my living and dining rooms where I wanted it with my PE Vista and had previously been running the stove at about 450 stove top temps. After seeing how some of the other Pacific Energy owners operate at higher temperatures I ran mine at 600 for a while, (dry oak splits) with more primary air before turning down and it made a big difference, 78 in those rooms and in the high 60's throughout most of the first floor.

 

[Sandor]

Does anyone have that link that shows BTU output relative to stove temp? I lost the link.

The point being that stove temperature and BTU output is not linear. BTU output from a 400 degree stove to 600 is huge.

If you can't get the stove to run that high, take Tradergordos advice.

 

[Hogwildz]

Wet wood & not hot enough. Burn her full of DRY wood. Crank that puppy up as prescribed by BB, say 550-600 then shut the air down and feel the warmth & see the light show.

 

[ladder6]

Thanks for all the info. I am going out today to buy a stovetop thermometer and heat this baby up! Also, will order some new wood and try that too. Stay warm this winter! Thanks again all.

 

[JimWalshin845]

Thanks for all the info. I am going out today to buy a stovetop thermometer and heat this baby up! Also, will order some new wood and try that too. Stay warm this winter! Thanks again all.

We have a larger home too and the stove is in the same as the stairwell. We tried all sorts of fans to move the heat to the other parts of the house. The small ones didn't work, even the oscillating pedestals.

We had this one hanging around, 3 speed 27" pedestal and it does the trick.

BTW... do not point the fan directly at the stove, either facing straight up or up to where you want the heat has worked the best for us.

Good luck and welcome to the forums!

 

[DriftWood]

If you do not have a ceiling fan in the stove room try one. It makes a world of a difference.

 

[Hogwildz]

Thanks for all the info. I am going out today to buy a stovetop thermometer and heat this baby up! Also, will order some new wood and try that too. Stay warm this winter! Thanks again all.

Get a pack of the kiln dried oak they sell at local supermarkets just to see if its the wood. That will tell you first hand. The next load you buy, this late in season, will most likely also be wet.

 

[begreen]

What temperatures are you running the stove? I'm not disagreeing with others, but I would add a caveat on specs. The Summit will heat 3000 sf. but perhaps that is in British Columbia, where the stove is built. With a 2800 sf old colonial in CT, that's a bit of a different animal. Is there a very high ceiling in the room? If yes, a ceiling fan may help a lot.