Any way to shut off a fire in the PE Summit (insert)?

[Dave A.]

Was sort of dumb--it was in the 60's this morning and became curious whether I could even start a fire. Well I could and I did. Started nicely and fairly easily too with about 6 splits criss cross with only two splits on the bottom for rails like andirons and some crumpled paper in the middle/bottom. With some pallet pieces got up to 650 or so pretty quickly and was putting out some nice heat.

But now it's in the high 70's and would like to shut it down and save it, and am realizing with EBT, I can't. With the Century I could just turn the air all the way down and it would come to a none too elegant, smokey halt after not too long. But that won't work with the Summit, EBT won't let it.

Not that it's an emergency now, it's more of a can it be done, though it might be necessary at some time -- how can you shut down a fire in the Summit without throwing water on it or taking out all the logs?

 

[Jags]

Cover the fire in ash.

 

[Dave A.]

Thanks, but I don't think it's working. Covered everything with ashes several hours ago and am still getting IR temps of almost 400. Push away some of the ash and everything's still glowing red.

 

[Jags]

It will just dampen it down. It won't really put it out.
Open a window and live and learn.

 

[Dave A.]

Okay, so as I suspected the answer was no. Would have done better putting the splits in a covered metal (trash) can to save it and put the can outside on concrete to stop it from putting out heat in the house.

 

[Jags]

Okay, so as I suspected the answer was no. Would have done better putting the splits in a covered metal trash can to save it.

It is by design.

Naaaaa...you don't wanna be messing with the stuff once it is lit up. Open a window or two, let it burn out and chalk this one up. Saving a couple of sticks of wood isn't worth the chance for a mishap playing around with burning logs in your house. Just one dudes opinion.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

This is what you call a hot lesson.

 

[Dave A.]

Not really "logs" anymore. It got snuffed out and cooled in the can pretty quick. Anyway, have done this sort of thing before. Wake up, it's warm out, there are hot coals in the stove, now gonna rain in the afternoon and was planning to go up and clean the flue. Shovel out the coals into a covered can, the stove will now cool pretty fast, so it can be cleaned. Maybe not a recommended procedure according to Hoyle, but if you know what you're doing and are careful about it ...

 

[rideau]

EBT? Extended Burn Time? Or what? What is it and how does it work?

I have a prejudice against a stove that doesn't let me decide to shut it down.

If I had to have a stove that didn't let me, I'd keep a bucket of sand or earth near the stove. A mess to clean up if you ever had to use it, but if I had an emergency, I'd throw some sand or earth in there. Smother the fire but good.

 

[BrotherBart]

What I say the best thing is about a pellet stove. The "off" button. At least twice a year the wind shifts to from out of the south on what was supposed to be a cold night. After I have put in the night load. I go upstairs and tell the brown haired girl that it is gonna be hot in the joint tonight.

 

[Dave A.]

Rideau: Right, Extended Burn Technology on PE Summits, kind of prevents a dirty burn (at least that's my understanding of it) with a separate air opening that is controlled by various means -- on series A models a bimetallic coil, on series B (mine, more recent models) some other method possibly like a barometric damper. No directions on how to use it, it's not within control of operator. But the idea of keeping some sand around, is not a bad one at all.

BS: The only lesson here is not to listen to advice you really should know isn't going to work. And opening windows wasn't the answer either. It might have been high 70's outside, but my house on a concrete slab (1st floor) is usually cooler than outside in warm weather, and was only about 70 even with the stove on. Just didn't need it warming up any more and when it came down to it, as Rideau put it very well, it's important to know how to shut it off if need be.

 

[Jags]

BS: The only lesson here is not to listen to advice you really should know isn't going to work. And opening windows wasn't the answer either. It might have been high 70's outside,

I think the real lesson is to not start a fire if it is going to be in the high 70's. Open a window.
(I am just poking a stick at ya...all in fun.)

 

[Dave A.]

Somehow the point has been lost about bad or incorrect advice-- ashes to put out a fire. Then excusing the bad advice by saying it was the questioner's own fault, he shouldn't have put himself in the position he was in and even asked the question. Or compounding the error by saying to open a window to cool the place off when it's actually warmer outside than inside.

Kind of like excusing bad advice to someone who has questions about using a wood stove to save on their oil bill, that the lesson is to not buy a house with oil heat in the first place, you should have bought one with a ground source heat pump. Just kidding haha.

But I'm not faulting the responder for his incorrect advice. It's the person who listens to it and follows it who is to blame, especially if he only followed it because he thought the advice giver was an authority figure or expert.

The lesson, imo anyway, is that those who ask questions in forums need to evaluate the reply and not just blindly follow it. No one is perfect. Mistakes will be made.

Being able to ask questions without fear that you're going to be made fun of when you run into problems and getting good replies (like from Rideau about keeping some sand or something else at hand if you find yourself in an emergency situation where it's necessary to put out a fire) is what this is all about.

 

[Jags]

Not that it's an emergency now, it's more of a can it be done, though it might be necessary at some time -- how can you shut down a fire in the Summit without throwing water on it or taking out all the logs?

This suggest that you were looking for a responsible and safe way to shut down a potential "emergency". Smothering the fire with ash is one of the goto methods to do that. I am sorry that you feel it a failure because it failed to completely put out the fire.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Somehow the point has been lost about bad or incorrect advice-- ashes to put out a fire. Then excusing the bad advice by saying it was the questioner's own fault, he shouldn't have put himself in the position he was in and even asked the question. Or compounding the error by saying to open a window to cool the place off when it's actually warmer outside than inside.

Kind of like excusing bad advice to someone who has questions about using a wood stove to save on their oil bill, that the lesson is to not buy a house with oil heat in the first place, you should have bought one with a ground source heat pump. Just kidding haha.

But I'm not faulting the responder for his incorrect advice. It's the person who listens to it and follows it who is to blame, especially if he only followed it because he thought the advice giver was an authority figure or expert.

The lesson, imo anyway, is that those who ask questions in forums need to evaluate the reply and not just blindly follow it.

Yes, you should always evaluate the advice you are given.

Yes "banking" a fire works, when done correctly.

Yes, you are taking some of the answers just a bit to seriously. It's the internet.

 

[Dave A.]

Okay I'll bite. So how does one "correctly" bank a fire?

 

[BrotherBart]

Push the stuff to the back of the firebox and cover it with the ashes. I do it often in shoulder seasons. I reload when I get up and if it is gonna be over fifty and sunny later I bank it around eleven or twelve and have low heat the rest of the day and good coals for a reload at sundown.

 

[Dave A.]

That's good to know, thanks.

 

[3fordasho]

Huh, all the hours spent here and I didn't know what "banking" the fire meant. Learned something new today ;-)
I think that piece of info will come in handy.

Push the stuff to the back of the firebox and cover it with the ashes. I do it often in shoulder seasons. I reload when I get up and if it is gonna be over fifty and sunny later I bank it around eleven or twelve and have low heat the rest of the day and good coals for a reload at sundown.

 

[BrotherBart]

Huh, all the hours spent here and I didn't know what "banking" the fire meant. Learned something new today ;-)
I think that piece of info will come in handy.

The way grandpa kept us warm with that fireplace in that leaky old farmhouse many a night. Ya got to get the char burn over with before you do it. The more the wood has had time to burn the better. Gets the moisture cooked out of it before banking. Otherwise you are smoldering. Don't go banking monster splits.