Help! PE Summit, Series A, should I fix it?

[huauqui]

Okay guys,
Last week I went out to check on a used stove with a bunch of pipe and fittings included. I looked at it all and ended up bringing it home. I needed the pipe to move my existing Fairview upstairs and this deal came with all I need except about 4 feet of double wall. I had first thought I would sell the Summit after replacing the flame shield and insulation blanket on top of the baffle but after looking it over I kinda like the stove and think it may work for our heat dog in the basement for those times the upstairs Fireview isn't enough. For me to keep it the Summit needs more work then if I was to flip it and I need some advice on wether or not I should spend the money or just forget it.

First off let me give you the situation. The Summit had been installed very, and I mean very poorly. (What is scary is the instal was done by the dealer who sold the stove) It had 2 feet of single wall pipe into a fan assisted Magic Heat unit. About 6 more feet of single wall and then about 10 feet of ICC Excel class A chimney. Clearly it was not burnt correctly and thus has issues. It appears when they would pull the knob to clean the Magic Heat unit out it would drop all the creosote directly onto the baffle insulation and eventually caused a meltdown on the top of the baffle which completely warped the flame shield. The warped flame shield had dropped down on the two corners and was pinching off the air flow onto the top of the baffle and causing heat to build up seriously in the middle.

I checked the stove over top to bottom and all the corner welds are still intact around the inside of the door way along with all the seams around the inside and outside of the firebox. It does have two small cracks on the outside of the face of the stove, one on the top right side of the door and one on the top left side of the door. These are cosmetic according to all the threads I have read on this stove and I am capable of repairing should the need arise. The top and sides of the firebox are straight and flat, the top of the stove is the same. All the exterior shields and the door along with the glass are in good condition.

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The only warping on the stove is a slight bow in the air wash metal along the top of the door. This is due to the shield that is welded on the back of it bowing as it was the center of what must have been an incredible hot spot. That piece of metal that is welded onto the air wash has a heat crack on it that I can clean up and weld up so as to not affect performance though it does not penetrate the metal so should not effect performance. The first picture is looking up at the issue from the bottom of the door. The grey metal is the bottom of the air wash metal the oxidized at the very bottom is the plate welded on and you can just see the crack. The next picture shows the crack well.



Current situation is this, I removed the guts to inspect/clean etc... To make it good I will need to replace the Flame Shield, the Baffle Assembly, the brick rails, all the fire bricks, and the door latch. In essence it would be a current series C inside. I can do all this work for about $650.00 including shipping and taxes with my local dealer. So for the 650 plus say about 150 of the original price or 800 bucks I would have a good condition Summit. I probably would put a blower kit on it someday too.

Well let me know what you all think, should I fix it or should I get rid of it. Hogwildz what say you?

 

[begreen]

That stove was not treated well. It looks savable if you want to revive it. It may also need the side insulation pieces for alongside of the baffle.

 

[Hogwildz]

When you say flame shield, are you referring to the one that rests over the top insulation, or the one that is at the inside ceiling of the stove the runs from the air wash to the outlet and is bolted to the outlet?
The one on top of the baffle insulation always warps some, no big deal there. The stove ceiling shield should not be warped.
The crack inside the front upper is not something that was one of the typical issues of the years they had issues.
I'm with BG in that the stove was run like crap by the prior owner. And also agree it can be repaired.
Are there heat shields outside on the sides? What are those two screws of bolts on the front vertical corner?
Whether those sides are the firebox, or heat shields, that haze is a good indicator this thing was run way too hot, way too long, way too many times.
But, if the sides, top, back etc are all solid and straight, I'd fix her up, paint her and run it a year or so, see if you like it, then decide whether to keep it or not. You can always resell it at any time.
Mind if I ask what you paid for it?
What does the baffle look like, still in decent shape?
The front face cracks are part of the issues of a few years time frame(mostly inserts). What year is on the plate?
The cracks are cosmetic, and don't effect function.
Mine came back after repairing. The rest held fine.

 

[huauqui]

BG, thanks for the reply, yes the stove was run horribly and I really think there was no chance for any other outcome due to the install. It was that bad.

Hogwildz, I will answer your question in your post

When you say flame shield, are you referring to the one that rests over the top insulation, or the one that is at the inside ceiling of the stove the runs from the air wash to the outlet and is bolted to the outlet? By flame shield I mean the one on the inside of the ceiling from air wash to outlet.
The one on top of the baffle insulation always warps some, no big deal there. The stove ceiling shield should not be warped. Here is a pick of the flame shield

The crack inside the front upper is not something that was one of the typical issues of the years they had issues.
I'm with BG in that the stove was run like crap by the prior owner. And also agree it can be repaired. Glad you both agree, I feel the same way
Are there heat shields outside on the sides? What are those two screws of bolts on the front vertical corner? Heat shields slide over those two bolts then screw on at the back. The shields are in good shape and show no bad effects from the over-firing.
Whether those sides are the firebox, or heat shields, that haze is a good indicator this thing was run way too hot, way too long, way too many times. Agreed
But, if the sides, top, back etc are all solid and straight, I'd fix her up, paint her and run it a year or so, see if you like it, then decide whether to keep it or not. You can always resell it at any time.
Mind if I ask what you paid for it? Paid 450 for the stove, 10 feet of ICC Excel, Rain cap, Roof flashing, inside Ceiling mount, and insulation shield along with the amazingly dangerous blower assisted Magic heat unit. I needed the ICC stuff for a second stove instal in the upstairs as I had decided to move the to small Fairview upstairs and put something bigger in the basement, it is a huge bonus if I can make this stove work a year or two.
What does the baffle look like, still in decent shape? Here are a couple pics of the baffle, it is not horrible almost looks swollen bowed up on top and down on bottom.

The front face cracks are part of the issues of a few years time frame(mostly inserts). What year is on the plate? The placard shows July 2000
The cracks are cosmetic, and don't effect function. Agreed, seem to be only on the front not in the firebox.
Mine came back after repairing. The rest held fine.

Any more questions just let me know.

Thanks so much for the wisdom and counsel.

huauqui

 

[Hogwildz]

You got one hell of a deal. Nice score!
The baffle is in good shape believe it or not.
My newer baffle looks worse than that.
The flame shield is pretty bad. Not sure what it costs from PE, but you could also get a local sheet metal shop to make one, or even buy a small plate online, that is all it is.
The Magic Heat, can go right in the trash can. Or sell it. My conscious would not let me sell that thing to anyone though.
My prediction is, if the stove is in as good as shape as it appears. With a few new parts, it will last a very long time, and you will fall in love with it, and keep it.
If I am wrong, you can still recoup 2 x or 3x what you paid for everything, just on the stove alone.

What year is it?

 

[huauqui]

Hogz, thanks. I think the baffle looks okay, it has one weld on the stainless that has failed, I have a bud who can fix it if he thinks it is fixable. I am missing the sheet of stainless for on top of the insulation and the insulation blanket. The two pieces of insulation that go on the sides in the brick rails are still there and look good yet somehow. Any suggestions on what type of insulation I could use to replace that top blanket. I think I can source a piece of stainless for on top of it.

The placard on the back of the stove says it was built in July of 2000. Sorry it's sideways.


Thanks again

huauqui

 

[huauqui]

Parts are ordered and I have paint in hand. So it is time to clean her up for the new parts which should arrive Tuesday. Thanks again for all the help guys.

Huauqui

 

[begreen]

Good deal. Take pics and feel free to ask questions if you have them.

 

[Hogwildz]

I don't think 2000 was a know problem year, unless the owners didn't speak up.
I had a 2006 and I think 2006-2008 were the problem years.
The one you got probably had the piss run out of it.
Let us know how it works when you get her going.