Pacific energy Summit parts

[simplynatural]

I was looking up maintenance on the summit and realize I have been remiss in certain things like yearly baffle cleaning etc. The reason I looked into it is the last season I felt like we were burning too much wood, and this year when I shut the stove down, it never shuts down and I feel it is a fire hazard to not be able to shut off air supply.

SO, in fall before we started our first fire, I was looking inside and fiddling with the baffle and realized I can lift it up a full inch at least. In fact, I can use the poker and lift it up and left or right an inch - looks like it could fall out. As the manual is not a lot of help, I have been researching online and see that the insulation on the left side of the baffle is . . burned off or something, but I am not seeing anything address the ability to lift the baffle up while the pin is in place.

My inlaws have 2 of the same stove (bought a year after we got ours because we enjoyed it so much) and when I was there last week I looked in and their manifold is not bent, you can't move their baffle at all and you can see insulation on both sides. SO there are multiple reasons our stove is not performing optimally (which is kind of vital in -40F. . . )

I am including a few pictures to get some ideas of what I need to order and talk to the dealer about. I show the baffle on the left where you can't see the insulation, the baffle on the right you can, and the front piece that is bent - just to know is this normal and what do I need to replace?
Our dealer is in Canada while we are in US so everything takes forever to get even though we drive up there to pick up parts.

I wonder if the insulation in between the top of the battle and the stainless steel plate is burned out or gone and that is why I can lift it completely up and almost out with the pin in?

The front plate that is I think the manifold boost has been bent since the 2nd fire we burned . . . . I am realizing from reading on here that that is a flaw. Inlaws is not bent and not only is ours bent, but it is bent AND tight against both sides of the stove - it is impossible to get out without twisting sideways. That affects the burn also?

I am sorry for how little I know, I did not even realize how many things I should be doing for proper maintenance on this stove.
Heather

 

[begreen]

Greetings and welcome. The bent piece is the boost manifold cover. There were some that went out that were too tight fitting and as the metal expanded from the heat, it could buckle. That's what appears to have happened here. While waiting for the new part you could remove the old one and pound out the buckle, then cut or file back the two side notches about 1/8" so that is fits more loosely.

Has the baffle been removed for cleaning? When it is replaced the insulation on the sides of the baffle should be folded back so that the insulation rests against the sides of the baffle.

Note that the air never closes off completely on an EPA stove. This is to prevent smoldering the fire. The secondary air is unrestricted on the older Summit and controlled by the EBT on the newer models.

 

[simplynatural]

Is5years an old model? No the baffle has not been removed but the side baffle insulation is not there on the left side, just the right. We bought the stove brand new, so everything that has been done or not is us.

How are people poundi ng it flat? It is ridiculously hard and my sledge hammer is doing diddly

 

[begreen]

Your stove may be the older Summit A style. The insulation will not burn up. It's a ceramic wool. My guess is that it is still there but may be tucked under in the front.

Do you have a heavy-duty vice? That might be able to press out the buckling a bit. But for sure have the dealer mail you out a new one. It should slip in place easily and have a little side-to-side slop so that it can expand.

 

[skinanbones]

Have you replaced the door gasket yet? It probally is leaking air in around the bottom and not letting you slow down the stove

 

[simplynatural]

Yes, we replaced the door gasket this last spring with a gasket from the dealer - to be honest, it burned just fine even falling apart, for some reason something this year is causing a problem. I do feel like the gasket is not as thick (even though it is for this stove), and the door doesn't close as tightly as I thought it used to . . . my husband says I am imagining things, but it used to require a decent push to get the door to close and I am the main fire maker/stoker. I am going to look and see if something needs to be adjusted on the door.

The ceramic insulation, you can see is ripped or gone for about 4 inches. They call it the side baffle blanket insulation I believe - this should not have ripped, burned or otherwise, so I should kill the fire, pull the baffle pin, take the baffle out, check the insulation - do I do something with the baffle board on top of the baffle /under the stainless steel plate? I assume though when I do this that the baffle gasket will be wrecked (if it is not already), so I was hesitant to take it apart until I had a gasket to replace it as everybody said to make sure you have a replacement when you clean it out. If I"m wrong, correct away

I have a brother in law who can weld and such and I'm sure I could ask him to wack the plate to straighten it and take some off each edge!

 

[begreen]

Don't take the baffle apart. This is a self contained unit. Get a new boost manifold cover. This should be covered under warranty.

 

[madison]

Regarding the boost manifold, same issue in 2008, i got it replaced under warranty. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/summit-t6-boost-maniflold.26806/

Begreens comment was accurate as to the cause. The replacement was shorter and have not had an issue since the replacement part was inserted. It is nearly impossible to bend that boost manifold back into its original shape. I tried and failed during the process of dealing with PE warranty replacement. Demand a replacement, (good luck with warranty via PE ) Otherwise Tom at chimneysweeponline.com is a great source for PE parts and advice.

To address the baffle insulation will require removing the baffle. It is very heavy but not too difficult to remove and replace. Pull the pin, and lift the manifold off the secondary air channel. Grunt and groan, it is heavy. The insulation may be loose on top of the baffle. If you remove the baffle, take some pictures so you can refer to the orientation of the side rails and insulation on the right hand side so you get it back together properly. Also at this time, you should fashion a "hog gasket" (3/8" rope gasket) for the secondary air connection to the baffle in the center rear of the stove. Also be careful there will be an accumulation of fine cement like ash on top of the baffle, which you should be careful to keep all ash and debris out of the secondary air channel where the manifold connects to the channel.

Hog gasket link: Comment # 10: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-custom-baffle-gasket-shes-cooking-now.23717/