PE Alderlea T6 First Clean and Mini Review

[scooby074]

Just did the first clean of my late December installed Pacific Energy Alderlea T6.

So far its been a great stove. Burning very clean with minimal creosote production. While the stove was installed in late December, Ive been burning since October with my old Napoleon.

The Alderlea is a much nicer stove, not only in looks but performance, as it should be for 3x the price!! I can get overnight burns on all but the coldest nights where I couldnt before. My splits were sized for my old stove, so they are a little small for the T6. Not only are they too short, they are too narrow. I expect burn times to improve even more after I start using larger wood.

The swing out shelves are a hit with the kids and their clothes.

The Ash Pan is a cruel joke The door inside is useless. About the only redeeming feature is the ash chute on the lip under the door that leads to the pan. It helps a ton when ashes fall out from a running stove. It gives a quick, safe place to sweep hot ash.

And there has been 2 "Problems" with the stove, both minor. One was the thermostat on the blower wasnt making proper contact, so the blower would shut off unexpectedly. Re-adjusting the tstat seems to have fixed it.

The other is the rope gasket on the door has come loose. I reglued the rope..

I also had to make a HogWildz gasket for the baffle. The factory sheet gasket was destroyed. The rope gasket should be a much better solution. PE really should have updated that connection by now.

The stove has run basically 2 months 24/7 and the flue about 5 months 24/7. The ICC connector is GREAT stuff.

Pictures.

Baffle removed:

Baffle construction. A Stainless and insulation sandwich

Creosote flakes behind and above the baffle.

Ash from flue. Less than 1/2cup of black creosote. The gray ash was in the firebox. Minimal creosote in the pipe.

Lifted door gasket.

Thats about it. So far, so good. One more complaint is as you can see, the stove is a dust magnet! PE really should offer it in enamel for easier cleaning. I would have bought it if offered.

 

[EMB5530]

Thanks for the review on the stove.
Can you expand more upon this comment maybe w/ pics?

"I also had to make a HogWildz gasket for the baffle. The factory sheet gasket was destroyed. The rope gasket should be a much better solution. PE really should have updated that connection by now."

I am looking at the T6 so a heads up on a gasket that may be handy to have on hand would be good.
Also, it looks like you have the first version of the T6 as it has the nicer looking door. Is this correct or did you find a older door to put on a newer stove?

Thanks
EMB

 

[mfetcho]

I am jealous of your door. I bought my T6 in September and it doesn't have the fancy door. I'll have to read about HogWildz gasket on the baffle when I do my clean out. It's probably time for sweep being that it's new. Thanks for the report.

 

[Hogwildz]

Make sure you cover the rear vertical channel before sweeping the liner, or else that crap falls in there and clogs it up.

 

[scooby074]

Thanks for the review on the stove.
Can you expand more upon this comment maybe w/ pics?

"I also had to make a HogWildz gasket for the baffle. The factory sheet gasket was destroyed. The rope gasket should be a much better solution. PE really should have updated that connection by now."

I am looking at the T6 so a heads up on a gasket that may be handy to have on hand would be good.
Also, it looks like you have the first version of the T6 as it has the nicer looking door. Is this correct or did you find a older door to put on a newer stove?

Thanks
EMB

EMB.

There is a known issue with these stoves when it comes to cleaning. From the factory there is a thin, fibre gasket that connects the baffle to the rectangular air tube at the back of the firebox. When you remove the baffle, you usually destroy the gasket (its very flimsy).

In the "creosote flakes" picture, on the RH side, middle, you can see the air tube and the torn gasket.

This gasket when torn can cause performance issues and air leaks.

The solution is to use 1/4" door rope gasket and make a loop out of it, all you need to do is cut to length and the weave the ends together to form a continious loop. Then put that around the air tube before putting the baffle back in place. Hogwildz was the one who pioneered the solution several years ago. Of course you can just buy the gaskets from the factory, they are under $10, but you will have to replace after each cleaning. The Hogwildz gasket should last several years.

More info, including pics, can be found here. There are more threads on the topic as well: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-custom-baffle-gasket-shes-cooking-now.23717/ https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/pe-porn.59767/

I wouldnt let this stop me from buying a Alderlea. Its a great stove. This is its one weakness.

I am jealous of your door. I bought my T6 in September and it doesn't have the fancy door. I'll have to read about HogWildz gasket on the baffle when I do my clean out. It's probably time for sweep being that it's new. Thanks for the report.

As to the door, mine was a NIB 2010 model. At first I was a bit disappointed that I didnt get the new air control system (EBT) but I think the nicer door makes up for it. PE has missed the boat on that one too. The door really adds to the look of the stove, and should still be standard, or at least an option. Without the door grill, it kinda looks like a steel stove from the front.

 

[scooby074]

Make sure you cover the rear vertical channel before sweeping the liner, or else that crap falls in there and clogs it up.

Good point.

When I cleaned mine there was no real heavy deposits. Covered the hole anyways. When I spring clean (and I know the stove is ice cold) I'll hit those areas with the shop vac.

 

[EMB5530]

Thank you for all the info scooby.
You are "dead on" that door makes the stove look sooo much nicer. But ohh well. I figure if I do get the T6 i''ll just have to keep my eyes on CL for one and see if I can get it cheap(yea right). But it never hurts to keep an eye open.

 

[scooby074]

Thank you for all the info scooby.
You are "dead on" that door makes the stove look sooo much nicer. But ohh well. I figure if I do get the T6 i''ll just have to keep my eyes on CL for one and see if I can get it cheap(yea right). But it never hurts to keep an eye open.

Call around a couple dealers. Chances are good that there are some old styles on the shelves either there or at their suppliers.

Mine was on the shelf at the distributor. I didnt even know there was a Series A and B. I got a series A. These have been on the shelf for at lease a couple years. I dont think they move a ton of these stoves.

Finding one used is highly doubtful, at least around here. They just never seem to come up, and if they do, it would likely be over 1/2 of new cost.

 

[begreen]

Thank you for all the info scooby.
You are "dead on" that door makes the stove look sooo much nicer. But ohh well. I figure if I do get the T6 i''ll just have to keep my eyes on CL for one and see if I can get it cheap(yea right). But it never hurts to keep an eye open.

Agreed, these stoves are keepers and rarely show up used. But if you could change your avatar location to something more specific than just the US we may be able to be more helpful in locating a stove.

 

[GunShow]

Howdy!
New to the forums. Thinking of buying a used Alderlea T6, how has yours been? I have A PE super 27 and can't believe how great its been. Just would like a longer burn time and steady heat. (burn 24/7 as primary heat source) I have a super tight spray foamed house (I built myself two years ago-well still finishing) I have only turned on the radiant floor to see if it works! So I don't think I need more btu's. Main open floor plan 1500 sf (17f ceilings) polished concert floor (think school house/industrial loft).
In the back bedroom I picked up a Morso 7643 (was running a Rais and wasn't inpressed- great design but sucked up wood)
I have a Quadrafire 5700 step-top sitting in my studio that I was going to run in the house but found a good deal on a Alderlea t6 with the fancy door and loved the performance of the Super 27 so I thought I would stay in the same family...
Thoughts?

 

[scooby074]

Im real happy with the T6. Havent begun burning this year yet. Last year, it was a great stove.