PE Ash Build Up

[Ricky g]

Hello I am new to this forum. We have recently installed a new PE Summit Heritage wood stove. This is supposed to be high efficiency and I have heard good things. My issue is that there seems to be a lot of ash build up and we are having to clean it a couple times a week. Our wood is at least a year old. I discovered that the knock out on the back of the ash box was still there so I removed that.

 

[jatoxico]

This should go in the wood stove forum.

 

[Squisher]

If you aren't hooked up to an OAK(outdoor air kit) and your room air knockout wasn't removed I've heard this can cause problems.

Everyone says their wood is fine, but most of the time that is the issue. What type of wood? Do you have/use a moisture meter?

I burn fir mostly in my summit and can go a long time without cleaning out ash. When I burn silver maple the ash builds up faster. So species plays in. But if the stove is working properly excessive ash build up won't be the fault of the stove.

 

[Ricky g]

After reading other comments we have been overloading the stove and turning the damper all the way hoping for a longer burn. We are trying smaller hotter burns. Problem is we are away for 8-10 hrs a day so no choice but to load it up. Gonna try just opening up the damper when we get home and let the air burn up whats left over and just add a couple of small pieces. Hope it works.

 

[blacktail]

You can still load it up full. You just have to get it hot before turning the air down. Most people suggest turning the air down in stages as the stove heats up. Sometimes your last adjustment can be to shut the air completely off, but often it will still be slightly open.
This only applies if your wood really is dry.

 

[Squisher]

My summit regularly burns8-10hrs and I'm able to reload full size splits onto the coal bed that is left. So it's very doable. That's with fir, with my silver maple I've gone even longer, 12-13hrs with still being able to load full size splits onto the coals and just turning up the air to re-ignite. No hanging around with the door cracked. My stove hasn't been out since before Christmas.

 

[Squisher]

I burn down to coals and then crank the air right up and reload to the brim. Large splits and then stuff smaller splits in all around. I heat it right up using a stovepipe and stove top thermometer to monitor. I cut my air back in stages and run it up hot to char the wood and burn off the smoke/gasses. By the time I'm cutting it right back I'm cruising at 600f stovetop and it will maintain 500-600f for hours at the air closed off to 1/2" open tops.

 

[Ricky g]

Thanks Squisher. Like you, our stove has not been relit for over a month. I clean out the ash and charcoal and leave enough to relight. Full size splits and open the air and away she goes again. Combination of yellow birch and maple.I think the 1/2" air trick is the key. Turning the air off is our mistake I hope. Also more air from the room after removing the knockout should help. We are going to try a few days and see what happens. Even if we get down to once a week clean out I will be happy.

 

[Squisher]

Sounds good. If you don't have thermometers set up I highly recommend it, it's helped me dial this stove in a lot. If I close my air right off to soon after a reload I find y temps will drop and I'll loose secondary's. 1/2" open is often to much and the stove will run hot, fine when it's cold out and you want the heat but wasteful if not and you're just looking for extended burn times. I'm often down to just cracked open barely. For overnight burns I try to time it up a little early so I can get the load established, have it cruise and char up/off gas really nice and then I cut the air back to nil for an extended overnight burn.

I've found this firebox/stove to be a fantastic wood heating appliance. So far for myself I'm very impressed with it.

 

[kennyp2339]

I discovered that the knock out on the back of the ash box was still there so I removed that.

Are you talking about the ash plug? If so that plug should only be removed when cleaning ash into the pan, once your don't the plug needs to be put back (and make sure its sitting flush) If there's no plug you can have a serious over fire and destroy that stove.

 

[huauqui]

Thanks Squisher. Like you, our stove has not been relit for over a month. I clean out the ash and charcoal and leave enough to relight.

I also burn a PE Summit with great enjoyment. It is a wonderful heating appliance. Your mention of charcoal makes me think your wood may be wet. When burning dry wood I only clean out fine ash no charcoal. Occasionally some warm embers make it in the can but almost nothing else. Charcoal or black pieces of unburnt wood can be a sign of wet wood. I am pretty sure this is correct but will let others more educated then I chime in.

Enjoy the stove and keep playing with it. Your efforts will be rewarded.

Huauqui

 

[Ricky g]

Thanks again guys. Squisher, I have a stove pipe thermometer installed 18" above the stove as per manufacturer instructions. I try to keep it at about 800-900 deg which is high side of normal. Sometimes gets as high as 1200 on start up but closing the air brings it back down. I think removing the air knock out was a big help. Loaded it up tight at 9:30 pm last night and opened air about 1/2" and at 3:30 am there was just a good bed of coals red hot with very little sign of un burnt charcoal. Kennyp, the plug I speak of is the steel knock out at the back of the stove that needs to be removed for in room air supply. Ash flapper is in tact. Thanks for the input though. This stove is way more efficient than the Hearth Stone I bought a couple of years ago. Very nice looking stove but way too much effort to maintain.

 

[Squisher]

Wow that seems pretty hot 18"s up if my stovepipe therm is accurate I never hit numbers like that. I have the condar stovepipe thermometer and the best operation zone is 230-475f. I get over that often on reloads but nowhere near say 800+. Maybe others will chime in with the stovepipe temps they're seeing?

 

[begreen]

Ricky g, 1200F is too hot. The air is not being shut down soon enough. Are they taken with a probe thermometer on double wall pipe? If yes, you should be seeing 800-900F just briefly on startup or a fresh reload. At that point the air should be shut down until the flames get lazy. Depending on the draft and dryness of the wood you may be able to close the air all the way at this point or maybe just 75%. Normal cruising flue temp with a probe thermometer is about the same or 100F less than the stove top temp. Our stove has been going for a few hours now. The current readings are 600F stovetop and 450F in the flue.

 

[begreen]

Is this a basement or main floor installation? How tightly sealed is the house?

EDIT: If this is a basement or tight house install you might want to try cracking a window 1/2" open to see how it affects the stove burning. If there is a notable improvement consider connecting the rear knockout opening to some 4" aluminum duct to outdoors.

 

[Squisher]

This makes me wonder if I'm cruising a little to cool. My flue temp will cruise under 400 quite regularly and my stove top seems to hover around 450-500 a lot. I'm going to try heating things up a tad more than I have been I think.

Edit. Watching this last load more closely it would seem I cruise around 375-400flue and 500-550 stovetop. Seems decent to me.

 

[blacktail]

Packing the stove and then leaving the air 1/2 open? Sounds like you are loading the stove, setting the air once, and then ignoring it.

 

[Squisher]

Packing the stove and then leaving the air 1/2 open? Sounds like you are loading the stove, setting the air once, and then ignoring it.

Umm if this comment is directed to me, no that's not what I do at all and I'm not sure how from my posts in this thread would make you think that?

Ahh I see I think your comment was directed at the OP. I agree it sort of reads like he loaded it up and only opened the air a 1/2" or so. If that's the case it would seem that that load would spend an awful lot of time in the creosote zone. Edit.

 

[blacktail]

My comment was directed at Ricky g's last post, where he did say that.

 

[Squisher]

Yah, I edited my post once I clued in. Sorry about that 2am start today for snow removal so I'm sort of past my prime by this point in the day.

 

[blacktail]

It might take awhile to get going at half throttle, but once it does take off, it could be a hot one.

 

[Squisher]

Yah was thinking that too after I had edited. Lol. I should probably just have a nap.

 

[Ricky g]

Boy you guys are quite helpful. My thermometer is a probe style in a double wall pipe.I actually have two stoves and they both have the flew thermos and normal operating on both are 400-900F. 450 seems low fro a flew temp. We try to keep it 600 or so which is mid range. I am finding with lower temps our charcoal build up increases. ( might be the wood). We will try to avoid letting it get too high and throttle down quicker. The stove is in the basement so quite confined. Thanks for the window cracking trick this is helping for sure. Our lifebreath air exchanger is not working at the moment but when it gets repaired I am hoping the air quality will increase more. If not then the OAK might be the next step. I loaded the stove fully at night and opened the air about a 1/2 inch and the charcoal buildup has decreased. The only time we use half throttle is to get the unburned coals humming. then load a few pieces and turn it down. Cant tell you guys how helpful you have been. We havnt started our Hearth stone in our main living area yet this year because it gets the main living area too hot. which is why we bought the PE for the basement so all these tips will certainaly help us get there.

 

[begreen]

Flue temp will depend on what stage of the burn cycle the fire is in. Once the fire is in the coaling stage a 300 or 400F flue temp is fine. The wood has stopped outgassing and the risk of creosote buildup is gone. It sounds like the stove needs an outside air kit. I would go ahead and install one. That way you don't have a sudden change in the stove air supply if multiple fans in the house are turned on (range, bath, dryer).

 

[Ricky g]

Thanks begreen. A couple of questions. You guys speak of the creosote zone. What is that exactly. I always thought creosote built up with slow cool burns. Also just wondering if you guys have a fan on you stove. Our challenge right now is transferring the extreme heat from our confined space to the rest of the house. Hoping the HRV will make that happen when it gets repaired.