PE Summit crack issue?

[Xikar]

I am deciding today on the Olympic or the Summit and putting a deposit on one of them. My question is, I have read many threads in the last few days in regard to the issue with cracks and PE being slow to rectify the issues. It seems they redesigned the stove to resolve this problem...IS this the case and have any reports of cracks showed up on newer stoves manufactured after that supposed bad batch date range? I just want a stove that I'm not going to regret buying. The Summit is better looking than the Olympic to me but I'm sure both will heat my home just fine. I will sacrifice function and longevity over looks any day when it comes to something like this I guess. How is the yearly maintenance on the Summit other than door gaskets and cleaning?

 

[lopiliberty]

The Olympic is not totally immune from cracks either. Like my liberty which is basically the same stove with different door, it is possible it might develop small cracks in the secondary air channels.

 

[69911e]

Most of the cracks are in the PE insert. They claim they improved the material and welding which fix the problem before the Rev B design changes. I don't believe the design change addressed the temp differential around the front opening perimeter, which is the cause of the stress.
No unexpected maintenance on mine. Only part used thus far is the baffle gasket which I replaced with every cleaning (opinions will vary on this). The OEM door gasket will last many years.

 

[madison]

I would feel out your store owner, and ask for references of clients he has sold Summits.

It is the retailer that has to handle any warranty work claims - for which he is to be reimbursed by the mfg. (begrudgingly) . So the retailer history is more important IMHO.

 

[begreen]

I believe PE had this issue on a limited run of Summits. The inserts seemed more prone to the issue. From what I have been told this should be fixed with the new models. Yearly maintenance is minimal. I have 4 yrs on my T6 and have not replaced door gaskets yet. May do it this summer.

Either stove will do the job. Just get a good thermometer and keep the stove top from going over about 700F and it will be fine. An occasional bump up to 750F is ok, but running it all day long at 800F is what will shorten either stove's lifespan.

 

[Dave A.]

Most of the cracks are in the PE insert. They claim they improved the material and welding which fix the problem before the Rev B design changes. I don't believe the design change addressed the temp differential around the front opening perimeter, which is the cause of the stress.
No unexpected maintenance on mine. Only part used thus far is the baffle gasket which I replaced with every cleaning (opinions will vary on this). The OEM door gasket will last many years.

It doesn't sound like you would recommend the Summit Insert at this point or buy it again.

Which inserts in this size do you think would be the best choices?

 

[69911e]

I take it you are looking for an insert. Will you be running an OAK (outside air)? If so, the PE Summit insert claims to be OAK capable but is not (without significant changes).
Overall, I would recommend you consider all the inserts, including the Summit. It does burn and heat quite well. I did mention it to a friend as one to look into and he bought the summit stove. He also thinks it burns and heats quite well. Unfortunately, he currently has unresolved paint odors from the stove.... After 2 years it still turns soft and smelly at a top temp around 550deg.

If I were to buy again, I would definitely look at the Blaze King Princess insert, but I would need to see in person on the aesthetics. That is supposed to be a great insert with great customer service. There are others, but I have not kept up on the new ones out there.

Keep in mind an insert will not heat as well as a freestanding stove, all else being equal.

 

[Xikar]

I take it you are looking for an insert. Will you be running an OAK (outside air)? If so, the PE Summit insert claims to be OAK capable but is not (without significant changes).
Overall, I would recommend you consider all the inserts, including the Summit. It does burn and heat quite well. I did mention it to a friend as one to look into and he bought the summit stove. He also thinks it burns and heats quite well. Unfortunately, he currently has unresolved paint odors from the stove.... After 2 years it still turns soft and smelly at a top temp around 550deg.

If I were to buy again, I would definitely look at the Blaze King Princess insert, but I would need to see in person on the aesthetics. That is supposed to be a great insert with great customer service. There are others, but I have not kept up on the new ones out there.

Keep in mind an insert will not heat as well as a freestanding stove, all else being equal.

Have you had any problems with your Summit such as cracks or anything?

 

[69911e]

No cracks with mine; I keep it at a relatively low temp and always run the fan.

 

[Dave A.]

I take it you are looking for an insert. Will you be running an OAK (outside air)? If so, the PE Summit insert claims to be OAK capable but is not (without significant changes).
Overall, I would recommend you consider all the inserts, including the Summit. It does burn and heat quite well. I did mention it to a friend as one to look into and he bought the summit stove. He also thinks it burns and heats quite well. Unfortunately, he currently has unresolved paint odors from the stove.... After 2 years it still turns soft and smelly at a top temp around 550deg.

If I were to buy again, I would definitely look at the Blaze King Princess insert, but I would need to see in person on the aesthetics. That is supposed to be a great insert with great customer service. There are others, but I have not kept up on the new ones out there.

Keep in mind an insert will not heat as well as a freestanding stove, all else being equal.

I just put a deposit on the Summit insert. Don't know if it's possible to cancel it at this point even. But am starting to have second thoughts after reading some more messages here. I'm replacing a smaller 1.5 cf firebox insert. And a lot of what I don't like about it, are complaints being made about the Summit -- excessive coaling, not getting high temps, etc.

Agreed about Princess, sounds like the best functionally, but can't get past the appearance. Not that appearance is primary. If it were, I'd get something like Enviro Boston, Hampton, and some other cast front inserts or something like the large Travis made hybrid flush front. But none had a 2.9- 3.2 cf firebox or would do well with NS loading.

Before I chose the Summit, was also considering the Regency 3100, Osburn 2400, Harman i300, and Quadrafire 5100. Had ruled out the Harman and the 5100. The Osburn was a distant third choice and it was between the 3100 and the Summit which at one point I ruled out because of the cracks, then at the last minute went back to it.

 

[madison]

.... And a lot of what I don't like about it, are complaints being made about the Summit -- excessive coaling, not getting high temps, etc.

those complaints would be related to either unseasoned wood, and/or poor draft -- not the stove

 

[Dave A.]

Will you be running an OAK (outside air)? If so, the PE Summit insert claims to be OAK capable but is not (without significant changes).

(Overlooked that question before). No, not planning to -- fireplace is in center of house on concrete slab (without an ash pit) so I don't think it's possible, anyway would be very difficult. In fact I had a question about that in another thread. The instruction manual described the procedure necessary for NOT using outside air. And it had seemed to me it really wouldn't matter if you weren't actually connecting a pipe. But Hogwildz indicated the procedure IS necessary if you're using room air.

 

[Hogwildz]

You'll do just fine, and will be more than happy with the Summit. It is a heating beast, and will put the Century to shame.
I have one that was one of the year builds with the crack issues. They took care of me rather well. The dealer on the other hand was useless. He obvious knew just enough to make a sale, but other than that, useless. Don't be afraid of the Summit, you won't regret it.

 

[Xikar]

You'll do just fine, and will be more than happy with the Summit. It is a heating beast, and will put the Century to shame.
I have one that was one of the year builds with the crack issues. They took care of me rather well. The dealer on the other hand was useless. He obvious knew just enough to make a sale, but other than that, useless. Don't be afraid of the Summit, you won't regret it.

Have any of the newer ones had crack issues? I have until tomorrow to buy the Summit otherwise I lose the $300 discount the dealer is offering and I will be forced to go Olympic... I hate making these decisions

 

[Hogwildz]

I am not aware of any issues with the new ones. As a matter of fact, I believe the issues were in 2006 to 2008 year models.
The other nice thing is the blower comes standard on the Summit inserts, not sure on the stoves. Not sure if the Olympic comes with the blower if your getting the insert?
Either one will do a good job.

 

[Dave A.]

Have any of the newer ones had crack issues? I have until tomorrow to buy the Summit otherwise I lose the $300 discount the dealer is offering and I will be forced to go Olympic... I hate making these decisions

Are you sure the $300 discount is on the Summit? I know there has been a $300 discount on Harman and Quadrafire until the 18th. No one said anything to me about a discount on the Summit and I just put a deposit on one.

Maybe it's just your dealer (though usually they are mfr. things).

 

[Xikar]

My dealer is offering that discount on the stove until this morning for me. As for the Olympic, the blower is separate but both stoves are the same price including the blower.

 

[Burn-1]

I have a Summit Insert on my main floor and an Olympic in the basement. The only plus for the Olympic is that it is designed to be used either as an insert or as a freestanding stove, so if you're not exactly sure what you want with stove vs. insert, maybe the Olympic would be OK.

What I don't like about the Olympic is the firebox geometry. It's about as big as the Summit but it's E-W only unless the wood is very small and it's easy to bump against the tubes, or roll a log back to you when reloading. The Summit packs in the wood more easily into its square firebox. The Avalon baffle system is easily replaced since it uses firebricks but those do wear out eventually and the center rail supporting them usually has to be replaced after a few years vs a lifetime baffle with the PE. Due to the firebox shape the Summit's burn times are better and you can take off the convection shroud around the Summit if you need to repaint, the Olympic's is welded on.

Summit all the way, either insert or freestander

 

[Dave A.]

My dealer is offering that discount on the stove until this morning for me. As for the Olympic, the blower is separate but both stoves are the same price including the blower.

I see you've gone ahead with the Summit (another thread). Congrads and good luck with it. Am still a little curious about that discount. Am wondering if that's for one he's got in stock or a floor model or just why the discount, if you know.

And I see you're getting it this Friday. I ordered a Summit last Friday and am being told it's coming from out west. So if yours is coming from stock your dealer has, that makes sense.

 

[Xikar]

I see you've gone ahead with the Summit (another thread). Congrads and good luck with it. Am still a little curious about that discount. Am wondering if that's for one he's got in stock or a floor model or just why the discount, if you know.

And I see you're getting it this Friday. I ordered a Summit last Friday and am being told it's coming from out west. So if yours is coming from stock your dealer has, that makes sense.

Like I said, it was a promotion the dealer was running on his own, not sure why or how but I took advantage. He is a Quadra-fire dealer and I guess the manufacturer is offering a $300 coupon for the month and he said that they were matching that for the whole PE line as well as his Jotul stoves but not for the entire month. He did not have the stove in stock but told me he can get it from his distributor by Friday as he has a truck coming in from them that day and he would just have them toss the stove on with it. Maybe your dealer is bringing in your stove on one of his stock deliveries to save the freight and therefore the wait?

 

[Xikar]

To be honest, with my luck I'm probably getting one of the 2012 models with the series A EBT mechanism that they are trying to clear out for the newer model... I hope I get the newest version. Now I'm thinking I better call the dealer in the morning!

 

[Dave A.]

Like I said, it was a promotion the dealer was running on his own, not sure why or how but I took advantage. He is a Quadra-fire dealer and I guess the manufacturer is offering a $300 coupon for the month and he said that they were matching that for the whole PE line as well as his Jotul stoves but not for the entire month. He did not have the stove in stock but told me he can get it from his distributor by Friday as he has a truck coming in from them that day and he would just have them toss the stove on with it. Maybe your dealer is bringing in your stove on one of his stock deliveries to save the freight and therefore the wait?

I think I may have gotten into a bad situation. Only can hope the concern is unfounded. This dealer is the closest stove dealer to me so I've been looking there a while. He shows mostly Travis (Lopi, Avalon...) and Regency but has mentioned he could get other brands. Since he's so nearby, and a lot easier going than some others, I'd been going in there a few times and when I began leaning towards the Summit, I asked him if he could get Pacific Energy. He asked me to wait a minute and explained he was taking over another dealer, X, but it wasn't final yet and he looked and said they carried it. So he suggested I go look there. Didn't go right away but when out there, X was talking about his other location -- turns out the buyout/merger had gone through (but I didn't really know that until later). So I got a lot of info out there-- like X can get the Summit within a week -- sometimes only a couple days (apparently from a local distributor) and the price. When I told X where I lived, he sort of indicated it might be better to have it come from the other store -- my Lopi/Regency dealer but I didn't want to finalize anything until I talked to the first guy.

So when I went back to the first store to see how to proceed, he told me the buyout deal had finalized but he didn't have PE brochures or prices yet, he had bought out X who was now his employee. So he made a call (which I now think was some kind or ruse) and told me they're all at the trade show -- sounded a little funny but he'd put the order in Monday or Tuesday and get back to me by Tuesday (this was last Friday-- but I went ahead with the order-- he wrote it up with X's price which I showed him where I had written it down and I gave a large deposit.

By late this afternoon, I hadn't heard from him, so I called. He had a different attitude, he didn't know anything yet, that's why he didn't call, he placed the order but had no information. How'd you place it? By computer. Where's it coming from? Out west. When I mentioned X dealing with a local distributor, he told me to forget X. And this is going to take awhile. He'll get back to me tomorrow afternoon.

It just doesn't jive. I wouldn't have gotten into this if I knew it wasn't going to be soon like X indicated. Not sure what to do now. Lots of questions, like am I even dealing with a legitimate PE dealer.

I apologize for ranting like this, but I'm still a little upset.

 

[Dave A.]

To be honest, with my luck I'm probably getting one of the 2012 models with the series A EBT mechanism that they are trying to clear out for the newer model... I hope I get the newest version. Now I'm thinking I better call the dealer in the morning!

That's about the only thing I did right. Insisted that the order indicate it's mfg no earlier than 2012.

 

[begreen]

Dave, it could be he has decided to become a PE dealer and is working through the process. He may not have been able to inherit it from the other party. It would be good for him to be straight forward about this if that is the case. You can go to PE's website and use the dealer locator as a cross-reference.

 

[Dave A.]

Dave, it could be he has decided to become a PE dealer and is working through the process. He may not have been able to inherit it from the other party.

Hi Begreen,
So where is that going to put me-- will I have to wait for him to do that before I get my stove? Should I try to pull out of the deal and go elsewhere. I'm getting ready for it to be delivered and don't really want this dragging on for weeks.

It would be good for him to be straight forward about this if that is the case. You can go to PE's website and use the dealer locator as a cross-reference.

About the dealer listings there --even X (the guy he bought out) is NOT listed there. There are very few PE dealers in this area. Some of the ones listed there (the few not too far away) didn't have any on display. I get the sense most of the dealers around here carry PE as a secondary line. In fact X (unlisted on the PE site) was one of the few who even had one to see (though not the Summit, just the Super Insert). X told me he just started them this season and sold about 12 of them, liked them and had no problems.