PE Summit Series C insert just installed

[setitonfire]

First off you'll have to forgive me for rambling but I have been waiting to get a wood stove for more than two years. I can 't say thanks enough to the members of this forum that talked me into getting a bigger stove. This site has been a huge help in guiding my purchase. I love this unit. I still have a lot to learn and I know I'm going to make many mistakes but I'm glad to have a resource to turn to.

I got the plain jane black but I love the look of it. Will post pictures when I get a chance.

My plan is to heat the whole first floor of my 1900 sqft rambler. Back bedrooms are over an uninsulated garage so that might be a challenge but I hope that ceiling fans in both rooms will help.

I do have some seasoned wood and everything I have burned so far has been under 20%MC per my moisture meter. I'm burning oak from a tree the came down in my yard about 3 years ago. It's been split and stacked for more than a year. I'm not one of those "I know it's seasoned for sure" folks, I'm just going by what the meter tells me.

I do have a couple of questions

1. Here's the dumb question. When taking the stove temp should I point my IR gun at the stove or into the fire? I've done 3 burns so far at during the third I got the stove to 550 with the gun pointed just above the door. Pointed at the fire I got 740. I'm nervous about over-fire.

2. I hear a ticking noise. Is that just the stove breaking in or the EBT?

3. How quickly can I see secondary burn? I tried a top down burn and it lit relatively well and my IR gun had the top left corner, right above the door at about 250 (if I'm doing it right) and I was positive I saw secondaries.

Of course any additional advice is appreciated.

 

[Hogwildz]

First off, your obligated to post some photos of that beauty afire.

1. I use a the typical magnetic thermos on the face just above the door, one over each corner of the door.
I think you will get a false reading off the glass. I believe its been mentioned that the reading is the glass and not of the firebox inside.
550 is fine, when the secondaries kick in after shutting the air all the way down, she will rise to 650+ easily with good dry wood. It will level off and settle back down as the nasties initially burn off.

2. Ticking as in the metal ticking is normal as the big steel firebox heats up and again at times when it cools.
A metal clanging is the EBT flapper. Which you will hear every time you open & close the door.
All normal.

3. Secondary burn can happen as soon as 250-300 degrees, and usually really kicks in at about 400 degrees+ on my insert.

Make sure you split the wood open when testing moisture, and stick that thing right into the middle of that fresh split area.

 

[Grisu]

1. Here's the dumb question. When taking the stove temp should I point my IR gun at the stove or into the fire? I've done 3 burns so far at during the third I got the stove to 550 with the gun pointed just above the door. Pointed at the fire I got 740. I'm nervous about over-fire.

You start overfiring the stove when the stovetop is above 800 F. Try to run it between 500 F and 700 F at the hottest point on the stove top. When it briefly spikes to 800 F that is still ok but I would avoid to get it there often and/or sustain temps that high. Btw. Reflective surfaces throw off the readings of the IR gun; something to keep in mind if you ever want to measure other objects.

3. How quickly can I see secondary burn? I tried a top down burn and it lit relatively well and my IR gun had the top left corner, right above the door at about 250 (if I'm doing it right) and I was positive I saw secondaries.

You may well have seen secondaries as the temp in the firebox was probably quite a bit higher than on the outside. However, you will need to reduce the primary air to get the full secondaries effect. Take a look at these threads if you have not done so yet:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/loading-and-stuffing-a-firebox.117488/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-break-in-fire-questions.116900/#post-1576245

 

[setitonfire]

Here is the pic of my new install. Going down to 29 tonight. Looking forward to seeing what it can do.

 

[BrotherBart]

That looks nice. And warm. Enjoy that heating beast.

 

[Hogwildz]

You start overfiring the stove when the stovetop is above 800 F. Try to run it between 500 F and 700 F at the hottest point on the stove top. When it briefly spikes to 800 F that is still ok but I would avoid to get it there often and/or sustain temps that high. Btw. Reflective surfaces throw off the readings of the IR gun; something to keep in mind if you ever want to measure other objects.



You may well have seen secondaries as the temp in the firebox was probably quite a bit higher than on the outside. However, you will need to reduce the primary air to get the full secondaries effect. Take a look at these threads if you have not done so yet:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/loading-and-stuffing-a-firebox.117488/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...-break-in-fire-questions.116900/#post-1576245

It is going to be kind of hard for him to take stovetop readings from a Summit insert.
He'll have to use the front like the rest of us.

 

[setitonfire]

The first Rutland thermometer I got from Amazon was a dud. Will try again with two on each side as suggested.

 

[Dave A.]

I get readings of the stovetop on my Summit B by pointing the IR into the air opening on top. Actually they're quite different from the readings of the mag therm on the front over the door. E.g. if I point towards the center of the top where the heat shield is (the hottest part) I might get 750F while the mag therm is only reading let's say 500 or even less -- that's on heat up from a cold start. Later on as the top is cooling down to maybe 500 the front will be hotter at 600 or more.

Btw, nice looking install, Setiton, I think you'll be pleased with it.

 

[setitonfire]

Thanks for info.

Dave A., I put the IR gun right at the center and got 730. It did make me a little nervous but about 10 min later it dropped below 700. I'll definitely be using both the IR gun an mag thermo to get a better understand of the stoves temp range.

 

[Grisu]

Here is the pic of my new install. Going down to 29 tonight. Looking forward to seeing what it can do.

View attachment 118153

You know what is funny? I just took another look at your stove and noticed a big difference to my PE Super. In my insert, there is an opening between the cast iron top and the surround through which the hot air exits into the room. I don't see that in your case. When you have the blowers running, where is the hot air coming out?

 

[setitonfire]

The opening is actually under the cast iron top. It seems to force the hot air down before it comes out.

 

[setitonfire]

I've noticed quite a few folks say they cruise at about 600. How long do you normally stay at that temp? After about an hour or so my temps start to drop off quickly and that's with the stove closed all the way down.