PE T6 overfired last night.....???

[jwscarab]

Ok, so last night we went out for dinner, came home and I loaded up the stove fully with oak for the overnite burn! I was beat and went to bed as I had a responsible family member volunteer to turn down the stove air fully in half an hour. So this morning I got the report - all was well, stove turned down fully at 625 stovetop last night.

This morning, house seemed chilly, very very few coals. I went to reload and when I went to open the air - I found the reason - the lever was slid all the way till it stops to the LEFT (first time operating since last year). So long story short, we burned thru a FULL load of medium to large splits of dry oak, with the air fully open!!

What should my concerns be (besides not doing that again)?? What temps did I prob hit?? Cant see any visible cracks.

Thanks

 

[Hogwildz]

Ok, so last night we went out for dinner, came home and I loaded up the stove fully with oak for the overnite burn! I was beat and went to bed as I had a responsible family member volunteer to turn down the stove air fully in half an hour. So this morning I got the report - all was well, stove turned down fully at 625 stovetop last night.

This morning, house seemed chilly, very very few coals. I went to reload and when I went to open the air - I found the reason - the lever was slid all the way till it stops to the LEFT (first time operating since last year). So long story short, we burned thru a FULL load of medium to large splits of dry oak, with the air fully open!!

What should my concerns be (besides not doing that again)?? What temps did I prob hit?? Cant see any visible cracks.

Thanks

If no cracks, your fine.
Just dont wanna do that alot.
Time to educate any other users in the home.

 

[madison]

...responsible family member...

Change that to sometimes responsible.

I would assign that person to splitting a stacking a cord of wood as a "reminder". Just joking,, sort of.

I have at times set a kitchen timer, or one that will not stop alarming until manually turned off, to remind me to close the primary air down. Our stove is on the first floor, so the creaking and sounds produced when hot are pretty obvious, the smell of the stack, also internal when the stove is hot is also a reminder.

As well as waking up sweat soaked.

 

[begreen]

Well, the stove certainly is broken in. Inspect carefully for any signs of damage or warping. Check the door seals with the dollar bill test.

I think this happens to us all at one point or another, but a stove with the air open, is not something to space out. Maybe paint the tip of the air control with white or red paint? We also use a kitchen timer because we know we get distracted and sometimes have the short term memory of a gnat. A timer helps.

 

[madison]

And the stack just got burned clean ...

 

[BrotherBart]

Look under the trivet. If the paint is still there you didn't get the stove top over 1,200 °F. :coolsmirk:

 

[jwscarab]

Yep, the paint is still there! All actually looks good so far. Have not done the dollar bill test as the stove is still purring along now. I will soon. I will let it go out for a few days - supposed to be a tad warmer here.

As for the timer, thats a great idea. But in this incident, she did turn the air down she thought, she just turned it in the wrong direction. When I reload, I generally only have the lever about 2/3's to the left as that fully uncovers the hole. When she slid the air control to the left even further till it stopped, she thought she was closing it!! But yes, the colors are a great idea too!! I'll keep u guys informed if I find anything, but so far so good!! Thanks all.

 

[begreen]

Good news. We're all human and have made this mistake if we've been burning for a long while. Chalk it up to experience and give her a hug for trying. It's a learning experience for everyone.

 

[Frostbit]

Not knowing, I would too have assumed Left is low/off and Right is high. My Jotul is that way, as are every single knob controlled devices I am aware of. Is this something only on the PE's?

 

[BrowningBAR]

Not knowing, I would too have assumed Left is low/off and Right is high. My Jotul is that way, as are every single knob controlled devices I am aware of. Is this something only on the PE's?

The Intrepid II air level is: Left, open. Right, shut down.

 

[DBoon]

If you want to talk about really goofy controls for primary air, the Lopi Answer (1.6 cubic foot) has an air control rod that you pull all the way out to restrict air and all the way in to provide maximum air. BUT, the Lopi Republic (2.2 cubic foot) has the same looking control but it works oppositely (out = max. primary air, in = min. primary air).

The control looks exactly the same on both stoves.

This caused more than one odd conversation with my father-in-law before we compared stove manuals.

 

[Pauly]

I'd take a good look at my chimney and stove pipe.

 

[jwscarab]

The chimney inspection is a little harder - its 6" flex going thru 9x13 flu - with a few jogs. I will inspect the pipe up the the block pff plate tho - good point!!

As for the controls, yea thats exactly what my wife told me, everything else is left - low....so thats what she thought. She is very responsible, really! By mid year last year, she was loading and doing the whole process when I was not home. I'd trust her to do it all again! She does get a big hug for trying!! She helps me with a lot. I'll just reminder her beginning of every burn season which is low....lol.

 

[jwscarab]

I checked the stove out last night and I think all is ok I pulled out the baffle, all the bricks, vacuumed it out. I couldnt see any signs of cracks or warpage. New baffle gasket, and put er back together. Then I did the dollar bill test. It was very tight (would have ripped the dollar) across the top and on both sides. Now on the bottom, I could pull the dolar out easily but it still had a little drag to it. It was the same way all the way across the bottom. So, I think I am good to go!! When I get home from work, its geting fired back up! Thanks all for your help!

 

[velvetfoot]

I have an insert, but this thing seems like a good idea for someone with a pipe:
(broken link removed to http://cgi.ebay.com/Wood-Stove-Alarm-Chimney-Thermometer-Flue-Pipe-Control_W0QQitemZ160380783052QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item25577089cc)

Is the seller on the forums? It seems like a nice package.

 

[jwscarab]

A few interesting things since this happened.......my stove seems to be putting out serious heat - keep air all the way down and it still runs at 600+ for hours. So I thought it must be cracked somewhere. But I checked it out real well, took all the bricks out, vacuumed it out, dollar bill test, etc. So I go to search for my air leak and I find 2 of em.

One is the ash shoot. Even with the ash door shut tight, it still seems to draw air in. It sucks all the ash out of the square shoot. I never use this shoot. When I vacuumed the stove out it was packed real good with ash - almost had to dig it out. So I made sure it was closed tight and kept packing more ash down it again and it finally sealed up the leak and it doesnt suck the ash out and up anymore.

The second is the EBT. The damn thing hardly ever used never open. Now it opens as the stove warms up and pretty much stays that way the whole burn! Maybe the overfire distorted the spring. So it now will burn full loads with the EBT open - makes a hot burn, but a short burn too. I dont like the inconsistancy of when it decides to run open and when not. So I fixed it - I put foil over the EBT hole

Now the stove runs perfect again, and seems tight and controllable. I was telling my wife the PE T6 would be a perfect stove if it did not have an ash shoot or an ebt. This summer when I do my overhaul/clean, I am going to seal around the ash shoot with hi temp sealant, and also remove ebt and permanently seal it closed too!!

Just my 2 cents worth. The stove is bulletproof!

 

[nelraq]

My previous stove was a PE Spectrum. In my opinion, the ash dump is a very poor design. It is nearly impossible to seal the metal to metal surface - ie. trap door to chute. After threatening court action, the dealer finally came out and sealed the ash chute shut with hi temp silicone. He also brought a metal plate, bolts and gasket which was supplied by PE in the form of a kit. You take the whole ash dump contraption off and replace it with the metal plate.
PE is aware of the problem - and a very serious/dangerous problem it is too!
I never put the plate on because the silicone did the trick. By the way, I informed the buyer of the stove all of the above!
Your dealer should be able to supply you with the kit. I haven't looked at the new PE's - maybe they have resolved the problem.
Scooping ashes out of the firebox once in a while is fast, easy and much safer!!

 

[begreen]

Never been a favorite of mine either. Tried it once. PITA trying to cram ash down a little 2x2 hole. But in the process I saw what JS noted. It's easy for the trap door to get wedged partially open if not thoroughly cleaned and checked for good seal. Mine has remained packed with ash since.

IMO, PE should offer the stove without the ashpan for a couple hundred less. They would probably sell more stoves and all would have less hassles. Love the stove, but like our car, it has some boneheaded features that one wonders how someone ever got them into production. Fortunately, the stove is a much simpler device and easier to rectify bad design.