Summers Heat 50-SNC13LC Wood Stove

[yardatwork]

I recently took advantage of the 50% sale at Lowes and bought the 1500/1800 sq. ft wood burning stove. First off...is this 1500 or 1800 sq. ft heat rated? The stove says one thing, the website says one thing, the brochure says another. I had a Vogelzang 1000 sq. ft. stove and it was replaced with this stove. I'm starting to think that this was a mistake. My house if about 1000 sq. ft. built in the early 1950s and it is not insulated other than the attic. Since the house is drafty I went with a bigger stove to compensate for the lack of insulation. The Vogelzang stove could get the house anywhere from 65-80 degrees based on outside temps (average winter temp is 20-30). No matter what I do, I cannot get the Summers Heat stove to heat past 66 degrees. The Summers Heat unit says NOT to use a damper. This unit has a ceramic shield and heat tubes. However, I feel that all the heat is going up the chimney since there is no way to regulate the heat escaping up the chimney (yes, the ceramic shield is pushed all the way to the back of the stove). I have a raging fire, bright red coals, the draft is fully open and I can still place my hand about 1/8 inch from the top of the unit without my hand feeling any discomfort. What, if any, problems will arise from adding a damper? I'm half tempted to remove the heat tubes and ceramic shield. I have a spare baffle sitting around that I'm considering welding into the unit and using a damper system. The stove is in my basement and I place a box fan behind the stove to blow greater amounts of heat/air vs. using the add-on stove blower. I used this same technic with the cheap Vogelzang stove and it worked out greatly. Does anyone else have this unit and finding it hard to heat with?

 

[karri0n]

We need a bit more info. How tall is your chimney, is your chimney lined, are you using 6" or 8" flue, what kind of wood are you using? Is your wood seasoned for 2 years?

It sounds like you were using a non-EPA unit previously, and are now using an EPA unit. They are more finnicky with a need for really well seasoned wood selection, and you need to close that primary air down to about half or less once the load gets burning if you want to get good heat out of it without it going up the flue. If you have a really tall fully lined chimney, a pipe damper might be something worth grabbing.

 

[yardatwork]

I have a 6" flue. The inside black pipe from the unit is about 4' before going into the wall kit and outside connecting to the insulated pipe. My outside insulated pipe/chimney is about 10' tall (3, 3' sections of pipe and 1 foot tee section)...roughly sits 2' above the roof. The chimney is located in the middle of the roof leading to the roof peak and does not experience much down draft while stove is in use. The chimney is on the northern side of the house. I'm using one to two year old seasoned wood that I buy from a landscaping supply company.

 

[karri0n]

You bought the wood and seasoned it for 1-2 years, or the landscaping company says it's seasoned? You usually can't trust the word of a firewood dealer when they say "seasoned", especially if you buy close to the heating season. My first troubleshooting technique would be to pick up a bundle of the kiln dried firewood from lowes/home depot and see what kind of temps you get from that. A thermometer for the stovepipe and one for the stovetop is not a bad idea either, and can usually be gotten for around $6. usually comparing these will let you know if you are losing too much heat, as the stovetop should be quite a bit hotter than the pipe when well into operation.

At approx. 14 feet of pipe, I would think too much draft is not the issue, but especially if you have a couple 90 degree bends in there or a horizontal pipe run, that low draft might be. A damper probably will not help, but if you do find that you are heating the pipe a lot more than the stove, then it's worth looking into.

For now, try cutting back on the primary air once the full load of wood gets burning well. This often does raise the stove temp since more air will be coming in from the secondary tubes where you get a hotter burn. If this doesn't help, then try the kiln dried wood from the HD/lowes/supermarket and see your results from that.

 

[yardatwork]

I actually own a landscaping company and deal with the landscaping supply yard weekly. I've been in the business for 11 seasons and have used this guy exclusively. I see the wood sitting for a year or two before he starts cutting and splitting...so it is a true seasoned wood. I'll keep messing with the draft to find a good burn position. I love the look and design of the unit, but didn't expect an EPA stove to be this much work. I was expecting a better stove to actually be easier to use!

 

[karri0n]

It won't season very well if it's not cut and split; it will probably take 3 or more years in unsplit log length to season depending on wood species(oak will prob take even longer). Your best bet is to pick up a moisture meter for under 20 bucks, resplit one of your biggest splits, and test the moisture of it at room temp. if it's above 15-20% moisture content, your EPA stove won't like it very much. Other option is to try some kiln dried that you KNOW will be around 15% moisture content and see how the stove performs. I'm thinking wood is the culprit in this case.

It's not a matter of dishonesty, it's a matter of the landscaping guys seriously not having the time or resources to cut, split, and stack firewood in rows for 2 years before they sell it. If it's not cut, split and stacked, it won't season. The fact that it sits for 1-2 years at all is a pretty good testament to that dealer as far as firewood goes. If you want GOOD wood to burn, it's on the homeowner to do the finishing.

 

[iceman]

It won't season very well if it's not cut and split; it will probably take 3 or more years in unsplit log length to season depending on wood species(oak will prob take even longer). Your best bet is to pick up a moisture meter for under 20 bucks, resplit one of your biggest splits, and test the moisture of it at room temp. if it's above 15-20% moisture content, your EPA stove won't like it very much. Other option is to try some kiln dried that you KNOW will be around 15% moisture content and see how the stove performs. I'm thinking wood is the culprit in this case.

It's not a matter of dishonesty, it's a matter of the landscaping guys seriously not having the time or resources to cut, split, and stack firewood in rows for 2 years before they sell it. If it's not cut, split and stacked, it won't season. The fact that it sits for 1-2 years at all is a pretty good testament to that dealer as far as firewood goes. If you want GOOD wood to burn, it's on the homeowner to do the finishing.

ditto
it is very common for people to buy wood thinking its seasoned when it really isn't
manu people think because its been down 2 years its ok but wood (especially hardwood) doesn't season in a yr or 2 when left in log length.. if it was in rounds you might have a chance .. however if you buy it from him now cut and split it will be ready later this year

 

[Jags]

I see the wood sitting for a year or two before he starts cutting and splitting...so it is a true seasoned wood.

This statement is not entirely true. You can call it what you want: seasoned/unseasoned/aged/molting/green....etc. But it ain't fit to burn unless you are under 25% MC.

Most woods won't get there until they are split, unless they have been left for a looong time.

Basically, what I am saying is, just because the logs or blocks have been sitting around for 1 or 2 years doesn't mean that they are seasoned.

 

[yardatwork]

Thanks everyone for replying. I've been messing with the draft and have it set at half. I have been able to notice more heat being produced. However, it's also 37 degrees out today and not 10 like it was yesterday. The house is up to 70 degrees right now and hopefully still climbing!

 

[lexybird]

not sure exactly what your heat problem is but my NC13 once up and running would leave blisters on your hand if you tried that test of putting your hand near it ,i sometimes have hard time getting close to mine to load its burns so hot .maybe the wood ,maybe the draft ,but for me i have no trouble getting a marginaly insulated full size 2 car garage garage up to 70 with it on a 15 degree day ,my application likes some air from below though . i lift and slightly raise the steel square ash removal insert out of its location to permit lower air in under the hot coals ,this helps get a strong raging inferno going kinda like forced draft induction once superheated i take my fire poker and adjust it back in place ..close her up tight and the secondaries immediatly take off scorching the wood in a fiery show from above ,air yo uusing the cold air retrun ? definitly dont use a damper of any kind and be sure the wood is actually seasoned with 25% or less moisture.