Any one ever put a damper with a pacific energy summit LE pedestal. I’m not a fan of this stove very under performing I’ve followed everything that’s been talked about with member (frozen VT) still same issue I have a 2900 sf underground house can not get living room over 70°
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Tell us more about the stove installation. How hot is the stove getting? Is there a thermometer on the stove top? Is there one on the stove pipe? How tall is the flue system from stove top to chimney cap?
2900 sq ft is a large area. How well is the home insulated?
Pictures of the stove installation and the house are welcome.
2900 sq ft is a large area. How well is the home insulated?
Pictures of the stove installation and the house are welcome.
The flue system is about 12 feet. The stove is only getting about 350. I’m receiving long burn times. Just not very hot Burns. There was a member buy frozen VT that went over. Everything they were having issues with which is basically the same here. They would not let me comment to speak to her directly
. Is there a way to tell if you have too strong of a draw?
I meant to say 2500 square-foot home. Most of it is underground. My roof is 18 inches out of ground so it’s pretty well insulated but even my living room that it’s 800 ft.² it’s not getting above 70.
. Is there a way to tell if you have too strong of a draw?
I meant to say 2500 square-foot home. Most of it is underground. My roof is 18 inches out of ground so it’s pretty well insulated but even my living room that it’s 800 ft.² it’s not getting above 70.
The stove is running cold, normal stovetop temp should be in the 500-650º range.
I can definitely say that with only 12 ft of flue that the issue is not too strong draft. 12' is the minimum height required for the flue. In this case, the issue could be a too weak draft. Are there any problems like a slow-starting fire or smoke spilling when the stove door is opened?
How well seasoned is the firewood? It needs to be below 20% internal moisture content in order to burn well and hot enough.
I can definitely say that with only 12 ft of flue that the issue is not too strong draft. 12' is the minimum height required for the flue. In this case, the issue could be a too weak draft. Are there any problems like a slow-starting fire or smoke spilling when the stove door is opened?
How well seasoned is the firewood? It needs to be below 20% internal moisture content in order to burn well and hot enough.
I bought a moisture meter it’s telling me it’s around 15% what is after splitting in peace in half
I have no problem with smoke coming out when I open the door. It is no issue starting a fire.
If my moisture meter is wrong, well unseasoned would really make that much of a difference?
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
Are you seeing flames forming outside the holes in the secondary baffle, in the top of the firebox?
I'd try adding a 3 or 4' section of some cheap vent pipe, like the snap-together stove pipe from the farm store, to the top of your chimney pipe and see if that gives you stronger draft, better secondary action and more heat. My SIL's T5 is on a 16' stack, and the stove top goes to 700 easily, with the air cut all the way. In fact, I installed two flue dampers in the connector pipe to allow her to slow the burn a bit if she needs to.
I'd try adding a 3 or 4' section of some cheap vent pipe, like the snap-together stove pipe from the farm store, to the top of your chimney pipe and see if that gives you stronger draft, better secondary action and more heat. My SIL's T5 is on a 16' stack, and the stove top goes to 700 easily, with the air cut all the way. In fact, I installed two flue dampers in the connector pipe to allow her to slow the burn a bit if she needs to.
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Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
Test several different large splits to make sure of your average moisture content. I'd think wood will dry relatively quickly in Iowa, once it's split and stacked, top-covered only so that air can move through. And air will certainly move through your stacks all the time, since there are no trees there to speak of. 😉 How long has your wood been split and stacked? How big are the splits? What kind of wood is it? Dense woods, and particularly Oak, take longer to dry. I leave Oak and dense woods stacked for three years, lighter wood for 1-2 years. But I'm sure you'd be able to get wood dry a bit more quickly.
But I'm pretty sure this is a case of low draft from the short stack. One thing you can try is to open a window in the stove room and see if that helps. If so, a tightly sealed house may be starving the stove for air.
But I'm pretty sure this is a case of low draft from the short stack. One thing you can try is to open a window in the stove room and see if that helps. If so, a tightly sealed house may be starving the stove for air.
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I have flames forming on the secondary burn just fine. I can get it up to temperature if I run it wide-open, but as soon as I damper it down it cools off I have no problem starting or keeping a fire I can damper it almost all the way down, if I shut it all the way, it puts itself out. Obviously I did a test and put a piece of saran wrap over the door to see if there was a draw and it almost sucked it straight through. Is there a reason you put a damper in? I feel as if maybe it’s suck in the heat out too fast?
I tried cracking a window. It just got really cold in here. Lol. I run a tree company so I do enjoy your a joke about no trees with the recent storms. I don’t know about a low draft. I honestly feel like I have too strong of a draft. I have no problem starting a fire and there’s no smoke kickback when the doors open how would the fire react if it was starving for air ?
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
As I mentioned, I put the flue dampers in to allow her to slow down the burn if need be; That is how strong these PEs draft. Sometimes on her 16' stack, if she gets too much wood burning on a fresh load, the secondary will be blazing and stove top temp will keep rising past 700, even with the air cut as low as it will go, and obviously I don't want that.
If I open the door on her stove after some wood in a fresh load is burning, it will be roaring like a blast furnace out of control in less than half a minute. 😳
Yeah, my tree comment was tongue-in-cheek. Obviously you have trees...you are getting wood to burn and it's probably not from out of state. 😆 And it's probably like any other state--many different environments, from heavily-wooded hilly areas to nothing but 10' tall corn on flat land, as far as the eye can see.
12 foot flue… is it 6” Class A? Is it straight up from the stove? Does the stove vent into a 12 foot masonry chimney? Are there any elbows in the chimney?
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
As begreen said, not likely you have too strong a draft with only 12' of chimney.
It's possible that with the door open there's enough air moving through the large opening so that smoke doesn't roll out. But with low draft, I'm guessing that once the door is closed, the stove can't pull enough air to get a robust, hot burn capable of getting the stove top to
600-700.
Like I said, adding a cheap piece of stove pipe to the top temporarily is a cheap, easy way to determine whether weak draft is the issue.
That’s strange that it cools down when cutting the air. I have the smaller PE Vista and when I start the close the air down gradually my secondaries kick in and STT increases. I have to wonder about the short flue system. What type of flue is it? I have a class A setup. 24” of pipe from the stove top to a 90 elbow running about 21” give or take through a wall thimble to a T connector with clean out running up the backside of my house with two 30 degree elbows to clear my gutters. Chimney cap with spark arrestor at the business end. About 20 ft total. STT temp will get over 650 if I don’t start shutting things down.
Should have asked how many splits do you load it with and what type of wood? If I burn higher btu wood like oak or add a redstone brick to my load the Vista gets really hot. My wife says our stove is either on or off since it can drive us out or our 1,900 sq ft house. Your firebox is much bigger at 3.0 cu ft than my 1.6. so wondering how you load it.
Where is the temperature being read on the stove? What is the flue temperature?
Is the air being turned down once the fire starts burning strongly?
Can you post a picture of the next load before closing the stove door? And a shot of the whole stove, especially at the flue collar.
The comment about the concern of a too strong draft is interesting. That's usually the last thing to suspect with a short flue system. Is the house pressurized with a fresh air system?
Can you answer the temperature questions?
Referring to your other thread, that is not DVL stovepipe. Do you know what brand it is?
How old is this stove?
Many tightly sealed homes have to have a fresh air makeup system. Some have a fan driven air supply feeding fresh air into the house.
Referring to your other thread, that is not DVL stovepipe. Do you know what brand it is?
How old is this stove?
I just bought this stove this year. But can’t think of any other reason why this stove won’t perform.even if I open windows it don’t change the way it performs
So the stove was bought new this year? That steamer is really trashing the top.
OK, that is Metal-Fab pipe, not DVL.
OK, that is Metal-Fab pipe, not DVL.
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