Upgrade to Summers Heat -- Looking for input!

[NHCabin]

Looking for input on a stove upgrade. I live in a 1930s 1,050 square foot log cabin in northern New England. Place came with a 1970s-era Shenandoah R-77 bimetal woodstove--definitely an inefficient stove but at least a beast that can heat during single digit and sub-zero cold. After a few winters babying the Shenandoah (always a balancing act between clamping the air intake down for a long overnight burn while not smoldering it into backpuffing range), I'm looking to enter the twenty-first century with a new stove.

A local chimney sweep recommended I look at getting Lowe's Summers Heat 50-SHW06L stove if I don't want to spend a lot of money. My current flue setup is about 1 foot vertical out of the top of the Shenandoah, 3 feet horizontal into an exterior stone chimney, and then 13 feet vertical to the cap. The entire length is a 6 inch metal liner that I'm told was installed 2 years ago, with some fiberglass wrapping around the top 2 feet of the liner to create a bit of a plug at the top (hopefully to create some air insulation between the liner and stone chimney). From ground to top of flue is 18 feet. (i'll attach a diagram)

I'm just looking for some feedback from folks with more woodstove experiance than myself about this hypothetical setup with a Summers Heat. Anyone with experience specific to the Summers Heat 50-SHW06L model would be appreciated--especially how feasible it is to run it at the 400 degree range for sustained periods, as opposed to 600. My worry is that I'll run myself out of the place if its at 600 when the outside temp hasn't plunged below 20 degrees.

I've also heard some complaints on forums about the Summers Heat not drafting well, which gives me pause with my setup as my heights/lengths aren't that long (though the Summers heat manual says it requires minimum of 15 feet chimney height, and I'm at 18+ feet from ground to the cap, though the actual vertical length of the flue is below that). Though it would look odd, I could feasibly add 1 to 2 feet of flue to the top, above the stone chimney height.

Beyond that, any observations or input that I might be missing would be appreciated!

 

[begreen]

The location is ok, but the chimney setup is poor. This stove needs decent draft and at least 15 ft of chimney, if straight up. Coming off the stove with an 90ºThe 2 90º turns plus the 3 ft horiz section will weaken draft quite a bit. Each 90º turn = about a 2ft loss in height. Long story short, this is not a good setup for this stove. What is the height of the thimble that enters the chimney liner. Is the liner 6"?

Secondly, this stove's predecessor had serious issues with door warpage. Hopefully they have fixed this, but this model is new so before removing from the store, take a straight-edge like a 2 ft level and check both the door and the face of the stove for flatness.
As an alternative, look at the large Drolets. They are a bit less draft sensitive. Take a look at the Drolet Austral III.

The liner should have been insulated for its entire length. That would keep the flue gases hotter, improving draft and reducing creosote accumulation.

The old stove will be more tolerant of partially seasoned wood. Modern stoves need fully seasoned wood.

 

[NHCabin]

The location is ok, but the chimney setup is poor. This stove needs decent draft and at least 15 ft of chimney, if straight up. Coming off the stove with an 90ºThe 2 90º turns plus the 3 ft horiz section will weaken draft quite a bit. Each 90º turn = about a 2ft loss in height. Long story short, this is not a good setup for this stove. What is the height of the thimble that enters the chimney liner. Is the liner 6"?

Secondly, this stove's predecessor had serious issues with door warpage. Hopefully they have fixed this, but this model is new so before removing from the store, take a straight-edge like a 2 ft level and check both the door and the face of the stove for flatness.
As an alternative, look at the large Drolets. They are a bit less draft sensitive. Take a look at the Drolet Austral III.

The liner should have been insulated for its entire length. That would keep the flue gases hotter, improving draft and reducing creosote accumulation.

The old stove will be more tolerant of partially seasoned wood. Modern stoves need fully seasoned wood.

Thanks, begreen, for the reply.

The thimble is about 43 inches from the floor. The whole system is 6'' pipe, from stovetop, through thimble, and up to the cap at top of chimney. I'm liking what I see and read about the Drolet -- only problem I'm finding from researching is that there are no dealers close to me (even the search on their website lists a few in the state that, upon looking, dont carry them any longer).

About 5 minutes from me is a shop that carries Quadrafire, and looking at their Discovery series, I'm seeing some good BTU ratings and their manuals say 14 feet minimum height, measuring from base of stove to cap, while Drolet says 12 feet minimum from top of stove to cap. But I'll make some phone calls tomorrow to see if I can't find a Drolet.

Measuring my firewood with a moisture reader, everything ranges from 9% to 15% and is no problem at getting a fire started.

Regarding 90º bends in the flue, I'm curious what the thought is on putting a 45º connector right on top of stove, connecting at slant to thimble then with another 45º connector? Right now, of that 3' horizontal span through thimble, about 18'' is connector pipe above the stove. Searching back through old forum posts, I see mixed reviews on doing this sort of setup (I've attached a photo from a 2010 post "Blaze King Belching smoke"). Trying it to add even a tiny bit of draft improvement wouldn't hurt, right? (famous last words).

 

[MainePatsFan]

If I were looking for a brand new stove that was under $1,000 I would still be looking at Englander. I guess Summer's Heat is the same manufacturer. I don't have experience with the latest stoves but I always start fires with the door cracked. Maybe the purists think that shouldn't be necessary, but I have been doing it for 7 years now and it works just fine, just latch the door once the fire is going well. I have a tall chimney now with never any draft issues but in my previous house I had a shorter chimney and on some nights when the air was "heavy", smoke would back into my stove room. Usually lighting a rolled up newspaper and heating the air going up the chimney would create the updraft to counteract the "heavy" air, and sometimes opening a window in that room which I would do to get all the smoke out.

I think the stove recommended is overkill. For the space you are looking at the cheaper W01 or W03 would be sufficient.

 

[begreen]

Thanks, begreen, for the reply.

The thimble is about 43 inches from the floor. The whole system is 6'' pipe, from stovetop, through thimble, and up to the cap at top of chimney. I'm liking what I see and read about the Drolet -- only problem I'm finding from researching is that there are no dealers close to me (even the search on their website lists a few in the state that, upon looking, dont carry them any longer).

About 5 minutes from me is a shop that carries Quadrafire, and looking at their Discovery series, I'm seeing some good BTU ratings and their manuals say 14 feet minimum height, measuring from base of stove to cap, while Drolet says 12 feet minimum from top of stove to cap. But I'll make some phone calls tomorrow to see if I can't find a Drolet.

Measuring my firewood with a moisture reader, everything ranges from 9% to 15% and is no problem at getting a fire started.

Regarding 90º bends in the flue, I'm curious what the thought is on putting a 45º connector right on top of stove, connecting at slant to thimble then with another 45º connector? Right now, of that 3' horizontal span through thimble, about 18'' is connector pipe above the stove. Searching back through old forum posts, I see mixed reviews on doing this sort of setup (I've attached a photo from a 2010 post "Blaze King Belching smoke"). Trying it to add even a tiny bit of draft improvement wouldn't hurt, right? (famous last words).

Yes, connecting it with a pair of 45s and an offset is a better way to go. That will help to minimize the horizontal run.
Drolet is sold online if they are hard to get locally. Looks like the closest dealers are in E. Wakefield, NH and Concord. The dressier version of the Austral III is the Legend III. It has side shielding and legs. The shielding reduces side clearances.

Drolet Austral III Extra Large Wood Burning Stove

Drolet Austral III Extra Large Wood Burning Stove

www.efireplacestore.com

Another stove that will work with a shorter flue is the Pacific Energy Summit. The smaller Super 27 or the budget version True North TN20 might also work, but if the place is leaky and hard to heat when it is zero outside then I would err on the larger side.

While I agree that the Summer's Heat W01 would work, it is going to want a taller flue for proper draft. The Drolet and PE stoves are more forgiving in this regard.