Pacific Energy Super Insert - One year in

[RickJocko]

Hello there!

About a year ago I had a new Pacific Energy Super insert installed. Honestly, I had almost no idea what I was doing other than the fact that I love fire, fireplaces, stoves etc and my father has an older (late 90s something) Vermont Castings catalytic stove insert which he loves!

I grew up with a fireplace and was always helping my dad with splitting/stacking wood, starting fires, tending the fireplace, but the room where the fireplace was, never really got warm. A friend of his had a stove insert and my dad went out and picked up the VC. I was young, but the only thing I remember that frustrated him was getting the draft started. I remember a room full of smoke and my dad cussing up a storm a few times, then the company who installed it told him to blow a hot hair dryer up there for a minute and that solved that problem. Other than that, he loves the stove and the heat it provides the room.

Fast forward 25 years and here I am with the same problem. An open fireplace in a small room next to a large 4 season room that is very cold and drafty in the winter. I tried a few fires in the 9 years I lived in the home, but they always made the house VERY cold. So I went out looking for an insert like my dad had. The only recommendation was "get a cast iron stove, they're better and last longer."

I shopped around and landed on the Pacific Energy Super, mostly because I really liked the fireplace dealer/store employees, and that is one of the brands they sell. Very reputable dealer who I trusted. Other dealers around sold other stoves, but I didn't get a great "feel" from them (the dealers, not the stoves). Unfortunately, I hadn't heard of this site before I bought the stove, but I don't think it would have changed my choice. I just wanted something that provided lots of heat.

I picked out the insert in the spring of 2021 and it was installed November, right in time for the cold weather. I had no wood. I thought I could just have a cord or two delivered to my driveway like my dad did growing up. I didn't know that he got his wood from a local golf course that actually splits, stacks, and seasons the wood for an entire year or more before they sell it. Everywhere around me only had slightly seasoned wood. So I finally found a source of good clean, almost completely seasoned wood (about 20-25%) bought a bunch of that and sawdust blocks to supplement.

All that said, I love the insert! Even with wet wood. I learned a lot over last season, then I discovered this site about a month or two ago and have been learning A LOT more. I learned that any issue I was having, was due to the wet wood. On really cold days I was having a problem with HUGE coal beds, several people on here shared what they do and I'm looking forward to trying some of those techniques.

Due to the wet wood, I was never able to really pack the stove full and do a long hot burn until this year, and it worked great when I did it last week!! Last year, I mainly loaded small, flash fire loads, like 3-5 splits loosely stacked so they would dry out and take off fast. I usually burned everything on medium and never really tried turning it down much past that with the wet wood. Sometimes I would be able to close it down further if I had a sawdust brick or two in there on top of the splits. The biggest thing I learned about this stove, is burn HOT fires. It's not impossible to do with wet(ish) wood, you just can't turn it down. I would always burn on medium or medium high keeping stove temp around 400-500. Burned more wood that way, but when I had the chimney swept this summer the guy said there was almost no creosote up there.

Overall I really enjoy the stove and learning how to use it has been enjoyable as well. One more suggestion for any newbie out there... check out www.woodheat.org I wish I would have read this website in its entirety BEFORE I tried to use the stove, but it was fun to try to figure it out by myself, and fortunately I didn't ruin anything or overfire in the process.

Hope my experience is helpful to someone out there!

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the nice review. Do you have any pictures of the Super with fire burning? We love fire here.

Hopefully, this season will be starting off with much drier firewood. It makes a huge difference. With dry wood you will probably be running the stove with the air almost closed once the fire is burning well. That will put more heat into the room and less up the flue.

If you get a chance, please post a quick rating in the Ratings section.

Stove Reviews

www.hearth.com

 

[RickJocko]

Here's a before and after with my dog in his new normal spot.. He was scared of it at first, then he realized how warm it was and now as soon as I start getting wood ready, he's right beside the stove.

 

[begreen]

That sure looks cozy. There should be better protection in the front though. Embers will pop out unexpectedly and burn the carpet.

 

[FireUpTheChainsaw]

While that is a beautiful fire, I think it may be a bit on the hot side. Be mindful of burning on anything above 1/2 open for too long. It wastes wood, shortens the lifespan of the stove and literally sends money up the chimney because it burns too fast.

 

[stoveliker]

While more heat does go up, more heat comes out as well when running higher.

So in winter it may be necessary.

If draft is within specs, I don't think it's going to affect the life of the stove.
It it would, the design, allowing to run so high, would be wrong.

 

[RickJocko]

...Better protection in front.

Would a hardwood floor be better? There's hardwood under that carpet and I've been looking for a good excuse to get rid of the carpet (it was there when we moved in). I have had a few embers pop out and they seem to go out right away when they hit the carpet, so I'm thinking it's wool or something because it hasn't left a burn hole.. yet.. BUT I would still prefer hardwood floors in there.

 

[RickJocko]

I think it may be a bit on the hot side..

I only burn at 1/2 open or more if the wood isn't great.. If you're talking about the closeup of the firebox, there's a thermometer in the upper right corner at 350. Last season, I would let it go until it hit 400, then close it down more, but again that is with wet wood (20-25% moisture).

That's where I'm a little confused as of now. With good wood and/or sawdust bricks, when I close it down, the temp keeps rising. I keep it a little open (close it all the way, then back it open about 1/4 inch) as the installer told me to never close it all the way down. Is that accurate? How hot is too hot on the thermometer above my door? There's a "red zone" marked on the thermometer that goes from about 350-550 that says this is the ideal range, but I don't know if that is specific to a certain stove or if that is good for all stoves...

I haven't loaded the stove completely with dry wood so I am a little worried of overfiring if I run it like I did with "wetter wood". Is there a better technique, or better temps to turn it down than what I did with wetter wood?

 

[stoveliker]

You'd have to turn it down sooner, I think.

And the floor should have ember protection - i.e. be noncombustible. Hardwood is thus not solving that issue.

 

[begreen]

While that is a beautiful fire, I think it may be a bit on the hot side. Be mindful of burning on anything above 1/2 open for too long. It wastes wood, shortens the lifespan of the stove and literally sends money up the chimney because it burns too fast.

Correct. On tube secondary stoves, closing down the air increases the pull from the draft vacuum on the secondary air tubes. This in turn raises the firebox temp while decreasing the amount of heat going up the flue due to more complete combustion. If our stove is run at 1/2 air the flue temp will run well over 1000º while the stove top could be 600 except for near the flue collar which could be heading into overfire temp if sustained. Doing so is stressful for the stove and for the flue system too, as well as a waste of fuel.

The sweet spot is going to vary with the stove firebox design and draft strength but usually, the best balance in a non-cat is with the air about 75% closed in shoulder season weather and 90% to all the way closed for cold winter weather.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Would a hardwood floor be better? There's hardwood under that carpet and I've been looking for a good excuse to get rid of the carpet (it was there when we moved in). I have had a few embers pop out and they seem to go out right away when they hit the carpet, so I'm thinking it's wool or something because it hasn't left a burn hole.. yet.. BUT I would still prefer hardwood floors in there.

You'd want at least ember protection. A piece of sheet metal would work. Sometimes embers will shoot out and could set the carpet on fire or burn the floor.