Pacific energy thoughts?

Travis Industries is the largest, privately-owned wood, pellet and gas stove, insert and fireplace company in America and encompasses four high-quality brands: Fireplace Xtrordinair™, Avalon™, Lopi™ and the Tempest Torch™. These brands are available exclusively from a network of more than 1,200 authorized retailers throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and China. All our products are manufactured in the United States within an 11-acre, Mukilteo, Wash, facility called the House of Fire employing up to 600 employees just thirty minutes north of Seattle.

 

I totally agree with you oldspark . It is very hard to communicate "tone" on the internet, and all to often, people go down the wrong path. For example, I have to admit that when I first read your "haven't been looking hard enough" post my first reptile-brain, emotional reaction was to feel very defensive and offended and I started to type out a snarky reply. Thankfully, I took a few seconds and let my neocortex/frontal lobes process it for a minute, and I figured you probably didn't mean any offense and were just sharing your experience. Thankfully, FHC has created a great forum that actively discourages "bickering" and fosters adult conversations. Not to engage in too much hyperbole, but this forum is a great example for the rest of the internet.

 

Nice post Mike, I have heard enough about the PE stoves to know mine was the exception not the rule and they make a good stove, I do think they are high priced compared to some other brands.
I would love to have some one close to me try my PE so I could see how it runs for some one else, I did replace my chimney so it worked the same way on two different chimneys.

 

Might as well give it a whirl and if it doesn't work out your not out much...

 

Be sure to take some photos when you have it all spiffy again.

 

The Travis Industries, Avalon and Lopi stoves are good stoves , solid, built like a tank, I love my Lopi republic.
I could be wrong but , I don't think they use metal baffles in their wood stoves , they use fire brick .
They have been around for 35 yrs, manufactured in USA
If you have to order parts shipping is kinda high , shipped from Mukilteo, Wash

Is that an insert ?

Some links for ya
Rainier Stove Manual http://www.avalonfirestyles.com/TravisDocs/100-01140.pdf

Rainier Wood Stove | Avalon Firestyles

Rainier Wood Insert | Avalon Firestyles

Travis Industries | House of Fire - Home

Wood Stoves | Gas Fireplaces, Inserts and Stoves | Lopi Stoves | Official Site

 

Is that blower pretty quiet? They have a Lopi Liberty running in a stove shop here; That blower is whisper-quiet on low.
I've been looking at the Super Classic and thinking it would be good at my SIL's place. Her Dutchwest 2460, although it is convective, doesn't quite have the arse for her vaulted ceiling. And the 1.5 cu.ft. box is trailing off in output after an overnight burn...not quite enough when it's cold and windy out. I haven't loaned her my DW blower yet, but if your load in the smaller box is about gone as morning approaches, the fan won't help you there...you need a bigger box.
That classic gets pricey by the time you add the options. I'd go for everything except the door screen. Then you are looking at $3K. My brother put an after-market blower on his Regency F2400 for a lot cheaper than what Regency wanted (which I think was $300, like the PE.) I guess an after-market blower would be possible with the Super Classic...anyone done it?

A couple of posters above just shovel...but I don't like to shovel. I got spoiled long ago with the ash grates, first in the Dutchwest and now in the Keystone....by far, the most 'elegant' solution. The Buck 91 has a decent ash dump opening (3.x X 5.x inches) with a flip-up lid, and it's not bad to use. The ash dump on the PE looks like it would be even better with that spring-loaded door that is operated from outside the box with a rod...if the opening is big enough. Anybody got the dimension?

Yeah, $2K beats the hell outta $3K...but that Super Classic, all decked out, is one sweet-lookin' rig.

Did you try any air restriction, such as the steel wool? Seems like the stove was just heating the outdoors instead of your house, with the high flue temps. Are your flue temps a lot lower with the Drolet?

 

High heat caulked it shut with a bed of ash on top as it tended to leak on mine WS. Not a thought about it now.
2 scoops with a grain shovel and good to go.

 

Leaking through the ash door seal? That's the problem I had on the Buck 91. You slide the pan in until it contacts the gasket, no locking mechanism, so the gasket has to be good or it leaks air into the stove. I could tell it was leaking because the coals would glow more right over the ash dump lid. Once I got that sorted, I could run the stove quite a bit slower.

 

The question is, do you need the ash pan? Second question, do you know the model, quite possible you could replace it. Last year I did not use the ash pan at all; I shoveled out the ashes through the front door. I have a little plug for the hole where you lift off with a poker and then rake the ashes into the hole. I thought the hole was too small so would be tedious. Have not check with any others if they use the ash dump or not. So, is the missing ash pan a complete deal breaker? Could a local metal works make one for you?

 

Ohhhh, that could be problematic. I would figure out a way to make it work, though....anything to avoid the dreaded shovel.

Yeah, the plug sounds like a pain to use; At least the Buck has a hinged lid you can just flip up with the corner of the shovel, then sweep the ashes down the hole. How big is that hole on your stove? Did you ever try the ash dump to see if the hole was really too small, or did you just move on to shoveling 'em out?

 

Yes indeed they are lower with the Drolet as was the Nashua which I used for 30 years or so, besides the high flue temps the stove (PE) struggled to hit 600 stove top.
Are you talking restriction on the primary air or the secondary air as the primary air is adjustable.
I do think if it was getting too much air the stove top should have been higher, in the 2 years I used it I think it hit 700 stove top once or twice, I chickened out on the flue temps at about 800 (surface temp) but I had it hit 900 a few times.

 

Well, I remembered Ray's post, but now I see he had high stove temps as well, unlike in your case. Hmmm...the bafflement continues.