30-nc Ceramic Fiber Board

How do you cut that, for a nice sharp edge? Some kind of mask required?

realstihl said:

Will this work for my stove? I did a search but couldn't find where someone actually had any long term results. Much cheaper than OEM if they hold up. Mine were messed from the previous owner.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ceramic-fib...191068?hash=item1a09a88e1c:g:JHEAAOxyfS1R1Qe-

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Should work fine. I bought a similar product from ebay a few years ago to replace my cracked Regency baffle and it's still doing fine. Cut it with my table saw but it's light and should be easy to cut with a knife.

Hey Pen, I replaced my boards with 1" thick ones, ( old boards are fine) as I wanted to reduce the draft rate some and also like you cut them a bit larger to get a full seal . Working fine although it is a bit harder to get her going in the wierd 40 deg temps we are experiencing around here. Other than that it is working just fine and I have less coal build up. So far it seems as if I have a longer usable heat output as well. Got the material several years back from a place that builds repairs heat treat ovens and kilns for a different stove. Well over 2000 deg rating.

realstihl said:

Looks like there is plenty of room for a one inch baffle.

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Maybe an 1.5" (two fingers worth I got's little hands) from the top of the 1" baffles to the deflector edge in front of the exhaust port

realstihl said:

Do you get any smoke spillage?

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With 44 deg temps and a just a couple sticks I just put in a bit but it did the same with the oem boards. I really won't know just how much effect these will have until things cool off around here. We are averaging around 10 to 20 deg warmer than normal. I have seen this before and when the temps dive they go below zero for day time highs. Jump start guys make a killing.

Anyone have the exact dimensions of what a tight fit baffle size would be in the 30NC? I accidentally cracked one of my fiber boards and need to order another "aftermarket" board, want to make it fit tight this time and I'm not at home to check the size.

realstihl said:

Do you get any smoke spillage?

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Due to the above average temps ( currently 36F) which makes for a very poor draft I am getting smoke spillage. Now I did make the boards 1" longer than the oem length and that might have quite a bit to do with this also. I am considering shortening them by about 3/4" - but it will have to wait as the cold will be here Sunday( 1-10-16) and be sticking around all week so I want to see how things work out as they are. Note: Even on a reall low burn with wood that has been outside in the stacks - moist on out side -dry in middle, I am not getting the dreaded black window syndrome I used to get with the oem units. Which means the firebox temp itself is staying much higher.

Never ran into spotting- had it stuff full right to the tubes in places on more than one occasion. Even with the very cold 0 and a little below Still getting a bit of smoke spillage. I do get a longer useful heat out put. Had a big coal bed from last night top of stove still around 400 top middle of step but I have a set of top plates on the stove to direct more air over the top of stove and out into room per another members idea- works well- best use I have found for GM sheetmetal ( ya, that was a dig) . Those plates were at 135 -ir gun. Dosen't seem to make that much difference on amount of coal build up though.

Just curious if any of you guys have a source for a smaller piece...I have a NC 17 and only need one piece at 2' by 1'...not sure if I am looking a good luck horse in the mouth here. A local source would also work (catskills, Northeast PA, even northern jersey). Anyhow, I noticed that the original baffle I have has some serious gaps on the side, and front...the front gap must be close to an inch. Not sure if it is supposed to be that way for some reason...I noticed a few of you mentioned replacing the baffle which closes this gap. What are the pro/cons to that?

There should be a gap in the front above the door. this your exhaust path. The gap we are referring to is side to side of about a quarter inch with oem boards in the 30. I replaced my boards with 1" thick material as a test, cut tight side to side and just a bit longer front to back. The 1" material is perhaps bit too much 3/4 might be fine- But I haven't trimmed the board back to the oem length as of yet. The fire box does stay hotter for an extended period of time than oem with out the glass becoming sooty black( it will get a film on it but never the black like with the OEM units at the same air setting). But there is a higher percentage of smoke splillage -now that could be caused by the extra length. I will finish out the season with the 1" ones installed. Volume of wood burned is about the same but it is a bit warmer when I get home ( about 12 hrs) due to getting a longer heat transfer. Course it is a bit more difficult burn down the coal bed but at the same time I am getting more heat transfer. Just my perceived view point as i have no hard numbers to support any of this. Mixed hard woods at apx 15% moisture content. ( it definitely burns hotter than the oem boards installed)

I put 3/16 inch steel rods on the sides of the fiber board on one side in both of my 30s to take up the gap, the stove seemed to burn a lot cleaner and hotter. OEM boards frequently have a gap up to a quarter inch. Otherwise Lots of unburned wood gas escapes up the flue.

Interesting...well I guess the question is how well the unit can exhaust smoke if that gap is filled up (say if I cut the board a bit wider). If the stove is running hotter and cleaner or burning less wood, than that's great. But if then it is a pain to get a fire going and if the draft is affected, not sure if it is worth it. Waiting for a local guy to tell whether he might have some mineral wool in stock...otherwise I am also considering OEM. Litty pricey...60 dollars plus 20 dollar shipping just for a 2 foot by 1 foot piece basically...craziness. Any thoughts. By the way I have the Englander 13, not the 30...

I would assume a lot of R&D went into determining the optimum square inches of draft flow, not usually advisable to change the engineering of the stove.

Sure there is a lot engineering mostly to meet EPA specs. Which are not real world. ( although they are starting to come around to it- like everything involved with the take-a-mint backasswords is sop) The idea behind the thicker board was to cut draft rate primarily during very cold weather - which they do, secondly I had it available from a previous project- as I stated smoke splliage is likely due to an extended length beyond the first secondary air tube. Oem's stop right at that tube. Maxing out the width for a complete seal at the top is the best option- why the oem boards are short width wise I do not know. There have been reports of oem boards warping- I have never had that happen. My stove has never been over fired but I have been in the 700 range a few times as measured with a IFR gun from about 5 ft out top center at the step. ( and that gets me a bit excited as a bunch of years ago with a different unit I did have a major over fire- scared the xxxx out of me as this was in a trailer home - ya get a real bad feeling when double wall black pipe is glowing a very faint dull red, with the lights off, to the ceiling box( about 4 ft) at 2:00 am on a 10 ft long flue; although the outside of the stove itself was not glowing. I have some other fun stories about the 7 years in that unit- heck of a edumacation the hard way)
To the orginal op yes I know that your unit is a 13.