summers heat 13lc

I still have only had a couple fires, but I think the ash draw is kinda a joke. its pretty small and you need to remove that plug to get the ash to fall into it. I just scoop out a shovel or two. seams to work. The Glass stays pretty clean with Hot fires, although dirties up a bit with a slow burner. The fire box is not so much small as it is aquward. You only have 16inches for the opening so if you have been cutting at 18 you need to go in at angle which gets a little tricky while you trying to really load up the stove.

My PE Vista insert doesn't have an ash drawer and I don't miss it. Just shovel it out like PunKid suggests.

I took the plug out of mine and replaced it with a fire brick. It fits just fine and leaves more room for the wood.
Don

I burned a 13nc all last winter 24/7 and I was pretty happy with it. That was my first year burning on my own, and I cut standing dead wood, and a little green stuff, so my quality of fuel wasn't great. Our house is old and poorly insulated, and we supplimented the farther reaches with electric heater. Once you get the hang of things, have good fuel, and learn how to get it up to temp so you can shut down the damper and let the secondaries kick in, it works really well. I would load it up with locust before we went to bed and shut it down, and I'd have coals to light off a new load in the morning, so it is possible to keep the chain going. The stove is cold by morning though. Mine is hearth-mounted more like an insert, so most of my problems are more due to wasting heat up the chimney and through the brick.

basically it boils down to whether you're someone who values form over function. the englander stoves aren't as fancy-looking as some, but they work great

I installed my 13 late last winter, and I'm very happy with it. I burn 24/7 with it, and always have lots of good hot coals to quickly get the fire going in the morning and when I get home from work. My home is about 1100 SF and the coldest it ever gets is mid to high 60's. As others have said, dry wood is critical. I have burned some this year, and my wood is dryer, and I'm liking the stove even more. It was a great investment for me, and the customer service Englander offers is great.

I also would suggest the blower. Just as one of the others stated, it is great if it starts getting too hot on you, not to mention the extra heat it throws out on colder days. It is quite loud, but does make a difference.

I also have the 13nc that I bought from Lowes at the end of the season for 50% off. Used it a little before spring and really love the reduction in the electric bill. We have been using it some this year as fall kick in hard this year for us. As to burn time I tossed a big log on this morning at 5am before I left for work and my son tossed a small one on at about 9 or so. I closed the stove down at 1pm and I probably start it again as I can still see some glowing coals right now. It does a pretty good job of heating our 1400sqft very drafty home. I can only imagine how well this stove will work when we get the house finished.

We looked at both too. It sounds like the 13NC will work out for you, but just from our perspective the 30 is not too big for a small house. We have about 800 sq feet of living area. However, ours is an older home with high ceilings and not much insulation so that helps keep it from being too hot. We also burn pine, so there was no way the 13 would last for an overnight burn for us. If you ahve a good supply of seasoned hardwood, you'll prpbaby be pretty happy either way. Just avoid the NC 12 - no comparison to the 13 or the 30.