NC 13 question

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
reaperman

reaperman

Member
Nov 1, 2006
169
Central Minn
I've only had this stove for less than two days now, but my question is: Is there anyway to know if the primary air slider is actually doing its job? The slider sits in a welded casing so its impossible to see what going on inside. I've yet to see a difference with the slider all of the way open or closed. I can feel the air entering in the intake hole in the back of the stove. But when I close the slider and keep my hand there at the same time, there appears to be no reduction of airflow. It seems once a fire is going and the slider is closed all of the way there is no way to further cut the fire down. And if a fire is dying out, opening the slider doesnt seem to boost the flame like I would expect it to. I'm wondering it the slider is suppose to sit inside a little track of sort. I'm able to take the slider handle and push is downward and a few inches. So if I "bounce" the handle down and then back up. I can hear what should be the baffle or damper that is hooked onto the primary handle lever. It all seems so loose, I can move the primary handle right and left also and hear the baffle clang against the sides of little chamber. Maybe its normal, but being it all seems so loose, it makes me wonder if it somehow fell out of some kind of track. I was digging around for a schematic drawing of the stove but I wasnt able to locate one. I didnt get a manual, being the unit was a display model, and I didnt see one on the online manual.
 
I too have the same slop in my stove. I assume thats normal. That slider controls the airflow to the glass wash outlet(primary). It definately is not a sensitive control. If you have a good fire going and open the slider, you should see the coals by the glass start to glow more than if the slide was all the way in. As for the air inlet at the back, thats the supply to the secondary tube. It is non adjustable and is always open. For me, I start the fire with the slider all the way open, close it halfway after it starts to roar and then continue the burn with the slider open about an inch
 
If you're able to get a small mirror inside the rear air inlet you'll be able to look up and see the plate move back & forth as an assistant moves the slider in and out. If it doesn't move, you have a problem (it helps if the stove isn't backed up to a brick wall :cheese: )
 
Welcome to EPA stoves. When you close the primary air rod on that sucker the draft just pulls more air through the "doghouse". That thing sticking up in the middle of the front of the stove. Air for it is not controllable. It comes from two holes right in front of the left and right side of the stove behind the leg mounts. Not accessible on pedestal mounted stoves.

They are there to keep you from completely shutting down primary air. Thank you EPA. They have been blocked on my 30-NC for two years.
 
BrotherBart said:
Welcome to EPA stoves. When you close the primary air rod on that sucker the draft just pulls more air through the "doghouse". That thing sticking up in the middle of the front of the stove. Air for it is not controllable. It comes from two holes right in front of the left and right side of the stove behind the leg mounts. Not accessible on pedestal mounted stoves.

They are there to keep you from completely shutting down primary air. Thank you EPA. They have been blocked on my 30-NC for two years.
Click to expand...

Thanks guys, I posted this question last night before I realized that rod was actually bent into some kind of weird art form, most likely be some disgruntled Home depot employee. It has since been straitened. But I still kind of wonder why that rod can be pulled out approx 10 inches. The triangular hole in the back of the stove is only about 3 inches long. So why the long rod?

I had no idea there were holes on the bottom of the stove that drew air to that doghouse thing. I realized there were holes in the doghouse when I saw them act like a little cutting torch as they cut their way through the wood directly in front of it. So the primary air control feed oxygen to the 3 tubes on the top of stove, correct? And when the air is reduced to the tubes by pushing in the handle, the stoves compensates by sucking in more air from the bottom of the stove to the air holes in the doghouse?

Is there a benefit to closing up the holes on the bottom of the wood stove?
 
I can only offer you insight on the way it seems to work on my Endeavor, but I think the idea is generally the same on most EPA stoves: the lever shifts the balance of air flowing into the stove from the primary (glass air wash system) to the secondary (the air coming out the burn tubes). On my Endeavor, the rod is on the bottom of the stove. When I push it in, I can look under the stove and see it push a metal plate across a big square opening in the bottom of the stove. Pushed all the way in, the square hole is entirely covered. The primary air in my stove seems to enter there at the bottom, then it travels up 2 rectangular shapes "boxes" just inside the door. These channels meet at the top of the stove and attach to a perforated piece of metal just over the top of the stove inside the door opening. This, again, is the primary/air wash air that washes down over the glass and feeds the base of the fire (the primary combustion area). My secondary air seems to come into the stove from 2 channels that run up the sides of the stove and terminate at the top where the rectangular burn tube channels are welded to the fire box. My stove has side heat shields, but if you shine a light between them and the stove body, you can see a rectangular protrusion on each side of the stove that would allow air to be pulled in and flow up to the burn tube boxes/channels.
 
for a little more on airflow in the 13 try this thread

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/47818/

I have blocked one of the two doghouse holes. I tried some ecobricks last night and the one hole, with the air inlet lever completely closed, maintained a flame, which acted like like a pilot light, on one of the bricks. This flame would ignite the aurora australis. Those bricks seem to readily give off volatile gases.
 
carinya said:
for a little more on airflow in the 13 try this thread

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/47818/

I have blocked one of the two doghouse holes. I tried some ecobricks last night and the one hole, with the air inlet lever completely closed, maintained a flame, which acted like like a pilot light, on one of the bricks. This flame would ignite the aurora australis. Those bricks seem to readily give off volatile gases.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Do you have your doghouse holes bolted shut?
 
one bolt in one hole :cheese:
 
But I still kind of wonder why that rod can be pulled out approx 10 inches. The triangular hole in the back of the stove is only about 3 inches long. So why the long rod?
Click to expand...

Can anyone else with an NC13 confirm that their rod only moves about 3-4 inches? I've got a 2008 NC-13 model with the same 6 inches of slack. I can see how it would be confusing to adjust the air without knowing that only the first 4 inches are active.
 
Mine moves approx 10 inches with a lot of slop. I have read that some have bent rods and that prevents them from moving the complete distance. I find the usage of this control device very frustrating.
 
We are talking about the primary rod under the shelf and above the ash drawer right? I bought mine about this time last year and my rod only moves about 3" or so. With the air all the way open it really gets cooking and goes through the wood. But it will hold temp for quite a while when about a 1/2" from closed. Sounds like something is wrong somewhere.
 
Now I am really confused. I am going to call Englander stove tomorrow and see if I can get some answers. I will post back then.
 
stuigi said:
Mine moves approx 10 inches with a lot of slop. I have read that some have bent rods and that prevents them from moving the complete distance. I find the usage of this control device very frustrating.
Click to expand...

I'm glad someone else sees this as confusing, I'll be waiting for your answer from Englander. But for now, I'm off to Hawaii for 10 days away from a Mn winter. But with my trusty laptop I'll be peaking in from time to time.
 
What you are going to find is that as you open or close the primary air with that rod the balance of air coming into the firebox shifts back and forth from the primary/airwash to the secondary air tubes and the "doghouse" air in the front. That is why opening and closing the primary with the rod does not appear to have a linear effect on the burn.

The rod has no control over secondary air or the air coming in through the doghouse except for shifting the source of air to satisfy the draft of the chimney. Secondary air and doghouse air are fed by fix orifices.
 
Mystery solved.
I spoke with Brandon at Englander stove and the explanation as explained to me is rather simple. The older stoves have the long rod and the newer models have the shorter rods. Because of customer feedback from people saying that the rod stood out too far and presented a tripping issue, they shortened it. The piece inside the welded chase that the rod pushes (and we cannot see) was made longer on these stoves. Therefore the rod was able to be made shorter. Actually, it sounds as though full open on these long rodded stoves is when the rod is out about 4 inches. The rest is just slop. I hope that helps
 
stuigi said:
Mystery solved.
I spoke with Brandon at Englander stove and the explanation as explained to me is rather simple. The older stoves have the long rod and the newer models have the shorter rods. Because of customer feedback from people saying that the rod stood out too far and presented a tripping issue, they shortened it. The piece inside the welded chase that the rod pushes (and we cannot see) was made longer on these stoves. Therefore the rod was able to be made shorter. Actually, it sounds as though full open on these long rodded stoves is when the rod is out about 4 inches. The rest is just slop. I hope that helps
Click to expand...

Aloha
Hawaii is great, thanks for asking, mid 80's, beautiful water. The humpbadk whales are visible from the condo and are as active as a grade school playground. Now back to business, it sounds like a rod shortening may be in order when I get home. Thanks for checking into this.
 
shortening the rod is a no no. Do not do it. If you carefully read my post, the shorter rodded stoves have a larger push block iside the welded channel. Shortening the rod will not allow your shorter block to close the draft
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

T
High Mountain Stove options
Replies
35
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
Newbie78
N
O
TempWood
Replies
4
Views
553
Classic Wood Stove Forums (prior to approx. 1993)
begreen
begreen
W
Fixing/Maintaining Lopi Freedom Bay
Replies
5
Views
1K
Travis Industries: Lopi, Avalon, FPX
begreen
begreen
E
Door Handle Adjustment
Replies
4
Views
523
SBI: Century,Drolet,Osburn,Valcourt,Englander
Caw
Caw
C
Door might be bent
Replies
11
Views
469
Regency
CT Treeman
C
Top Bottom
Back