5 questions about the Englander 17-VL

[Charles2]

1. What are the dimensions of the box in which this unit ships?

2. At https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/choosing_and_using_wstove it says, "Look for a stove whose body is at least 1/4-inch plate steel or cast iron, the two most commonly used materials. Inside, the most critical area is the baffle, in the roof of the main fire chamber. To resist warping, the baffle should be at least 5/16-inch plate steel, with v-shaped support beams." How is Englander 17-VL in this regard?

3. In the stove's manual it says, "DO NOT install a flue pipe damper
or any other restrictive device in the exhaust venting system of this unit." Why should this be? The vent size for such a small stove could just as well have been 5" rather than 6", so how could a damper be so bad?

4. In the stove's manual it says, "do not install a barometric or stovepipe damper with this unit." If not in the stovepipe, what about a damper somewhere in the chimney? I'm not saying I intend to damper the flue while the stove is operating, I just mean I want to keep air from moving in the flue when the stove is not in use.

5. Can Englander recommend particular installers?

 

[joecool85]

1. What are the dimensions of the box in which this unit ships?

2. At https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/choosing_and_using_wstove it says, "Look for a stove whose body is at least 1/4-inch plate steel or cast iron, the two most commonly used materials. Inside, the most critical area is the baffle, in the roof of the main fire chamber. To resist warping, the baffle should be at least 5/16-inch plate steel, with v-shaped support beams." How is Englander 17-VL in this regard?

3. In the stove's manual it says, "DO NOT install a flue pipe damper
or any other restrictive device in the exhaust venting system of this unit." Why should this be? The vent size for such a small stove could just as well have been 5" rather than 6", so how could a damper be so bad?

4. In the stove's manual it says, "do not install a barometric or stovepipe damper with this unit." If not in the stovepipe, what about a damper somewhere in the chimney? I'm not saying I intend to damper the flue while the stove is operating, I just mean I want to keep air from moving in the flue when the stove is not in use.

5. Can Englander recommend particular installers?

1. I don't remember, but it wasn't much larger than the stove dimensions (see the Englader website for those).

2. I'm not 100% sure, but I'd say it's 3/16" at best. That said, we've had our stove for 3 seasons so far and numerous times had it cooking over 700F, one time it was a little over 750, probably nearing 775F - it was just starting to glow a bit (only noticeable with all lights off). No known damage, it still works fine.

3. The reason for no damper is because folks will damper it down and make a smolderly and dangerous mess of both their stove and chimney. It's simply safer (for most folks) to not even have one in there. Also, it's hard to clean the chimney from the bottom up with a damper inline. I don't have one, and though I wanted one when I was first installing (what if I need it?? I thought to myself), I don't miss not having it now.

4. Same as #3

5. You can install it yourself if you are handy. If not, go to your local stove shop and ask if they will do it or if they have a preferred installer.


Good luck, we love our 17-VL. Honestly, the only reason we have considered "upgrading" is to get a larger firebox for longer burn times. The most you'll get out of it is 2-3 hours on softwood and maybe 5 hours or so with hardwood.

 

[begreen]

That article is starting to show it's age. There are a lot of 3/16" steel stoves on the market that are doing well.

 

[Charles2]

That article is starting to show it's age. There are a lot of 3/16" steel stoves on the market that are doing well.

How old is that article? For how long have 3/16" stoves been doing well, and how long will they continue?

 

[BrotherBart]

Around fifteen years now. Since they learned by CAD design to use things like the secondary air manifolds and step top bends to provide structural rigidity.