Thanks to those who offered advice/suggestions on choosing a heater. I picked up my Englander NC13 on Sunday and installed it. I have to admit at first sight I thought, humm, too small, not substantial especially compared to the old Virginian I had been using. Boy was I mistaken! We got it in place, after dark , around 6pm and built a small fire. It was 20 degrees outside. The heater really started heating up and burning well. The paint started curing and smoking like crazy. We opened the windows and doors and put on a couple of fans. With all that said the house stayed warm. I have built 5 or 6 fires in it, with only 2 or 3 splits of oak each time. My house is newly remodeled with spray foam insulation and with two windows up a few inches it is still upper 70s. The flame display is amazing, especially when you get a really hot secondary burn going on. Tonight I fed it with 3 small splits and I got the top of the stove up just above 650, not sure how accurate these thermometers are. I have a thermometer on top and about a foot up on the stack. The stack temp only got up to around 300. On my rutland thermometer it lists anything less than 300 as creosote. Any suggestions on the operating temp for this stove? I am about an hour from adding the splits, it has coaled out and is holding steady at 400 degrees for the stove top , flue surface temp 200, and about to run me out of here. I have two windows open and a fan going and I am at 78 inside. I am still getting some smoke from the paint and the one new piece of stove pipe i had to add to adjust in difference in height between my old and new stove. I guess I am a little unclear about the goal for the burn. Is it to keep a steady burn to output just as much heat as I need or is it to get it to coal up? Once the initial burn is over and you get a bed of coals, I throw in a small oak split and wow, talk about a light show. I cant stop looking at the flame. Love this heater and love seeing the fire. It is amazing the difference in the heating ability in this heater and my old non-epa stove. The small baffle in the old stove was really not preventing much of the heat from going straight up the stack. Thanks again for talking me out of buying that NC30 I thought I needed and for all the advice.
Any input on the operating/firing technique of this stove is appreciated.
Sean
Any input on the operating/firing technique of this stove is appreciated.
Sean