Napolean 1400 Pedestal not Heating

[Jerry Cournaya]

I bought a Napolean 1400 pedestal model free standing wood stove.Started it for the first time last friday and kept a great fire of 2 year old ,well season oak going for 3 days.Could only get the 1200 sq.ft. building to 60 degrees at 5 feet above the floor,and one foot out from the wall.Building is all insulated and with very little drafts.Had 1 blower on stove and to fans moving the air around.The manufacture said this should heat up to 2000 sq. ft. I kept filling the firebox about every 4 hours day and night.Ended up with a lot of ash at the end of the 3 days.I purchased this stove because of good things said on this site and I got what I feel is a deal $800.00 new at a local auction.Any ideas or help on getting more heat would be welcome.

 

[titan]

JC....something is amiss,put a themometer on your stovetop and one in your stack about 18" above the stove if possible.If the building is well insulated,it should provide much more heat to the space than you mentioned.What type of chimney do you have and at what length is it?I'm guessing the stove isn't getting hot enough and/or most of your heat is escaping up the chimney.FWIW-800 bones is a good deal on a 1400 Napolean.

 

[webbie]

What were the surface temperatures on the single wall top of the stove? My first thought is that the stove is doing what it can do, and your home needs more heat. One thing you have heard here MANY times is that manufacturers ratings mean almost nothing.

How cold was it?
Was the place already warmed up, or did you try to heat it from scratch?
You say "building" - is this a house? Normal ceiling and construction?

Again, first thought is that the stove is working as it should and other factors are at play.

 

[Jerry Cournaya]

Titan,I will put a thermometer on stove top and chimmney next time I am up at my cabin,But I could hold my hand on the top of the stove with no problem. Double top.Chimney is 13 ft high 6 ft. of single walled black pipe and 7 ft.through the roof of double walled cass A I think.(do not know all the right terms.

Webmaster, Building or I call it a work shop.Did start to hewat it from scratch.Last year used a add on wood furnance to heat shop and it work good,but did not like the blower noise.Normal cieling and construction,Just a big open 30 by 40 room.Out side temp. 40 days and 20 nights.

Thanks for your imput.

 

[titan]

Really doesn't sound like you're getting the stove hot enough.....Double top or not-you shouldn't be able to hold your hand there.The thermometers will give you a good idea of where your at "temperature-wise"....Keep us posted.

 

[KeithO]

If you can tolerate the looks, you may want to add stainless heat shields on the wall adjacent to the stove, to block loss of the radiant heat through the wall. The shield will also reflect that heat back into the room, it can have a major effect. Only other comment is that your 2 year seasoned oak may not be quite seasoned enough. If it ignites fast and you have to restrict the primary air to prevent overfiring, then it is seasoned. If you need a lot of air to keep the fire going, most of that heat is going up the chimney and the wood may not be truly dry. Fit a Condor flue gas thermometer 18" above the stove connector (requires about a 1/8" hole) and look at what it tells you is going on in your stove. You should see 400-900F temperatures during firing and I try to adjust the air to keep it in the 500F range. Too low and you will collect creosote fast, too high and your heat is just going up the chimney.

I bought a Napolean 1400 pedestal model free standing wood stove.Started it for the first time last friday and kept a great fire of 2 year old ,well season oak going for 3 days.Could only get the 1200 sq.ft. building to 60 degrees at 5 feet above the floor,and one foot out from the wall.Building is all insulated and with very little drafts.Had 1 blower on stove and to fans moving the air around.The manufacture said this should heat up to 2000 sq. ft. I kept filling the firebox about every 4 hours day and night.Ended up with a lot of ash at the end of the 3 days.I purchased this stove because of good things said on this site and I got what I feel is a deal $800.00 new at a local auction.Any ideas or help on getting more heat would be welcome.

 

[BrotherBart]

If you can put your hand on top of it, it ain't the stove's fault. It is either the wood or the way you are burning it. In twenty minutes with that Napoleon I can make it remove your fingerprints.

 

[begreen]

I'd like to get a better feel for the space you are trying to heat. It sounds like the stove is undersized and the stove may not be burning good wood, but it also sounds like the building may be a tough to heat space.

Could you describe this building in better detail? Is this a large open garage or shop area? How high is the ceiling? Is it open through the trusses? How much insulation in the walls and in the ceiling? Is this a concrete slab floor?

 

[Bill]

What size are the splits your trying to burn? The Napoleon has double wall construction, but if I remember correctly there is a vent plate on the top grill. That grate should be smoking. I have a cabin with no basement and it's a bear to get warm, but once it's warm, it's easy to keep warm. I have tall ceilings and lots of glass. I got a stove over twice the size recommended by the manufacturer and I am glad I did.

Sounds like wet wood. Go get a dry pallet and cut it up and see if it gets warm then.

 

[Jerry Cournaya]

Thanks for the input everyone.I will put a couple thermometers on the stove and chimney next time I am at the cabin and will send out a update then.
As far as the construction of the building (shop) it is a concrete slab,one entry door, 4 small windows and no garage door,6 in. insulation in the walls and ceiling.Completely open all 1200 sq. ft. and 9 foot ceilings.
Wood is well seasoned as I cut and split it my self 2 plus years ago ,piled and kept dry.I know the concrete floor will keep it cooler but my other stove a add on wood furnace with only 2 -6 inch round ducts coming out the top about one foot high got it warm in about 12 hours and kept it at 70.This new stove burned for over 3 days and only to 60.Got rid of the furnace because of the NOISE of the blowers and I like the feel of radiant heat coming up from a free standing wood stove.

 

[stove man]

I have spoke to napoleon on a similar issue. On rare occassion and since you picked it at auction you need to investigate a couple of things. One... take the owners manual and if you do not have one jump on napoleonfireplaces and pull one up. Make sure everything is in its place especially the bricks and baffles. Next to make sure you are drafting through the stove take a vacuum cleaner and 1st get a cigarrette or something smokey and put the vac. over the primary air intake and turn it on. Put the smoke near the air wash (door open) and the smoke should suck into the air wash with vigor. If it doesnt something is plugging the air channel. Next do the same thing with the secondary air intake (you will find these air ways if you remove the ash pan and look under the stove box in where the ash pan goes. The smoke for the secondary air will suck into the upper stainless manifold with some vigor. If either of these do not perform then there is most likely a obstruction in the airways. There has been on rare occassion and I mean very rare that spiders and or mice have made a nest in the air way. Your Napoleon should easily heat the place and you may have to open a window to boot on a 40 deg. day.

Let me know how you fair on this. I will try to help.

 

[begreen]

Good suggestions stove man, thanks for the informative post.

JC, stove ratings for sq ft are nominal and in this case, irrelevant. I'm guessing that the add on furnace you had put out twice the continuous btus of the 1400 and was circulating the volume of air in the shop at several times the rate of the 1400's blower. If this shop is being taken up from outside temps below freezing, I don't think this is going to work. The ice cold slab will suck out heat like a sponge. You'll either need to heat continuously, insulate or cover the slab or switch to a brute force heater like the Englander 30NC.