Englander 28-3500

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firebug 0224

New Member
Jan 10, 2014
12
pittsburgh pa.
we have a Englander model 28-3500 and only burns good if door is open. it going into a brick exterior chimney with a teracota flue size 13x9. manual recommends a 6inch flue. thinking of buying a pre insulated liner will this help? only getting 2-3 hours burn time 4-5 hours coaling time. stove flue come 2feet strait out of stove to a 90 2 more feet to a 90 into thimble then strait up chimney 30 feet no cap. any advice would be very helpful.
 
Big coals and lots of air sounds like damp wood. How well seasoned is the wood.? When was it cut, split and stacked?
 
The draft is being diluted, but it still sounds like the wood. Were the readings taken on a freshly exposed face of the wood after resplitting or were they end grain readings? I ask because I just finished burning through a load of 2 yr seasoned maple that was still damp due to where and how I stacked it.
 
The draft is being diluted, but it still sounds like the wood. Were the readings taken on a freshly exposed face of the wood after resplitting or were they end grain readings? I ask because I just finished burning through a load of 2 yr seasoned maple that was still damp due to where and how I stacked it.
it was taken on the face of the wood but not freshly split
 
Yes, it's the interior of the split that you want to test. 28% is high for current burning. It could indicate a center of the split reading much higher. Take some thick splits and resplit them and take some new readings.
 
Yes, it's the interior of the split that you want to test. 28% is high for current burning. It could indicate a center of the split reading much higher. Take some thick splits and resplit them and take some new readings.
thanks I will splits some and take a reading. do u think it worth investing in a flue liner the old flue is in pretty good shape just think it may be to big.
 
Is the 9 x 13, 8 x 12 ID? If so at 72 sq in. it's on the edge. But then there is that 30 ft height which has to draw well if interior. I suggest checking the wood first. Poorly seasoned wood is a bugger to deal with. Take solving this problem one step at a time. As a test, if you have a buddy with known very well seasoned wood and can borrow some, do it. Otherwise, try a couple bundles of hardware store firewood and see if there isn't a notable change.
 
Is the 9 x 13, 8 x 12 ID? If so at 72 sq in. it's on the edge. But then there is that 30 ft height which has to draw well if interior. I suggest checking the wood first. Poorly seasoned wood is a bugger to deal with. Take solving this problem one step at a time. As a test, if you have a buddy with known very well seasoned wood and can borrow some, do it. Otherwise, try a couple bundles of hardware store firewood and see if there isn't a notable change.
yes it is8x12 ID I did just split some right now and it read 32%
 
flue's awfully big, 30 ft to heat up , lots of internal stack effect in the house possibly as well. having to burn with the door cracked is not a good indicator, wet wood may well have a lot to do with it , but eventually once the wood is cooked out the door should be able to be closed especially after dumping that much heat up the chimney.

to the OP , how old is the house? has it been remodeled sided tyvek'd , new windows? is the attic ventilated? if so is the upper floor sealed up well to the attic? kinda smells of negative pressure having a bit of an effect. do you have a window in close proximity to the stove to crack open a bit a few minutes before lighting or reloading the stove? if so and it affects the draft in a positive way I may be able to help you with an "indirect OAK" setup to overcome the stack effect
 
yes it is8x12 ID I did just split some right now and it read 32%
Bingo, you have your answer. The flue is 2.5 x the 6" area, but with 30 ft it probably drafts ok. But 32% moisture is going to fight you with low heat and lots of coals. A liner will help increase draft. But dry wood is going to provide the maximum heat output.
 
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Thanks, you too. I updated my response for a more complete answer.
 
flue's awfully big, 30 ft to heat up , lots of internal stack effect in the house possibly as well. having to burn with the door cracked is not a good indicator, wet wood may well have a lot to do with it , but eventually once the wood is cooked out the door should be able to be closed especially after dumping that much heat up the chimney.

to the OP , how old is the house? has it been remodeled sided tyvek'd , new windows? is the attic ventilated? if so is the upper floor sealed up well to the attic? kinda smells of negative pressure having a bit of an effect. do you have a window in close proximity to the stove to crack open a bit a few minutes before lighting or reloading the stove? if so and it affects the draft in a positive way I may be able to help you with an "indirect OAK" setup to overcome the stack effect
house was built in the 50"s I am currently remodeling. stove is in basement about 2 feet from garage man door, old door not totally air tight and basement is about 600sq feet it dose burn better after awhile sometimes just cant get longer burn times.
 
I think you will be more impressed with dry wood. Can you get some pallets to burn? If yes, cut them up and mix with your current wood for a hotter burn.
 
I think you will be more impressed with dry wood. Can you get some pallets to burn? If yes, cut them up and mix with your current wood for a hotter burn.
yes, I"m going to try getting some dry wood from hd and try it even though I always said who buy wood from a store? I guess me now ha,ha;lol thanks a lot.
 
Or mix in some biobricks, that helps alot when burning marginal wood, the wood you have now may be beyond the marginal range though...
 
house was built in the 50"s I am currently remodeling. stove is in basement about 2 feet from garage man door, old door not totally air tight and basement is about 600sq feet it dose burn better after awhile sometimes just cant get longer burn times.


kk well the dry wood should make a difference whether its the complete cure I still have reservations. longer burn times will come once the stove can be run with the door closed

hey? does the flue have a clean out door?, is it sealed airtight?
 
We had a 7x11 liner if I recall on our 32' chimney. Unless I was dumping heat up the chimney, the draft was poor. That's an awful large flue to keep warm for good draft. When we would drop down to coals, the chimney would cool, and draft would drop down to almost nothing. Once we added wood and it would get hot, the chimney would draft too hard. Dry wood will make a huge difference, but a liner will only help.
 
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