Englander 32-NC Overheat?

[Hexa Fox]

Hey guys,

So I have already went back and read some of the other forums on this topic. Having that said, I just got my Englander up and running and all seems to be going well so far. However, according to my new thermometer it seems to be regularly overheating... by a lot. So last night I loaded the stove but it did not fill it to the very top because I knew it was suppose to warm up in the morning. Anyway as you can see according to the thermometer it got above 900f. The stove did get hot but even stranger today I loaded the stove in the morning to get the fire going again and once again I did not fill up the stove. Just enough to get some heat out and you can see the thermometer looks like it is maxed out.

I think it is worth mentioning that even with the air completely closed it still seems to be burning relatively fast. I saw a post where @Highbeam mentioned adding a key damper I believe. Anyway, I'm not certain if my thermometer is just garbage or the stove is actually getting this hot or what. I know that posting pictures of the firebox may not help much but the corresponding stoves reading is shown to the left of the actual thermometer reading. The stove appears hot but I hope you can see it is not jammed full. If these readings are correct and I am doing something wrong that means I could easily get this stove above 1,000f when I fill it up on a really cold night. @weee123 @BIGChrisNH

EDIT: I also just realized this probably should have went in the corresponding Englander forum.

 

[NickW]

That looks hot. What is the flue configuration? Are the baffle boards in place? Do you have a flue probe thermometer? You may be shutting down too late and getting the "runaway freight train effect"...? Stt lags way behind flue temperature which is a better gauge for shutting the air down. Have you done the dollar bill test on your door? Is the ash drawer fully shut?

I have the NC30. I believe the NC32 is the same stove with one more burn tube added (5 instead of 4). I benefited greatly from adding a damper - roughly 24' total vertical and 42" of horizontal.

 

[NickW]

Does the thermometer return to room temperature when removed from the stove?

 

[ozarkoak]

Get a cheap IR thermometer just to make sure the numbers actually match?

 

[NickW]

Here I'm running a 3/4 load pretty settled in in the NC30. Flue temp around 670 & stt about 510. Air 1/4 open, damper 1/2 open. I could run hotter by opening either more.

The more I compare your photo to mine the more I suspect the thermometer. That would probably be glowing at 900 degrees.

 

[ozarkoak]

Here I'm running a 3/4 load pretty settled in in the NC30. Flue temp around 670 & stt about 510. Air 1/4 open, damper 1/2 open. I could run hotter by opening either more.

The more I compare your photo to mine the more I suspect the thermometer. That would probably be glowing at 900 degrees.
View attachment 323622View attachment 323623View attachment 323624

Thats what I'm thinking that thermometer was pegged at what had to be close to 1K degrees. That stove would be orange.

 

[Hexa Fox]

That looks hot. What is the flue configuration? Are the baffle boards in place? Do you have a flue probe thermometer? You may be shutting down too late and getting the "runaway freight train effect"...? Stt lags way behind flue temperature which is a better gauge for shutting the air down. Have you done the dollar bill test on your door? Is the ash drawer fully shut?

I have the NC30. I believe the NC32 is the same stove with one more burn tube added (5 instead of 4). I benefited greatly from adding a damper - roughly 24' total vertical and 42" of horizontal.

Thanks for the response. Okay so my setup is very similar to yours I would say. It is double wall pipe from the stove to the thimble connector, then single wall stainless to the tee and oval insulated pipe about 17'-18' up from there. I did use several sections to make the stainless pipe through the thimble work. It is suppose to warm up, at which time I plan to remove the pipe from the wall and check it. See the pictures.

I have not done the dollar bill test. The first thing I checked was the ash drawer.

Thats what I'm thinking that thermometer was pegged at what had to be close to 1K degrees. That stove would be orange.

It is a cheap thermometer with good reviews from Amazon. I am going to remove it from the stove right now and see what it says. Before I placed it on the stove for the first time it looked like it was reading close to correct room temperature.

 

[brenndatomu]

That stove would be orange.

At that temp you'd need to turn the lights out to see it most likely...or at least have very low light.

 

[bholler]

At that temp you'd need to turn the lights out to see it most likely...or at least have very low light.

True but the paint on the top would be a bit chalked from those temps and it looks fine. My guess is thermometer is off. But who knows I could be wrong

 

[weee123]

No way that thermometer is accurate. At 900 it would be faintly glowing red and you would be able to clearly see it with how close you took that pic. That thermometer showed about 1k if not more. It would be a red night light at those temps and you wouldn’t be able to get very close to it with how hot it would be burning.

Like others have said best practice is to go off a flue probe thermometer, ideally a digital auber. I only ever look at stove top temps after the stove is settled in to see if it’s burning hot enough for my needs.

The difference between the 30 and 32 is an additional burn tube and lack of the doghouse intake

 

[weee123]

Also based off how the fire is burning in that pic and how the temp is on mine at a similar load and burn characteristic as that pic I would say around 550-600

 

[NickW]

The difference between the 30 and 32 is an additional burn tube and lack of the doghouse intake

Really? No doghouse? Does that mean no more tunnel of love?

 

[Highbeam]

No way that thermometer is accurate. At 900 it would be faintly glowing red and you would be able to clearly see it with how close you took that pic. That thermometer showed about 1k if not more. It would be a red night light at those temps and you wouldn’t be able to get very close to it with how hot it would be burning.

Like others have said best practice is to go off a flue probe thermometer, ideally a digital auber. I only ever look at stove top temps after the stove is settled in to see if it’s burning hot enough for my needs.

The difference between the 30 and 32 is an additional burn tube and lack of the doghouse intake

The 32 also has two layers of baffle boards.

I don’t believe the OP’s meter. Try another from a reputable brand like condar.

 

[begreen]

Hey guys,

So I have already went back and read some of the other forums on this topic. Having that said, I just got my Englander up and running and all seems to be going well so far. However, according to my new thermometer it seems to be regularly overheating... by a lot. So last night I loaded the stove but it did not fill it to the very top because I knew it was suppose to warm up in the morning. Anyway as you can see according to the thermometer it got above 900f. The stove did get hot but even stranger today I loaded the stove in the morning to get the fire going again and once again I did not fill up the stove. Just enough to get some heat out and you can see the thermometer looks like it is maxed out.

I think it is worth mentioning that even with the air completely closed it still seems to be burning relatively fast. I saw a post where @Highbeam mentioned adding a key damper I believe. Anyway, I'm not certain if my thermometer is just garbage or the stove is actually getting this hot or what. I know that posting pictures of the firebox may not help much but the corresponding stoves reading is shown to the left of the actual thermometer reading. The stove appears hot but I hope you can see it is not jammed full. If these readings are correct and I am doing something wrong that means I could easily get this stove above 1,000f when I fill it up on a really cold night. @weee123 @BIGChrisNH

EDIT: I also just realized this probably should have went in the corresponding Englander forum.
View attachment 323608View attachment 323609View attachment 323611View attachment 323610

If the stove was really that hot you would smell it and with the lights out, parts of the top and flue collar would be glowing.

 

[Hexa Fox]

The 32 also has two layers of baffle boards.

I don’t believe the OP’s meter. Try another from a reputable brand like condar.

You mean the ones with probes on them? It says they are double wall compatible. The directions are not listed. Do I just drill a hole anywhere on my double wall pipe and insert it?

 

[Hexa Fox]

If the stove was really that hot you would smell it and with the lights out, parts of the top and flue collar would be glowing.

No way that thermometer is accurate. At 900 it would be faintly glowing red and you would be able to clearly see it with how close you took that pic.

At that temp you'd need to turn the lights out to see it most likely...or at least have very low light.

So one of the pics from last night (where it was over 900) there were no parts of the stove glowing. I was curious, because the stove was pretty hot. It was too hot to stand right beside continuously. I turned out the lights and looked at the pipe and stove, I could not see any parts glowing in the slightest.

I still think my stove is getting a little more air than it should but I too think the thermostat is off. I just put three small-medium sized splits in the stove. I would estimate that to be around 20% capacity maybe even less and it is reading over 600 right now. To be clear I am just trying to keep the stove going as it is warming up here.

EDIT:
I say my stove is getting a little more air than it should because after I get a nice fire started I keep the air completely closed on this stove. When I am reloading it with a decent amount of coals I can fully close the door and leave the air completely off and it will take off no problem.

 

[NickW]

Condar has a stove top thermometer called the inferno. That's what the photo of mine is.

Probes are installed with an 1/8" hole drilled through the double wall and held in place with a screw 18-24" above the stove top.

Certainly sounds like you are getting too much air to me. I wouldn't expect a fresh load to take off with the air completely shut down... Did you try the dollar bill test yet?

 

[Pinesmoke]

An easy test of the stove top thermometer would be in your oven. Set it at 425, put a pizza in and set the thermometer in there and see if it reads the oven temp.

 

[weee123]

Really? No doghouse? Does that mean no more tunnel of love?

No more tunnel of love

 

[weee123]

The 32 also has two layers of baffle boards.

I don’t believe the OP’s meter. Try another from a reputable brand like condar.

Correct I also forgot about that

 

[Highbeam]

An easy test of the stove top thermometer would be in your oven. Set it at 425, put a pizza in and set the thermometer in there and see if it reads the oven temp.

That is not how you test a meter. A stove top meter reads surface temperature and is calibrated to sit on a hot surface and not to be immersed in a hot air pocket. The oven test will falsely read higher than it should. Similarly, dunking the meter in boiling water will also not be accurate.

The way you test the surface temperature meter is with another measuring device that is designed to read surface temperatures.

 

[Eman85]

While it does sound like your thermometer is inaccurate I'd also say you have a leaky stove. Sounds like you need to check the air control system and all doors for leaky gaskets.

 

[kborndale]

Get an infared temp gun, they are only like $30 from home Depot, Lowe's or Amazon.

 

[Pinesmoke]

That is not how you test a meter. A stove top meter reads surface temperature and is calibrated to sit on a hot surface and not to be immersed in a hot air pocket. The oven test will falsely read higher than it should. Similarly, dunking the meter in boiling water will also not be accurate.

The way you test the surface temperature meter is with another measuring device that is designed to read surface temperatures.

Highheam
OK I'll grant the surface contract. Stick it to a pie tin or cookie sheet. The immersion in hot air is where it lives in the first 3/8" off the stove top though.

We are wondering about several hundred degrees of mis-calibration. It would certainly show that kind of error I would think.

 

[Hexa Fox]

Get an infared temp gun, they are only like $30 from home Depot, Lowe's or Amazon.

I just ordered a cheap one off Amazon. It is supposed to be here tomorrow. Depending on what the infrared thermometer says I may return this stove top one and get one that goes directly into my stovepipe. It seems that may be the consensus here. Is there any advice for where to install the probe in the stove pipe? Especially if I plan to add a damper to the pipe later down the road?