Englander NC30 warped plate

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C

cakymo

New Member
Apr 8, 2018
18
Missouri USA
After 15 years of heating with a older Lopi stove, we went ahead a purchased an Englander NC30 this past spring.

We have been using the stove for about a month now and have noticed that the metal plate right inside the door is warping. This is the plate (I don't know what to call it) that is flush with the door lip and is on either side of the device that shoots hot air into the firebox. We don't over-fire our stove, so I don't know why anything should be warping.

Has anyone else had this experience with the NC30?
 
cakymo said:
After 15 years of heating with a older Lopi stove, we went ahead a purchased an Englander NC30 this past spring.

We have been using the stove for about a month now and have noticed that the metal plate right inside the door is warping. This is the plate (I don't know what to call it) that is flush with the door lip and is on either side of the device that shoots hot air into the firebox. We don't over-fire our stove, so I don't know why anything should be warping.

Has anyone else had this experience with the NC30?
Click to expand...
is it the air wash plate over the door

2018 drolet ht2000
 
Are you referring to this area?

[Hearth.com] Englander NC30 warped plate
 
On my NC30 that bottom plate has puckered a slight bit but is held down by the welds. I have seen some crack and break the welds, even completely removed from the stove but mine is hanging it there.

More importantly, I have melted the similarly thin air deflector plate on top of the door opening that directs the airwash. It sagged in the middle while I was sitting there warming up the stove. It was not an overfire but a full throttle warm up that must have concentrated too much heat on that one spot of thin metal. It sagged, I bent it back into place somewhat and it hasn't moved since. No apparent effect on airwash function or stove performance.

No other part of the NC30 has melted on me and I use my NC30 for maximum safe output so I do believe that the rest of it is adequately designed for normal temperatures.
 
Highbeam said:
On my NC30 that bottom plate has puckered a slight bit but is held down by the welds. I have seen some crack and break the welds, even completely removed from the stove but mine is hanging it there.

More importantly, I have melted the similarly thin air deflector plate on top of the door opening that directs the airwash. It sagged in the middle while I was sitting there warming up the stove. It was not an overfire but a full throttle warm up that must have concentrated too much heat on that one spot of thin metal. It sagged, I bent it back into place somewhat and it hasn't moved since. No apparent effect on airwash function or stove performance.

No other part of the NC30 has melted on me and I use my NC30 for maximum safe output so I do believe that the rest of it is adequately designed for normal temperatures.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
It sounds as if a bit of bowing upwards is normal...?
 
I’m on my third season with that stove and mine has not warped in either of the aforementioned areas even though I’ve had some hot fires.
 
cakymo said:
Thank you.
It sounds as if a bit of bowing upwards is normal...?
Click to expand...

I looked at some pictures and on my lower plate, the puckering is close to the loading door with one pucker on each side of the doghouse. No cracks and it doesn't seem to move. I'm not even sure what the plate is for.
 

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Do it and make sure you report back with results, or lack thereof.
 
I attempted to call Englander this morning but got a recording that said to call later or visit their website. Their website currently returns a message saying "The site cannot be reached"....

I will keep trying.

I noticed this morning that the plate warping increases with a hot fire, and reduces when the fire cools down.
 
cakymo said:
I attempted to call Englander this morning but got a recording that said to call later or visit their website. Their website currently returns a message saying "The site cannot be reached"....

I will keep trying.

I noticed this morning that the plate warping increases with a hot fire, and reduces when the fire cools down.
Click to expand...

Probably pretty busy selling stoves and online parts right now. I’ve never been impressed with their website or the cost of parts.

I remember in the first couple of years that the bottom plate would pucker with heat and then settle back down when cold. There’s probably a metallurgical reason for it but eventually the plate stiffened up and stays put with just a slight pucker on mine.
 
Highbeam said:
I looked at some pictures and on my lower plate, the puckering is close to the loading door with one pucker on each side of the doghouse. No cracks and it doesn't seem to move. I'm not even sure what the plate is for.
Click to expand...
when cleaning ashes out I use the bottom plate on my ht2000 for a gage to keep some ashes in there about an inch and a half are so

2018 drolet ht2000
 
Just an update.
I tried to call England Stove Works 3 times last week, but I never could get anyone to pick up the line. I then switched to emailing their customer service center, and got a response a day or two later requesting pictures of the problem.
I sent the pictures over the weekend but did not get any further response. I send the photos once again on Monday, and then another email requesting assistance on Tuesday, and then sent the pictures again a 3rd time on Wednesday. I have yet to anyone respond since their initial reply from last week.
 
I finally got to speak with someone at England Stove Works about my warped plate. They said that the photos indicated that it was a bad welding job. Looking at the plate closely, it only has two spot-welds, one on each side of the plate. England Stove Works offered to find a local welder and have him come out and re-weld the plate for us.

We ended up declining their offer, and (with their permission-not to void my warranty) we did the welding ourselves. However, it was more of a chore than I thought. We had to get a torch and heat the plate a cherry red color in order to be able to pound it down flat. Once it was flat once again, we tacked the plate down with a nice bead.

I appreciate England Stove Works trying to make this right, but am disappointed that the stove left their shop without a proper weld job in the first place.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Care to share a picture of before and after? I thought they were all just barely welded in.
 
Yes show some pictures for future reference and search results.
 
Looks like slab wood.

And often you would find my stove full of 2x4 cut offs.
 
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