New nc 30 with semi dry wood?

[Jazzberry]

Just replaced my old wood stove with an Englander nc 30 and was wondering if I will be ok burning some 4 month old cedar. Read several threads stating it needs real dry wood for optimum results. I wont need optimum results for a huge increase over my last wood stove which was adequate. I dropped several big cedars in my backyard and have a 12 to 15 cord stockpile. It actually seems really dry and lightweight from the hot summer we had here in the CA Sierras. Dont have a moisture meter to check it yet.

 

[Michael6268]

If its not dry you will be fighting it all season.
MM is best way to tell.
If too wet, you can make smaller splits. Will help some.

 

[Jazzberry]

Thanks for the quick reply but could you explain what I will be fighting? Burning wood at less than optimum will be fine with me considering the huge stockpile of wood I have. Less heat output wont kill me either since the floor I am heating is only about 1100 feet or so. Although it is an open ceiling cabin with no insulation in the ceiling. Any other nc 30 owners out there that have burned or tried to burn some semi dry wood?

 

[Grisu]

If the wood is not dry enough you won't be able to sustain enough draft once you reduce the primary air. The stove won't stay hot enough, you won't get secondary flames in the top of the firebox, the glass will turn black and you will see smoke coming out of your chimney. You will also accumulate creosote in your chimney which can quickly lead to a chimney fire.

I suggest to get a MM (~$30) to test your wood. The way you describe it, it could already be ok. If not you will at least know what to expect and maybe adding some dry fuel (like compressed wood logs or lumber scraps) will already be sufficient to keep the stove happy.

 

[begreen]

CA has been particularly dry this summer and cedar is a high oil content wood. It may burn half-way decently. Get a moisture meter and split open a few splits to test on the freshly exposed face of wood. If it is 22% or lower it will burn ok. You may not see the full heat potential, but that will improve over the winter as the wood continues to dry out.

If the wood is >22%, resplit some and bring it indoors for a few days. That will help dry it out quicker.

 

[Jazzberry]

Thanks for the replies. Getting anxious for the cold and snow to get here so I can play with my new toy. I went through 6 or 7 cords in my old pos stove last year and hope to burn a few cords less this year.

 

[BrotherBart]

Burned the whole first season in my 30-NC with one year seasoned oak. Your only issue will be lack of consistency in the burn. Sometimes the sucker would take off like a rocket part way through the burn. Some to do with moisture but most to do with the lignin in the wood. Here is a 28 minute thermonuclear rocket blast with at a minimum 25 percent oak. Don't know what cedar is gonna do but that stuff can burn really hot. You have an interesting season ahead.

 

[BrotherBart]

I burned six cord a year for 20 years. With the 30-NC it is now a consistent 3.5 cords a season. The first season with any new stove though figure on around a cord more getting you and the stove working together.

 

[Jazzberry]

Cool that is what I was hoping to hear. All the talk about the coming Godzilla El Nino made me pull the trigger and I have been scratching my head wondering if I made a smart move or not. Thanks

 

[BrotherBart]

Just don't be the first one that posts what we get four or fives every year starting in late September. "I bought this EPA piece of crap and want my old stove back. I light the fire and close the door and it just sits there and smolders.".

Come back when you are ready to start heating and we will get you there. First hint. Like it says in that manual, leave the door cracked until it is burning well and the draft is strong. These puppies need strong draft but they pay ya back for it every day of the season.

 

[begreen]

Yes, a full load of dry cedar in a big stove can get interesting quickly. That stuff likes to take off. I would find out the moisture and if it is already drying out, burn mostly thick (6-8") splits for full loads.

 

[blades]

I would not stuff it full as with cedar you could easily over fire it. If it's a bit wet yet it will boil out and then go ballistic for awhile due to the resins. The dynamics of the stove will change as the out side temps drop. As it gets colder outside the draft will increase substantially and this is when you could get caught with your pants down.

 

[kennyp2339]

Jazzberry - if your going to have a questionable wood supply this season, consider purchasing compressed wood bricks to mix with your questionable wood, this may make the difference between liking the NC30 and loving the NC30

 

[blacktail]

When you were burning 6-7 cords before, was that all cedar? If you were burning a better firewood before and now switching to cedar with the new stove, it won't be a fair way of evaluating your new stove's fuel usage. Cedar burns fast. Cedar also dries quickly so a full summer might have been enough to dry it out.

 

[Jazzberry]

[quoute"] When you were burning 6-7 cords before, was that all cedar? If you were burning a better firewood before and now switching to cedar with the new stove, it won't be a fair way of evaluating your new stove's fuel usage. Cedar burns fast. Cedar also dries quickly so a full summer might have been enough to dry it out.[/quote]


Mostly it was about 50 50 oak and mixed fir/pine. None of it was seasoned. Mostly cut and split a month or two before burning. I have a couple cords of pretty wet oak also. Huge fire up here a couple years ago in Yosemite called the Rim fire left miles of close and easy access wood, Yhe forest service knocked it over for firebreaks. Cedar is great for starting the fire and keeping the wet oak going and that was mostly what we used it for. This year I cut 6 big Incense Cedars and a couple small Black Oaks to clear an area in my backyard for a future garage. I now have a huge pile of cedar and when I get motivated to go cut some wood I look at that pile of cedar and lose all my motivation lol

 

[Silenced38]

Be sure and listen to these guys. Last year was my first year with an epa stove and between them and mike at ESW. They got me thru. And be sure you have enough pipe to get correct amount of draft.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Mostly it was about 50 50 oak and mixed fir/pine. None of it was seasoned. Mostly cut and split a month or two before burning. I have a couple cords of pretty wet oak also.

<shudders> definitely not a good practice. while you may have been able to get some functionality out of a dragon "real time kiln drying" in the firebox, this will definitely not work in a reburn unit.

definitely want to drop a couple dollars on a moisture meter (they really are dirt cheap) and try to burn with wood preferably in the<18% range if possible for optimal performance and understand that > 22% and you start having so much moisture in the "smoke" that the reburn will not ignite and you have basically what you just got rid of.

as for the Cedar , it does season faster by comparison, but it may still be in the marginal level moisture wise, hopefully not. bear in mind also Cedar is not a very dense wood so it will burn much faster by comparison t Oak at the same moisture level and cubic dimensions, so you will want to really keep an eye on the unit after starting a full reload and especially on a hot reload as this is the time that a stove can really take off on ya.

 

[Jazzberry]

> 22% and you start having so much moisture in the "smoke" that the reburn will not ignite and you have basically what you just got rid of.


Makes sense to me now. Thanks

 

[Huntindog1]

I would make sure you have plenty of good small split kindling to help get the new loads started and heat built up in the stove quickly to over come the wood your using if its a bit too much moisture.

 

[Jazzberry]

Wow I am impressed. First fire

 

[kennyp2339]

Yeehaw- looks great

 

[Grisu]

Looks like you skipped the break-in fires. Didn't know it was that cold in CA yet to get the 30NC going full blast. What is behind those brick walls? And was there a window in the wall?

 

[Jazzberry]

That is my breaking in fire lol It wasn't full blast I had it choked down. Whole house less parts of the kitchen and bath is knotty pine. The shutters on the right open to the master bedroom. A small fan fits perfect when I open the shutters. Im up in the mountains next to Yosemite. Supposed to get to 44 tonight and its 57 here now.

 

[Grisu]

Whole house less parts of the kitchen and bath is knotty pine.

According to the manual you need 12" between the rear corner and the wall for clearance even with a protected surface. Maybe the picture is misleading but are you sure you have that?

The shutters on the right open to the master bedroom. A small fan fits perfect when I open the shutters.

Interesting idea. Was that in there when you moved in or did you add those openings?

 

[Wood Duck]

Cedar should season pretty quickly, and in CA you have much drier summers than most of us do in the east. I would expect your cedar to be pretty good, if it has been split and stacked for four months in Cal.