new stove problems Englander nc-30

[jlore]

Hi everyone,
Recently got an nc-30 installed in old farm house. I think I may have a draft problem. The door glass is sootedup and won't clean its self. My wood is dry however I'm burninG seasoned oak that has been stacked for 3 years under roll roofing.
The worst prob is that stove won't get up to temp. I get a hot fire will only get to about 350-400, and I can never get the secondaries to burn.
I hope not but could there be a prob with the chimney liner I had installed.
Is there anything jumping out that I am not noticing?
Thank you for any replies

 

[rwhite]

How tall is the chimney? Most will suggest you get some envirobricks or a store bought bundle of wood just so you can rule that out.

 

[jlore]

Gonna do that today, chimney liner is about 23feet and wrapped. Chimney isn't too tall right?

 

[blades]

99 % of the time this description fits the wet wood syndrome, Yes, I read your post, BUT just because the Oak was stacked inside or outside does not mean it dry enough. ( I've had some Oak & Hickory take 5 years to dry out sufficiently) Tightly stacked in an area with no air circulation does not promote good drying conditions ( or muti rows deep right next to each other). First resplit a piece perferably after it has warmed to room temp. Feel the fresh split surface with your cheek, if ya ain't got a meter, if it feels moist that is your problem. Note the nc30 really preforms best with fuel that is about 12-15%, 18% tops, anything wetter than that becomes less than adequate.

If the temps are fairly warm in your area ( above 35) that will give a pretty lazy draft, another possibility is if you have a very tightly sealed home the stove may not be able to draw enough. Flue height recommended is about 15' but it needs to be at least 3ft taller than anything within a 10ft radius ( rough rule of thumb) Is the stove being vented through an old fireplace flue? if so did they install a block off plate at both ends of the liner?

Operation- possible that you are closing the intake a bit too quick and choking it ( oh if you are running the blower and see that temp range, the blower will cause a 150-250 lower reading than with it turned off. ) Intake for secondaries is a small about 2" sq hole in the back not the 3" port which is primary.

At a reading of 400 you should see at least some burning effect of gases at top of fire chamber by the pipes unless there is too much moisture contained in the wood.

Try mixng some scrap 2x4 or such that known to be dry with your oak and see what happens then report back.( compressed wood blocks mixed in will work also as mentioned above)

By the way my NC30 heats my 2000 sq ft ranch home all winter here in WI.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Is the chimney straight up or does the stove pipe take a 90 degree turn to get to the chimney?

Are the ceramic boards in the top of the stove pushed all of the way back?

It does sound like wood may be the issue.

 

[Hunker Down]

I have wet wood, but great draft so I supplement with dimensional wood to help the wet wood steam out faster And get the stove temp up quicker. Seems to help. My englander. I just burn a lot more wood and I do see some creosote forming. I cleaned the cap and screen once already.

 

[jlore]

Guys thank so much. I hope it is my wood. We recently moved and all my wood is just piled up on pallets. We have also had a lot of rain here lately, but the wood I'm burning had been on my porch stacked for the last week and I believe it is dry. Anyway, another possible problem is my stove pipe coming from stove to crock. It is only about two feet and does bend into a 90.

 

[tarzan]

Was the wood piled on the pallets and completely covered with the rolled roofing?

 

[begreen]

Try a 50/50 mix with construction scraps and see if that dramatically changes performance.

Also, tell us how you are running the stove, from startup to coaling.

 

[jlore]

How i run the stove: 1 start stove with news paper and kindling. I gradually add small splits or 2x4 scraps until the fire gets going. Once fire gets going, I'll gradually turn down air on stove. I haven't figured out the best way to do this step. How do you guys do this?

 

[begreen]

How much wood are you adding and when? No larger splits? Do you hear any sizzling or see any bubbles on the ends of fresh splits as they are heating up?

 

[CenterTree]

How i run the stove: 1 start stove with news paper and kindling. I gradually add small splits or 2x4 scraps until the fire gets going. Once fire gets going, I'll gradually turn down air on stove. I haven't figured out the best way to do this step. How do you guys do this?

You are adding large splits at some point right? Your post makes it seem as if you get a fire going with small splits and then turn the air back... that won't work well.

You got to have large (and burning) splits to get the temp up like you want. Let it burn hot until the large pieces are going good. Let the temp rise to around 400 + (carefully monitoring it though) THEN start to turn the air down gradually. If you have good/dry wood you will at that point start to see some secondaries kick in.

 

[Dix]

Sounds like unseasoned fire wood syndrome.

How long has the wood been split & stacked?

That 30 should take off with seasoned firewood.

 

[jlore]

Thanks for all the replies. Got some wood from Home Depot. Stove got up to 500 degrees pretty quickly. Should I start to turn air back around 400? Looks like wood (thankfully) is the problem.

 

[Dix]

I don't cut back until the firewood is burning nicely, and the fan has been running constantly.

1/2 way back, then in increments until the temp is steady.

I start cutting back at 500F with both stoves. Temp is gonna drop a bit , then climb again, as long as you have seasoned firewood.

 

[CenterTree]

On my 30NC (with seasoned wood) I find I need to start cutting back around 400-450. In increments. (not all at once).
Even after I cut the air back the stove top temp will continue to climb. That is how I achieve my goal of about 550 cruising temp.
It then somehow finds a nice level spot to cruise. Adjust the air accordingly.

I find that if I wait TOO long to start the cut back, I run the risk of an over-fire, because the seasoned wood will really start cranking out the heat.

If I am burning woods with less BTU's I can let the temp get a little higher B4 cutting back. (500-525). But with seasoned locust or chestnut oak I am not so brave to let it run much higher.

Every stove is different. YMMV.