Newbie with some questions: Englander 13-NC

[jiggly puff]

Greetings

New to the forum but have been lurking for a few weeks and have gained some good info in anticipation for my first wood stove in my home, which happened today.

Picked up an Englander 13 NC - not sure if it’s the CLP or MH - what is the difference?

It came with a tile pad all for $500 on Craigslist. Not knowing much about stoves, I knew it was too good of an offer to pass on.

My buddy and I built a custom base bringing the stove top to around 38.” The original base was too low for my 6’4” frame. Question about base: would temps in “box” below stove be too hot to safely stash some logs?

Before I fire it up Im cleaning glass and replacing door/glass gaskets.

Most importantly, to meet the requirements for my desired wall clearances, I need to fab stove mounted side heat shields. I’m not paying $125 + OEM for two pieces of metal. Aesthetically the heat shields aren’t appealing but the alternative was having the stove take up more space in my corner to clear wall.

Lastly, any advice on replacement baffle? Stove was absent of one. Saw a few posts discussing deals on eBay which only lead to dead links. One post implied bricks would do the job? Found a close to OEM replacement here and here. Any advice on these, or a suitable alternative on a budget? Not paying OEM $85 if I can get one for half that

Looking forward to advice and convo. Cheers!

edit: grammar

 

[Dix]

First, welcome to the forums !! This IS the place !!

Second, love my 13, one awesome little heater.

Third, I wish the box was bigger.

When you say you are missing the baffle, are you talking about the ceramic fiber board, or the burn tubes, or both?

 

[jiggly puff]

I’m talking about the ceramic fiber board that rests atop the tubes. The tubes are there. I cleaned them out at reinstalled as before. Was clueless about the board until my installer noted it. Looking to buy one ASAP.
Can they be bought at local hardware stores or only online?

 

[Dix]

Never had to replace mine, but here's a link direct to Englander

(broken link removed to https://heatredefined.com/collections/13-nc)

 

[jiggly puff]

Thanks for the link. I think I’ll go non-OEM for cost saving. Will fire brick work temporarily until I get a proper board?

thinking this board on amazon:Amazon product ASIN B0716M86PQ

 

[Dix]

That I do not know.

But we are both about to learn !

@begreen

 

[begreen]

I would not use thicker firebrick, especially if it is more restrictive. The Lynn product has been selling for a while on Amazon. If you use it please keep us posted with how well it works and stands up over time.

I don't see any side shields on the stove. Were they added after the pictures were taken? Or did you decide to honor the 13.5" corner clearance requirement?

 

[jiggly puff]

Ok. I’ll pass on the brick.

I just ordered the Lynn universal board which is slightly larger than I need. But for $35 (free shipping) on Amazon vs $85 on Englander website, I can trim to fit. Should arrive in a couple days. Amazon does have an exact replacement but it’s $45.

While I wait for the board I’m gonna cut and bend some steel for the side shields since I went with the 8.5” corner clearance.

Anyone know the measurement for the space between the heat shields and stove sidewall? I assume it’s the same as the spacing for rear heat shield.

Better yet, anyone have the specs on the side shields themselves And does that front little lip need to be there? Picture might help explain what I’m asking.

Thanks!

 

[jiggly puff]

Besides knowing that the shields are 16 ga steel, I can’t find other specs anywhere online.

 

[Mech e]

The lip (top and bottom) is probably there to add stiffness, eliminate sharp exposed edges, and improve the aesthetics. The inside surface should be unpainted and free from rust. I would just go to home depot (somewhere with a floor model) and reverse engineer the shield designs using a tape measure. What you are doing, however, is creating an untested configuration of the stove. You may be putting yourself at risk (physically and/or financially) by using an uncertified (by UL and the manufacturer) configuration.

 

[jiggly puff]

Thanks. Hadn’t thought of finding a floor model to copy from.

I’m new to wood stoves so I guess I don’t see how making my own heat shields, that are at or very near OEM specs, would be a physical or financial risk.

Im definitely not trying to shortcut safety here, just seems more cost effective to cut and bend some steel to make my own shields.

 

[snaple4]

Thanks. Hadn’t thought of finding a floor model to copy from.

I’m new to wood stoves so I guess I don’t see how making my own heat shields, that are at or very near OEM specs, would be a physical or financial risk.

Im definitely not trying to shortcut safety here, just seems more cost effective to cut and bend some steel to make my own shields.

the stove parts are tested in a lab. There may be special design features (holes, angles, type of metal...) that they had to use to get the clearance down to a certain number. You may be able to make the exact same thing by copying or you may not. You don’t know. I say either buy the OEM side shield to make sure you have UL listings for insurance reasons or move the stove away from wall. My preference is move away from wall and add side shield.

 

[MAD MARK]

That lip is there because the side shield does not come from the back the whole way.

It is there to create the air gap space. This is a NC-30 but I'd guess them to be similar.

 

[jiggly puff]

Ah. I see. The lip closes the gap in the front. I take a shot a making my own shields and if they’re wonky or off in any way I’ll buy the OEM shields.

 

[Smokepole]

Ah. I see. The lip closes the gap in the front. I take a shot a making my own shields and if they’re wonky or off in any way I’ll buy the OEM shields.

While you have the stove apart you may want to use compressed air and clean out the air channels.
If you remove the dog house be careful the gasket is very fragile. Be sure and blow the air from
the inside out.

 

[jiggly puff]

When you say “remove the dog house” do you mean the lever that slides back and forth in front of stove? I understand the dog house to be the air inlet
Please forgive me, I’m new to wood stoves.

I’ve already removed and blasted the tubes clean.

 

[jiggly puff]

I’ve decided to buy OEM shields for peace of mind - plus fabricating my own without proper specs would’ve been a pain and my buddy is low on sheet metal.

 

[Smokepole]

When you say “remove the dog house” do you mean the lever that slides back and forth in front of stove? I understand the dog house to be the air inlet
Please forgive me, I’m new to wood stoves.

I’ve already removed and blasted the tubes clean.

When you open the door, at the bottom center in front you will see a cast iron raised piece.
It has one screw on each side at is base 5/16. On the other side of this piece facing the
fire box is drilled two 3/8 holes, this the primary air outlet. The lever controls from the air box in back,
the amount of air coming to this outlet. This feeds the base of your fire. You can remove the dog house or
if the screws are are to tight and you are afraid of breaking them off just blow the air through one of the
holes. It doesn't take a lot of pressure.
Also where the tubes are mounted the channels they are connected to go back
to the air box also.

 

[Mech e]

Thanks. Hadn’t thought of finding a floor model to copy from.

I’m new to wood stoves so I guess I don’t see how making my own heat shields, that are at or very near OEM specs, would be a physical or financial risk.

Im definitely not trying to shortcut safety here, just seems more cost effective to cut and bend some steel to make my own shields.

Glad you are buying the OEM shields. My comment about safety and financial risk was based on installing your stove in a way that has not been tested and approved by the manufacturer or UL. If there was a fire that was attributed to the stove and it was discovered that it was being used in a way not supported and tested by the manufacturer and UL, your insurance company could deny your claim. In general, making modifications to a wood stove is not a good idea from that perspective. Even though your new leg design looks good, it is a modification to the stove that has not been tested.

 

[jiggly puff]

I went with the higher leg design after taking a closer look at the pedestal base that was on the stove.

First, it was really low, making it a pain to load.

Second, the welds on it were chit. The seams were not fully weldedonly spot welded in three places. The welds themselves were not even beaded, just blobs.

Third, the stove was held on to the base by only four bolts.

Sure, the base was probably lab tested and all but it was poorly made and flimsy as hell. My base is stout as hell, fully welded 1/4” angle iron and meets the ceiling clearance set by the manufacturer.

OEM base was terrible and I threw it out to scrap.

 

[Mech e]

I went with the higher leg design after taking a closer look at the pedestal base that was on the stove.

First, it was really low, making it a pain to load.

Second, the welds on it were chit. The seams were not fully weldedonly spot welded in three places. The welds themselves were not even beaded, just blobs.

Third, the stove was held on to the base by only four bolts.

Sure, the base was probably lab tested and all but it was poorly made and flimsy as hell. My base is stout as hell, fully welded 1/4” angle iron and meets the ceiling clearance set by the manufacturer.

OEM base was terrible and I threw it out to scrap.

I totally understand where you are coming from. Looks like you made a sturdy design. The thing about UL is that they will not let an OEM put their symbol on a product that has not been tested to their standards and approved by them. These tests are done on the product as shipped from the manufacturer. If you alter what was tested, it will no longer be considered a UL listed product. This does not automatically mean the product is unsafe, it is just not a listed UL approved device.

 

[jiggly puff]

Ok. I hear you about the UL listing. I just couldn’t bear to have my stove sit on a seemingly flimsy stand. The stove itself seems to be put together nicely and it needed a just as stout base.

I probably shouldn’t be stashing anything in that space beneath the stove, right? There’s no shield beneath the stove.

The primary design of the stand was to raise the height of the stove but it’s tempting to stash logs down there, but it’s probably not safe to do so.

 

[begreen]

The primary design of the stand was to raise the height of the stove but it’s tempting to stash logs down there, but it’s probably not safe to do so.

Correct. This stove has a pretty high insulation requirement for the hearth. You are probably ok because of the height, air is a good insulator, but it is untested.

 

[jiggly puff]

I just got my fiber board from amazon and am installing it today. I cut it to size with a blade pretty easily. The board has two surfaces: a rougher surface and on the other side a more paper like more flat surface.
Which side do I face up or down in the stove? Any help is appreciated.

 

[Mech e]

Pretty sure these boards are made from a slurry. You are probably just seeing the mold side vs the open side of the board when it was cast. I think the material properties are the same on both sides.