Tips on running compressed brick in my 30NC

[Ryan_30NC]

Hi folks, lots of good threads here on these Englander 30's! I've had mine for 4 or 5 seasons now and have always run seasoned oak, this year I decided to try something a little different and bought a couple pallets of the Envi 8 compressed wood brick....the problem I'm having is that the stove went from from a real great performer to a really scary monster on this stuff. I can burn 2 to 3 bricks MAX at a time IF I turn it down quicker than I usually used to....and I can't load up the firebox for overnight burns (I tried a full 6 pack once and it wasn't pretty, probably no more carbon left in the secondary tubes though!) Has anyone run these bricks exclusively in one of these 30's? Should I be mixing in some oak with less bricks? (Although it kind of defeats the whole purpose of getting the bricks -_- )

 

[BrotherBart]

I burned some two years ago for grins. But I had the doghouse air shut down. Were it me I would test with four bricks and a bolt stuck in the doghouse hole and build the load based on the results.

That blow torch shooting into those bricks surely makes for a CTJ moment.

 

[littlericky]

I know you were asking about the englander 30 but i have burned these exclusively for a year because my wood was not dry enough to burn. I can tell you from experience these Envi blocks can get out of hand quick! I have a small quadrafire insert and I only burn two at a time with 2 splits on top of them and my stove throws a tremendous amount of heat. I really like them but there is a learning curve with these. The place I bought my stove carries them and the owners burn them a 6 pack at a time but they have bigger stoves than I do. They will take some not so dry wood 21% and make ash out of them. As long as I can get them i will mix them into my burn cycles. I do a couple loads of wood and then run a few of those into the next burn and i have nothing but ash left.