I upgraded to and Englander 30 from my Drolet Savannah last week. The drolet was a great stove, but I needed something bigger and the englander fit the bill in more ways that one. I have also decided to install and OAK with the new stove, which is something that I have thought about but never got around to doing with the Drolet. I do have a couple questions though and hopefully you all can help me out. First of all, what do you use to cut through the ceramic tile/cement board when going down to the crawl space? ie...what is the most tried and true method? Also, my old drolet manual called for a 4" flex pipe for the OAK, whereas the englander (double firebox volume) manual only calls for a 3" flex pipe. So, that being said, is a 3" diameter pipe necessary to feed the stove? Can it be 2"? 1"? If the diameter of the OAK pipe is smaller wouldn't the chimney draft just draw outside air through the smaller pipe at a higher velocity? Anyway, I would like to do this in the next few days, so your guidance is appreciated!
Upgraded to Englander 30, OAK ?'s
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I wouldnt reduce the size of the OAK (restrictive) and a 3" or 4" Hole saw should work nicely cutting through the tile.
Englander sells a kit with everything needed (other do also / or make your own). You supply the Drill, Hole saw, and a little silicone to seal it all up.
Englander sells a kit with everything needed (other do also / or make your own). You supply the Drill, Hole saw, and a little silicone to seal it all up.
Yeah, don't go reducing the size of the OAK, for the same reason you wouldn't run a 4" pipe for the chimney.
Alright, 3" hole saw, which is what I was planning on. ..as far as reducing the OAK pipe size, I hadn't planned on it, was just curious about the recommended sizes the manufacturers specify. For example how the 1.7 Cu. Ft. firebox in the drolet called for a 4" intake, and the 3.5 Cu. Ft. Englander calls for a 3" intake. Doesn't add up to me. But hey, if that's what the manual call for, that's what I'll install. Just mentioned it for conversation sake.
I'm not so sure your common variety hole saw will make it through ceramic tile. You may need the abrasive diamond bit hole saw to get through the tile - then switch to the standard hole saw. I've cut tile before and depending on how/what you use - it can be quite resistant to cutting.
Make sure you have a spray bottle of water handy to prevent the bits from heating up too much.
Make sure you have a spray bottle of water handy to prevent the bits from heating up too much.
There is a variety of hole saws available. For cutting tile you would look for the one with the abrasive bit, not the toothed kind. You're basicly grinding through the tile.
Oh and if you want to use a 3" pipe I would be sure to use at least a 3.5" hole saw.
Ok so I went to lowes today to get a hole saw for cutting through ceramic tile. The results weren't good. I found a 3.25" hole saw for cutting through wood & metal (not going to work), and some abrasive hole saw blades, but nothing even close to 3" diameter. Also, they were more expensive than I expected (probably around $50 for a 3.25" ceramic cutting blade). That being said, I came home and looked at my work site and pondered the problem. What I came up with is removing the tile that I plan on going through with a hammer and chisel, cut a new tile with a 3.25 square opening and replacing it where the old tile was. Then sealing around the air inlet pipe with fire resistant caulking. Anyone have any other suggestions where to get the hole saw, or is the new tile a better idea?
On another note, as I mentioned previously, I upgraded to an englander 30. I've burned two break in fires, and have had marginal success. I believe I know what the problem is though, but am mentioning it for constructive criticism. I live in a mobile home with a 4/12 roof, which by definition means that I have been operating the drolet with a short stack chimney (10ft from stove top to chimney top). The top of the chimney is 3 ft after exiting the roof, and is 2 ft above the peak. I've known the chimney was short since first installing it for the drolet 3 years ago, but the stove ran pretty well with it so I didn't change it. The problem, I believe, is that the short stack isn't drawing enough to run the englander properly. I got up on the roof today and measured my chimney and have decided to add another 3ft section. Per the manual, I should have 15 ft flu vent from the floor the stove sits on. Adding another 3ft section will put my total height rite at 15 ft, with 6 ft extending out of the roof and a roof brace added for support. I hope this will run the stove better. Comments? Suggestions?
Oh yea, before I get beat up about it, I do have seasoned wood, and know well how to operate a wood stove both pre and post epa. And to be clear, the stove ran great with the door cracked, but the fire diminished as soon as I closed the door to a point where it looked like the air control was half open.
On another note, as I mentioned previously, I upgraded to an englander 30. I've burned two break in fires, and have had marginal success. I believe I know what the problem is though, but am mentioning it for constructive criticism. I live in a mobile home with a 4/12 roof, which by definition means that I have been operating the drolet with a short stack chimney (10ft from stove top to chimney top). The top of the chimney is 3 ft after exiting the roof, and is 2 ft above the peak. I've known the chimney was short since first installing it for the drolet 3 years ago, but the stove ran pretty well with it so I didn't change it. The problem, I believe, is that the short stack isn't drawing enough to run the englander properly. I got up on the roof today and measured my chimney and have decided to add another 3ft section. Per the manual, I should have 15 ft flu vent from the floor the stove sits on. Adding another 3ft section will put my total height rite at 15 ft, with 6 ft extending out of the roof and a roof brace added for support. I hope this will run the stove better. Comments? Suggestions?
Oh yea, before I get beat up about it, I do have seasoned wood, and know well how to operate a wood stove both pre and post epa. And to be clear, the stove ran great with the door cracked, but the fire diminished as soon as I closed the door to a point where it looked like the air control was half open.
Draft is marginal with a short stack and even worse with warm temps. The colder it gets, the better it will draw.
Adding 3 ft will help a lot, but dont forget to brace it now. Mine is just over 6 ft above the peak (great draft) but I have a basement install. So the 18 ft helps overcome the two 90°'s to get out.
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Adding 3 ft will help a lot, but dont forget to brace it now. Mine is just over 6 ft above the peak (great draft) but I have a basement install. So the 18 ft helps overcome the two 90°'s to get out.
I thought about it not drawing as well with the warmer air, but decided to add the 3 ft to meet the manuals specifications. A little extra draw can't hurt, right?
...wow, you've got some money in the setup dexter! Oh yeah, lowes doesn't have a chimney roof brace kit, any suggestions?
...wow, you've got some money in the setup dexter! Oh yeah, lowes doesn't have a chimney roof brace kit, any suggestions?
@DexterDay may I ask where you sourced the stand offs on the house ? The pieces that allow the class A to go straight up and make its way past the eaves ?Looks like a neat install.
That is exactly what I did except I cut the tile before intitial installation. A square hole for the round tube and then 3m fire caulking for the gaps. The fire caulk hardens up like grout. You can see it in the OAK pics in my signature.
Custom made by a Millright/Maintenance Man at work. I gave him measurements and hole placement. He gave me the pieces that look made to fit.
Its just 1" square stock and a 3" x 3" flat plate welded to both ends. Then several coats of Shiny Silver and a couple with clear.
I didnt want to cut my eave... That was the easist way to go around. It took an extra 12" Class A section added onto the T going to the Thimble. But works well. Its 18' of Beautiful Class A reaching to the sky.
Highbeam, your OAK setup looks nice and clean behind the stove. Thats the route I'm going with. Mine will be more work since I have to pull up an already set tile, thats better than spending $50 on a hole saw though. Thanks for the input guys, with the OAK & increased chimney height, I don't see any reason this englander won't be cruising at full potential. .....hammer & chisel time.
Ok, I got everything done, and finally got a cool enough night to crank her up. Wow, what an improvement! I added 3' for chimney (giving me 15' total), and an outside air kit. Those two things totally woke this stove up for me. Was able to get, and maintain a secondary burn in about 30 min. Started the fire with out the door cracked, glass stays clean, and the air control is very effective. Really happy with the new englander. Thanks for all the advice, not just in this thread, but throughout the entire forum. Volumes of knowledge.
Oh yeah, I also ordered and bolted on the side heat shields because my wall is a little close on the one side. I probably didn't need it, but now I don't have to think about it when I'm trying to sleep.
Very happy.
Oh yeah, I also ordered and bolted on the side heat shields because my wall is a little close on the one side. I probably didn't need it, but now I don't have to think about it when I'm trying to sleep.
Very happy.
Yeah I know code calls for the OAK, but I ran my old stove w/o it anyway. It sounds like I did mine the same way you did, through the floor into the crawl space. Don't know for sure if it was the OAK or the extra chimney section or most likely both, but the stove runs allot better now. ...plus I'm not pulling in cold air to feed the fire. Cool.
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