I live in a 1100sq ft ranch in Maine where we tend to get some fairly cold weather. I’ve been heating the house using only an early 80’s Ashley circulator, rarely using our oil furnace as supplemental heat. While I’ve never had a problem with our Ashley, it’s starting to show it’s age and I’m thinking about upgrading. I’m leaning towards the englanders from Home Depot, but my worry is that while the nc13 would probably put out the right amount of heat for us, I’d sacrifice on the long burn times I need to make it through the night. On the other hand, if I went with the larger nc30, would I be able to run full loads at a low enough setting to make it through the night but not cook us out of the house? Any info on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Will an NC30 cook me out?
- Thread starter mainemike
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
In my experience the NC 30 does not offer a great deal of control unless you want to kill the secondaries. However, as much as it would like to fire up to 700 deg. stove top temps, I do find it can be throttled back to max out at 550 deg. or so. This is a large stove with a lot of surface area and letting it run 700 deg. means a tremendous amount of btus coming off of it. The air control is rather a crude device and you have to experiment with some rather fine adjustments to make it happen.
The large firebox means a more consistent output over the long coaling phase, so if you can moderate the initial peak after the secondaries kick in you should find a fairly consistent and moderate output for six to eight hours. The last two or so drop off to about 250 deg.
So, give yourself 30 minutes to get the temps up and the secondaries going, enjoy 90 minutes of high output, and a good steady moderate output for six to eight hours, and keep a good coal bed going for a strong restart another two hours.
Your mileage may vary.
The large firebox means a more consistent output over the long coaling phase, so if you can moderate the initial peak after the secondaries kick in you should find a fairly consistent and moderate output for six to eight hours. The last two or so drop off to about 250 deg.
So, give yourself 30 minutes to get the temps up and the secondaries going, enjoy 90 minutes of high output, and a good steady moderate output for six to eight hours, and keep a good coal bed going for a strong restart another two hours.
Your mileage may vary.
The 30 is a lot of stove. My first thought is that it'll cook you out of your house, but it's more complicated than that. Whether it's too big depends on the insulation of your home, the quality of your wood, the height of your chimney, etc. As said earlier, the stove likes to run 700F.
A 2 cubic foot stove should allow you to burn all night without issues and should heat a smaller house like yours without issue, and burn much less wood than a 30 stuffed full on every load.
A 2 cubic foot stove should allow you to burn all night without issues and should heat a smaller house like yours without issue, and burn much less wood than a 30 stuffed full on every load.
I have a new NC13 I am trying to get used too. The problem I have as far as burn times is
it is a east west firebox. My burn times are short mainly because I am afraid to load it completely
up not wanting logs rolling into the glass door. Also placing wood in you need to be very careful not to block
the primary air.
I think I would be happier with something I could load either direction. I think it would also make
it easier in getting the fire started.
It really depends on the house and the person running the stove. We have a member in the North Carolina mountains that put a 30NC in her <1000 sq ft cabin and loves it. How hot it gets is up to you, but having reserve power and fuel capacity is nice for very cold weather and overnight burns.
Is there any other stoves that might be better suited for my house? I’m trying to stay low budget wise because I’m going to have to rebuild my hearth when I make the switch seeing as the hearth I have now is made specifically for a circulator. I’m still leaning towards the nc30 for the capacity aspect but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
The Englander Madison (50 SSW01) is worth checking out too. Will the stove have at least 15' of flue on it? If not, you may need to seek out an easy breathing stove.
The 30 is a workhorse but not the most attractive stove out there these days. . I use one in my workshop. Unless you build a pedestal for it ,you almost have to lay on the floor to see the whole fire. I have mine up on a 16" pedestal. Another problem i have with the 30 is the door glass needs to get cleaned daily. The summers heat line 1800 and 2000 models sell for less than the 30 and are much better looking and have a built in pedestal. Stay away from the 2400 model,lots of problems. Also depends if you putting the stove in your basement or your living room if it will cook you out.
Last edited:
The budget version is the True North TN20. Also look at the Lopi 1750 & Heatilator WS18.
The 13 is an awesome little heater, and I love mine, but it's burn times are an issue. 4 - 6 hours max heat output / burn time. Mine heats 600 SF on really cold days on Long Island.
I don't think a 30 would be a bad fit, especially if the price is right.
You don't have to cram it full, 1/2 a load would probably give you 8 - 10 hours ( @BrotherBart for clarification here, our 30 expert
). You can always build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.
I don't think a 30 would be a bad fit, especially if the price is right.
You don't have to cram it full, 1/2 a load would probably give you 8 - 10 hours ( @BrotherBart for clarification here, our 30 expert
). You can always build a smaller fire in a bigger box, but not a bigger fire in a smaller box.
Mike M.
Feeling the Heat
Are you sure that you can find a 30NC? They are not so common any longer, at least in Wisconsin. 5 years ago I had to order mine from Colorado, although I only paid $650. For that price it's a bargain and I would put one in almost anywhere. You don't have to load it up all the way, build a fire to match your heat requirements. It does sit low like others mentioned but that is not an issue for me. The stove is very safe and has a good door latch system, better than other more expensive units that I have burned in. It's a solid unit, no frills but simple heat machine.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I burn the heck out of an nc30. Glass stays totally clear, amazingly clear, except every few weeks I wipe off the white ash that blows onto it. Might be a matter of burnibg dry fuel. Mine sits on an 18” hearth so I never noticed the lack of fire view, always thought the fire view was typical noncat awesome.
MAD MARK
Feeling the Heat
Same here oak and cherry clean glass.
Fire view is what you make of it. My setup is same as Highbeams. 18" plus the factory pedestal.
FWIW, there are 2 Brand New NC30s near me on Facebook for $400 never fired in. They are out there.
Similar threads
