# Napoleon 1900... I think I'm ready!



## vtburner (Nov 13, 2009)

I think I have finally decided on a new wood stove, the Napoleon 1900.  This is a result of several months of research, learning, searching for deals on craigslist, and generally obsessing about replacing my ancient deathtrap of a woodstove.  I figured since I put so much time into figuring out which stove would be best for me, I might as well share my conclusions and the features that set the Napoleon apart from the rest for me. Here they are:

-The Numbers: all the specs are very very good, as as good or better than pretty much all the rest in it's class; large firebox (3+ cuft), long burn times (12+ hrs), high BTU, High efficiency (78%+ I believe), super low emissions.

-The Ash Dump - Unique spring loaded ash dump trap door instead of plug(which i decided long ago I would go sans-ashdrawer before I bought a stove with an ash plug), or grates (Which then require a fully sealed ash drawer, which means more gaskets and more places for air leakage to develop)

-The Air Control: The one lever in front not only controls the primary air, but also adjusts the secondary air intake at the same time, keeping both air supplies (supposedly) in proper proportion for better performance.  seems like many other stoves have adjustable primary air, but fixed secondary air.

-Adjustable Primary Air intake - supposedly you can adjust the primary air restrictor plate, which will be great for tinkering and/or getting the stove to shut down better if there is too much draft.  I guess it's a pain to get at the adjustment though, and I don't know if I'll even mess with it, but it is freakin' nice to have the option.

-THE LOOKS - To me, it is a very sharp looking steel stove; much better looking than the basic plate steel boxes that dominate many of the other brands.

-Highly Convective Design - Full side, rear & top Convection Shrouds for moving air around.  Very important to me since I am gonna be trying to heat the whole house and don't want to be cooked out of the room its in.  I know some people may prefer a more radiant design but this is a HUGE plus for me...  In case you would miss the cooktop surface of a more radiant model, there is an $80 option for a cooktop insert that goes where the top trivet is, so you can have a cooktop AND STILL keep all that convection.  Love it, best of both worlds.

-Vortex Reburn System seems like a great concept to me. 2-peice top baffle also seems well engineered and looks like it would be way more effective at creating turbulence/circulation for effective reburning than a lot of other stove's basic flat top baffles (you'd have to look one over to see what I mean on this one). The whole reburn system just seems better thought out than the stoves that just slap burn tubes in the flat top of the stove. (pure feeling/opinion/speculation here, I'm no combustion engineer)

-PRICE - Perfect compromise on price - almost directly in the middle of super-brand-named stoves like PE, QuadraFire, Harmon, Jotul, etc, and super-bargian-brand stoves like Drolet, Englander, Vogelzang, etc.  I have been Quoted ~$1525 for a full flat black setup (without the blower though).  Waiting on 2nd quote from another shop.  Really makes you feel like you are getting a quality stove but aren't paying too much just for a brand stamp.

-Positive reviews/experiences reported by existing Napoleon Owners on this site.  Looking forward to joining the ranks!

I'll be pulling the trigger soon, so last minute opinions are welcome.  I also hope that this information will help others looking for a new stove consider the napoleon closely.  I had overlooked it entirely for about two months while I was researching the more expensive brands, before I came back to it way more educated and discovered all these fantastic features

http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Stoves/stoves_wood/stoves_wood.html


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## Fsappo (Nov 13, 2009)

It's a fine stove, I've sold a handful of them in the past.  Never any complaints.  $1500 for a 3.0 cubic foot firebox is a good deal.  See if you can buy it from a local dealer and have them for support if you need it.  Retail on that stove is $1878, so it looks like your getting a good deal.


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## moosetrek (Nov 13, 2009)

Check Lehman's.com too...


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## Fsappo (Nov 13, 2009)

Unless your saving tons of money, try to shop local.  It better for many obvious reasons


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## vtburner (Nov 13, 2009)

Local guy down the road just gave me a quote for $1726.20, plus the Blower for free.  Thats already better than any of the online retailers once you add the door and blower.

The local guy here is awesome anyway, I think I will be buying it from him when I do.  I would have only considered buying local regardless of the price for something like this, for the service/warranty aspect.  Plus, its more than worth it to me to support a local small business.


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## kbrown (Nov 14, 2009)

We originally ordered ours from a local dealer, but the high demand kept them from being able to fill the order. We ended up finding one in stock from Flamedepot.com and they were able to have it shipped within 48 hours to us. We did go to the local place for he door and liner kit though. Very pleased with ours and it really does work like the video on their site. A friend of mine in turn ended up buying one too after much research of other brands. Once he saw ours up close and working, he was sold! 
I don't know if it's just your model or not, but I didn't see any indication of being able to make further adjustments to the primary air control; although it just requires a quick bending of the stop on the plate; nothing hard to do but I just left mine the way it was; didn't want to mess with the warranty.


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## Fsappo (Nov 14, 2009)

vtburner said:
			
		

> Local guy down the road just gave me a quote for $1726.20, plus the Blower for free.  Thats already better than any of the online retailers once you add the door and blower.
> 
> The local guy here is awesome anyway, I think I will be buying it from him when I do.  I would have only considered buying local regardless of the price for something like this, for the service/warranty aspect.  Plus, its more than worth it to me to support a local small business.



You just brought a tear to my eye...well almost.  We need more good Americans like you who, if they can afford to, keep the mom and pop shops open if possible.  Enjoy the stove


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## begreen (Nov 14, 2009)

And buy Canadian.   ;-P


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## Fsappo (Nov 14, 2009)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> And buy Canadian.   ;-P



heyyy, isnt Canada still America? Thats what I tell folks when they ask about my wife, who is from Brazil.   I say she is American, I just dont get into specifics unless they ask


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## vtburner (Nov 15, 2009)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> And buy Canadian.   ;-P



Napoleon/Wolf Steel has at least one manufacturing plant in the US.  Its in Kentucky I believe.  Maybe if I'm Lucky my stove, or at least some of its parts, will have come from that facility!


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## theheatelement (Nov 15, 2009)

As well as Monessen who know owns Vermont Casting



			
				vtburner said:
			
		

> BeGreen said:
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## Bigg_Redd (Nov 15, 2009)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> And buy Canadian.   ;-P



x2

Pacific Energy Summit


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 15, 2009)

I think I've gotten my PhD on the Napleon 1900. Had it for 2 years now. If/when you need to replace the upper baffles just use 4.5"x9"x1.5" fire brick. The stove was origonally designed for these bricks but because some users were not running hot enough, they got more smoke than expected. The baffles solved this "low heat smoke" problem.

I've made this mod and its working out very well. The brick also adds to the thermal mass of the stove. I've noticed that less ash is produced also.

I get a lot of info/parts/help from the folks at:

Obadiah's Dealership contact
800-968-8604

They are up in Montana, run the Napoleon through the minus 30 degree winters and where one of the origonal distributors of the stove in the U.S.


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## Rowski (Dec 15, 2009)

Vtburner

Who is your dealer?

Thanks!


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## JoeyD (Dec 15, 2009)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> I think I've gotten my PhD on the Napleon 1900. Had it for 2 years now. If/when you need to replace the upper baffles just use 4.5"x9"x1.5" fire brick. The stove was origonal designed for these bricks but because some users were not running hot enough, they got more smoke than expected. The baffles solved this "low heat smoke" problem.
> 
> I've made this mod and its working out very well. The brick also adds to the thermal mass of the stove. I've noticed that less ash is produced also.
> 
> ...



HT, how long have you been running like this? I have an 1100c which is similar but smaller that always seems to want to run to hot. After looking at the manual I could just use two bricks. Do you think this might help keep my temps down?


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## Rickochet (Dec 16, 2009)

We are working on our second winter with the 1900.  We have been very happy with it.  We can load it up at 5am and return home at 5pm with a nice bed of coals, a nice warn house and an easy fire to get hot again.  I haven't found any problems with the stove yet--- the baffles could be a maintenance item.  The ash pan works great, the blower is quiet compared to many other brands' and the list of positive attributes is lengthy!  Enjoy your 1900!


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 16, 2009)

Hi,

I have been running with the fire bricks (instead of a baffle) for about a week now. I don't notice any more smoke that usual nor do I feel that it is running cooler. I wish I had known about using firebrick as baffles a lot earlier. Up til now, I had been using hardibacker slabs. They only last about 3 weeks (but are very inexpensive to make).


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## Rickochet (Dec 16, 2009)

Are the Napoleon baffles expensive?  So far I haven't had to replace anything on my stove.  Were your baffles damaged or just tired?


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 16, 2009)

They just got kicked around from me, my teenagers (3) and wife putting wood into the stove. Keep in mind I burn a cord a month 24/7 from Halloween to Valentines day ( I work out of my house).

You want to make sure there are no holes in the baffels since it will allow hot air flow (plasma) and reduce the efficiency of the stove and possibly warp it. As soon as you get some, replace it with fire brick. A set of new baffles is $65. A set of 8 fire bricks is $15 or so (4.5" x 9" x 1.5"). And the bricks should last far longer.


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 16, 2009)

Oh yes, I'd had the baffles 2 years before I replaced them.


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## Rickochet (Dec 16, 2009)

Thanks for the info HeatsTwice!


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## Deron (Dec 16, 2009)

vtburner said:
			
		

> BeGreen said:
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Correct. It's in Crittenden KY, approximately 30 miles south of Cincinnati and 50 miles north of Lexington.


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## kbrown (Dec 17, 2009)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> I think I've gotten my PhD on the Napleon 1900. Had it for 2 years now. If/when you need to replace the upper baffles just use 4.5"x9"x1.5" fire brick. The stove was origonally designed for these bricks but because some users were not running hot enough, they got more smoke than expected. The baffles solved this "low heat smoke" problem.
> 
> I've made this mod and its working out very well. The brick also adds to the thermal mass of the stove. I've noticed that less ash is produced also.
> 
> ...



Yes, Obadiah's is great for a Napoleon owner like me. They helped me out this year with needing to replace the airwash gasket and they told me soo much more about our 1402. She even mentioned about how Wolfe Steel uses the standard size fire bricks and to get them from ACE or another hardware. I noticed on a friends new Napoleon that they significantly increased the thickness of those baffles. I love our insert, but was disappointed by the one season failure of the airwash gasket - once that was replaced the air wash works great - just didn't know about it until speaking to them!


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## kbrown (Dec 17, 2009)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> They just got kicked around from me, my teenagers (3) and wife putting wood into the stove. Keep in mind I burn a cord a month 24/7 from Halloween to Valentines day ( I work out of my house).
> 
> You want to make sure there are no holes in the baffels since it will allow hot air flow (plasma) and reduce the efficiency of the stove and possibly warp it. As soon as you get some, replace it with fire brick. A set of new baffles is $65. A set of 8 fire bricks is $15 or so (4.5" x 9" x 1.5"). And the bricks should last far longer.



That's a lot of wood you burn through. I never knew that California had as cold of weather to burn that much. Found this on Wiki for that area - is it colder than what this shows?

Month     High (°F)     Low (°F)     Precip. (inches)
January     58 (14°C)     37 (3°C)     6.2 (15.74 cm)
February     63 (17°C)     40 (4°C)     4.64 (11.78 cm)
March     65 (18°C)     41 (5°C)     4.34 (11.02 cm)
April     70 (21°C)     42 (6°C)     1.8 (4.57 cm)
May     75 (24°C)     46 (8°C)     0.31 (0.79 cm)
June     80 (27°C)     50 (10°C)     0.3 (0.76 cm)
July     84 (29°C)     51 (11°C)     0 (0 cm)
August     83 (28°C)     52 (11°C)     0 (0 cm)
September     83 (28°C)     51 (11°C)     0.6 (1.52 cm)
October     77 (25°C)     47 (8°C)     1.86 (4.72 cm)
November     65 (18°C)     42 (6°C)     4.8 (12.2 cm)
December     57 (14°C)     37 (3°C)     4.96 (12.6 c


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 17, 2009)

Yes, 

After a fifteen minute conversation with them, I learned all about the stuff which is never mensioned in the manual


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## Deron (Dec 17, 2009)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Yes,
> 
> After a fifteen minute conversation with them, I learned all about the stuff which is never mensioned in the manual



Care to elaborate?


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 17, 2009)

heatit said:
			
		

> HeatsTwice said:
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This year has been a little colder than the rest. BTW the lows you have in your list are too high. For instance last week we got down to the low 20's (F).

I work out of my house and have 2 daughters, 1 wife,  and always wear shorts. The family keeps happy this way. I'm always hot, their always cold. My house is also kinda big.


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 18, 2009)

Deron said:
			
		

> HeatsTwice said:
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1)  Napoleon is using the new material (vermiculite I think) to make baffles because people started complaining about too much smoke early on in the fire - before it got hot. So now I always keep mine hot since I am using fire brick as baffles instead of their new vermiculite. 

2) The brick at the back of my stove are made from something called "refactory" not "fire" brick the difference is in the insulative characteristics. When I talked with Obedia's people the tech indicated that if I replaced all of the fire brick with refactory fire brick,  I would significantly increase the "heat capacity" of my stove, turn it into more of a Russian/Finnish stove and would have far less ash after every burn. But when he called the factory to order me some, the Techs there advised against for reasons unkown. But just having the baffles be fire brick instead of vermiculite, I notice the difference in the amount of ash.

3) When it comes time to replace the air manafold shield (should be done about every 2 years), if you find that one or more of the mounting bolts has stripped out, they will send you some high temperature (2000 F) expoxy which you use to put in the stripped out hole and create new threads with. All that is required is that you send back the unused portion. Its a $35 tube and you will only use a small portion of it.

4) The Napoleon 1900 stove is something called "a convection" stove. It heats air which then moves around the house. Other stoves produce direct heat (rather than convestion heat) and tend to blast people out of the room the stove is in while other rooms stay cold. The convection process helps even out the heat throughout the house.  BTW, although I have not bought a fan, I think this may be one justification for doing so; it would add in the convection-ness of the stove.

5) Fire bricks crack - which is normal, but if they crumble, it may be time to have some spares on hand.

This kind of stuff. Also the tech I talked with had had a Napoleon for 8 years or so.


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## pellet9999 (Dec 18, 2009)

will  
 (4.5” x 9” x 1.5”).  firebricks fit right into the 1100P instead of the light baffles..??? it seems you would need at least 4,no..??
any other retrofits for the Napolean 1100... its basically identical to the 1900 but N/S  shorter...


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 18, 2009)

the standard baffles are 9"x20" so you are a little short if you use 4 4.5" bricks but you can always cut the 5th with a tile saw if you feel you want to.


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## cycloxer (Dec 18, 2009)

Schnazzy house. Love the deck.


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## HeatsTwice (Dec 18, 2009)

thx. We all gotta live somewhere. You never own a house; It owns you.


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## Rickochet (Jan 3, 2010)

VT Burner-- Did you buy the stove?  You have got to give us a report!


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## 67charger (Jan 12, 2010)

I have heated with the Napoloeon 1900P for the past 1 1/2 years anow and am very pleased.  We live in upstate NY and it heats our 2700Square foot house cpomfortably right down into the single digits.  once it gets past that I use the baseaboard oilfired hot water to suppplmenet.  We heat from Oct thru AprilMay and burn approx 7 full cords a year.  I tried several older style stoves abd did a lot of research before buying the Napoloeon last year.  For the money it is a good buy.  I to have had excessive wear on the baffles because we load it up full, and early on were unaware of the damage we were doing to the baffles, but are now more careful.  I also stumbled across Obadiah's and am very pleased with them.  I purchased the blower (a must buy for this stove as it heats the houes much more efificiently with it) and also a replacement set of baffles for when our get too much more beat up.  I would rate this stove a dolid performer, but it is not a very heavy duty stove like the quadrafire I wanted.  for us it works very well.  Over the older stoves I tried, I noticed several good things-  I burn less wood, smoke a lot less from the chimney, and have much less chimney buildup throughtout the year.  DEfeinitely a big step up from the older stoves like the all nighter and mama bear and and fire boss I used previously.


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 13, 2010)

About a month ago, I replaced my baffles with regurlar fire brick. Its worked great. I don't have to worry about banging the baffles.

Now that I have read your testimonial on the fan, thats next on my list. You are the first person I know who has actually put one on these monster stoves. 

Have you got some pictures of your installation?

Which heavy duty quadrafire did you have in mind? I would like to check those out as well - for comparison.


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## 67charger (Jan 13, 2010)

I forget what model quadrafire I was looking at, but their comparable model was almost another $1700-1800 over what I paid for the 1900P, plus tax on top of it.  Mind you I visited the only large BIG stove distributor in my area, and they know they are the only place in town for large selection so you do pay for it!  I mail ordered the 1900P and it was $1750 complete to the door in a no frills all black model.  This is a heating unit, so I didnt care about the designer door or gold trim and gold trivet, etc..  The blower was another $180+ from Obadiahs, and the instructions were generic at best.  Before buying the blower I used both a 20" box fan to move the air, and later a similar squirrel cage blower from a previous stove blower design, but neither compared to getting the heat out of the 1900 once I installed the correct fan from Obadiah's.  I had actually removed a break away section of the back cover from the 1900 when fitting the smaller squirrel cage previously and had to reweld that breakaway piece back in place in order to fit the correct Napoloeon blower once I received it.  I mentioned the instructions with the blower were vague, and think they are the same instrucitons that come with all blowers for all Napoloeon freestanding stoves, so you have to play with the fitment a little first before screwing anything in place.  There is a thermal switch on the AC inlet wire attached to the blower, and you  have to mount that separately to the back cover of the stove with a self-tapping screw, but nothing tells you where it has to be mounted.  you are forced to make it not too far away because of the short wire, but I was concerned about being too close to the back of the forebox and damage the switch or be too far away to have it come on late and shut off too early.  so, I "SWAG"d it and it works and has not turned off in the past couple months because of the constant cold outside, and fire inside!  I was worried about routing the 120V black wire across any of the sharp brackets or edges of the stamped metal housing because a frayed 120V wire is a very bad thing.  I was very tempted to write Napoleon and tell them how bad their instructions were, but I know how far that would go, and once installed and it worked during my first firing with it, I let it go. If they re-write their bad instructions it will only drive the cost up another $20 anyways.  I will have to try the bricks up top trick instead of using the replacement baffles I have already.  Being an engineer I cant stop screwing with things, so I am curious to see how they fit and if any differences are noticed.  I am sure I can get my $60 back out of the baffles on Ebay as I see they go for a premium there.  Obadiah's was a good find for sure.  I also noticed Obadiah's had an $8 blower guard which I did not purchase, and I wondered what that was about.
BTW-  I am heating a 25' x 40' ranch (1000 ft2) from the basement with an addition over the attached garage and the sotve is heating the semi-finished (insulated) basement it is in the center of, plus the 3 brms and 2 baths over it on 2nd floor, and the addition consisting of a kitchen and living room thru the open stairwell.  Far from your castle, but I would guess my taxes are about the same as yours, as I am in NY, otherwise known as the welfare state of the NorthEast


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 15, 2010)

>I was very tempted to write Napoleon and tell them how bad their instructions were, but I know how far that would go...

I did exactly that when I found that they could not give me the mechanical drawings of their cooking trivet. It turned out that the guys who actually know anything over their are so busy, they have underlings handle issues like technical specs. When I finally lambasted them in email for acting in a way that was pissing off an otherwise loyal customer, I finally got through to the rear ranks and was sent this very precise drawing.

Maybe way in the back there are some really good instructions that have been dumbed down those working in the front of the store.

>I “SWAG"d it and it works...

When I get my blower I'll hit you up for information on the majic spot.

>Being an engineer I cant stop screwing with things..

There are therapy groups for this. .  If God game to earth and gave man the perfect widget, an engineer would start by identifying how it could be made better.

> so I am curious to see how they fit and if any differences are noticed...

The brick fit like they were designed to fit in - because they were. I use the half bricks. For around $16 you can completly replace the baffles.


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## Rickochet (Jan 15, 2010)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> >
> 
> > so I am curious to see how they fit and if any differences are noticed...
> 
> The brick fit like they were designed to fit in - because they were. I use the half bricks. For around $16 you can completly replace the baffles.



Heats Twice---- Thanks for the info.  Have you noticed any unusual smoking issues with the conversion to fire brick baffles?  My baffles are still in good shape, but I know that within a few years they will need replaced.  I have a few issues with smoking when the stove is <250 degrees and I don't want to add any additional opportunities for smoking.

Thanks & happy burning!


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 15, 2010)

Hi,

No problems with smoking. But I always burn well above 250 degrees. I also throw in large (15-25lb) splits and haveing that (practically) unbreakable brick up there gives me nice peice of mind.

Another joke about engineers:

Optomist:        Glass is half full.
Pesimist:         Glass is half empty
Engineer:        Glass is twice as big as it needs to be.


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## 67charger (Jan 15, 2010)

when you guys are talking temperatures, WHERE are taking your temps?  I assume under the trivet, as that where I see the reference temperatures taken from in the owners manual.  If I remember correctly, I believe the owners manual mentions stove efficieincies are best when the stove temp as measured under the trivet are between 500-600 degrees?  I use a magnetic thermometer under the trivet, and 6-8" up the stack for stack temp reference as well.  For most efficient heating I would say my under trivet temps are best between 450 - 700.  I find that is most commonly accomplished by setting the air input "draft knob" between 2.5 - 3.5 for most efficient operation.

I have noticed the under trivet temps ironically drop as much as 100 -200 degrees when the upper baffles have been disturbed and there is a large 3-4 inch gap between them from being bumped during loading, so those baffles make a large difference when put in place correctly !

As I stated before, I burn from October thru AprilMay depending on the temps each year.  But, I CONTINUOUSLY run the stove from probably NovDec thru MarchApril.  My first months using this stove last year I was constantly battling a relatively high coalsh level that consumed too much of the fairly short firebox height.  We have come up with a loading scheme that seems very effective for keeping the coalsh levels at a minimum wile continously burning the stove through the colder months, and getting the most heat of our wood.  We try and get our temps up throughout the day to accomodate the longer burn times we achieve at night by closing the damper to "1" or so .  Problem is the low and long burns we do at night leaves a pile of coals that accumulate too much if you keep burning it on low, and loading front to rear.  so, what we do to burn up the accumulating coals and keep the stove hot enough to burn efficiently is we burn 16" or so split logs sideways instead of front to rear in a 2 or 3 : 1 ratio.  Meaning, for every long slow burn at night with logs front to rear as explained in the manual, we burn another 2 or 3 times between that with short split wood pieces turned sideways.  the stove really gives off the heat this way, and burns up the accumulating coals into almost dust ash very well.  In order to do this, I use my shovel or poker to move most of the coals to the left and right running front to rear, leaving an air 'tunnel" down the middle to the rear.  I then set my shorter split pieces left to right, and and stack them closely, and possibly a single one on top to create a triangular stack, but sideways, spanning the air trough down the middle.  I also place the first log almost 1/3 of way forward from the back of the stove for a small tight load.  I came up with this idea from watching the stove throughout it's own burn cycles over months.  I discovered with the stoves design of letting the inlet air in low and middle front of the firebox, the stove burns best when it burns the wood and creates a super hot middle kiln area surrounded by wood on 3 sides and possible on top.  So, by creating the trough down the middle and burning shorter split pieces left to right, I am creating this same "kilnlike" tunnel,  that burns hot and efficiently, and allows the coals on the left and right and rear of the box to burn completely into energy because the box temps are so high, and the air is moving across them anyways.  I was even able to get my teenage son to understand it and he practices the same loading 2-3 sideways :1 front to rear ratio and we have become very comfrotable using this stove throughout the long winter heating months to comfortable heat our 2700 sq ft. house down into the single digits when managed properly.

To accomodate this sideways log placement cycle thing we do, I now cut some wood 16" , and others at 20 - 22" and stack them all together, so when we bring in wood each time, we have a good mix of sideways and front to rear logs.

This year between the blower installation, and the new loading scheme I am getting a lot more out of my stove than I did last year and our wood consumption is down as well!  Before coming up with this, we had too much unburned coals and I would unfortunately have to discard some of the not so completely burned coals out with in the ash bucket, to make room for a long overnight slow burn, and that was frustrating.  I am now betting the load of logs we get annualy that used to only heat our house for one year, will likely get us almost 1.5 years because of the our napoleon stove, and the way we are using it.  I also stuck a mirror up my chimney last week and couldnt believe how clean it is compared to previous years with older technology, but good named brand stoves.  Happy Napoloeon stove burning!


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 15, 2010)

I place one thermostat on the top plate visor above the door (not under the trivit). The other I put 6-10 inches up the stove pipe - as you do. 

I also have noticed almost no soot build up on the inside of my chimney even after burning cords of pine and a mix of silver maple.

I will try your stacking technique.


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## Rickochet (Jan 16, 2010)

Great info exchange here gang!  I have 2 thermometers on my 1900 as well.  I have a magnetic Rutland on the "visor" above the door on the left side.  It indicates stove temps.  I usually burn it between 300 & 500 degrees F.  My 2nd thermometer is a Condor Flue Gas Thermometer that has a stem that goes directly in to the stove pipe 16" up from the top of the stove indicating flue temps.  I endeavor to maintain a range of 400 to 900 degrees F for flue temps.  I also try to burn the stove as hot as possible to keep creosote to a minimum. 

Constantly maintaining a stove at those temps is a challenge at times.  As long as we are at home and the outside ambient temps are <30F we don't have much problem.  If the outside temps rise and especially if it is >40F we either have to burn small hot fires or large "smoldering" fires.  The hot fires really help keep the flue clean, but the smoldering fires have a tendency to do the opposite. 

Our stove has been burning since November only letting it burn down to hot coals for cleaning.  When the coals build up to about door bottom level, I use a "rake" to pull the coals to the front of the stove as much as possible.  Moving the coals to the front helps reestablish the fire when more splits are added.  I typically add a few 3"x4" size pieces of well seasoned hard wood to get 'er going to the higher temps.  I then add a few large splits or half rounds for the extended times I need.  

I always load the stove in the "north--south" orientation as I like to burn my 20" + wood.  If using 14" to 16" wood placed "east to west", I lose from 20% to 30% of the fire box capacity, which proportionately reduces maximum burn times.  When packing the stove tight with hardwood splits and rounds 20"+ long, I can easily maintain a fire for more than 12 hours.  That is one of the beauties of this stove!  It burns as well as or better than it is advertised!

I find that the hotter I burn my stove to keep the door glass "clean" the closer I am to utilizing the most efficiency as possible from the 1900.  My vermiculite baffles are holding up well, but when they finally give up, I will certainly give the fire brick trick a go. 

I ordered the stove with the blower installed and that has been a blessing!  I always keep the blower speed on low and we have a ceiling fan that helps circulate the warm air from our 16' high vaulted ceilings.  The 1900 does an outstanding job of heating our 4000 square feet!  2000 sq. ft. on the main level and a full basement  is kept very comfortable during the heating season in NE Indiana using only 3 cords of wood!  The house is tight and tucked in a large woods which really helps cut the wind, but I am extremely happy with the over all performance of the 1900!

I may give your suggestions of loading "east to west" for a relight, I will keep you posted!

Happy cutting, splitting and burning!  BTW---I do this to help maintain my sanity! 

.


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## EKLawton (Jan 16, 2010)

to get more heat out of mine I stuffed rope gasket in the back across the top of the rear shield. This makes all the air come out the front, puts out twice the heat.


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 16, 2010)

Can anyone comment on the amount of noise the fan makes?

Do you notice it when its on or off?


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## Rickochet (Jan 16, 2010)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Can anyone comment on the amount of noise the fan makes?
> 
> Do you notice it when its on or off?



HT--You can hear the fan even when it's on low speed, but it's more of just hearing the rush of the air movement and a very, very slight motor hum.  You can certainly tell when it is off because there's no air movement.  I have the variable speed control where you can go from low to high with infinitely adjustable speeds in between.   The higher RPM's the fan is spinning, the more air is moving and the more noise you can hear.  

This is our second winter with the 1900 and we have yet to have any problems at all.  (Knock on wood....)

How about your fan?  I think in an earlier post you mentioned that you installed the blower.  Are you having any probs or just doing a little sampling?


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 16, 2010)

I have not bought a fan yet. It is only because of you and 67charger that I am now thinking of buying one. I respect your recommendation's as you seem to know your stove well. In fact you two are the only ones in the last 2 years I have met on this site who's opinions about the Napoleon I trust. This is because you both seem to have had other types of stoves in the past and can compare them objectively - like me. Everything you guys have been saying about your stove matches my experiences with it.

The reason I did not buy the fan when I bought the stove is that, after talking with the people in 3 stove dealerships in my area about using a fan on other types of stoves, they all advised against it since the action of convection would accomplish the same amount of heat delivery. They said that all the fan would do is warm things up faster. But once the room was already warm the fan's effectiveness would diminish. 

I was inclined to disagree because if that where so, a car's radiator would serve no purpose. The fan has to aid in taking heat away from the stove in to the room and even keeping the stove itself cooler.

Now that you've confirmed my suspicions, I'm going go buy one.

Another question I have is whether to buy the type that has a thermal control on/off like 67charger or one with a speed control like yours. Do they sell models with both or do your fans already have both?


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## kenwit (Jan 16, 2010)

Franks said:
			
		

> vtburner said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Rickochet (Jan 16, 2010)

My 1900 is equipped with the thermal sensor and variable speed.  I am amazed at how much more air is circulated with the fan.  I believe that you will be very happy with the blower installation.  We also have two ceiling fans that we can use to move more air if weed need to. 

You are right on other wood stoves.  We have used many over the years like a basic "Warm Morning" with isingglass window for the door circa 1979, to Earth Stove that was a champion at creating a chimney fires circa early 1980's,  to the ol' heavy duty Fisher Papa Bear and now to the Napoleon 1900.  Each stove was a learning experience and over the past 30 years, I have learned much about heating with wood.  

I wish that I would have discovered the Napoleons sooner.  I always do a lot of research before making a purchase and I certainly compared many of the manufacturers and their products.  I found that the dealers in my area consistently promoted the Napoleons over the numerous brands of other stoves.  That was a certain confirmation that helped me make my selection. 

Maybe a dealer in your area might have a 1900 with a blower installed so you could hear how quiet it really is.  Let me know how you come out on your fan installation!


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 28, 2010)

[del][/del]


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 28, 2010)

Hi, 

Actually I only installed the blower yesterday. It rocks! Of course its only 45 degrees outside so I can't tell if it will solve my extreme cold problem - when its in the low 20s.

But wife & daughters all say that the stove burns much warmer with the blower on. 

Thanks to all for the recommendation. I did stuff rope gasket along the back as EKLawton suggested. It makes a lot of sence. Great idea.

As 67charger mensioned, I too found the instructions confusing. The pictures they provided as part of the instruction steps showed the motor wired with the poles reversed. And the clues to which wire of the speed control to disconnect/cut were hidden in it. But in an hour and a half, I had it installed. But I had to use my own screws since the self tapping ones were too small for the pre drilled holes in the heat sheild and there was no wire nut included to finnish off the thermistor connection. But what the hey, I had them all in my garage as spares from some other project. I've attached the directions I recieved.

My thermistor is in contact with the stove fire box so that it turned on within 15 minutes of starting the fire last night. But this morning I found that the fan was still running even though all I had left were few coals. I guess that the cut off temp is far lower than I expected as the stove was still too hot to touch (low 200s). This says a lot about the heat capacity of the stove - its high - stores heat a long time - especially after replacing the baffles with fire brick, which after 3-4 weeks of constant burn are still in good shape with no signs of wear.

67Charger asked where we are measureing the temperature. Attached are some really losy pictures of the two thermostats I have on the stove. There was so much heat being thrown off by the stove it made it difficult to focus the camera. But the one in the upper part of the picture is under the trivit (trivit removed). The lower one is on the viser just above the door. The fan is running and upper one registers 675 degrees the lower 575 degrees. So I always put one on the visor and add 100 degrees to figure what the temp is below the trivet.


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 28, 2010)

BTW, if ever someone has questions about how to deal with intake air manifold heat shield screws which have become stripped and need replacement, just let me know. I have a solution blessed buy the guys at Obadias.


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## Rickochet (Jan 29, 2010)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> BTW, if ever someone has questions about how to deal with intake air manifold heat shield screws which have become stripped and need replacement, just let me know. I have a solution blessed buy the guys at Obadias.



HT---- Ever since this was mentioned in an earlier post, I have not been sleeping well.  I have pondered the repair and now you have the fix that may just allow me to get some sleep, and you didn't share it.......  Come on, throw this ol' dawg a bone!!   I sure could use some sleep


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## HeatsTwice (Jan 29, 2010)

Three pictures are better than a bunch of words. Click on the pictures for enlargement.


First picture: These are the tools I used to drill the "key hole"  in the manifold. The bolt is a 1 inch stainless steel. ($0.45 at home depo). The smaller diameter drill bit fits the shank of the bolt while the lager bit allows the bolt head to pass through to the interior of the manafold. The bolt head is 1/2 inch. 

Second picture: This is the hole after successful drilling. I used a center punch to start the holes. This way the drill didn't wander. 


Third picture: Here is what the final solution looks like. Notice the top of the fire box along the manifold shield where the threaded portion of the 1" stainless steel bolt protrudes. No manifold air escapes from this hole since it is filled with the bolt and covered by washer and nut. It is a good idea to let as much stainless steel bolt protrude as is shown. This way, when it comes time to replace the manifold sheild (2-3 yrs from now) and the nut won't turn without turning the bold, a set of vice grips can be snapped on the end to hold the bolt still while loosening the nut enough to slide the bolt through the key hole. 
If you click on the picture you can see the fire brick I've substituted for the factory baffel. Notice no wear or cracks even after many weeks (months) of 24/7 burning. 


So far so good. Its been two weeks. If I did not already have the angle drill, I would have rented one from the rental shop around the corner.

Of course, instead of any of this drilling, I could have just used a large heat resistant rivet.


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## HeatsTwice (Feb 11, 2010)

Dang! All that thought. All that work. What a great solution which is still working even now - weeks later. An no reply/comments.

Anyways, the blower is a great thing. Putting it on my stove has kept its overall temperature down and the overall temp of the house up (by 4-5 degrees).

Thanks for suggesting it.


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## KB007 (Feb 11, 2010)

EKLawton said:
			
		

> to get more heat out of mine I stuffed rope gasket in the back across the top of the rear shield. This makes all the air come out the front, puts out twice the heat.



How is this working out for you?  Would it be the same for my 1450??  What size gasket did you use?


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## VCBurner (Feb 11, 2010)

Hey VT, sounds like a heck of a stove for a good price.  I'm not a huge steel plate fanatic, but if I had to buy a new stove I would most certainly consider this one.  The big fire box, long burn times and high heat output sound ideal for any stove.  Combined with the decent price I don't see how you could lose.  Not a bad looking unit, for a plate steel job too!!  Good luck, send us some pics when you get it installed!!

Specifications Model 1900 
Emissions(grams per hour) 2.8 
Width x Height x Depth (inches) 25 1/2 x 33 1/4 x 31 1/2  
Firebox Chamber (W.H.D.) (inches) 18 x 12 x 22 1/2  
Firebox Capacity 3.0 cu. ft. 
Weight without bricks 285 lbs.  
Weight of Bricks 114 lbs. 
Approximate Area Heated* sq. ft. 1,000 - 3,500+ 
Heat output BTU/h** 11,800 - 34,000 
Heat Output BTU/h (high burn)*** 85,000 BTU 
Burn Time (low fire)* 12 hours 
Catalytic combustor no 
Mobile home approved no  
R-2000 approved (Canada) yes 
Max. log size 20" 
Outside combustion air yes 
Blower kit available yes 
Flue diameter 6"


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## Rickochet (Feb 12, 2010)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Dang! All that thought. All that work. What a great solution which is still working even now - weeks later. An no reply/comments.
> 
> Anyways, the blower is a great thing. Putting it on my stove has kept its overall temperature down and the overall temp of the house up (by 4-5 degrees).
> 
> Thanks for suggesting it.



HT-- What a tremendous idea   Sorry I didn't comment earlier--- we've had lots of things happening in the past few weeks.  However, the 1900 is keeping us nice & toasty!  Glad you are enjoying the blower!


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## EKLawton (Feb 12, 2010)

KB007 said:
			
		

> EKLawton said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It was a peice of 5/8 that I had on the shelf. It forces more of the blower air out the front, if you feel on the back of the stove there is a gap where the sheild meets the top . Thats where I put it, I thinke it works great.


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## gatesboy (Feb 18, 2010)

I love my 1900, bought it last winter from ventingdirect for $1306, free blower and  the door was cheap too.  talked them into free shipping.  only problems seem quite common, the baffles are falling appart (thanks for the tip on the firebrick) and the firebrick on the sides falls into the firebox from time to time.  anyone else have this problem?  i think I am going to change all the brick out as suggested.  This baby is always hot.  We live in a very cold and snowy area and last year i only used 100 gallons of oil because of this stove.  burned about 17 face cord


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## HeatsTwice (Mar 10, 2010)

After installing the fan and burning for over a month non stop, I can see why a fan is a must for this type of stove:

1) Way more heat is blown out to the rest of the house.
2) By drawing away the heat from the stove to the rest of the house, the metal of the stove stays cooler meaning that I have not even once gotten close to over fire which in the past would have warped components of the stove.

Napolean should make the fan a mandatory component of every shipment as without it, the efficiency is far lower and the change for warpage through over fire is possible.


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## Rickochet (Sep 20, 2010)

Glad that you are enjoying your new blower.  We still love our 1900!  Looking forward to beginning the heating season real soon!


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## ControlFreak (Sep 20, 2010)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> I think I've gotten my PhD on the Napleon 1900. Had it for 2 years now. If/when you need to replace the upper baffles just use 4.5"x9"x1.5" fire brick. The stove was origonally designed for these bricks but because some users were not running hot enough, they got more smoke than expected. The baffles solved this "low heat smoke" problem.
> 
> I've made this mod and its working out very well. The brick also adds to the thermal mass of the stove. I've noticed that less ash is produced also.



I definitely do not agree with replacing the baffles with fire brick.  My 1401 originally came with the light firebricks at the top.  After about 5 years of use, they cracked and disintegrated forcing me to replace them.  I got the light two-piece baffles as a replacement and the secondary combustion was much improved.  These light baffles operate like a glow plug in a diesel engine.   They heat up very easily greatly aiding the secondaries.  After adding the panels, the operating temp of the stove went up by 100 degrees and the burn time stayed the same.   What I mean is this: after the fire is up to temp and I have the draft closed, the temp will continue to rise until it stabilizes.  With the firebricks, the stove would stabilize at about 550.  With the new panels, the stove stabilizes at about 650.


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## Rickochet (Sep 20, 2010)

Thanks for sharing that info!  My baffles are still hanging in there, but was really contemplating the bricks when it was time.


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## HeatsTwice (Sep 21, 2010)

Hi,

Were the original baffles regular fire brick or as you say a light fire brick. I don't know what these are. As soon as the burn season begins again, I will perform your experiments and see what I find. I like the common fire brick baffles since they are so easy to find and maybe $8 to replace whereas the vermiculite replacement baffles are $65. 

I agree with your analogy of the glow plug. Vermiculite has far better thermal characteristics than fire brick for this application.

Perhaps this is off topic but, I am thinking about adding a stove pipe in line blower and wonder if anyone have experience with these:

http://reviews.northerntool.com/039...views/reviews.htm?sort=submissionTime&dir=asc


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## HeatsTwice (Sep 21, 2010)

Forget the off topic post. Found this on in line stove pipe blowers:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/3240/


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## HeatsTwice (Mar 11, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Three pictures are better than a bunch of words. Click on the pictures for enlargement.
> 
> 
> First picture: These are the tools I used to drill the "key hole"  in the manifold. The bolt is a 1 inch stainless steel. ($0.45 at home depo). The smaller diameter drill bit fits the shank of the bolt while the lager bit allows the bolt head to pass through to the interior of the manafold. The bolt head is 1/2 inch.
> ...



Looking back on the implementation of this solution, I realize that I could have just used a large high temp rivet instead of doing the drilling.


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## Rickochet (Oct 23, 2011)

Heats Twice--- what kind of problem were you experiencing when you replaced the manifold gasket?  It seems like my 1900 isn't responding to the draft control as it used to.  My door gasket, glass gasket and air control are in good shape.  Do you think that the manifold gasket could be the problem?


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## HeatsTwice (Oct 24, 2011)

Rickochet said:
			
		

> Heats Twice--- what kind of problem were you experiencing when you replaced the manifold gasket? It seems like my 1900 isn't responding to the draft control as it used to. My door gasket, glass gasket and air control are in good shape. Do you think that the manifold gasket could be the problem?



Hi, Sorry for the late reply. I have not had the problem you mention. I have looked around at this document and can't see which component of the stove might be 
causing this effect.

http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/Tech/installation_manuals/EPA.pdf

 It might be that I don't fully understand your description. The manifold on my stove is the north/south running horizontal steel tube on the top of the fire box and serves as a support to attached the manifold flange which supports the baffles/fire brick and lets air in from the primary vents. Could it be that the holes in the manafold flange (which let in the primary air) are clogged and only have to be cleaned out by pokeing them with a screw driver?

The best idea is to call Woody at Obadia's. He knows everything about this stove and has helped me greatly in the past. He always has time to chat. 

Obadiah's Dealership contact
Obadiah's
249 Silver Dr.
Troy, MT 59935
(406) 295-9000
(800) 968-8604
Woody/Nicolette/Annet/Sara


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## Rickochet (Oct 25, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Rickochet said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




For some reason, this season the stove seems to not respond to the draft control as it has in the past.  When I have a nice hot fire going, I could previously shut the fire down fairly quickly.  By this I mean the flames can be roaring with the draft control open, and when it is closed, the flames would die down to a nice secondary burn with the licking type flames within a minute or so.  Now with the same situation it takes 5 minutes for it to die down to a similar fire situation.  Even then it doesn't seem to die down to the licking flames that I am used to seeing.  How about you--how does your stove respond to this type of operation?
Thanks!


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## HeatsTwice (Oct 26, 2011)

Hi,

My stove responds instantly. If I push in the control lever, I instantly see a slowing of the burn rate.


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## begreen (Oct 26, 2011)

Rickochet said:
			
		

> For some reason, this season the stove seems to not respond to the draft control as it has in the past.  When I have a nice hot fire going, I could previously shut the fire down fairly quickly.  By this I mean the flames can be roaring with the draft control open, and when it is closed, the flames would die down to a nice secondary burn with the licking type flames within a minute or so.  Now with the same situation it takes 5 minutes for it to die down to a similar fire situation.  Even then it doesn't seem to die down to the licking flames that I am used to seeing.  How about you--how does your stove respond to this type of operation?
> Thanks!



Check the baffles to make sure they are in place correctly.


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## HeatsTwice (Oct 26, 2011)

Also make sure the gasket rope is in good repair. I normally replace mine once every two years.

Also make sure the door latch has not been bent by accidently slamming it. My kids did that once. I replaced it for about $2.00 with one I bought from Obadiahs.


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## HeatsTwice (Oct 28, 2011)

I just realized something. If you "eventually" get the effect of shutting down the air intake, then you definitely have an air leak. Probably in the door gasket. The air leak should be a constant source of air where as shutting down the intake's effect should take time. Kind of like a shunting capacitor in parallel with the load in an electrical circuit.

Just been thinking about your problem.


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## ScotO (Oct 28, 2011)

great thread here guys, we've had our Napoleon 1900 for over 4 years now and we couldn't live without it...we liked it so much we went and bought a Napoleon NZ3000 for our living room....we have a 3000 sq ft. house and I haven't turned my furnaces on in over 4 years (other than to make sure they were in good working order)....this thread has given me many good ideas, we just changed out our firebrick for the first time, used the heavier brick, seems to be burning great......also had one of the top manifold bolts strip out, I ended up welding the original hole shut, redrilling a new hole in front of it, tapping it and using a new stainless bolt....I also removed, retapped and replaced the other bolts with stainless.....nice and tight now, also got the new, thicker top baffles, going to put then in here sometime this week...keep this post going for all those Napoleon users out there!


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## HeatsTwice (Oct 28, 2011)

Ha, it looks like you do what I do - boil artichokes/beets/potatoes.

I do spaghetti sauce also but on a lower burn temp. 

I even use the same size pot.

Beautiful setup! Nice hearth.

Where's the other shoe?


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## ScotO (Oct 28, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Ha, it looks like you do what I do - boil artichokes/beets/potatoes.
> 
> I do spaghetti sauce also but on a lower burn temp.
> 
> ...


lol....I think the dog may have ate it...thanks for the compliments.....we do a lot of water in that pot, to help with the dryness in the winter....but I also sometimes finish off maple syrup on it too....I plan on modifying the top sheild so I can get that pot to sit directly on the stovetop, that cooking trivet isnt all what it's cracked up to be.....gonna use a plasma cutter to make a nice size hole in the sheild to accept the pot, and making a custom trivet to put in it when the pot is not in use....someday!


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## Rickochet (Oct 28, 2011)

Scotty Overkill said:
			
		

> great thread here guys, we've had our Napoleon 1900 for over 4 years now and we couldn't live without it...we liked it so much we went and bought a Napoleon NZ3000 for our living room....we have a 3000 sq ft. house and I haven't turned my furnaces on in over 4 years (other than to make sure they were in good working order)....this thread has given me many good ideas, we just changed out our firebrick for the first time, used the heavier brick, seems to be burning great......also had one of the top manifold bolts strip out, I ended up welding the original hole shut, redrilling a new hole in front of it, tapping it and using a new stainless bolt....I also removed, retapped and replaced the other bolts with stainless.....nice and tight now, also got the new, thicker top baffles, going to put then in here sometime this week...keep this post going for all those Napoleon users out there!



Last week I ordered a new secondary air manifold gasket and new baffles from Obediah's in Montana.  Both have been upgraded to new improved styles.  The manifold no longer requires a gasket.  It came with new stainless steel bolts and much to my surprise, my existing bolts were easily removed!  The redesigned baffles are completely different.  Instead of four 3/4" thick baffles, there is only two of them that are 2" thick and they now run north-south in the firebox.  To install them, the top layer of firebrick must be removed.  After getting the baffles in place, reinstall the firebricks using the top Z strip again and pull the baffle down and it provides a firm pressure on the bricks so they stay in place.  Make sure you push the baffles to the rear of the stove allowing the gases exit at the front of the stove.  (Similar to the old baffle positioning.)

As far as my air control quandary: after the above improvements were made, the stove seems to be back to its normal mode of operation.  It is 30 degrees outside right now and 74 in the house!  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....... it feels so good!!

Enjoy your 1900's and keep the dialog going to help others out with any issues they may have!  Happy Burning!


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## Rickochet (Oct 28, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> I just realized something. If you "eventually" get the effect of shutting down the air intake, then you definitely have an air leak. Probably in the door gasket. The air leak should be a constant source of air where as shutting down the intake's effect should take time. Kind of like a shunting capacitor in parallel with the load in an electrical circuit.
> 
> Just been thinking about your problem.



Thanks for pondering the issue Heats Twice!   Since you made the simple capacitor analogy, it became  clear!


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## HeatsTwice (Nov 6, 2011)

Rickochet said:
			
		

> HeatsTwice said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



How have things worked out? Has your problem been solved?


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## ScotO (Nov 6, 2011)

Rickochet said:
			
		

> Scotty Overkill said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I just got a set of the new baffles too, and I like them much better....haven't been able to install them, will wait for a mild day to let the fire go out......


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## Rickochet (Nov 6, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Rickochet said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I replaced the baffles, manifold and door gasket and things were very close to normal.  However, I still wasn't satisfied that it operated as it did when new.  I removed the door glass to get a good look at the glass gasket and I determined the gasket was not sealing very tightly on the vertical sides of the glass.  After a quick trip to our local stove shop to get a glass gasket, I cleaned the glass and replaced the self adhering gasket, fired up the stove and NOW it is just like it was when new!

Just a good reminder to check out every possible component when something is not operating normally.  I am sitting in my recliner watching the secondary burn flames slowly lick in such a beautiful fashion!  Life is goooooood!!


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## begreen (Nov 6, 2011)

Yea! Congratulations. Enjoy the warmth.


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## HeatsTwice (Nov 6, 2011)

Scotty Overkill said:
			
		

> great thread here guys, we've had our Napoleon 1900 for over 4 years now and we couldn't live without it...we liked it so much we went and bought a Napoleon NZ3000 for our living room....we have a 3000 sq ft. house and I haven't turned my furnaces on in over 4 years (other than to make sure they were in good working order)....this thread has given me many good ideas, we just changed out our firebrick for the first time, used the heavier brick, seems to be burning great......also had one of the top manifold bolts strip out, I ended up welding the original hole shut, redrilling a new hole in front of it, tapping it and using a new stainless bolt....I also removed, retapped and replaced the other bolts with stainless.....nice and tight now, also got the new, thicker top baffles, going to put then in here sometime this week...keep this post going for all those Napoleon users out there!



Scotty, I know this is a little off topic but I was admiring your stove installation and wondered how you obtained such a nice curve when installing the wood floors. I am currently installing them throughout my house and, if challenged with the same type of curve, I would not know how to transfer it to the wood boards and then make the cut. 

So how did you transfer the curve and what tool did you use to make the cut. I have some ideas but yours looks so nice I would like to know how a professional does it.


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## ScotO (Nov 6, 2011)

HeatsTwice said:
			
		

> Scotty Overkill said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Let me get some pics and a description lined up and I will post later tonight if I get a chance....it really wasn't that hard, trust me....this was my first real hardwood floor install and it went very smooth, considering I installed it in my 100yr. old house, and there was a lot of prep work.....I will post some pics later....


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## Rickochet (Nov 18, 2011)

Since I replaced my baffles with the 2" thick updated models, my stove "pops & creaks".  It always has made a little noise going through the typical heating cycle, but now it constantly is in a state of "creak".  Have you noticed similar noises in yours since changing the baffles?


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## Rickochet (Nov 11, 2012)

The popping & creaking finally went away.  It must have just taken some time for the baffles to settle in to a "comfortable" position.  The Stove is beginning the 5th heating season.  I am still very satisfied with this stove.


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## jeffs (Dec 31, 2013)

I know this is an old thread, but wanted to add something I experienced as there is a lot of great info here on the 1900, and thought it might be helpful to someone.

When we first got our 1900 I had frequent issues with not being able to control the fire. I called the dealer (local guys who were clueless), put in a flue damper, and finally found info here pointing me to Obadia's who gave me info on altering the draft regulator to close completely. That helped a lot. But later I realized I had missed the simplest explanation. I noticed that my coals was burning brighter around the ash door, and realized i was getting an air leak there. Eventually I learned to never clean the ashes out completely, but leave about an inch in the bottom as insulation. I also started pushing more ashes/burned chunks into the opening for the ash door and really packing them in there to seal that air leak. That helped, but stupid me, I never checked that the ash door was really closed 100%. If you use the ash door, it only takes a tiny bit of debris to keep it from closing completely. I mean, it can LOOK closed at a quick glance, but if you don't check it carefully, it may not be. I know this may sound like a "duh" thing, but when you're new to this, you don't know what you don't know. I don't even use the ash door now, I just shovel the stuff out the front, it isn't a big deal, and have no issues with over-firing now. 

I would like to know if anyone has done more comparisons between using the replacement baffles (which are now up to around $90 a pair), vs. firebricks as HeatsTwice was suggesting.


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## mepellet (Dec 31, 2013)

Curious how you altered the draft regulator to close completely. And do you mean close the primary and secondary openings completely?


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## jeffs (Jan 21, 2014)

If you contact Woody at Obadiah's (mentioned in this thread by several people), he will email you the instructions on the fix. It's pretty simple. If I remember correctly, I had to take take out the ash drawer and take off a couple of bolts to access the draft reg. mechanism on bottom of stove. (the one with the handle under the ash shelf.) That handle, connects via a rod to a small steel plate that slides in a track and covers an air opening. You're sliding that plate open more or less to adjust the air going in. On newer 1900s, a small spot weld bump was added that prevents the plate from closing completely, so there is always some air going in, you can never close it completely. Word is, this was done to help the stove meet EPA regs. People who closed the draft down too far, too fast would cause excessive smoking/smoldering (higher carbon output). The extra air prevents that. Anyway– you can basically remove the rod/plate piece and grind that bump down so the plate closes almost completely. Took me about 30 minutes total. The thing that is also an issue with this (I think), is that the way it's set up now, to always allow that extra air in, it really pushes the stove towards over-firing if you're not careful. And, if you ever have a chimney fire, you can't close the draft off (also not a good scenario). 

I believe this draft control is the only opening that allows air into the primary and secondary opening, but I'm not sure. Maybe someone else can shed light on that?


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## jbean (Jan 21, 2014)

We have the Napoleon 1400Pl and we love it. It does a very good job of heating our main floor living. We wish it had a blower though (our model didn't come with one), so we have a fan that we set up and it seems to really help move the air around.


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## mepellet (Jan 21, 2014)

Thanks jeffs. The fix probably doesn't apply to my stove then. I can push in the draft handle pretty far. I don't think I could push it in any further because the handle would hit the ash lip.


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## jeffs (Jan 24, 2014)

mepellet said:


> Thanks jeffs. The fix probably doesn't apply to my stove then. I can push in the draft handle pretty far. I don't think I could push it in any further because the handle would hit the ash lip.



I could push mine in pretty far too, but after the fix I could actually push it in to where you could barely see the end of the spring sticking out under the ash lip.
If your stove is working fine, I wouldn't worry about it.
Woody at Obadiah's did say it will increase you burn time. If you can close it down further, you'll get longer times between loading.


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## mepellet (Jan 24, 2014)

Interesting. Might have to investigate more. I can see the entire spring/handle. I just always thought it was bottoming out on the spring/handle


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## rsplodge (Apr 28, 2014)

I haven't read the entire thread here but have just ordered a Napoleon 1900 for our 1200 sq ft cottage up here in Canada. We get very cold winters and our previous stove just couldn't get the place warm enough. I will probably still be fighting our very high ceilings and this huge 12 x 16' double-glazed garage door which is sort of the architectural highlight of our cottage (and definitely needs insulating blinds or something), but I'm curious to see how much better this stove will perform than our old Pioneer.

One question I have is whether a blower will do a much better job than the heat-powered ECOFans? We have one of those but I suspect the electric blower moves quite a bit more air(?) I don't like adding a powered unit, if I don't  have to, as our cottage runs off of solar, a bank of batteries and an inverter. I wonder how many ECOFans equals an electric blower?

Thanks, ..Roger


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## begreen (Apr 28, 2014)

Your nemesis will be the high ceilings. Heat will want to stratify up there. The stove blower will help somewhat, but I think you are going to need to have a fan running in reverse in order to stir the air near the ceiling and force it's return to the floor level.


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## rsplodge (Apr 28, 2014)

Yes I'll definitely look into getting a ceiling fan and use some of my solar power to run that.



begreen said:


> Your nemesis will be the high ceilings. Heat will want to stratify up there. The stove blower will help somewhat, but I think you are going to need to have a fan running in reverse in order to stir the air near the ceiling and force it's return to the floor level.


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## begreen (Apr 28, 2014)

These fans might be worth looking at for low power consumption. 2.4 watts on low speed:
http://aeratron.org/our-fans/


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## rsplodge (Apr 29, 2014)

begreen said:


> These fans might be worth looking at for low power consumption. 2.4 watts on low speed:
> http://aeratron.org/our-fans/



Wow those are super efficient! Thanks for the link.


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## surfing woodsman (Nov 29, 2014)

67charger said:


> when you guys are talking temperatures, WHERE are taking your temps?  I assume under the trivet, as that where I see the reference temperatures taken from in the owners manual.  If I remember correctly, I believe the owners manual mentions stove efficieincies are best when the stove temp as measured under the trivet are between 500-600 degrees?  I use a magnetic thermometer under the trivet, and 6-8" up the stack for stack temp reference as well.  For most efficient heating I would say my under trivet temps are best between 450 - 700.  I find that is most commonly accomplished by setting the air input "draft knob" between 2.5 - 3.5 for most efficient operation.
> 
> I have noticed the under trivet temps ironically drop as much as 100 -200 degrees when the upper baffles have been disturbed and there is a large 3-4 inch gap between them from being bumped during loading, so those baffles make a large difference when put in place correctly !
> 
> ...




I wanted to say thank for the info on the ratio for burning the wood in different directions.  I have a Waterford Trinity MKII and wasn't burning very well and I had read this post and tried it out last night and the stove burned like a champ and also very efficient.  My brother has a Napoleon 1900 which he loves and I had sent him this link and he will be trying out this method tonight.  I will be purchasing a Napoleon 1900 hopefully sometime this season because my stove wont put off enough heat for the whole house, but your method definitely has helped with keeping our downstairs living area very comfortable and keeping the wife warm (lol).  Thanks


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## mcdanie1 (Dec 16, 2014)

Reviving an old thread here. We've been burning the Napoleon 1900 for the last 2 years. Recently replaced the baffles with firebricks as the baffles were quite beat up and wanted to do it before I had to due to failure.

Things were going pretty well, but I noticed that I was getting ALOT of smoke whenever the door was opened. Even if I opened it very slowly, once it got to a certain point, smoke would pour out. Slowed down the use quite a bit after this started happening then this evening I was taking a look and noticed something hanging down from inside the stove right in the middle of the top of the door opening. Upon further inspection it looks as though it is the manifold cover. Further inspection would reveal that the cover appears to be held in place by only one remaining fastener at the rear of the stove. It looks like there should be 3 fasteners holding this in place. I haven't been able to look at the middle of the cover to see if that fastener is still in place, but from what I can see both the front and middle fastener are missing.

I'll be giving Obadiah's a call in the next day or so, but wanted to ping the folks that have dealt with it here first to see what 'gotchas' lay ahead or any recommendations you all may have.

Any feedback is most appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Mac


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