30 NC concerns

[ruffrider]

 

[ruffrider]

I should say 350-500 I swear it never goes into over fire zone. But only when damper wide open does it go that high. Then close damper flush with plate up above it and turn fan on low all night, ALL NIGHT THE FAN STAYS ON.

 

[bholler]

I should say 350-500 I swear it never goes into over fire zone.

Well the placement is ok and i thought you were saying it ran at those temps regularly. it is fine to run it up there at the start of the burn that is what i do as well.

 

[ruffrider]

But honestly these stoves have done this plate warping now and also the weld has broke on both stoves lol. I'm sorry but welds should not break due to heat. It is a wood stove I mean come on. My 2 cents says that the plate should be welded end to end with a constant bead.

 

[3fordasho]

Pipe temp gauge is 6" up from pipe collar off of stove. The stove top thermometer is right where the ridge of the stove is. The ridge that angles up right about where the pipe collar is in the middle of the two. Pipe temp is about 400-500° and the stove top temp just takes off. I can't control it sometimes. But I close damper at 400° then turn fan on at 600°. From there I can't control it. Sometimes she keeps climbing. It is like my wood is paper dry. I don't get it.

I'd say those temps sound spot on with my NC30. Try to burn it cooler and it's a smoke dragon. I have not warped anything or broke welds yet but I'm only using mine occasionally in an out building. Others have posted that they hit 700f stovetop on a regular basis and I believe it.

 

[ruffrider]

I don't know

 

[stevemd]

How many pieces of wood do people put in here? I usually stack it so that the wood is just above the bricks not over the metal holding the bricks, or touching the upper tubes. I mean this stove runs really hot she climbs over 700 sometimes, but the fan is on and it brings it right down. The pipe thermometer never goes into the overfire range and I mean never. I'm running 19" splits. I just split it this fall but the logs have been sitting there since March of 2015. I bucked them in April. I'm trying to be so careful not to overfire but I feel like I am and I don't know how this is happening.

Somebody give me advice please on what I am doing wrong I am all ears.

I had a nc-30 for about three years and I burn just about 24-7 and I have none of the problems with the welds. I load no higher than the firebricks.My pipe temps are always about 30 degrees higher than half my stovetop temps ie.500 stovetop 280 pipe. You may want to try shutting down the air sooner, a little at a time.This may keep your temps from climbing to high.My stove runs between 5 and 6 hundred stovetop, if I load on a really hot coal bed or shut down to late it will climb to 700.

 

[BrotherBart]

My first 30-NC I noticed that the tack weld on the far right of that deflector plate was popped before I ever started a fire in the stove. But not being inclined to lug that thing back out of the fireplace I decided if it became a problem a drill and a stainless steel screw would suffice. That was in winter 2006 and the stove has burned around the clock all winter long every winter since and nothing like I see in that pic has happened and I have never even gotten out the drill and the screw.

And it sees 700 sometimes and three years or so ago it got away from me and ran past 1,000 degrees.

I did notice on the second one I bought a few years back that they have changed the support bracing under that part so they may have been seeing problems with it.

 

[BobUrban]

Mine was delivered to my door and then carried in my house for an extra 50$ clams to the big delivery guys. Life saver for me and worth every penny. It arrived w a few scratches and the delivery crew showed me right away saying they were embarrassed to bring it like that but were told they had to try.

I said, "put it in the house, it ain't a violin" I didn't want to deal w waiting or the hassle. It has made heat ever since. If, for some reason, mine had a weld pop - or if it arrived w a weld missing like B Bart's. I would just drag welding leads and a fire blanket into the living room and put another tack on it.

My best guess. And this is only speculation with the limited evidence - is somehow you got a stove w some bad steel. A lemon if you will. If the warp was caused by design it would have happened way more often and the 100% weld is not necessary and likely would be a bigger cause of warping issues in manufacture. Putting a 100% weld there is introducing a lot of heat and would probably cause warping to the door seal area.

 

[kennyp2339]

Maybe to strong of a draft, a pipe damper may help, also you could looking into restricting the air intake with a magnet covering some of the inlet hole, If you have questions on how to do that send a PM to brotherbart, he's the man when it comes to NC30's.

 

[Highbeam]

So other than aesthetics, what's the problem? That little plate down there is just for decoration and doesn't do anything. It is only supported every so often and if the whole thing were to go missing, no problem with function. That said, it is a problem if you don't like the looks.

First on pipe temps, move that thing to 18" above the flue collar. Pipe temps are measured at 18" so as not to be just a stove temp measurement. The location you have now is actually hotter but is falsely hot.

The meter you are using on the pipe is for stove tops. 500 is already overfiring the flue since 500 surface corresponds with 1000 internal flue temps and that is above the "redline" for stoves. When you look at surface temp meters for flue pipe, the overfire line is 475. Seems like a small difference so this is not likely your problem but FYI.

http://www.condar.com/Stovepipe_Thermometers.html

I have melted my NC30 already. I melted the air wash plate above the door opening. It happened at reasonable stove and flue temps. I just bent it back mostly straight and kept on burning.

I burn at 700 on purpose. All full loads, to the tubes, and with a blower to strip heat and I still hold 700 for as long as the burn will allow. It's not the stove temps that bent your doghouse plate. My doghouse plate will also bow up when it's hot but goes back when it cools.

My point is... you don't have to worry about this. That doghouse plate is just a decoration.

 

[ruffrider]

So other than aesthetics, what's the problem? That little plate down there is just for decoration and doesn't do anything. It is only supported every so often and if the whole thing were to go missing, no problem with function. That said, it is a problem if you don't like the looks.

First on pipe temps, move that thing to 18" above the flue collar. Pipe temps are measured at 18" so as not to be just a stove temp measurement. The location you have now is actually hotter but is falsely hot.

The meter you are using on the pipe is for stove tops. 500 is already overfiring the flue since 500 surface corresponds with 1000 internal flue temps and that is above the "redline" for stoves. When you look at surface temp meters for flue pipe, the overfire line is 475. Seems like a small difference so this is not likely your problem but FYI.

http://www.condar.com/Stovepipe_Thermometers.html

I have melted my NC30 already. I melted the air wash plate above the door opening. It happened at reasonable stove and flue temps. I just bent it back mostly straight and kept on burning.

I burn at 700 on purpose. All full loads, to the tubes, and with a blower to strip heat and I still hold 700 for as long as the burn will allow. It's not the stove temps that bent your doghouse plate. My doghouse plate will also bow up when it's hot but goes back when it cools.

My point is... you don't have to worry about this. That doghouse plate is just a decoration.

Well there is my answer thank you so much. And I am not being sarcastic. Again thanks.

 

[ruffrider]

Can you please provide me with information on which thermometers to use for each, stove top and pipe? Thanks.

 

[Highbeam]

Can you please provide me with information on which thermometers to use for each, stove top and pipe? Thanks.

On the condar link I posted just upthread you can find flue thermometers. It says right on the name that it's made for the flue. At the condar site they also sell stove top meters that are calibrated for stove tops.

Now I can't say for certain whether the only difference is the colored ranges on the face of the meter or if the actual bimettalic spring mechanism that moves the needle is also different. In your shoes I would just move that flue thermometer up to the proper 18" and ignore the ranges provided, instead use 475 as your overfire temp.

 

[begreen]

Surface stove pipe temp requires the thermometer to be placed 12" or higher above the stove top. Too close to the stove top may skew reading.

"Condar thermometers attach magnetically, directly to metal flue pipe. Optimal location is at eye level, no less than 12 inches above the top of the stove. "

 

[Woody Stover]

It arrived w a few scratches and the delivery crew showed me right away saying they were embarrassed to bring it like that but were told they had to try. I said, "put it in the house, it ain't a violin"

That would be my thinking. Who is going to notice, visitors? They are going to think you're a just wood-burning hillbilly anyway.

 

[colin.p]

That would be my thinking. Who is going to notice, visitors? They are going to think you're a just wood-burning hillbilly anyway.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

 

[ruffrider]

Hey! I resemble that remark!

Lol

 

[Calentarse]

Burn out the rest of the season with it and head to Lebanon and get yourself a new Woodstock Ideal Steel or find a dealer and get yourself one of the radiant Blaze King stoves (Sirocco 30 is radiant I think). Sticker shock might get a hold of you, but with the winters you deal with in Vermont, you need a serious heater.

 

[Woody Stover]

with the winters you deal with in Vermont, you need a serious heater.

A 30 NC is fairly serious...

 

[Highbeam]

A 30 NC is fairly serious...

Agree. It's a big steel box full of fire.

 

[Calentarse]

A 30 NC is fairly serious...

When it isn't giving him problems, yea. Sounds like he needs something he can rely on, not something that's falling apart.

 

[kennyp2339]

When it isn't giving him problems, yea. Sounds like he needs something he can rely on, not something that's falling apart.

LOL - Blasphemy

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I'd say those temps sound spot on with my NC30. Try to burn it cooler and it's a smoke dragon. I have not warped anything or broke welds yet but I'm only using mine occasionally in an out building. Others have posted that they hit 700f stovetop on a regular basis and I believe it.

My average is about 550 ocasionally into the 600s. stovetop temp. But dont forget the gauge can easily be off 100 deg or more. most of my pipe gauges are off 100 deg. low so i might be cruising 650to 750 and dont know it.

 

[ruffrider]

The first one I'm buying for stovetop. Second one is going on the stovepipe.