Is Englander 30 too big?

[Enplater]

I live in a newer colonial house made in 1998. The living area is 1512 sq ft. Half the basement is a garage and the other half is unfinished basement. I currently have an englander 30 in the basement and it’ll heat the whole house but I tend to run it hot so the house temps stay fairly comfortable. I plan to move the stove to the main floor in the next few years. I’ll have to figure out a hearth pad and the whole installation later on but for now can someone tell me if this stove will be too big for the house? The stove doesn’t like to be choked down (low and slow) but does like higher temps like 650+-50. It requires constant attention in the first hour of a load to make sure it doesn’t overfire. I tend to rely on the blower to keep the temps under control. I feel like if I move this beast to the main floor it’ll be 80+ degrees all the time and I’ll be opening windows. What does everyone think? Should I look for a smaller stove?
Here’s a picture with some good secondaries.

 

[begreen]

Moving it upstairs will reduce the chimney height significantly and draft too. Have you tried closing the key damper and shutting down the air sooner? It looks open in the picture.

 

[Enplater]

I usually keep it open, sometimes I keep it 1/2 closed. I’ve actually been trying to shut it down sooner but it always eventually takes off and goes crazy, but I’ve been using seasoned soft maple and oak. The reason I want it upstairs is I figure I’ll go through way less wood either having a smaller stove or not running the 30 as hard.

 

[begreen]

Try closing off the key damper once the fire is burning well. And start closing down the air as quickly as possible with the flue thermometer reading no higher than 300º.

 

[jotul8e2]

You should be able to shut the air control down until it is flush with the ash lip. Mine burns clean and happy at about 500 deg. on the top.

 

[Ashful]

Is Englander 30 too big?

The Englander 30 is the perfect size. You just need to wrap a bigger house around it.

On your issue of wood usage, moving it upstairs would be an enormous improvement in efficiency and wood savings. With that stove in an unfinished basement, such a large amount of the heat radiated off the stove is directly soaked up by that concrete floor and those concrete walls, and radiated directly outside. The worms may appreciate it, but it's a terrible waste of wood.

And yes, I'd consider down-sizing the stove if putting it upstairs in a 1500 sq.ft. house, but there's not much harm in running what you got awhile, to figure out what you need down the road. If planning a move upstairs, I'd install the NC30 up there first. Spend some time learning just how much stove you really want up there, and then go shopping this spring when the stoves are on sale.

 

[Highbeam]

I own an NC30 and run it really hard to warm up a well insulated shop. It does love 700 stove top temps. Once the shop is up to temp and I want the thing to just cruise I have to really change the way I operate it. Fortunately the NC30 is pretty dang controllable so you can close the intake and slow it down. Not all stoves are like this.

I've found that spoon feeding it three splits at a time helps keep output down, also being quicker to close the intake to keep the single wall flue surface temps at the minimum 250-300 range. The most important thing is to let the stove run the full cycle meaning let the coals cook way down before adding more fuel. It won't make flames during the coal stage but the coal stage is very long and lower output so it's the way to go.

I would definitely try the NC30 in a 1500 SF house before trashing it. Nothing to lose.

One more thing that might help us understand your home. You say half of the basement is a garage. So that sounds like a total SF of 800 basement. Then the living space above is 800 per level, times two levels at your three story home? Is that right or is the upstairs living space just 800?

 

[Enplater]

Looks like the basement is approximately 340 sqft according to my tape measure. When I bought the house it said it was 1512 sq ft meaning the first and second floor because the basement isn’t finished. I’ve never actually measured it though. Btw there is an insulated wall with a door between the garage and basement.
So I just started a fresh fire with some dry oak splits loosely packed, I’ll put up a picture but the magnet thermometers are accurate enough. If I don’t keep a close eye on this it could very well turn into an 800+ degree inferno. Maybe I should get used of using the pipe damper more.

 

[begreen]

So far looks good. Use the pipe damper more and turn down the air as quickly as possible, without snuffing out the fire. Watch the surface flue thermometer and try to keep it under 3-400F.

 

[Enplater]

Do the pipe dampers tend to produce more creosote when used? I also rigged a secondary air tube control so I can choke it down if needed but I only use it when it’s way too hot and I need to get the temps down quickly. I usually magnet one if the dog house air intakes too. I just wish these stoves were easier to burn down the coals, sometimes I forget to pull out the primary air control to full when the coaling stage starts and I’m left with a mountain of coals I have to deal with when it’s time to reload.

 

[Ashful]

Do the pipe dampers tend to produce more creosote when used?

Assuming you keep the secondaries going, then the damper does not create more creosote. It does give it a focal point for collection of what you are producing, though.

 

[Hogwildz]

Pack the splits tighter to keep it from burning so hot. More air & exposed wood surface = more fuel burning. larger, tightly packed splits will burn slower and more controllable.

 

[Highbeam]

Here’s mine right now. Howling wind and 30 degrees but I need this space at 65-70 for happy yeast.

 

[begreen]

Did you mean hoppy yeast? Howling wind here too 15-30 mph and cold. I'm impressed that you are brewing out there. I do my winter brewing in the house.

 

[Highbeam]

Did you mean hoppy yeast? Howling wind here too 15-30 mph and cold. I'm impressed that you are brewing out there. I do my winter brewing in the house.

I was trying to keep the yeast happy and at 65-70 so they could reproduce and eat sugars. They seem to actually generate some heat as they eat. I used to brew outside and ferment in the house but I’d rather the noise and fumes occur in the shop. Only takes a few days for the bulk of fermentation to finish and then I cold crash the yeast so they settle out quickly.

The overhead doors are hard to seal and in theis kind of wind they really hurt.

 

[Srossi720]

My Englander NC30 tends to run away on me as well. It’s piped out of the foundation after 28” of single wall to a 90 up 20’ Class A. Even after I establish a good flame and temp around 450 and close the air all the way down I get STT around 700/50. I’m thinking it’s getting too hot because the center of the stove top is fading. I do run it 24/7 as it’s the only thing heating my house. Do I need a key damper for it?

 

[begreen]

If you are waiting for a stove top temp of 450 before closing down the air, it could be that is too long. Try turning down the stove air earlier.

 

[Srossi720]

If you are waiting for a stove top temp of 450 before closing down the air, it could be that is too long. Try turning down the stove air earlier.

Okay thank you I will try that.

 

[Highbeam]

My Englander NC30 tends to run away on me as well. It’s piped out of the foundation after 28” of single wall to a 90 up 20’ Class A. Even after I establish a good flame and temp around 450 and close the air all the way down I get STT around 700/50. I’m thinking it’s getting too hot because the center of the stove top is fading. I do run it 24/7 as it’s the only thing heating my house. Do I need a key damper for it?

By the time your stove is 450 you could very possibly be way over redline on the chimney system. A magnetic temperature gauge on the single wall is very helpful, a second one on the step of the stove top is also good.

Keep that flue skin temperature under 500, I stay under 450, during warmup and between 250 and 400 during operation. Heck if you only have one meter put it on the flue.

The paint on the nc30 is not the best. It is very easy to spray it black again with high temp spray paint.

 

[Srossi720]

By the time your stove is 450 you could very possibly be way over redline on the chimney system. A magnetic temperature gauge on the single wall is very helpful, a second one on the step of the stove top is also good.

Keep that flue skin temperature under 500, I stay under 450, during warmup and between 250 and 400 during operation. Heck if you only have one meter put it on the flue.

The paint on the nc30 is not the best. It is very easy to spray it black again with high temp spray paint.

Thank you. Yes I do have both gauges on the stove top and pipe as well.

 

[Highbeam]

Thank you. Yes I do have both gauges on the stove top and pipe as well.

I’ve pretty well stopped paying attention to the stove top meter. As long as it’s not glowing I just don’t see how it can be damaged if your flue temps are safe.

 

[Srossi720]

I’ve pretty well stopped paying attention to the stove top meter. As long as it’s not glowing I just don’t see how it can be damaged if your flue temps are safe.

Yeah you have a valid point there. Thank you again.

 

[MAD MARK]

I've grown to only check my stove top temp now when I'm cooking on it.