Picked up an Englander NC30 today...

Got the manometer hooked up...





I hooked it in to the low side so I can use the positive side of the gauge. This pic was taken right after I put a few pieces in. They only had a small flame going on them.

 

About 10 minutes later after the wood started burning well...



I guess this explains some things.

 

What should it be/be doing?

 

Ideally when things are good n hot the reading would max out about where its at in the first pic (-0.06")
Someone needs to close that damper...
I've said for a long time...I think more people have stoves that are overdrafting than not...

 

So, the higher the number, the higher the draft? The more the red goes towards the "3" the greater the draft?

 

Yes

 

I think that's one of the problems with the woodburning community (at least it used to be, maybe more so the other place) is the "dogma" that infests information.

Well buddy, you're wood is too dry, you're not shutting down the air soon enough, stove gasket is leaking, mine works fine so your stove should too, you must be the cause, try N/S loading etc. It's as if the stove or atmospheric conditions/weather are never to blame. I'm glad the OP tested the draft, because as far as I'm concerned, stove manufacturers are concerned with making a stove that runs in all kinds of locations, and also to pass epa particulate tests. They want stoves to breathe nore rather than less, and to quote someone from here "The epa doesn't care if you burn your house down, as long as your chimney isn't smoking while it happens."

 

So, as usual, I'm missing something.

The way I read the first pic, is 0.06. But brenndatomu, you said it was -0.06 ....
What am I not getting...?

Also, previously, you said the highest you'd seen was -0.08. If highest means highest draft, that would be a + number on the meter, wouldn't it? Or are the +/- reversed or something?

So, in the second picture, it looks like it's showing around .11. Is that too much draft?

 

Deleted

 

I hooked the line in to the opposite input of what it would be on a furnace if I understood correctly from some of the info I've read about these. This allows me to measure the draft on the positive side of 0 where I have 3 inches of water column versus the negative side which only measures to -0.5 inches of water column.

Draft is a negative pressure hence normally it is referred to in negative numbers.

I hope that explanation makes sense. It's a bit 'bro-sciency' so I could be totally off base.

 

Yup, you got it.

 

Yes

 

Ok, I see what the issue is here...yes, we are using the meter backwards (as far as how its labeled) and you caught me...I did say -0.08" was the highest recommended draft that I've seen...highest in effect (lots of draft...which is a negative pressure (or some might say a vacuum) but yes, since its actually a negative number, I really should have said lowest.
Any of that make sense, or just make more confused?

 

We need more manufacturers, salesman, Youtubers, professional chimney sweeps and forum members telling people their stoves don’t need to be run with stove pipe dampers.

They should also keep telling people the stove pipe dampers only use is singular in nature; used only to slow an over drafting chimney.

 

More negative…

…kind like go ahead and back up.

 

This whole thread has been an interesting read, but way too technical for my taste. I’ve been burning in wood stoves for over 30 years now. Have run cat stoves, 2nc 30’s, and a couple of old smoke dragons and have never had a stove top thermometer or flue thermometer on any of them. Just adjust the stove for the amount of heat needed at the time to keep the house comfortable. Once you think you have everything figured out the weather, atmospheric conditions, or wood will change and you have to relearn what you thought you already knew. I will say, though, that cat stoves are much easier to control the desired heat output, and nc 30’s are a hell of a stove for the money. Great thread!

 

I appreciate you taking the time to read through my learning curve. It does seem silly in some ways how technical it can be. It's just a steel box with fire in it, how hard can it be?

I can't help myself though. I just love tinkering with things and trying to understand the why of it. I sometimes think I should've been an engineer

 

After re-reading my previous post, I hope I didn’t come across as a smart a$$ or know it all. I do experiment some with the NC30 as well. Has been my experience that for max heat output, NS loading is the way to go. For a lower, and slower burn, EW loading with a large round in the back and splits in the front blocking the doghouse seems to be the ticket. The EW loading will not burn as clean though. I can’t get a clean burn with no smoke no matter what I do when trying to go low and slow, which makes sense because reburn stoves require hi temps to burn clean. Big loads to get 10-12 hour burns will usually push my living room temps into the 80’s for a couple of hours until stove temp starts dropping, but relights on coals after 12 hours are the norm. As much shoulder weather as we have here in sw KS, I am thinking I want to go back to a cat stove in the next couple years. Reason I bought this NC 30 was it was on close out for $599 in spring of 2019. When I switch back to a cat stove, the NC30 will pull weekend shop duty.

 

Not at all. My reply was more meant as I understand some people are happy to just heat their house with wood and that's all. Then people like myself totally geek out over numbers and data and tweaking every little detail (read: overthink/paralysis by analysis).

Then there is where most people are (where I probably should be) who are somewhere in between the extremes. I took your comment as landing somewhere here. Although I think just about anyone who is part of a woodburning forum is more on my end of the spectrum

That is a good thing!

 

So now that I have the manometer installed I've discovered that the primary air control has no effect on the pull of the draft. It certainly effects the fire (if I close the air the whole way it will kill the flame) but does not have any effect on the draft. The only way I can slow the draft is by closing the pipe damper partially. I set the damper right around straight vertically to get the proper reading on the manometer (this usually puts the draft around 0.05 IC).

Is this normal?

It has definitely made a difference as far as heating goes. I'm getting a much more even heat throughout the entire house as well as using less wood. I don't think I've had to stuff it full yet since using the damper due to the mild temps we've been getting the last few days. I call that a win.