Running an Englander 17-VL without top baffle (mental exercise)

sorry so late, been busy down in the lab these days

 

Hmmm, do tell, if you can.
Something new coming down the line?

 

Always good to hear from you Mike!

 

Probably trying to figure out why the heck HD sells their 30's so cheap each spring!!!! (I got mine after wanting it for about 4 years!)

 

Probably NC30 convection decks...

 

'Bout time.

 

Thanks for your input on this.

 

Do the side shields improve heat output, or just reduce clearances?

 

Used to reduce clearances. The manual gives those dimensions with and without shields.
I was thinking they would keep more heat around the box, which can then be utilized with the blower. Sounds right when I'm going over it in my head.

 

we have a new furnace that will be out later this season (basically a 30-nc in a cabinet with a few alterations) but lately we have been working on getting stoves recertified every model out there if it was cert before 2015 has to have recertified to ensure it will meet phase 2 step 2 by 2020.

 

Sounds interesting...end of the road for the ole 28-3500 eh?

 

About time! NC30 with a cabinet. Hmmmm, sounds like something we've been doing with the convection decks.

 

yeah, the "furnace loophole" is firmly shut so the exempt status the industry has sold them under will be closed. by next spring exempt furnaces can no longer be sold at retail.

what we did was essentially "blending" the 30 firebox with a cabinet similar to the 3500. the crazy part is the test requirement is the B-415 standard that originated in Canada, the efficiency factors in the ducted output which is something that the 5-G standard freestanding woodstoves and pellet stoves doesn't factor (as there isn't a duct connection on a "stove" like you have on a "furnace") you actually measure emission's based on BTU output instead of GPH like the 5-G does. the standard is .92 Lbs. of particulate per million BTU. for 2017, now in 2020 the standard drops to .17 Lbs. per million which is hard.

one of the things that will make this confusing to customers under this standard is the relatively low BTU ratings of the stoves because of the "ducted output" numbers. so folks especially who are used to seeing the gaudy "100K BTU" claims from the past are going to see a rating that will be far lower BUT more accurate because of the baseline. So, for those who are going to be "furnace shopping" in the future need to understand that the BTU ratings they will be seeing will not be what they would expect, because of the change and the previously unregulated "fudging" of numbers purely for selling purposes. something I have argued against for years now.(unsuccessfully because in a world where an entire industry is fibbing their arse off, you have little choice but to follow the herd or die)

 

I guess kinda, but not what you guys are doing with the convection deck is trapping surface heat and more directly moving it off the stovetop, what we are doing is capturing the heat of literally the entire firebox and venting into a central duct or furnace plenum

the idea of an "add on" wood furnace is simply to replace the heating element of the existing furnace with wood while still utilizing the duct system and vastly more powerful air mover in the whole house furnace. say your central system uses oil for its heat source, oil is not cheap when compared to wood, so when you add the wood furnace the wood essentially replaces oil as the heat source thus saving money. in an ideal situation, the rest of the HVAC system will operate just like it normally does transporting the heat throughout the house.

 

Again, very interesting! I don't know why I find the science behind modern wood stoves (fire in general) so fascinating, but I do. Got some pyro in my blood somewheres I guess. I be like a kid in a candy store spending a day in stove RnD
A lil embarrassing to admit, but I am almost on the edge-of-my-seat excited to see who comes out with what here in the next 3-6 months, wood furnace wise...I told Yukon I'd be a "beta tester" for 'em...but sadly the phone no ringy...yet