Thinking about an NC-30

I think I will pull the trigger this spring on a stove upgrade. My Allnighter Mid-Moe is just about perfect for heating our place, and I am thinking the NC30 appears to be equivalent in capabilities?

Those who know these two stoves, how do they compare in firebox size? Burn times? Heat output (BTUs)? I burn well-seasoned (currently 2-3 years) pine and douglas fir.

I cannot jump now due to other priorities, like house insulation. But when the spring deals are on, I will be ready. If I can do a self-install for less than $2000 (including all new pipe) I can easily justify it.

Any other similar stove I should include in my dreams?

Greg

 

The 30 is a good stove, and some really like the Drolet Myriad. Insulation will only make things gooder.
Just remember that the advertised firebox size is not the actual usable size in the 30.
Don't know if Menard's will ship to Washington, but they have the best deal on Class A.....Supervent. Tax and shipping brought the cost of my 30 to $784, delivered to my driveway.......in March......on sheets of ice. Fun times.

 

I got the NC30 this year. Got it on sale from HD.

Still sitting on a HF dolly. I havent had time to start my stove install yet. It will be a second stove so not a big deal. Made it the last 4 years or so with just the one anyway.

I have to build a whole new hearth and back wall out of rock or something yet to be determined and then install the chimney through the ceiling.

 

I installed my 30 last winter and have no regrets whatsoever. There are a lot of variables in wood consumption, but in my situation, I'd say I use about a cord less wood than I used with my old buck. Burn times for me depend how cold it is, but I've woken up to many single digit mornings at 7AM and the stove room was at 75 after filling the stove at 10PM the night before (1000 sq ft house). There's a lot less mess around the stove and much less ash dust in the house. The cost to install mine was $1500 for the stove, 15ft of liner, chimney cover and cap. I bought the stove at regular price.

 

Our place is only a little bigger and when it's that cold, it'll get down to the mid 60s in that timeframe.
Just shows how insulation levels play a big role in holding heat.

 

Yea tins of variables. I have a catalytic insert about 3.5 cuft. I am heatung about 1500-1700 on nights that cold with the insert and my stove room would be low 70s in single digits and the great of the hose colder. But that is in a home with no insulation except the stove room.

One cold night is not that bad but when I have multiple cold nights and days it really takes a toll on how much wood I use.

 

Are burn times changed (better or worse) from your old stove?

Greg

 

The stove room is often in the 90s until just before the coaling stage, so that helps the temps ramp down more slowly I guess. Our insulation is decent, but this is a brick ranch and sustained single digit temps will eventually let the cold penetrate through.

 

Yep, insulation is the first priority right now.

Is the usable fiebox size comparable on the two? Adverised size of the Myriad is a little smaller than the 30. Any objective reason to prefer one over the other?

Greg

 

Much better, night and day better. It seems that I got maybe a third less wood into my medium sized buck, but even if it had been the same size box as the 30, there's no way it would have come close to providing as much usable heat. This being my second season with the stove, I'm hoping that I've learned a few things to get even more out of the wood.

One from last winter.

 

You can get 20" pieces in the 30 easily, but the usable size is actually just under 3.
Calling all Myriad users.......... Huntindog1

 

Thats nice, Norky!

 

I ran a mid moe for a couple of years before switching to a 30. Hard for me to compare burn/heat wise as the mid moe was before I was on board with the three year wood plan, and pre house tightening/insulating the basement. I'd say they you can fit a lot more wood in the mid moe, 24 inch if I'm not mistaken. Flue temps were a higher on the mid moe. I have/had no trouble with overnight burns with either stove.

 

I am pretty sure the fireboxes are pretty close as the NC-30 is more like a 3.0 to 3.2 cubic foot stove rather than the advertised 3.5 as they use the space up above the baffle in the calculation.
The Myriad is listed as 3.3 cubic foot in some documents but most agree its around 3.0 to 3.1 usable space. I would say thats where the NC30 is also so there isnt much difference.

Because of the new emissions regulations the old Myriad has been replaced with the Myriad 2 version. The older Myriad is much more like an old steel box stove for throwing off heat, like the Mid Moe you listed above. But the Myriad is a efficient EPA stove. With longer burn times.

With the NC30 or Myriad or any new epa stove you will need to use good seasoned wood with less than 20% moisture content or the stove will not burn very easy and will not put out heat like it should as its burning smoke to get extra BTus of heat and that makes up for the more insulated firebox. I like to use less than 18% moisture wood for even better results out of these newer type stoves.

Here are the specs for a mid moe you can load alot of wood in that stove but it doesnt burn as efficiently.

Mid Mo
Length 36"
Height 31"
Width 21-1/2
Weight 408 Pounds

 

Fourth season coming up for my 30. We generally run 24/7 from October to April on 5 to 6 cord. Noticed about a 25% wood reduction when I first started using it. Good value stove for decent $$$$.

 

I don't know why they don't put a convection hood on all stoves, I definitely get more heat out into the house when I get my lopi cranking with the blower on, but there is still room in the front for cooking if you want