Picked up an Englander NC30 today...

I can usually cut the air way back early in the burn cycle as well. My only problem is being gone all day at work and overnight burns. If I am home I will open the air up later in the burn to work the coals down. I have yet to find that sweet spot with a good long burn leaving just a good coal bed and not too much charcoal.

Do you load N/S or E/W for overnight? I've been running N/S but may start trying E/W for overnight and while I'm at work. I'm hoping I will be able to keep the air more open and burn down coals better later in the burn.

 

My boards warped a little, I flipped them after a couple of years.

 

Same here.

 

Per the manual, this is loaded too high. Many load them that way, and it works, but might get a little intense on the tubes.

I think your tubes are likely fine, and wouldn't sweat the boards being a little warped.

 

In bold.....what problem?
When burning down coals, rake 'em to the front to create a "berm", then lay a split e/w on top, close door, and let it burn. You'll still get heat from the whole thing and burn down the coals as well. Might take a couple of those, depending on how many coals are left. Just did that this morning and one split got the IAT up 4 degrees (it was 24 OAT).
Always burn n/s. Tried e/w, and didn't have much luck. The "doghouse" needs to shoot that jet of air to the back of the stove. Try e/w with a split right in front of that bugger and watch how it burns a hole right into the split. Like a little blowtorch.

 

It's not really a problem necessarily. I just need to get up earlier to burn the coals down before I go to work. I dont like getting out of bed in the morning until I have to

 

I too burn n/s, except when burning down the coals. For that, I rake them forward and lay a split e/w on them, with the air full open. When that burns down, back to n/s.

I find that e/w will give a longer burn, but it will be dirtier, and therefore likely less efficient. Clean and efficient means more to me than burn time.

 

Here's some pics I took. The baffle boards were in correctly. It is just the very front of them that seems to have bowed upwards.

 

I see nothing to worry about here, burn on!

 

So much for calibrating my thermometers in the oven. I set my oven to 550* and put the thermometers on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. One came out reading 650* and the other read 750*

I guess it's time for an infrared

 

I'm amazed that this material actually warps! Learn something new every day.

 

I can't imagine that causing any kind of a problem

 

Next time you have them out for sweeping I would flip them so that they are cupped down. You don’t want them sticking up in the way of the flow.

Did you or esw put that chunk of gasket material on the side of the board?

 

I put that in to try to fill some of the gap.

 

I suppose it could reduce your air flow over the top of the boards if they warped too much

 

They will read high done that way, because they are not designed to be "immersed" in the heat source.

 

One thing that is working against you with the coaling is that you are burning that Elm...that stuff coals up like crazy!

 

Yup , dig in the pocket And buy one

I had a different one , didn't like it, I got this one in 2016 and I like it , Temp goes up high enough

 

Seems to leave quite a bit of ash too. But I can deal with it because it is dry and that is all I'm worried about this year.

 

I'm gonna go broke reading this forum every day

Meh....whatever....warm and broke beats being cold and broke