Nc30 questions

I have a question about my NC 30. Why is it that it looks like only the front of the wood is burning and not the back? After a complete burn/cooldown I have a good amount of ash up front by the glass door, but in the back I have black coals. It looks like the back doesn't burn at all just smolders. I have black soot on the back bricks but nice white bricks up front. This stove produces the heat but there are so many variables to it and I am kind of getting sick of it. Thanks.

 

Also the sides against the bricks look like they don't burn either.

 

Moisture content of wood might be too high? Draft might be slightly low?

 

Some pictures would help us help you. As said above moisture content of wood may be the culprit. Tell us more, have you been burning all winter with this same condition. What kind of chimney set up, how long has your wood seasoned, do you have a moisture meter.

 

Yep, how long has your wood been drying ?
Could be your cuttin the air down to far .
How tall is your chimney ?

 

Posted at same time

 

Coals in the back and not the front sounds pretty normal but not the black smoldering you describe. How are you loading the wood north/south or east/west? EW loading will definitely not burn as well on the sides or back, especially if the wood is not nice and dry. I would suggest opening up the air after the initial burn maybe after a couple hours. Also if your loading NS leave a little tunnel right down the muddle behind the "doghouse" to help get some combustion air to the back.

 

Wow this site is fast. The pipe exits the stove with one piece of pipe up to a 90 then another piece of pipe to the cement wall where it exits the wall directly into a 25-30' chimney with a rain cap on it. The wood was delivered in sticks last March 2015 cut in march split in August and stacked in September 2015. It has always done this. I have wood that is 2 years old been sitting in the house and it does the same thing too.

I don't have a moisture meter which stinks wish I did. If I open the damper too much she runs at temps of 750-800 that is scary in my opinion. I usually put the tip of the damper rod not the spring, the black tipped rod right where the ash tray lips up at what looks to be a 45° angle.

Wood is being loaded n/s. E/w never burns for me at all.

I try to do some pics I'm new to the site so I'll see if I can figure it out. Thanks everyone.

 

I sometimes have pieces of wood left after a long overnight burn, and they're always on the left and right sides, and some also in the back.
That usually happens when I've turned the air down a bit too much, or the weather is warmer....or both.

 

How big is the flue in the 30' chimney?

 

It's odd that you have that much wood left when the air is still open that far.
I'd venture a guess the wood isn't as dry as you think, especially considering the timeframe involved.

 

X2

 

The chimney flue is oblong 6"-7"

 

Is there any chance of you getting some wood that is dry? You know, drier than what you have?

It would be nice to get a couple firebox full so you can try it back to back and see if the results are similar.

How is the glass doing on the stove? Get dirty easy?

 

Welcome aboard Ruffrider
Do you live in town or more of a secluded area?

 

Secluded area. Glass lasts about a week of constant burning and then needs a cleaning only a light glaze on it, not like my old hearthstone (once every three days). Thanks everyone for the hellos and the help awesome people.

 

That's a 30' chimney? Looks 18-20' to me...still should be OK though.
The wood you split last year is VERY likely not ready...as far as the wood that was in the house...whenever I leave wood in the house over the summer, it picks up moisture...doesn't burn well the following winter.
The leftover black chunks of unburnt stuff is almost certainly a sign of wet wood
You can mix in some dry lumber cutoffs in each load, or if you don't mind buying some, a brick or two of "ECO brick" or the like, it will help the firewood burn better.

 

welcome Ruffrider, hooray another green man boy.. How long have you been burning. No offense meant but I am seeing two problems 1) is that you might have poor draft. From my experience here by lake Champlain 2) the biggie, wood is not dry enough. If your close I could bring down a moisture meter and check it..