SmartStove Integration #2 on Englander 13 NC

[SmartStove_Dan]

This thread will cover the SmartStove integration work done on an Englander 13 NC.

This stove is being retrofitted for a guy in Maryland.  Here's a pic of the stove on its pallet with the box lifted off.  Another pic of the stove in the shop, flipped over upside down on the lift cart, and the base removed so the draft control is accessible.  The draft port is under the cold air intake manifold.  This Englander stove has everything welded together, so removing anything requires cutting one or more welds, which is what will be done to get this intake manifold off.

[SmartStove_Dan]

With the intake manifold removed, the servo can be mounted and tied into the draft control slide.  A small tab needed to be built to attach to the slider and screw to the slider.  A small area needed to be removed from the stove to make clearance for the screw that attaches the tab. 

The large rectangular opening is the intake for the secondary burn tubes.  Notice that this opening is ALWAYS wide open, which is typical of stoves with burn tubes. 

This is a perfect location for the servo, tucked in flush with the back, mounted at the very bottom where things are cool, yet able to reach in an manipulate the draft control.  There will never be any issue with heat down low like this, attached to the back shroud and isolated by the servo's mounting bracket.

The next pic shows the intake manifold set back in place.  A clearance notch was machined into the intake manifold to make room for the pushrod to pass through. 

[SmartStove_Dan]

Here's a closeup of the tab that the servo grabs on to.

[SmartStove_Dan]

This stove is being set into a fireplace opening, so the electronics have been positioned so things are accessible from the front.  A frame needed to be built to mount the electronics.  The frame protrudes a little bit beyond the intake air manifold, but will be well clear of the floor if the stove is configured with the legs which are a bit lower than the pedestal.

The closeup of the electronics shows the black fan driver module on the right, with the piezo beeper attached to it.  The CPU module is in the center, with the black backup battery on the left. 

The brown thermocouple wire comes out and makes a loop in front of the battery before making its way to the CPU module.

The orange antenna can be seen in front of the battery. 

[SmartStove_Dan]

Looking at the back side, the blower is seen with the AC lines running over to the stove.  The power supply for the CPU module is plugged into a receptacle mounted on the left side of the intake manifold. 

The thermocouple wire can be seen entering the back shroud through a grommet.  The thermocouple attaches to the top of the stove after passing through the inside of the shroud.  The black wire wrapped around the thermocouple is a teflon-insulated ground reference line that attaches with the thermocouple.

The side view shows shows one of the plates used to reattach the intake manifold since the original welds have been cut.

[Johnackerly]

Dan,

Looks good.  As the guy in Maryland who is getting this stove, its good to see how it is all put together.  And, assuming it works well, as it seems to have for others, it may be attractive as the stove only cost $650.  The stove weighs 325 pounds, which is considerably heavier, as far as I know, than other stoves in that price range.  It has an advertised 1.8 cubic foot firebox and accepts 18 inch logs - which was important to me.  However, and Dan - you can elaborate on this - Dan said that the fan it came with was pretty loud on the highest setting.  So, Dan is putting a different fan on it.  Dan - you should try to get some tool that measures decibel levels so you can get exact readings from different fans, as that is so important to consumers like me.  In Europe, stoves are tested for noise and that info is provided to consumers.

Anyway, really looking forward to getting this and will post again with results.

Best,

John

[SmartStove_Dan]

I should be able to have the new fan in place in the next couple days.  Ebay has a number of dB meters available for little $$.  I have one on the way.  It will be good to be able to quantify fan noise.

[SmartStove_Dan]

Here are 3 pics with the new fan installed.  Two rectangular holes were cut into the back shroud of the stove as inlets for the new blower.  It's very interesting to note that the original blower pushes air into a round hole in the center of the shroud.  Inside the shroud is a U channel of steel that directs the airflow straight up from the center.  The new fan injects air on the two sides of this channel.  This was a concern to me that the airflow with the new blower may tend to blow out the sides of the top opening, but this is not the case.  It's also interesting that when the new fan runs, the airflow causes air to be pulled in through the original round hole, adding to the airflow coming directly from the new blower.

The original fan had a small box attached to it that was used to enclose some electrical connections.  The new fan has no such box, so one of the stock boxes used for the fan control module was used to house these connections.  This is a plastic box, but with it located under the blower, behind the stove, there will be little heat that gets down here.

This new blower, a fairly common type of blower to the wood stove industry, is powered by a shaded pole motor with ball bearings that drives two squirrel-cage fans.  The shaded pole motor is much more friendly to a triac-driven speed control, so unlike the original induction motor, this fan is super quiet, and even seems to push more air than the original.  It is also more compact.

[Mellow]

Where in MD is this going?  I am in Salisbury and if it is not to far away would love to see this in person.

[SmartStove_Dan]

Send a PM to user Johnackerly.  I'm sure he'd love to show it to you when it gets there.

[SmartStove_Dan]

This next pic shows the thermocouple screwed to the top of the stove behind the flue collar, where it will be out of sight, but still close to the flue.  Temps will be cooler than if it was on the opposite side of the flue collar, and especially since it is right in the middle of the airstream from the blower.  Faster fan speeds will have a significant impact on the temperatures measured, which can be compensated for with the different operating modes.

[SmartStove_Dan]

Pic showing the completed stove, looking at the control system mounted on the bottom side.  Hmmm... When the stove was upside down, that wire didn't hang down.  Need to get that tied up more.

Another pic showing the completed stove on the lift cart.  Looks just like a normal stove where the maker forgot to give it a brain.