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[sstan]

I have not been on the site for a while and just noticed the other thread on insulating the bottom .. news to me.  I have a 2007 model Natures comfort and there was nothing about insulating the bottom!  I stuck my hand down there last night and it is a little warm!  so maybe next sulmmer I can put up some metal skirting but not at 20 degrees out .. so what have others done to insulate thier boilers?  any and all ideas welcome!

thanks,
steve

[mike west]

i installed a ncb 175  this year, it works really well but i thinkthe stove has a few little bugs to work out but nothing big. i insulated the bottom of mine with 2" ridgid {pink} insulated foam worked out real good , next year im going to run the tin all the way to the ground. also added a 2nd layer of insulation in the back , i could feel the heat escaping with only one layer. i heat a 2000 sf home at about 72-75 , the ncb actually uses less wood than the wood stove i had in my house.so far so good!

[unaslob]

I am thankful for this website for this reason alone... i was unaware that the bottom required insulation.... I did this today... it hasnt solved my problems with making heat... but the temp did come up a bit..  i plan in the spring to make the changes more permanent...that is ofcourse I dont kill my self, destroy the unit, or it destroys itself in a china syndrome scenario in an attempt to heat my water!

[Scott7m]

Something I'm going to try on the bottom of my stove is a layer of Prodex insuation.  It's roughly 5mm thick with an R value of 16.  The company sells 2 sided tape that will supposively hold up against the heat.  I'm going to hold it in place with the tape and then place foam board under that.  The prodex is highly reflective and a 99.9% vapor barrier and it should work well for this purpose.  After that I'm going to extend my sides down to the slab and see how that works.

[36NashtyCoupe]

I just installed a 175 on a concrete pad and went ahead and put 1-1/2 inch pink insulation board around the north (control end) east and west.  I left the south open although it is blocked from the wind by the wood pile.  My concern with covering all four sides is the FD fan requires quite a bit of air and if all four sides are covered aren't you starving it.  If this has been addressed before I apologize I am new to this forum.

[Scott7m]

I don't think you have to block the sides.  I installed a piece of prodex across the bottom of my stove.  I haven't had the first issue with it, but I sure didn't put it where there wasn't water, like over the openings in the back.  I also don't think you can starve it out by doing what you did.  I think more importantly though would be to put something up tight against the bottom, like a good bubble foil or preferably prodex.  It's r16 and only 1/4" thick.  I've had mine installed only with gorilla tape for months and it's withstood 50mph winds and hasn't budged.

You'll like the 175, it's my favorite stove.   

[36NashtyCoupe]

Yes I do have some good bubble wrap and I will put it on up under the bottom side of the boiler.  I am already impressed with this stove, only had to iron out a few obstacles (common for me).  At present I am heating a 30 x 40 garage that I have heated for about seven years with a 40 gallon electric hot water heater.  I incorporated the hot water heater into the system so if needed  I can use it to heat the tubing in the floor or in emergency keep everything from freezing.  Next week we will start on the heat to the house with a side arm on the house hot water heater and a heat exchanger in the forced air furnace.  The house is about 1500 square feet. Thank you for the response.

[Scott7m]

No problem, my 175 continues to impress me.  If you have the oppurtuniyy throw in one lump of coal about the size of a football at night.  Mine still gets 16 hour at least burn times on hard woods but a lump of coal will push that to near 24 even in 0 weather. 

[mikenc]

I just installed a 175 on a concrete pad and went ahead and put 1-1/2 inch pink insulation board around the north (control end) east and west.  I left the south open although it is blocked from the wind by the wood pile.  My concern with covering all four sides is the FD fan requires quite a bit of air and if all four sides are covered aren't you starving it.  If this has been addressed before I apologize I am new to this forum.

Unless your back door seals much tighter than mine you don't have to worry about fan not getting enough air. I installed insulation on bottom & then enclosed around bottom with the pink foam and metal. No problem with fan not getting enough air. Made a big difference in wood consumption though. Still have fan opening set at a little less than 1/4". Less air under stove less heat loss.

[36NashtyCoupe]

Thanks for the info.  The 175 seems to be doing great, does get a little warmer than I want but that will change when I get the heat exchanger and sidearm hooked up in the house.

[RSI]

Has anyone tried this: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/NOMACO-KFLEX-Insulation-Sheet-4VZR7?Pid=search
It looks like it would work pretty good and be real easy to install. The price is the only thing that has kept me from trying it yet.
These look about the same but aren't self adhesive. I might give one of them a try.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/THERMACEL-Sheet-Insulation-4NLN8
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/KFLEX-USA-Insulation-Sheet-3F416

[Guru]

I was in the process of making a bottom insulation kit for Natures Comfort.  The kit consisted of blue 2" foam board and 3" sheet metal angle to support the foam board.  I have installed this kit on many NC wood boilers and it does make a difference.  The problem is I would have to charge $100 or so to make any profit.

The foam board is cut into four pieces which are exact fit to the entire bottom of the boiler.  The 3" sheet metal angle is tucked under the outer sheet metal of the boiler and tucks under the foam board for support.

Here is what i can offer.

1.  $0  Drawing of foam board cut out
2.  $60  Foam board with template trace (customer must cut out traces)
3.  $80  Foam board cut to fit
4.  $150 Foam board cut to fit and angle supports (complete kit)