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[Rob]

I am going on my second year with Natures Comfort GT-220.I have had issues from day one!
Electrical ones initially, now with the pieces on the bottom of the door with 4 nuts to remove. I don't know what they do, but the old ceramic basically broke apart in the holders. The new stainless steel ones get plugged with a very hard substance.

The burn time is also poor. I feel the fire box is too small.

Wish I had kept with my old Aquatherm.

Did I get a lemon or is Natures Comfort just that pitiful.

[martyinmi]

Welcome to the site!

I'm sure Scott7m will do his best to help you. He is one of the go-to guys for the NC brand.

I think RSI is running one right now. He is also a NC guru.

[Scott7m]

That's a common problem from what I can gather..  The ceramic disc were supposed to last 5 years but apparently do not last long. 

I'd take them out completely and try it...  As far as burn times, lots of variables there.  Give us all the details of your application.

All your issues are tending to point to a moisture content in the wood problem. 

[RSI]

It sounds like your wood it too wet.
What temperature are you running it at?
Do you still have any electrical problems?

If your wood is too wet you will want to remove the converter discs and run without them. They aren't doing any good anyway if there is too much water in the exhaust and they can't re-ignite the smoke.

How much area are you heating? Mine will go 15 hours easy at 0 degrees heating about 5000 sq ft.

Where are you located?

[Rob]

Thanks for the prompt help. I am in Fond du Lac.Total space a little over 8000. Generally run temperature at 180. At 0 degrees I am lucky to get 8 hours. I have the 220 in a shed. My wood is on a trailer, kept dry and is over a year old. With the cold temps, I have been using oak and hickory. When the weather is a little warmer I use elm,cherry and ash.

[Scott7m]

Thanks for the prompt help. I am in Fond du Lac.Total space a little over 8000. Generally run temperature at 180. At 0 degrees I am lucky to get 8 hours. I have the 220 in a shed. My wood is on a trailer, kept dry and is over a year old. With the cold temps, I have been using oak and hickory. When the weather is a little warmer I use elm,cherry and ash.

Over 8000 sq ft.  Wow.  In your area and with your size home I wouldn't have sold you a 220.  You need the gt-500..

I think it's performing well, it's just the climate and then an undersized stove IMO. 

Did you buy from a dealer or direct?

[willieG]

depending on temps outside you are needing to put 200 to 400 pounds of wood in your stove for an 8 hour burn..that means you are using between  600 and 1200 poundsof wood a day. on the high side you burn a cord every 3 days (in average winter weather) to 6 days (in cold winter weather)?

according to my estimates on the coldest of winter days your home would require nearly the 300,000 btu per hour your stove is rated at. (and in my opinion these stoves are rated high.)

[Scott7m]

Willie.....  A cord every 3 days?  I understand the math but where are you figuring he's burning 1200 pounds of wood per day?   The gt 220 box won't hold no where near that amount of wood.... 

They are rated high, I think RSI has about the right or max set up for a 220 at 5000 sqft

[RSI]

Is your wood split or rounds? Have you tested the moisture? If you are running that much load on the boiler the converters should be running hot all the time if the wood is dry and not able to get the stuff built up on them.

[willieG]

8000 square feet (40 btu per square foot per hour for the coldest of winter days) = 320,000 btu per hour
8000 square feet (20 btu per square foot per hour for the average of winter days) = 160,000 btu per hour ( may be low est.)

for easy figuring we will say 7000 usable btu in a pound of wood less the 15 percen (the web site says his stove is 85 percent efficient) so that brings the usable btu in a pound of wood dwon to 6000

to get 320,000 btu we divide that by the 6000 = about 53 pound of wood needed for every hour  or 24x53 =1272 pounds a day air dried oak is about 3500 pounds a cord  that is close (for easy figuring) to 3 days burning on 1 cord

if we go the low route

160,000 divided by 6000 =about 26 pounds of wood per hour or 24x26=624 pounds a day
3500 (weight of a dry cord of oak) divided by 624 = (about 5.6 or we will say) 6 days

i think these numbers are close?

[willieG]

i have a question also..do you figure sqare foot by the main floor only or do you take into account all floors for heating, i know when you buy a house they only count the main floor for living area. i would think for heating you would have to add all floors you heat, like the basement if you use it and the main floor and the upstairs??

[Scott7m]

I know the math works out but can you imagine someone burning 30 cords of wood or more in a winter?  Maybe the estimate if how many btu's his home would require is off.  May not be but on your low estimate he could burn 30 cords and the high estimate 60 cords....

[Scott7m]

Hmmmmm...... 

[RSI]

I know the math works out but can you imagine someone burning 30 cords of wood or more in a winter?  Maybe the estimate if how many btu's his home would require is off.  May not be but on your low estimate he could burn 30 cords and the high estimate 60 cords....

I don't really know either but there are usually only a few really cold weeks in the winter and wood usage does really go up a lot then. In the spring and fall it is a lot less. I would guess 10- 15 cord would be needed for a winter to heat 8000sq ft that is reasonably well insulated.

[willieG]

 

I know the math works out but can you imagine someone burning 30 cords of wood or more in a winter?  Maybe the estimate if how many btu's his home would require is off.  May not be but on your low estimate he could burn 30 cords and the high estimate 60 cords....

seems like a lot to me also scott, maybe these charts on the net are not all true?

if RSI is heating 5000 square feet using the low numbers (20 btu per sqaure foot) that would be about 128 pounds for an 8 hour burn? perhaps he could enlighten us if he reads this