Just bought a New Jotul Kennebec

Just a newbie myself, but take a good look at everything around on this site. Tons of great information out there. What specifically did you want to know? Don't know if I can help, but there are lots of experienced wood burners around.

-Kevin

First of all solracer.....welcome to the forums. Do you have the owners manual? If not, get one and read it thoroughly. All of the installation specs will be in there and some helpfull basics on operating your new stove. Also, as wrench said, this site has an unbelievable amount of information. The people who hang out in these forums not only CAN help you with most anything but WANT TO. I've learned so much from here and the entertainment is great too! Good luck and don't be bashfull about asking questions, these guys are the best.

welcome and good luck burning with your insert

BTW great choice and it quality threw and threw.

We want picture and details of the install. Many other members have that Jotul that can help you over the learning curb

Congrats on the new stove. Can't wait to see pics of the install and it burning.

Looking forward to seeing your impressions on this insert ans some pricture i'm thinking about purchasing it next year. If you dont mind me asking what did you pay for it?

solracer said:

I just bought a Jotul Kennebec, to be installed soon. I have never Burned a wood stove, just the fireplace that has been in various house's I lived. Are there any trips or tricks to using a a wood stove insert?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Welcome to the club!

If you have ANY questions whatsoever, feel free to ask. You can post them here, or PM me. For a basic primer, when starting from cold, heat it up fast by using small splits, and the door closed but unlatched. Latch the door at 500 degrees, and keep the damper wide open. When she gets to 600-650, damper down to 1/2 or 1/4 open, depending on how much heat you want. This stove normally runs at 600-650 with the fan on low, with the occasional foray up to 750 or even 800 (750 is okay, I start cooling things off at 800 by putting the fan on high or dampering down). I've had mine up to 900, and I called Jotul out of concern that I ruined it... Jotul says she can run at 900 for short periods of 30 minutes or so, no problems... that said, I try not to let it happen. Generally, I leave the fan on low all the time. Per Jotul tech support, the fan on high is good when you have a blaze inside and want to throw off a ton of heat, but it will cool off the firebox a little too much. Keep it on low. The snapstat will turn it on and off as needed.

Practice with the stove, it will take you a season to learn the basics. Generally I get 8-9 hours out of her with plenty of coals in the morning for a quick restart. Keep in mind that when we say "8 hour burns" we don't mean flames for 8 hours... you'll get 5 hours of flame at most, then coals burning down. The longest I've gone with a "coals" restart is 14 hours... dumb luck and a lot of ash in the pan I guess.

Good luck,

-- Mike

Congrats on your new stove!

I've been burning wood for 3 years now. Good burning starts with good dry wood in my opinion. If you are cutting your own, try to have enough so you can let it season for at least 8 months or more. It makes a big difference. It makes burning hard work when you have wet crappy wood.

Another thing I think is important is to really burn hot for 15 minutes or so to get all of the moisture out of the wood before you cut your stove back. It makes for a longer, more efficient burn.

I only heat a portion of my house with my stove and I'm dying to get an insert for my fireplace so I can heat my entire house. I'd like to hear how you like your's after you get the hang of it.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new insert!

This is my first year of burning and I have learned a ton here. Just keep asking questions as they come up, everyone here is more than willing to share what they know.

solracer said:

I just bought a Jotul Kennebec, to be installed soon. I have never Burned a wood stove, just the fireplace that has been in various house's I lived. Are there any trips or tricks to using a a wood stove insert?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi,....just now saw your post....how did the 450 work out and do you have photos you can post? I also just bought a 450 and it arrived three days ago. Waiting for slightly warmer weather to do the install. I paid $2154 + tax for the matte black, surround and blower.

solracer said:

I just bought a Jotul Kennebec, to be installed soon. I have never Burned a wood stove, just the fireplace that has been in various house's I lived. Are there any trips or tricks to using a a wood stove insert?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

So....how did the install go? Do you like the Jotul 450 insert?