Got the Oslo installed

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
phatdonkey

phatdonkey

Member
Dec 15, 2014
153
West Norriton, PA
Disregard the fireplace wall. Had to remove all the trim and mantel to stay inside of CTC.

The break in burns went without issue. There were two spots from inside the stove that i could see daylight when i stuck my head in. Im assuming just missed spots when they cemented it, so i cemented them shut. Let the cement stand for an hour and a half then started the first break in.

Got the break ins done, did them in the house instead of outside. Lots of fumes from mine. Set off smoke alarms for the first 4 burns. I brought it up to just under 700 after the break in to finish off gassing.

Yesterday everything went well. Got it hot and kept it hot. Stayed around 550 for a few hours. Died down and i reloaded it. Right back to 550.

Today is a different story. Same wood and all. Lit it off the coals from lastnight and cant get the thing to stay over 400. Need to have the air control full open to keep it at 400 as well. If i even back down to half it drops to below 350.

I know ill be happy with it, just have to learn to use it.

Thanks to everyone that has answered questions for me over the last month while i decided what to install and how to do it. Im looking to someday help others as well. Once i learn how to do it. Haha.
 

Attachments

  • 20150117_163118.jpg
    20150117_163118.jpg
    136.3 KB · Views: 272
  • Like
Reactions: ailanthus
That's a great looking stove, & you've got a nice spor for it! I know you'll enjoy it. You might want to check & make sure your vizio doesn't overheat there.;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: phatdonkey
Haha. Yeah. The Vizio is going on an articulating wall mount in the corner this week. Its warm to the touch but still seems okay. Good eye though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ailanthus
Looks great. As ailanthus said, that TV will get warm there. You'll figure the stove out as you continue to use it. Took nearly 2 months for me to really get it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ailanthus
With dry, seasoned wood - which almost no one has when they start out - you get the highest temperatures with the air control shut down to the 1/4 mark - or even a bit less. With the air wide open the incoming air lowers the firebox temps.

Once you see the secondaries begin cut the air control back to 3/4, then as long as the temps remain at least stable cut it back to 1/2. You should see temps begin to rise and secondaries active. You should be able to cut the air back to 1/4 or so and the temps should rise to the maximum.

Caution: Stove top thermometers are notoriously inaccurate and are best used in a relative sense rather than an absolute. My stovetop thermometer almost never shows higher than 500 - but when it is that hot I can scarce get near the stove! More commonly it maxes out at 450 deg. I suspect it may show as much as 50 deg. less than the actual temp.

I had been burning wood in different stoves for 30 years before I got my Oslo, yet it took me pretty much the entire first season to get the hang of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: phatdonkey
By the way, I had my tv just a bit farther away from the stove than you show in your photo, and it kept shutting itself off. I assume mine has a sensor to protect the unit from overheating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: phatdonkey
Thank jotul8e2.

My wood supply is close to the MC i want, but not perfect. Some of it after splitting is around 24% but i havent come across any that is higher. I have an inferno condar thermo and its pretty close to my fluke 179 meter with the temp probe. Maybe 25 ° lower. Now, how accurate my meter is is unknown. However, it was calibrated in November.

I just did a reload after my 5 AM burn started dying down. Two small splits and two medium splits and shes going now at 500. Didnt take long to catch, maybe 10 mins with the side load door cracked.

I know itll take a bit to get it all right. I figured this season would be the learning time. Then next season ill have well seasoned wood and itll all be new again. Haha.
 
You could see daylight through cracks from the inside of the stove? You had to seal those cracks with cement? That doesn't sound right. I am planning on buying an Oslo later this year.
 
All the panels were fine, but when i stuck my head in the stove and looked down to the left, there was a bit of light coming in. Maybe 1/4 the area of a nickel. Same in the back right corner. They were just 2 small areas that showed light. I have been told you want the firebox as airtight as possible to more accurately control it with the air controller.

There was also a small seam i cemented shut along the back edge of the top baffle in the back where it meets the rear wall. Im sure everything would have been fine but i cemented them anyway. I was a bit disappointed with the fact i had to do it, but im sure ill need to recement stuff in it later so im fine with it.
 
That doesn't sound right. I would let the dealer know about this. There should be no light leaks there.
 
Where are you taking your temperature readings on the stove? On my Jotul F600 the manual calls for taking readings from one of the top corners. I think the Oslo specifies a corner, as well. I have at least a 200F difference in readings from a corner and the center of the stove with the center reading higher. If you got a 700F reading off a top corner you really had that stove hot!
 
The thermometer is on the back right corner. I used my fluke to find the hottest corner and keep the thermometer there. I saw that the center does get hotter and i saw it was about 125 degrees hotter.

Im convinced all the erratic temps are due to my wood not being fully seasoned. I need to find a reputable fire wood supplier in south east PA if anyone knows one. Ill just need it for this season. By next season i will have a few cords of seasoned red maple. I know its not the best wood for BTUs but you cant beat free wood.
 
New wood burner with an Oslo as well. I can say that my stoves performance can vary significantly due to
1. Wood Quality
2. Outside temp
3. Wind speed.
I would think my wood was acceptable on a windy 20deg morning, but when it was 45 and calm it was obvious the wood wasn't seasoned well enough. This spring I'm loading up on wood so I can stay ahead. On a side note, my house is fairly tight and I noticed when I opened the window the draft increased significantly. I'm considering putting in an OAK.

The morale to the story for me was wood quality and draft are vital as everyone has already said a million times, but sometimes, outside factors contribute to covering up wood/draft quality. This probably explains the year learning curve.
 
In my Oslo it takes full load of burning wood to get it up to 700F. Not the typical 3 splits. Plus real good wood. But when it gets up and the box is a ball of rolling flames I don't have to look at the temp, you just know.
 
phatdonkey said:
All the panels were fine, but when i stuck my head in the stove and looked down to the left, there was a bit of light coming in. Maybe 1/4 the area of a nickel. Same in the back right corner. They were just 2 small areas that showed light. I have been told you want the firebox as airtight as possible to more accurately control it with the air controller.

There was also a small seam i cemented shut along the back edge of the top baffle in the back where it meets the rear wall. Im sure everything would have been fine but i cemented them anyway. I was a bit disappointed with the fact i had to do it, but im sure ill need to recement stuff in it later so im fine with it.
Click to expand...
Listen to begreen, you should not have seen any light showing through, major issue. Call the dealer.
 
phatdonkey said:
The thermometer is on the back right corner. I used my fluke to find the hottest corner and keep the thermometer there. I saw that the center does get hotter and i saw it was about 125 degrees hotter.

Im convinced all the erratic temps are due to my wood not being fully seasoned. I need to find a reputable fire wood supplier in south east PA if anyone knows one. Ill just need it for this season. By next season i will have a few cords of seasoned red maple. I know its not the best wood for BTUs but you cant beat free wood.
Click to expand...
I can't see erratic temperatures ever happening with a properly functioning Oslo, if the wood is green it requires more air to get it up to temperature and you waste a lot of energy drying out the wood so you just won't get as much heat as with seasoned wood. You should still be able to control the temp on the stove whether the wood is seasoned or not, so as others have said call the dealer because seeing daylight from inside the firebox is nuts.
 
phatdonkey said:
Since i sealed the openings and burned it in, would the dealer even do anything for me?
Click to expand...
Don't mention the repair you did just dig the cement out so the dealer can see what it was like when you got the stove. I think I would insist on a new stove because that just seems like a major defect. My stove is 13 years old and since I redid all the gaskets this fall it's as tight as drum and very responsive and controllable.
 
Toploader said:
Don't mention the repair you did just dig the cement out so the dealer can see what it was like when you got the stove. I think I would insist on a new stove because that just seems like a major defect. My stove is 13 years old and since I redid all the gaskets this fall it's as tight as drum and very responsive and controllable.
Click to expand...

I will give that a go. Ill get in there tomorrow and get it out. Will it come out easily, kike will it leave signs its been there?
 
Well maybe book the appointment first and burn the stove until a day before the dealer is scheduled to come. In the mean time the cement will dry and shrink more making it easier to remove. It shouldn't really show because of all the ash but if it does it shouldn't matter whether or not you tried to patch the holes, the stove is defective and a little cement will not hurt it.
 
phatdonkey said:
Since i sealed the openings and burned it in, would the dealer even do anything for me?
Click to expand...
If this is a new stove it is a defect, probably in the assembly. I might ask for a new stove in this case. What is unknown is what else was missed by the assembler and QC?
 
I got all of the cement i put in it out. Trying to take pictures inside the thing is useless with a smartphone camera. It just wont focus. Im gonna head over to the dealer tomorrow and see what i can have done.

Thanks for the info guys. Next time im questioning something ill post it here before i do anything.
 
Keep us updated phatdonkey, I want to get an Oslo later this year, need to get the latest scoop. My God, if you can't believe in the Oslo, what can you believe in?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
What to do when stove gets too hot? (Ashwood)
Replies
10
Views
2K
Kuma
Max W
Max W
Pinesmoke
New Mansfield lll observations pros and cons.
Replies
16
Views
1K
HearthStone
Pinesmoke
Pinesmoke
Caw
First World Problems - Too Hot!
Replies
11
Views
1K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
W
Vista LE burning characteristics
Replies
0
Views
441
Pacific Energy
Wildflush
W
S
Running away?
Replies
16
Views
930
Vermont Castings & CDW Dutchwest older Models
Stoney Meadow Maple
S
Top Bottom
Back