Jotul F 500 users?

I love my 500. I heat about 1700 sq. ft. 24,and it has no trouble. It is very picky, you will have to baby it if you do not have well seasoned wood. It was -8 here last night, this morning the therm. on the wall said 73 in the dining room. Filled with good hardwood and experience with the stove, good heat for 78 hours is quite easy. We paid about $2300 for ours two seasons ago. I hope this info helps.

I've got its big brother, and I highly recommend getting the blower if you need to really push the heat. It makes a signficant difference with my Big 6.

I forgot to add that I do not want a blower. I had a stove with one and I don't like to listen to it, a ceiling fan above the stove works better in my situation. I think it is worth the money. To date I have only used 1 cord of mixed wood. I can't really think of one bad thing to say. I have the BlueBlack finish and it is very tough.

skinnykid said:

webby3650 said:

I forgot to add that I do not want a blower. I had a stove with one and I don't like to listen to it, a ceiling fan above the stove works better in my situation. I think it is worth the money. To date I have only used 1 cord of mixed wood. I can't really think of one bad thing to say. I have the BlueBlack finish and it is very tough.

Click to expand...

I have heard the blower is super quiet on those.

Click to expand...

That may be. If you think you need one that is great, get a quite one, but it is not near as quite as a ceiling fan.

skinnykid said:

All good info guy's, thanks. I will be getting the Matte black so it will match any thing the little lady plans on using in the house. I have a chance to get one for $2000 without the blower. I could always get the blower later or maybe I can find one after market

Click to expand...

If you are concerned about aesthetics (which is sounds as though you are) I would recommend the Blue/Black enamel finish. It is very dark, and matches very well with other colors, and you absolutely cannot beat the durability and the way it cleans up. My stove is in its 7th burning season and all I have to do is wipe it down with a damp sponge and it truly looks brand new.

Other than that the stove is great. 7th season and no problems. I replaced the ash pan gasket, that's the only maintenance I've done on it. I think you'll love it.

I think I paid $1800 back in 2002 (enameled). That was 10% off if I recall, so the list must have been $2000.

If I were to do it all over the only thing I would do different is get the blue/black porcelain...

webby is right on it being pickey. dry wood is an absolute must. good looking, great quality. I have the dark brown enamel. If I had it tp do over again, I's go with the F-600 for the bigger fire box

mitch buchanan said:

If I were to do it all over the only thing I would do different is get the blue/black porcelain...

Click to expand...

Yup, I have the matte finish and would get the porcelain if I could do it over. Yes the stove loves dry wood; true of all stoves. Be safe
Ed

skinnykid said:

Jotul 8e2 has already given me some good feed back on the stove. (Thanks!)

Just wanted to see what other users think of the stove. It is big $$ and wanted to be sure I am getting quality before I buy.

Pro's con's of the stove?

Burn times, which species of wood?

Worth the money? How much did you pay (if you don't mind)

Square feet of your house and does it heat it good?

Blower or not? worth it?

I know, I know it is like your being drilled, sorry!

Thanks for any info ya'll can share

Click to expand...

Jotul quality is as good as it gets. I know of no stove maker who can plausibly claim to be better in any significant respect; as good, maybe, but not better.

Pros? Check the stove reviews on this site. Just a few - large accessible firebox, tough Ivory or Blue/black enamel (if you want enamel), attractive, good option list, efficient, great ash pan - the best I've seen, small clearance requirements, "air wash" keeps glass very clean and makes really pretty fires, can be operated as a fireplace with optional screen, good manufacturer support.

Cons? That famous "air wash" system dumps ash into a lip behind the front door, and then out when you open the door. Some enamel colors chip more easily. Demands dry wood.

But really, you put wood in, set fire to it, and it gets hot. What's not to like?


Check your mailbox for a pm - Mark

hmmmm, my oslo is blue black enamel.

if you're going to use the side door only you'll be ok.

if you want to use the front door only buy another stove.

our home is 1850 sq. feet on one floor. the oslo heats that area down to about 25 degrees, below that i need to run the heat pump back in the master bedroom/bathroom area to keep it nice back there, HOWEVER, that area of the home is around a corner and down a small hallway....ain't no way I could expect the woodstove to get heat back around there.

jotul oslo, simple design, fantastic build quality, sweet latching system on all doors, great fit of doors.

i had to replace some stove cement on the inside of the firebox after the first year of burning, it was an easy job.

i have a cracked baffle, i also have one ready to install, but won't do that until summer.

after a night of 0 F. temps i know if i lived in a region where those cold temps were the norm i'd need a bigger stove

our home is new construction, insulated well.

oh, it's about 18 outside right now and it's 76 F. in the main part of the house.

I was looking for an opportunity to again thank the members for their help and advice. I ended up with the oslo in the basement of my @1000 sq ft house (installed this fall). It's doing a great job heating the space- only use the propane if we're going away. Worried about it being too big- but it's perfect. Right now it's 8* outside and 70* in. Still have alot to learn- I think I tend to burn with too much air....send too much heat up the chimney.
Basement is a great place to be when want to soak up heat stays 80*+. Cats love it. My wife is curled up with the latest copy of the New Yorker in front of the stove- all at a fraction of the cost of heating with propane. Life is good.
Almost never open the front door- just to clear ash and clean the window. I've had some struggles with excess coals in this cold weather. Best solution is throwing pine kindling on and a small split and letting it burn with the air open.
I think I paid around 2100 for the basic black this fall......

Well as usual I'm a bit late to the post, but I thought I'd add my thoughts for any folks considering purchasing this make/model in the future.

BurnTime: 3-4 hours of meaningful heat (300 degrees or more) on hardwood . . . but I can go 4-6 hours and still have coals hot enough to relight the fire.

Square Feet of Home: I'm thinking it was 1,700 square feet or so . . . but don't hold me to that. I do know it heats up the immediate room very well and adjoining rooms are very comfortable (66-70 degrees) . . . master bedroom downstairs in my Cape is cool (but I like it that way) and the Mudroom does need to have some supplemental heat. Upstairs bedrooms are as warm as the adjoining rooms due to the lay out of the home.

Would I buy this stove again: Yes . . . in a heartbeat . . . although I might be tempted to go with the larger F600 stove and/or go with an enamel stove vs. matte black (which I went with since a) it was cheaper, b) it was in stock and available when I wanted to buy it, c) I thought maintaining the matte black stove would be easier in terms of retouching it with paint and d) most importantly of all, my wife wanted the matte black traditional stove look.

Price: I can't remember the price . . . it seems to me it was around the MSRP . . . only $100-$200 less than what other dealers were quoting me for the price. Around $2,100 I think. . . .

Blower: I considered this, but was advised by the dealer to try a winter without it . . . and honestly things have been working well with only a floor fan to move the heat.

Pros: I liked the side door feature, large "glass" viewing area, clearances and most of all it seemed that Jotul has a long history of being a very reliable stove which was one of the most important factors for me.

Cons: The only con I can come up with is that darned front door and design which for some reason causes ash to build up in front . . . opening the door for cleaning results in a mess of ashes no matter how well I try to keep the ashes back (even sweeping them back with a brush for cleaning.)

skinnykid said:

thanks for the post. My dealer keeps telling me to try without the blower, I am kinda afraid to because I really need the heat to be circulated but I will give it a try.

Click to expand...

Listen to your dealer . . . if they were out to make a quick buck they would have convinced you to buy the blower and about a half dozen other things so they could make more money. Sounds like you have found a reputable dealer who cares more about the long term relationship than the quick sale.

As I said I was wondering about the blower myself and asked the dealer who advised me to wait and see if I truly needed it . . . if you (or I for that matter) decide after a year's time (or less) to get a blower it should be a relatively simple addition. Honestly, with just a floor fan pointing at the stove from a nearby room I'm moving plenty of heat to the adjoining rooms and have been very happy with my present set up so I doubt I'll buy the blower.

This is my 5th winter with my Oslo ...The WoodButcher gives it 5 stars.

I have an 18 foot straight shot of internal Selkirk through my vaulted ceiling. I cut and split my own wood (so I know its dry.)
Pro’s con’s of the stove?
Con's - The ashpan could be a bit bigger (with a nice handle)
Pro's - Nice big window...easy side load...really puts out the heat in the 600 range when you need it.
Easy to maintain a fire (with dry wood)

Burn times, which species of wood?
Currently burning 1.5 yr old pignut/shagbark.....I pack it at 10:30pm and theres plenty of coals at 6:30am. (this morning she was at 250 and I had some monster pieces packed in there that night)

Worth the money? How much did you pay (if you don’t mind)
1,399.00 in October 2004

Square feet of your house and does it heat it good?
1,800...heats real good (I run a ceiling fan and box fans)

Blower or not? worth it?
No blower... I Dont really need it, mine sits 1/3 way out into the room.

WoodButcher

skinnykid said:

Thank you all, I just got back from putting a $500 deposit on the Jotul. Your input really helped!!

I got the Matte black for 2 reasons.

1. Price, didn't wanna spend any more money that I don't have.

2. I could touch it up with rutland paint if need be.

I have all year to pay off the rest, that makes it easier for me to afford. I am really excited about getting it and learning about it.
I think we have a warm house from a pretty stove for years to come ahead of us!!

Click to expand...

You'll like it, I just touched up my flat blk stove this past fall.
Post some pics when you get it.

WoodButcher

skinnykid said:

I have a box fan housed in my wall that sucks warm air from the stove room into the upstairs hallway.

Click to expand...

Run the fan the other way. Blow the colder air into the stove room and it will push the warm around the rest of the house. I didn't believe it until I tried it.

I'll throw in my two cents:

Now completing my first month with the 500. So I'm no expert...

1. Picky about moisture - still, with the right attentiveness, you can still get her to cook with a full, load. Poorly seasoned wood and half loads just won't cut it (smokes, secondaries won't light and temps in the 300-400 range.
2. No blower - mine is 100% in the room on my FP Hearth (with extension) and ceiling fans and box fans do the work just as well at a fraction of the cost
3. Would buy the blue/black or brown enamel if I could do it all over again. Got MB because of cost and availability when I wanted/needed the stove.
4. Airwash causes ash to accumulate behind front door. I only open it to clean the glass (which is rare) but no matter what I do, ash spills out onto the heart.
5. Good, meaningful heat (as firefighterjake put it) is about 3-4 hours above 300. Can easily go from 10:30pm to 6:00am with enough coals to get going again quickly.
6. Would have gone with the 600 if I could make it fit (which I couldn't)
7. Radiant heat from front window can be intense - therm set on other side of room directly parallel is usually at 80 while rest of room is in low 70s. (have gotten a sunburn by watching the fire too closely)
8. Heat output seems to come primarily from front and top with less than my old VC on the sides. Had to rethink fan placement to get the most efficient heat to air transfer.