How will this Morso odyssey end?

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koa97

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Oct 15, 2008
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hi
The Morso 1125 has made its journey across the ocean and has been assembled after all these years. Its just itching to consume some wood, but obstacles still linger in its path. It is big for the space, it wants to sit too far into the room, and it likes an 8" chimney (ordered but probably not too late too change).

I have thought maybe I could make a wall guard with spacers, with extensions at 45 degrees on each side to protect the windows, etc. I have thought about procuring a jotul f 602cb, which is out of stock, but ostensibly available at the only dealer in Hawaii (but on a different island).

The morso was free and sits in the house, and the jotul would cost $ and is thousands of miles away. The weather is not too cold, think 40's at night, but there is plenty of wood here just aching to be burned.
 
Firestarter,

That Morso is the most Wonderful woodstove! (sigh, Sob!) When I saw it, I couldn't believe my eyes! We just lost that exact model Morso after 27 years of flawless service and a minimum of maintenance. We had to add a hook-on thermometer at the lower stovepipe and had to replace the damper handle after about ten years. It is necessary to shovel out accumulated ashes, but frankly, it was easier than emptying an ash box on a newer stove. We had it cleaned by a professional chimney sweep, every year, and that was it. That Morso provided almost all the November-April heat for our 2600 sq ft house. We loved it.

One morning last fall, about the third day into our cold weather, I opened the Morso and found that the big cast baffle from the upper inside of the firebox had dropped to the floor of the firebox. It wouldn't fit back into place, because its back edge had been warped, over time, by several instances of over burning at very high temps. I can practically name the instances.
Take that as a free lesson :) and try never to allow it to get past the "hi" limit when heating up your Morso.

I looked, but was unable to find any reference for a replacement baffle or any other parts for that Morso. We finally gave up and started shopping for a replacement. Jotul looked good in all respects, and we settled on a Firelight 600, which is currently giving us fits during the "burn-in" process. It burns well, but until it can go above 300 without setting off our smoke alarm, it is practically useless, economically.

I wish you well with your Morso. In your place I would have the necessary guard materials installed to code over the walls and floor, making sure you have the required clearances in the chosen location. That is more stove than you will ever need in Hawaii, so I have no doubt that it will be adequate. It is a real work horse and should serve you for years and years.

SweetCicely
 
I love how an old stove can develope a following and bring out such emotions. Here is a bit more about the history of this particular stove. Built in Denmark in September of 1979. In the town of morso, the big news was the renovation of a lighthouse. I don't read Danish, but the Morso Folkerblads Ugeavis has some nice photos of the work. Next stop would have been Southport Stoves in Straford Connecticut, the US importer. WARNING: DO NOT OVERFIRE. IF YOUR UNIT OR CHIMNEY CONNECTOR GLOWS, YOU ARE OVERFIRING. I wouldn't have figured that out. No wonder the thing needs to be 36" from combustibles.

Next our intrepid stove would travel the continent on its way to the promised land, the golden coast, land of the golden gate, where my friends purchased this stove from their local dealer. The logic here is interesting. Faced with the need to move across the country and to a very rural locale, the most important thing to pack would be a new wood stove and the most modern one at that. And it would have been a good idea too, except the house they ended up buying had a wood stove in it already, besides which it just doesn't get all that cold in Southern South Carolina. Which is where our hero sat in the basement until my friends heard that I was building a new house and would need a stove. So up and traveling again, this time across the Pacific



Peace.
 

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Thank you for filling in the history of your Morso. It is an interesting coincidence that ours could well have been produced right next to yours. We bought this house in 1981, but the builder and his family installed the woodstove and used it for at least one winter before we came to California. It is quite likely to have been manufactured in 1979.

"DO NOT OVERFIRE. IF YOUR UNIT OR CHIMNEY CONNECTOR GLOWS, YOU ARE OVERFIRING. I wouldn’t have figured that out."

You surely would have figured it out. That kind of "overfiring" takes real recklessness or inattention. The nice thing about that stove is that it can be shut completely down, if the fire gets too hot--then gradually reopened to an appropriate level of combustion. The damper lever (back area of the stovepipe connector--top back of stove) can be turned to increase or reduce chimney draft; and the perforated door handle can be turned straight up to seal off incoming air. Our new Jotul 600 has no such device.

"But is “more stove than I will ever need” actually a good thing?" That's a hard question. It is a great stove, and wonderful that it has been practically free to you, but it does present some problems. Since your house is relatively small, burning that Morso at full capacity would drive you right outdoors; but it is entirely possible to learn to manage smaller fires so that it will keep the house comfortable.

The placement situation is difficult. The clearances and protections necessary to insure your safety are likely to require more floorspace than you would want to give up. Our Morso sat on a raised (one foot) corner platform in a large livingroom. Even so, it always seemed to dominate the room. The platform is covered with ceramic floor tile and the walls (8' on each side) forming the corner are also tiled (different tile). The front of the platform juts out another 7 inches from the imaginary line that would complete the triangle. The stove was centered about 22 inches back from the front edge. I believe the Jotul site gives the clearances for their stoves in PDF form. It may be that the Jotul 602cb would suit your space and purposes better.

That's a very cute kitty--he likes the Morso, too.

Sweetcicely
 
sweet cicely, the "i wouldn't have figured it out" is what passes for humor among hawaiians.

and the correct observation from the photo would be, i didn't know that model had a cat burner!

good luckon the stove. looks like a real sweet house. lots of enjoyment! andwho knows, with all the climatic changes, you might need that thing. the new administration will so fiercely deal with global warming that we'll probably enter a new ice age before too long!
 
Chances are that you will have to burn the stove with the doors open much of the time, and when closed you will need a smaller fire. It is a powerful beast. As long as you are willing to work with it, it will be OK, but it is way over size and that is typically not a good thing.
 
It was so cold last night, the outside temps must have gone below 40. Inside temp-- about the same. Sure can't wait to get some heat in here. In trying to weigh the option of the little Jotul 602, I have scoured the internet for some decent photos, and every web site has the same lame stock photo. You would think if a million people had bought one one of these things, someone would have taken a picture of one. (yes this is a request). On the other hand should I be looking at any other model small stoves perhaps something that has the cat burner?
 
Koa97,

Sounds like you are in Hawai'i del Norte--I had no idea it got that cold.

This isn't the picture you wanted (I think someone just posted it), but this page on the Jotul site will link you to all of the information (specs, installation, operation) in the owner's manual in PDF. Just go down to the "Documentation" section and click Jotul 602cb. If you do not have an Acrobat Reader, just click the Acrobat link. It's free _ Yay!

Catalytic burner? Opinion>>>nah. I believe that you will get the best, most trouble-free performance from the simplest most straight forward stove designs. You have a small (and Precious! space); heating it should not require built in fans, motors, catalytic burners, or rocket science.

Sweetcicely
 
Hey koa, aloha. The stove is a gift from heaven, use it. Get the flue connected before it is too warm to be needed. Use the guidance from the previous thread or ask questions as you go along. But time to get heating!
 
koa, i have the same sense of humor. sometimes, my wife will even let me in the house, but she puts on her ipod.

listen, i am a complete newbie to all of this, but were it me, i would invite an engineer with appropriate experience up to the house to look at it. they sometimes have both the knowledge and imagination to solve problems like that. yes, it is a double-or-nothing gamble, because after laying $$$$ on the engineer, you may end up buying the jotul (which, if you ask my opinion, is a sweet looking piece and would problably look great in your house). But on the other hand, the problems you are banging up against are real problems, and gifts from heaven are sometimes temptations and not gifts. (on the other hand, if you could find a way to get that morso over to israel, i'd try to see first hand if it were gift or temptation :p ) in any case, you could end up putting out more $$$$$$ to keep the freebie than buiying a stove that really fits your needs.

just a totally uninformed opinion from a really ignorant reader.

free advice cost nothing and it's worth the price. - Alan Sherman
 
Hi folks, after much soul searching I have decided to let the 8" chimney come and to use the Morso.
 
While anxiously waiting for the chimney to arrive, and with the beast staring at me every day, I have a few more questions about this stove.

On airtightness:

I don't know if its 30 years of storage, too much movement in shipping, or typical, but in a couple of spots the stove cement seems to have cracked loose to the point that I can see light through when performing the light leak test. The holes are pretty small, one in the middle of the back panel, and one just above the door hinge. So.. with this type of older stove, should I care? Should I fire it up a few times before trying to fix it, or should I get a bunch of stove cement and go over the whole interior?

I know this stove gets its air supply through the doors, and through the hole in the handle, but with the handle all the way closed I still see light along the entire top of the right hand door. Is this normal for these stoves?

The stove came with a damper/ flue connector and a round back plate, and a thin piece of rope which I take to be a gasket for these. When cut in half, it is the right length to go once around each hole. Is additional sealant recommended when installing these, or not needed?

Finally, does anyone have the handle extension for this stove that could post a picture? Or what do you use if you don't haver the original one?

Thanks in advance
 
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