Complete Newbie seeks Jotul 550 hints.

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junkyard_sal

Member
Jan 12, 2010
26
Baltimore, MD
Hello,

I am a complete newbie at wood burning. hearth.com helped me select a Jotul 550 insert for our fireplace but now I am hoping I can get some quick tips to getting the most out of it.

I know I need a temperature gauge but where should I put it on the stove? Is there one that I should get over others?

I have half a cord of dry aged mixed hardwood. (Next year I will have more harder wood with a higher BTU content)

But I need some help with when to refuel, how much to load to start. Also how much ash can I leave in the bottom.

It was cold here this past weekend and we burned hard all weekend but really smoked up the glass, it took almost an hour to get it clean again. We burned a lot of wood and honestly even though we know our house is drafty I am pretty certain that we did not get the most out of the stove.

Can someone give me some quick pointers so that I am not wandering in the woods so to speak. I have a new baby girl and internet research is taking a backseat to daddy time.

Thank you for the help. We love the appearance of the stove and it really makes our room. My wife did not want an open fire in the house so for two years our fireplace has sat unused, now it is a pleasant point of interest in the house and if I figure out the stove it will be an energy saver also.

Cheers,

Carl
 
Welcome. I'm a relative newbie myself.
There's a long thread about the 550 on this forum.
The exact name of it escapes me, but it would be easy to find with the search function.
 
Sal, Welcome to the web. I am sure you will enjoy your 550. I have had mine for two years now and am very happy with it as is the wife, dog and two cats. Burn WELL seasoned wood, at least one year in the drying in your own yard!!!!!!!!! Dirty glass comes from unseasoned wood or not burning hot enough. A floor plan of your house or dimensions would heop to determine heating ability. Good luck. Labrador
 
Okay, I am read through the Rockland Tips thread but I am getting frustrated with the stove even with all of the good information.

Let’s start from square 1.

I have good dry wood. I borrowed a moisture meter and selected a large sampling of the most dry wood, I used the moisture meter and all of it was below 20%.

My problem is that I am not getting the fire hot enough. The top of stove is reading in the low 300s and no secondary burn.

What is the proper step 2 that I need to take.

I stacked the wood and did a top down light and it worked well. But the heat never came up much above 300 as measured on the top of the stove with an IR thermometer. What did I do wrong? The next time I am going to make the V at the bottom of the wood stack as illustrated in another thread to get more air circulating.

Also when do you close and lock the door after ignition?

When to you choke down the primary?

When should I normally see a secondary burn?

Thank you for any help.

Carl
 
Sorry I wasn't clear: for the wood you intend to burn, have you taken a piece, cut a piece and measured the moisture or just measure the moisture right on the split? My point is that moisture meters don't measure at heart but just the outside. So if your wood has been cut and stacked for some time you may read less than 20% while the wood is still far to be seasoned. Does that make sense?
 
Hello woodNewbie, I have not performed that measurement.

Here is the good news. I came home, and raked the coals flat. Added two small splits and opened the primary wide open. I left door just ajar a bit and let her rip to get the fire going. I then closed but did nto seal the door and let the fire continue to build and finally I sealed the door. I got a high heat reading of 560 degrees but no secondary burn and when I reloaded I cruised in the mid to low 400s. I think a light went on about a coal bed but I am still not quite there yet.

When it was hot, I was amazed at how much better the heat throw was. The stove is in a 15x20 room that open to a stairway leading up and the temp in the stairway hit 82 degrees. With the thermostat set at 65 the upstairs was a warm 75 and the room adjoining hte stove stayed aroud 70 with the heat having to move through a door way.

A definite improvement.
the downside was my wife was not pleased that I came home from work and "fussed with a stove all night." All temps were with my IR thermometer, a Raytek aka Fluke pyrometer.

I am going to keep trying for that magical 600-700 range.

Cheers

Carl
 
Quick update. Used Cleanburnin fire starting technique and quickly saw 500+ degrees but not 600 with the IR.

The problem is that when I closed and latched the door (about 30 minutes after ignition) it dropped to 400 range as the fires died even with the primary wide open. At least the glass is cleaner.

tips?

Thanks for the help.
 
junkyard_sal said:
I have good dry wood. I borrowed a moisture meter and selected a large sampling of the most dry wood, I used the moisture meter and all of it was below 20%.

Don't mean to sound like a jerk but this is where you're wrong. You've not been able to acheive the temps you desire, your glass turns black, there is no secondary combustion, and your stove top temps drop after you shut the door right? You do not have seasoned wood.

There's not much you can do about it now aside from preparing yourself for next year. It took me 3 years to really figure out what seasoned wood is and how it makes a difference. You'll be amazed, your glass will be clean, and best of all it'll be so warm in your house that your wife will probably be running around in her underwear! Get next years wood stacked NOW, you'll be glad you did.
 
if you question the quality of the wood, you should try biobricks (or equivalent) and check if you see any improvement.
 
Using Biobricks I believe negates the warranty of the 550. Check your users guide.
 
I agree with the wet wood and you should not have to leave the door open for more than a few minutes (if at all). Maybe you also have a draft issue.
 
Any chance your chimney cap is clogged? Is there smoke spilage when you open the door.
Joe
 
No smoke backs up when the door is open. New liner and cap is clean. the glass is not black more has a brown coating on it. I had been looking for the heaviest peices of wood but maybe I should look for the lightest since they are the most dry (seasoned) and that is how I got the really hot fire last night.

I guess I will buy another cord of wood and see if I can find someone with less of a mix and more high BTU Oak, etc....

Anyone know of a good wood dealer in the Baltimore, MD area? I have a spot to build a rack and stack the wood but it is not the most exposed area. It is a spot that I can keep pretty dry with a little planning though.

I have been running pretty consistently in the 400s today but not much higher. Any tips for this year?

Thanks again.

Carl
 
No smoke backs up when the door is open. New liner and cap is clean.

I guess I will buy another cord of wood and see if I can find someone with less of a mix and more high BTU Oak, etc.... I will try to get it ASAP and let it dry for a good year. Anyone know of a good wood dealer in the Baltimore, MD area? I have a spot to build a rack and stack the wood but it is not the most exposed area. It is a spot that I can keep pretty dry with a little planning though.

I have been running pretty consistently in the 400s today but not much higher. Any tips for this year?

Thanks again.

Carl
 
I have this insert also. I just started using it this year...
You can get the fire to roar up by opening the door, however the air is coming from a completely different direction than when the door is closed. I have similar experience to yours that a roaring fire will all but go out after the door is closed. It's not the wood, it is the fact that the hot parts of the fire you created are not getting fed properly when the airflow changes. Don't run it with the door open for more than enough time to get the kindling started if at all.

I have found that having the air damper fully open can overly cool the fire at times. Once the fire is established, back it down and you will get a hotter fire and good secondary burn (flames dancing at the top of the fire box). If you can see the secondary air jets pushing the flames away, it is probably a bit too strong.

This insert definitely does not like marginally seasoned wood. I had some Oak that I cut and split last fall that is still not ready for this insert. 1 year old Maple on the other hand is working great. You can tell by picking the piece up if it is dry enough. If it feels suspiciously light weight, it is just right for burning. If you can start the fire easily without kindling (just some newspaper), the wood is perfect.

I get some smoke puffing out of the insert when I reload. It seems like the secondary air jets push puffs out the door when you open it. Other than this annoyance, it's a pretty nice unit.
 
junkyard_sal said:
No smoke backs up when the door is open. New liner and cap is clean.

I guess I will buy another cord of wood and see if I can find someone with less of a mix and more high BTU Oak, etc.... I will try to get it ASAP and let it dry for a good year. Anyone know of a good wood dealer in the Baltimore, MD area? I have a spot to build a rack and stack the wood but it is not the most exposed area. It is a spot that I can keep pretty dry with a little planning though.

I have been running pretty consistently in the 400s today but not much higher. Any tips for this year?

Thanks again.

Carl

You're on the right track with your plan for next year. Improvements this year are going to be difficult at best. Finding seasoned wood this late is gonna be tuff, may be impossible. Do you have any sawmills in the area? You should be able to buy slabs from them, many members here have done this. Honestly, the most important things to do now are to keep an eye on your chimney if you continue to burn the wood you have and prepare for next year NOW! Good luck.
 
boostnut said:
junkyard_sal said:
I have good dry wood. I borrowed a moisture meter and selected a large sampling of the most dry wood, I used the moisture meter and all of it was below 20%.

Don't mean to sound like a jerk but this is where you're wrong. You've not been able to acheive the temps you desire, your glass turns black, there is no secondary combustion, and your stove top temps drop after you shut the door right? You do not have seasoned wood.

There's not much you can do about it now aside from preparing yourself for next year. It took me 3 years to really figure out what seasoned wood is and how it makes a difference. You'll be amazed, your glass will be clean, and best of all it'll be so warm in your house that your wife will probably be running around in her underwear! Get next years wood stacked NOW, you'll be glad you did.

+1
 
I think the only place that should read 500 degrees + is if you are pointing the IR temp gun at the flue collar coming out of the center of the insert at the top. I do not think any part of the stove body should get that hot.

Also realize that this stove has a lot of thermal mass at 550 lbs. It takes a while to warm up and will continue to heat after the fire dies down.

You want to get 2 seasons ahead with your fire wood, so order some for next year and the following year as well. Some species will dry out faster than others. Ash dries very quick, Maple is good with 1 year seasoning and Oak really prefers 2 years. the finer it is split, the faster it will dry. It is nearly impossible to buy fire wood that is ready to burn. You might find someone still selling seasoned fire wood, but it will likely be no better than what you have now, depending on species. You could buy green for 2 years out.

If your wood is not well seasoned (and I don't think that has been established) then you can split it into smaller pieces for now. Try to arrange the wood in the fire box so you have two burning surfaces facing each other. Each heats the other and helps the wood burn hotter. If the wood is truly wet, you will see moisture bubbling out of the ends as it burns.

As for measuring the moisture content, take a piece of wood and split it. Measure the moisture on the freshly exposed face of the wood. Don't measure the moisture on the end grain as it will read deceptively low.

The glass on my stove does not stay perfectly clean either, it accumulates a brown film in areas that I clean off each time I empty the ashes. A little windex on a paper towel dipped in in the ashes is how I remove it.

Congrats on your baby daughter!
Regards,
Scott B.
 
scottb said:
I think the only place that should read 500 degrees + is if you are pointing the IR temp gun at the flue collar coming out of the center of the insert at the top. I do not think any part of the stove body should get that hot.


Congrats on your baby daughter!

Thank you for the congratulations. She is less than 11 weeks old and just slept 11 hours! She is an angel and you can ask me again in 14 years. :)


I have a question about where to take the temp. I am seeing he highest temps off the flue 500-600+ But others seem to have a magnetic thermometer in the front of the air channel. I also know that there is a fair bit of measurement error for magnetic and IR thermometers. If I shoot the inside of the fire brick in the stove it is well in excess of the 500 constantly.

Where does one properly take the temp measurement, with IR and with magnetic thermometer?
 
Where does one properly take the temp measurement, with IR and with magnetic thermometer?

Here's where I have a new Condar magnetic thermometer. I saw the location recommendation in another thread. It's reading 600 °F. I was using a Rutland thermometer but it started 'sticking' after a few short months. I also have a Fluke 62 IR and measure the flue pipe exiting the stove on top. One thing I've noticed with the Fluke is that if it is aimed close to a strong heat source, it will subsequently read higher than the actual value until it cools down. So it's basically a one or two shot deal. Hence the magnetic unit.
 

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