I watched my Castine slowly creep up to "overfire" on the stovetop thermometer the other day. I closed the intake on the front but it was still climbing. I never could find the intake on the back. Is it behind the rear heat shield? I was able to cool the stove down with 2 fans but it sure would have been nice to plug that intake!
Air intake on Castine
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gpcollen1
Minister of Fire
With those temps, sure the primary air is closed but the secondary air is firing still. The temps may climb a bit more but that fire will be cooling down soon enough. The only logic i heard for being able to close down the secondary air was in the event of a chimney fire. That is great and all but I don't expect to have one of those with a well maintained liner...
Behind. It is easiest to access if you come from the back/side, and safer too. Reaching up from beneath, from the front is a good way to scorch a forearm, although if your ash pan is full, the temps don't get all that high. I've noticed that I overfired a lot more often when my Castine was new, and I think it was just not knowing initially what the "just right" load was. Stacking a full firebox on top of a bed of really cookin' coals and it is "off to the races." Those suckers are just too efficient to take that kind of fuel dump. I still have a wad of tinfoil handy for those moments, but haven't needed to do that in a long while.
DawgDoc,
Your sure the linkage to the primary air is connect properly? It's quick to remove the two 10mm bolts securing the doghouse cover to check.
Your sure the linkage to the primary air is connect properly? It's quick to remove the two 10mm bolts securing the doghouse cover to check.
pmac
Member
southbalto said:
I also recommend checking that. I've twice had that linkage come apart. Easy to fix, but annoying when it happens.
Yep, second that tip to check the linkage. Mine arrived with that disconnected, and folks her steered me right to the problem. If this is your first fire, I'd check that as the prime cause. Although, as I mentioned, overfire is still a possibility even if that is working properly. Once it is connected, and you learn the feel and sound of the slide, you'll never have to wonder about it again. You'll know.
I haven't looked but the linkage is probably ok. Most fires do quite well and it is obvious when i turn the air intake down. I think it was adding wood to some smokin' hot coals as suggested! Thanks to that soul somewhere in the past on this forum that used a fan to cool his stove down. It did the trick!
Probably is, yeah. I guess it could happen, but I can't envision that coming unlinked in normal use. Shipping of the stove? Definitely. Southbalto nailed my problem right off, and I felt like a real dope when I hooked it back up and felt/heard how it actuated then. But, if you've never used the stove, you wouldn't know. (My last Dutch West stove had a "flapper" air control that really had very little resistance to it....) As a consequence, my first two "break in" fires really weren't. Luckily, they didn't get too hot, but they cerainly weren't the progressively warmer fires the manual recommends. So far, I haven't noticed that I did the stove any damage. I think that this was partially because the stove had been uncrated and standing in my house for five months before I installed it, so it had plenty of time to stabilize to the humidity and temps. The second part of it, I think, is that the manual is written to prevent a worst case failure and the for the vast majority of the Jotul stoves, it is not necessary. Still, I wouldn't recommend that anyone deliberately overlook that requirement. I was left to wonder, if the stove had cracked or warped if I would have had a valid warranty claim. BTW, you'll not see any mention of this possibility in the Jotul manual, as far as I could tell. I'm not sure, but maybe my dealer was the one to install the cover plate, possibly, or he could have swapped out the "European" plate for the "U.S." one. That might be where things went haywire, but I'm glad I never had to fight that fight.
Which leads me to a question I've wondered about: What the heck is the physical/practical difference between those two cover plates? I've never had them side by side.
The other question I have is: What the heck do you ever do with the one your stove doesn't require? Something in me just can't bring myself to pitch it. I mean, maybe I'll want to move to France some day, and take my stove with me? Sure. Could happen...
Which leads me to a question I've wondered about: What the heck is the physical/practical difference between those two cover plates? I've never had them side by side.
The other question I have is: What the heck do you ever do with the one your stove doesn't require? Something in me just can't bring myself to pitch it. I mean, maybe I'll want to move to France some day, and take my stove with me? Sure. Could happen...
Oh, and good advice about the fan. Want point is there in wasting all those wonderful BTU's, huh?
The EURO plate allows for more primary air.
I"m not sure why the EPA required a more restrictive plate. It would seem that more primary air=hotter fires=more complete combustion.
I"m not sure why the EPA required a more restrictive plate. It would seem that more primary air=hotter fires=more complete combustion.
That doesn't make much sense, I agree. Most likely, they drew up regulations without consulting or comparing requirements, leaving the manufacturers to make the stoves compliant. Wonder how many tons of iron get poured unnecessarily every year because of that? Well, I certainly don't need more primary air, that's for sure. Sucker drafts like a rocket most of the time and it can be hard to keep a match lit (almost). I have a double wall connector to Class A, straight shot through the middle of the house/attic...woosh!
Tell me something too, while I've got you here Southbalto: I'm overdue for a sweep and my install has no tee or other way to get at the soot that comes down the chimney. Looks like I am going to have to remove the baffle in the stove, right? Have you ever done that, and if so, do you have any tips. I've not looked at the manual in detail, although I willl before doing it.
Tell me something too, while I've got you here Southbalto: I'm overdue for a sweep and my install has no tee or other way to get at the soot that comes down the chimney. Looks like I am going to have to remove the baffle in the stove, right? Have you ever done that, and if so, do you have any tips. I've not looked at the manual in detail, although I willl before doing it.
Two ways to remove/access the baffle.
You could pull it down and out the door by sliding those clips securing it to the side. It is messy job. The baffle is heavy and you'll need to play around with it a bit to get it to just the right angle so you can pull it out. here are some pics: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/49435/
My preferred methodis to reach in above the baffle and loosen the two bolts located at either end of the stove securing the top plate. You should be able to get to them with a small ratchet. Once those are out you can just pull the top plate straight off. The baffle is just sitting there and can be pulled straight out (after sliding the clips to the side).
I imagine you could brush the stack and all the mess will fall into the stove resting on the baffle. Lift the top off and shopvac.
You could pull it down and out the door by sliding those clips securing it to the side. It is messy job. The baffle is heavy and you'll need to play around with it a bit to get it to just the right angle so you can pull it out. here are some pics: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/49435/
My preferred methodis to reach in above the baffle and loosen the two bolts located at either end of the stove securing the top plate. You should be able to get to them with a small ratchet. Once those are out you can just pull the top plate straight off. The baffle is just sitting there and can be pulled straight out (after sliding the clips to the side).
I imagine you could brush the stack and all the mess will fall into the stove resting on the baffle. Lift the top off and shopvac.
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
ploughboy said:
The break in fires are really for the benefit of the stove cement. It has to go through a curing period. If you were to just fire up a stove with stove cement in it to say 500 degrees the stove cement would run out of it. It looks like creosote when it runs out. How do I know you ask? I made that mistake .....just once though!
On to the second point on this thread. The dreaded Euro plate. In every country in the world their are differing testing standards. Some Jotul products are sold world wide and some are specific to each market. The Castine is a a popular model in Europe also. I wouldnt recommend using it in your install though. The plate allows more air in the fire as we all know. It also takes air away from your air wash for your glass though. As long as you have good draft stick with the one it came with.
The school of practical experience awards a hard won degree, yes! Thanks for that info Jotulguy. I owe you one Gennie.
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