Jotul Oslo owners, I need some help.

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Wallace said:
FullCompliment said:
I only get 5-6 hours although I seem to err on the side of too open damper-wise. Something about dirty glass just irritates me. Keep in mind the absolute best wood I have to burn is tamarack (no hardwoods here). One problem with this stove: If you were overly excited and got your wood supply before buying or even picking out your stove, you most likely have a bunch of 16-18" splits. I think that, in order to optimize Oslo performance, it'd be better to have 20-22" wood to fill the firebox completely.
Click to expand...
I am definetely getting 8 hour burns...and am happy with the heat production as well. It is funny you mentioned the over excited thingonthe wood. I had my wood 2 weeks prior to putting the stove in. Most of the splits are 16-18"...my next cord is gonna be about half 15" and half 20" for east west loading:)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother with the different sizes next year . . . the Oslo does pretty well just loading east-west since it is more of a rectangular shaped firebox. I cut my wood 18-20 inches long on average . . .
 
FullCompliment said:
One more thing: This stove seems to like what I would've previously called "small splits" i.e. 3-5". So, instead of 3 splits, I'm putting in like eight. I've yet to get a really good, clean burn out of three splits that are big enough to fill the firebox unless I'm running it at 6-700 degrees. I don't think dirty glass is a consequence of a normal slow burn. That stuff ended up on the glass within the first 1/2 - 2/3 of the burn while your air control was set too low. While the window crud will burn off the window with the next hot fire; will the stuff in the chimney do the same? Granted, I don't strive or expect to have usable coals in the morning. I generally only burn on weeknights after work and weekends--it coincides nicely with when I drink beer...

This also might be indicative of epa non-cats. The only other stove I've used extensively was a non-epa smoke dragon insert in my parents' house growing up.
Click to expand...

I tend to put in smaller splits vs. larger splits . . . but generally only get in 4-6 splits. I just tend to go with the smaller and medium sized stuff since it seems as though in the dead of winter I can fill up the firebox better and still get clean, long burns.

And yeah . . . as you guessed . . . you can run the hot fire and it will burn off the black on the glass . . . which isn't bad if this is an occasional thing . . . but if you're getting black all the time on the glass, running the stove hot will not do anything for the creosote that may have built up in the chimney . . . well unless you run the stove pipe so hot that it ignites the creosote which I do not recommend doing. :)
 
FullCompliment said:
My manual says 4-600 for "most efficient operation." Many on here take their Jotuls to 750-850 without worry. I find it hard to believe the stove would perform less efficiently (from a particulate emission standpoint) above 600 than below. Then again, I don't like mine above 600. I think 450-550 is its sweet spot and I can generally get clean burns at anything above about 350 degrees with dry wood.
Click to expand...

+1 . . . on my preferred temps.
 
Last time my glass got dark was year one at the new house when I was forced to buy wood that was under-seasoned. Haven't had the problem for a couple years since Im able to split and season it myself.
 
logger said:
Last time my glass got dark was year one at the new house when I was forced to buy wood that was under-seasoned. Haven't had the problem for a couple years since Im able to split and season it myself.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that happened to me also last year except it was elm that I personally had split/stacked. Seems when I got to the middle of that stack it wasn't quite ready yet. That's the only time I really got 'black' glass. Glad I figured out what was wrong fairly quickly as I did have other wood to choose from. I shouldn't have that same problem from now on as I figure I have enough wood right now for probably the next 2-1/2 yrs. - but - gotta kept at it and stay ahead.

This year I'm still splitting on the small size - because I want to make sure the wood is seasoned when I need it. Beginning next year I will split a little larger as hopefully that wood won't be needed until around the 2014/15 heating season.
 
Hey - Jake! I didn't realize the plain black Oslo's burned so similar to the blue/black Oslo's! <Stated tongue-in-cheek-of course!>

It's been awhile since the flat black vs blue/black debate, hasn't it? :)
 
Update....I put 5 splits in about 9pm last night and got them going good. I then closed the damper to 50%. The flames became more steady and not so intense. After 10 mins I shut the damper to around 25% and the secondaries started to go. After about another 10 mins I shut it down to about 10-15% (hard to tell) and watched it for over 30 mins. The whole time I had the secondaries going with very little flame on the wood. At that point I went to bed. At 5:45 this morning I looked at the glass and all it had on it was just a haze of gray ash:)) no build up at all! The stove was still way to hot to touch and I had a good bed of coals to start up again. I think I was choking the fire down to much and that is what was causing the build up on the glass! Thanks for all the help!!
 
Wallace said:
Update....I put 5 splits in about 9pm last night and got them going good. I then closed the damper to 50%. The flames became more steady and not so intense. After 10 mins I shut the damper to around 25% and the secondaries started to go. After about another 10 mins I shut it down to about 10-15% (hard to tell) and watched it for over 30 mins. The whole time I had the secondaries going with very little flame on the wood. At that point I went to bed. At 5:45 this morning I looked at the glass and all it had on it was just a haze of gray ash:)) no build up at all! The stove was still way to hot to touch and I had a good bed of coals to start up again. I think I was choking the fire down to much and that is what was causing the build up on the glass! Thanks for all the help!!
Click to expand...

Bingo!

Burn on!
 
Wallace said:
Update....I put 5 splits in about 9pm last night and got them going good. I then closed the damper to 50%. The flames became more steady and not so intense. After 10 mins I shut the damper to around 25% and the secondaries started to go. After about another 10 mins I shut it down to about 10-15% (hard to tell) and watched it for over 30 mins. The whole time I had the secondaries going with very little flame on the wood. At that point I went to bed. At 5:45 this morning I looked at the glass and all it had on it was just a haze of gray ash:)) no build up at all! The stove was still way to hot to touch and I had a good bed of coals to start up again. I think I was choking the fire down to much and that is what was causing the build up on the glass! Thanks for all the help!!
Click to expand...

Hurrah!!!!
 
Your dialing it back in segments thats how you do it. Now youll notice depending on the load and outside weather conditions, those stages will change. Both in time between and amounts. But your well on your way to nice long clean burns.

Stsy warm.
 
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
 
oldspark said:
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
Click to expand...

Length of time for a secondary burn is variable depending on air flow/type of wood/difference between inside air temp/outside air temp. Blue flames (ghost flames) are pretty normal for the overnight burn if you dial it correctly. The key is to watch your stove top temps and dial it down accordingly.

So.... the answer is - It depends. :)
 
Shari said:
oldspark said:
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
Click to expand...

Length of time for a secondary burn is variable depending on air flow/type of wood/difference between inside air temp/outside air temp. Blue flames (ghost flames) are pretty normal for the overnight burn if you dial it correctly. The key is to watch your stove top temps and dial it down accordingly.

So.... the answer is - It depends. :)
Click to expand...

+1 . . . depends . . . on the wood quality and air control . . . I typically go to bed with the Portals to Hell raging in my woodstove or the Northern Lights/Ghost Flames . . . sometimes I have some flames showing on the wood, sometimes just a wee bit, sometimes none at all.
 
The reason I ask is with my Summit I always have flames on the wood but I am still learning, and have not had a full stove for an over night burn yet. I have a mental block on turning the stove down that far.
 
oldspark said:
The reason I ask is with my Summit I always have flames on the wood but I am still learning, and have not had a full stove for an over night burn yet. I have a mental block on turning the stove down that far.
Click to expand...

Come on Sparky . . . everybody is doing it. ;) :)
 
firefighterjake said:
Shari said:
oldspark said:
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
Click to expand...

Length of time for a secondary burn is variable depending on air flow/type of wood/difference between inside air temp/outside air temp. Blue flames (ghost flames) are pretty normal for the overnight burn if you dial it correctly. The key is to watch your stove top temps and dial it down accordingly.

So.... the answer is - It depends. :)
Click to expand...

+1 . . . depends . . . on the wood quality and air control . . . I typically go to bed with the Portals to Hell raging in my woodstove or the Northern Lights/Ghost Flames . . . sometimes I have some flames showing on the wood, sometimes just a wee bit, sometimes none at all.
Click to expand...

Old Spark - What Jake said - had me really confused when I first started burning. The stove interior 'looked' like the fire had gone out yet stove top temps stayed in the 400's. Took me awhile to simply understand if fire has air still burns - duh! :)
 
Shari said:
firefighterjake said:
Shari said:
oldspark said:
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
Click to expand...

Length of time for a secondary burn is variable depending on air flow/type of wood/difference between inside air temp/outside air temp. Blue flames (ghost flames) are pretty normal for the overnight burn if you dial it correctly. The key is to watch your stove top temps and dial it down accordingly.

So.... the answer is - It depends. :)
Click to expand...

+1 . . . depends . . . on the wood quality and air control . . . I typically go to bed with the Portals to Hell raging in my woodstove or the Northern Lights/Ghost Flames . . . sometimes I have some flames showing on the wood, sometimes just a wee bit, sometimes none at all.
Click to expand...

Old Spark - What Jake said - had me really confused when I first started burning. The stove interior 'looked' like the fire had gone out yet stove top temps stayed in the 400's. Took me awhile to simply understand if fire has air still burns - duh! :)
Click to expand...

Probably a lot of what I say confuses people . . . ;) :)
 
You make good cents to me
 
oldspark said:
So do most of you have just the secondaries going and no flames on the wood when you do an overnight burn?
Click to expand...

That's the way I like her running before I go to bed. With a decent fire try closing the air control all the way during the daytime hours so that you can observe how the stove burns. Usually, once it gets below 40F outside we can do this and the stove burns fine.
 
FullCompliment said:
cptoneleg said:
Wallace said:
FullCompliment said:
I only get 5-6 hours although I seem to err on the side of too open damper-wise. Something about dirty glass just irritates me. Keep in mind the absolute best wood I have to burn is tamarack (no hardwoods here). One problem with this stove: If you were overly excited and got your wood supply before buying or even picking out your stove, you most likely have a bunch of 16-18" splits. I think that, in order to optimize Oslo performance, it'd be better to have 20-22" wood to fill the firebox completely.
Click to expand...
I am definetely getting 8 hour burns...and am happy with the heat production as well. It is funny you mentioned the over excited thingonthe wood. I had my wood 2 weeks prior to putting the stove in. Most of the splits are 16-18"...my next cord is gonna be about half 15" and half 20" for east west loading:)
Click to expand...


I know why you are going to have 20" splits but why the 15", I will probably cut some 9" or 10" sometimes and see how the N-S thing works but just haven't. Sounds like you are getting nice long burns on just a few splits, is it not cold enough to fill that thing up and let her rip?

Well lots of luck to you.
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor and DON'T try the N/S thing...it works awesome. If you do, you find yourself wrestling with the idea of cutting all of your wood that way. I love my Oslo, but I will never buy an E/W burner again. I'm not necessarily talking N/S loading--which the Oslo technically is if you're using the side door--but N/S with respect to the doghouse (like a PE). Give it a try (or don't), it burns thoroughly and evenly. I try to replicate in with E/W loading by raking a trench in the coals from the doghouse to the bricks for better airflow. Keep in mind that N/S loading with the Oslo usually means loading via the front door unless you have abnormally long, fireproof arms. I've played around with loading through the front door and have found that the "front door ash spillout epidemic" is not that bad if you regularly use that door. I encounter the problem after using only the side door for a couple of weeks and then using the front door.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I hardly ever rake my coals at all, and get great overnight burns and no dark glass in the morning. I just fill up the firebox, establish the secondaries, throttle it down all the way, or almost all the way, and I'm set for 8 hrs easy. When I get up, I have a nice bed of coals to toss more wood on and repeat the process.
 
Stump_Branch said:
Hmm never had dark glass in the morning... good coal bed pack it full. I let the splits catch and dampen down in increments. Im at just under a quarter and go to bed with mostly secondary flames. However come morning some 8 hours later i still have to kindle up the fire again before loading her up. I had one load go to 15 hours but thats once.

Load her up full and dampen down slowly or not all at once anyhow. Should be fine.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

That is pretty much it, right there. It's a pretty easy stove. Just make sure your load is well-engaged and then slowly back it down. Start an hour to 45 min before bedtime.
 
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