Can't regulate my Jotul F400

[Wade A.]

Hello all. First time poster here, although I've done quite a bit of reading over the last months. I'm convinced that there is a wealth of experience and knowledge here, and I'd appreciate any help anyone can give me.

My new stove is a brand new Jotul F400Castine, which I installed myself. Problem: I can't seem to get any regulation using the single main air induction control. Really, it burns way hot and closing the damper lever doesn't seem to phase it a bit. Puzzling also is the fact that opening it wide open doesn't make it that much hotter either. Like I said, pretty much no regulation. I 'm presently burning only three splits at a time, max, because I'm fearful of this thing running away from me.

I've checked to make sure the ash door is shut tight (it is), and that all the seals look good (they do). I've got a call into my dealer, who is consulting with Jotul, but I wanted to see if anyone had similar problems. So far, it seems that this is not a common complaint with a Jotul, that poor drafting is the more common thing. I sure don't have that problem!

Perhaps someone with experience with this stove could give me some insight. Thanks in advance.

 

[jotulguy]

Do you have a ratchet set with a 10mm socket? You need to take off the air inspection plate right inside the door. Its 2 10mm bolts. There is a chance the air control came free during shipping. If the chrome air control is not making contact with a cast iron plate that slides freely you have found the problem. Then comes the hard part of getting it back in place. Let me know what you find.

 

[southbalto]

Do you have a ratchet set with a 10mm socket? You need to take off the air inspection plate right inside the door. Its 2 10mm bolts. There is a chance the air control came free during shipping. If the chrome air control is not making contact with a cast iron plate that slides freely you have found the problem. Then comes the hard part of getting it back in place. Let me know what you find.

I think this might be the answer.

I purchased the same stove last year and when the dealer was putting it on the truck I pointed out to him that there was zero resistance in the air flow regulator control. He scratched his head pulled out a socket set and removed the air intake plate. The lever wasn't connected.........I would of had a few hot fires before figuuiring it out for myself......

Keep us posted

 

[southbalto]

Also, if it comes down to it and you're stove is running away from you, remember, you can always plug up the air intake located in the back.

 

[Wade A.]

I think y'all might be onto something there, yes.

The air lever essentially waggles free, with no resistence at all. Not having experience with this stove, I didn't know if that was normal, or not. Before posting this, I actually got out my socket and loosened one of those plate bolts, but it it spun and loosened, but never would come free. So, I thougth better of it, thinking that there was an internal clip/retaining cup inside that would make it hard to retighten it. I managed to get it tightened up after much effort, and then left it alone. I didn't want to risk voiding the warranty, but I'm thinking that my intitial instincts were correct.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Wade A.]

Bingo. Took me about 30 seconds to spot the issue and fix it. It is a long way from Scandanavia, ain't it? Things rattle loose. Have to laugh now that I know how the action is/should be, and more importantly how it should SOUND. An art, not a science as it were....

Figured out too the bolt that loosened, but never came out, was the center "hold down" bolt for the slide. It has a lot of thread. Fat lot of good it did.

SOBALTO and Jotulguy...many, many thanks.

(SOBALTO, I'm a Mid Atlantic boy living in AL today. Westminster/Reiserstown/The Block (!). Good to hear from Bal'mur.)

 

[southbalto]

Glad you found the fix.....It's a pretty killer stove once you get it dialed in. As you've probably read on here, it's all about super dry wood. 6 good size splits kept my Castine running at 475 plus for 6 hours last night....

Yea, I'm pretty close to your old stomping grounds. Spent some time in Glenelg/Ellicott city/South Baltimore/Catonsville

 

[Wade A.]

That it is southbalto...had a great burn last night and regulation was not a problem. I'm loving the stove. I was without solid fuel for the last four years (new house, wife, kids...too many other expenses), so I'm feeling smug and snug now. Dry wood? Check. Here in Birmingham, AL, we have lots of hardwood on the curb, always, for anyone with the gumption to collect and split it. This season's wood was actually white oak that was green in April. I split it quickly and small, put it under a roof with plenty of circulation on the S. side of the house and it burns with no hiss, steam or problem....and HOT! It is good to know that I can turn around a green tree that quickly. (A brutally hot/dry summer didn't hurt either. )Thanks again.

 

[Pagey]

Sounds like your AL summer was like our TN summer. We hit the 90s in May and didn't look back until the end of September. I have a shed half full of red oak that I split relatively small in the event we had another cool, rainy summer. I imagine it will burn like gangbusters when the time comes. I'm working on a cord of beetle-kill pine for now, though.

 

[Troutchaser]

Glad to hear of the fix Ploughboy. Aint Hearth.com great?
We've had that summer here in IN also, except we've had only two inches of rain since mid-August to go with that heat and desert humidity. I could hear the wood cracking in the stack.

Catfish are breathing air.