How hot do you burn your Jotul?
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myzamboni
Minister of Fire
I try to cruise at ~500 degrees. I run between 600 and 700 for about 10 minutes each day just to get everything up to temp and help keep the pipe clean.
Seastrike
Member
Also here (very comfortably, I might add) while decorating the X-Mas tree with the family in Northern Worcester County (Holden).
Our little Winterport C350 insert is pumping out 400-600F heat for 25 hrs straight now and keeping the majority of a 2600+ sft home comfortable.
I continue to be impressed with this liittle Jotul insert.
Small firebox, but other than that, you won't hear a complaint from me.
..and the Oil furnace has not fired since yesterday at 4pm
Our little Winterport C350 insert is pumping out 400-600F heat for 25 hrs straight now and keeping the majority of a 2600+ sft home comfortable.
I continue to be impressed with this liittle Jotul insert.
Small firebox, but other than that, you won't hear a complaint from me.
..and the Oil furnace has not fired since yesterday at 4pm
grommal
Feeling the Heat
My Oslo seems to like the 500-550 range, measured on right rear corner of stovetop. In fact, it just seems to naturally settle there and cruise.
I can force it to get over 600 or under 400 with a full load by going max or min on the primary air, but over a wide range of adjustment the stove top seems not to vary tremendously. This is true even though the relative amount of air exiting the primary outlet above the air lever vs. the secondary tubes changes by quite a bit. It seems to just vary the relative intensity of the burning of the gases at the firebox top vs. down low at the bottom front of the fire, while still giving a similar amount of overall combustion.
I can force it to get over 600 or under 400 with a full load by going max or min on the primary air, but over a wide range of adjustment the stove top seems not to vary tremendously. This is true even though the relative amount of air exiting the primary outlet above the air lever vs. the secondary tubes changes by quite a bit. It seems to just vary the relative intensity of the burning of the gases at the firebox top vs. down low at the bottom front of the fire, while still giving a similar amount of overall combustion.
xman23
Minister of Fire
In north east PA mountains it's a winter wonderland 6 inches so far and snowing hard now. The oslo has been crusing for it's first 24 hrs this year. Stove top tempi is 325, stack is 280. Going down to 20's tonight. I love it, This is what it's all aboit.
Yup, snowin in the Boston area - forecast is for maybe 6". 75 in the house right now. Man this stove really cranks if you keep the temp around 650. Lovin it.
i just moved my thermometer to the front left corner of my F3CB, couldn't rely on the numbers i was getting off the double wall exhaust pipe. (there was another thread on here that talked about this) moved it to the front left corner and it runs at about 450-500 deg. the only time it goes below 400 is way at the end of the burn, burning down coals enough to make room to get 3 splits in.
eightpilot
New Member
I run mine at 400-450 mostly. Those gauges on the rear of mine don't read worth a $hit anyway. I use my infrared temp light and my gauges are always 50-100 degrees low. 8
f3cbboy said:
Yeah Jotul says to put the magnetic thermo in one of the corners on the top plate. I run top right - same thing. Just reloaded here, lovin this stove. I basically load the firebox pretty good, burn it to 600-700 range, then back off the air and let it cruise at 600. I def like the amount of air the EUR plate lets into the firebox vs. the USA plate. You can really get the stove crankin when you are at full open. I think the USA plate is too restrictive.
Attachments
I ran the Castine around 500 in the shoulder seasons and at 650 during winter. Had it up to 700+ a couple times and it can really push out the heat at that temp.
For a relatively small firebox, it can hold its own for sure. I can see why people opt for the F 500 or 600 for an overnight burn. Yeah, you can do it in a Castine if you load it with wood to the brim and damp it all down, but it would be a lot easier with a larger firebox. If they made an F400+ or an F450 with just a couple extra inches of depth, I'd be a buyer too, though the Castine is pretty solid. For myself it is an auxilliary heater, although it is heating my upstairs so well the furnace is off when I am around to tend to the stove.
Good to know on the temps other people are seeing. It seems to heat just fine in the 400-700 range. I tend to run my stoves on the hot end 600-700 even though it may not be the most efficient way to run them, it ensures that the wood burns fully. It's just my style - I'm not saying it is right or wrong. I hit a little over 750 today and throttled it down right away. That was enough fun, lol. I don't need to be replacing any warped plates.
Good to know on the temps other people are seeing. It seems to heat just fine in the 400-700 range. I tend to run my stoves on the hot end 600-700 even though it may not be the most efficient way to run them, it ensures that the wood burns fully. It's just my style - I'm not saying it is right or wrong. I hit a little over 750 today and throttled it down right away. That was enough fun, lol. I don't need to be replacing any warped plates.
xman23
Minister of Fire
All I need is a few full reloads and my oslo can crank at 700 and hotter to heat the cold house. Be careful doing this you can crack the stove. The house takes a day to get the heat deep into the insulation. With temps in the 20"s the stove needs to be crusin at 250 - 350 to keep the house at 75. The trick is to regulate the stove temp so well you don,t have any rise or drop of the house temp..
golfandwoodnut
Minister of Fire
First year burning with mine. Running between 500 and 600 mostly. I am usually keeping the air shut down the whole way and watching the secondaries burn away. I can easily get it up to 750, but I do not get as long a burn or see the secondaries as much, and figure it is not as safe. I have a big house with an open floor plan. It is keeping the main rooms on the first floor nice and the upstairs. A little cooler in the distant first floor rooms, but we are not in there often. Our house is about 3,300 sq ft (not counting the basement) and the 550 is only rated at 2000, so I don't expect it to heat the whole house without a little help. Time will tell.
I've run mine up to 600 for a short time, but I prefer to cruise in the 500 range. It seems to like it there. Too, I am burning wood most of you guys won't cut or buy but its all I have (spruce). I ran a load of hardwood pallet cuts in it once, and it locked on 650 degrees with no primary air. Wood makes a difference. God mistakenly didn't plant any hardwood trees in the Arctic. Maybe on his next visit...
I'm confused! Most of the posts above refer to "running" the stove at 400, 450, 550, 650 etc. What do you mean by "run?"
Are you talking about getting the stove up to 650; then maintaining the 650 burn temp. for several hours after that. How can you do this? If the stove gets up to 650, will it not continue to rise unless you restrict the air - and if you restrict the air does the stove not fairly quickly start losing temp? Or do you add more splits every so often during the burn cycle?
Alternately, when you say that you run your stove at 650, does this mean that you get the stove up to 650 then shut the air down? ie. you run the stove up to 650, then let it cool down gradually to 2 or 300 degrees then fill the stove and let it run up to 650 again?
I have a new Oslo, and have been trying to figure it out for the last couple of weeks! This morning, I finally got the stove top up to 600; and the kettle, for the first time, actually boiled! I used progressively larger splits on the fire - but didn't put anything on over about 3 inches! This seems to be the answer for me. At 600, I gradually dampered the stove down until it was all the way to the left. I easily got a 7 hour burn and actually had lots of red hots to get the fire going again. Stove top temp at refill was about 250.
When the weather gets colder, I'd sure like to "run" my Oslo at 550-ie. keep it at 550 for 6 or 7 hours. I simply have no clue how to do this.
Your input would be appreciated!
Are you talking about getting the stove up to 650; then maintaining the 650 burn temp. for several hours after that. How can you do this? If the stove gets up to 650, will it not continue to rise unless you restrict the air - and if you restrict the air does the stove not fairly quickly start losing temp? Or do you add more splits every so often during the burn cycle?
Alternately, when you say that you run your stove at 650, does this mean that you get the stove up to 650 then shut the air down? ie. you run the stove up to 650, then let it cool down gradually to 2 or 300 degrees then fill the stove and let it run up to 650 again?
I have a new Oslo, and have been trying to figure it out for the last couple of weeks! This morning, I finally got the stove top up to 600; and the kettle, for the first time, actually boiled! I used progressively larger splits on the fire - but didn't put anything on over about 3 inches! This seems to be the answer for me. At 600, I gradually dampered the stove down until it was all the way to the left. I easily got a 7 hour burn and actually had lots of red hots to get the fire going again. Stove top temp at refill was about 250.
When the weather gets colder, I'd sure like to "run" my Oslo at 550-ie. keep it at 550 for 6 or 7 hours. I simply have no clue how to do this.
Your input would be appreciated!
When I say I run at 600-650, yeah I mean I adjust the primary air so that the stove top temp stays there. I've spiked above 700 a few times, but I think that is too high of a cruising temp. It depends at what stage of the burn I am at. I typically load the firebox pretty much full and then go to full air open to the right. I let the temp climb to 650 and then go to about 1/2 air. Then it depends on the quality of wood I have loaded, how much I put in, how hot the room is, etc, but I try to adjust the air to keep the temp at 600-650. Now this is to throw tons of heat. Later on when I have things at temp I can run the stove colder, down to 400. And at night I throttle it pretty much to full air closed.
This all varies based on how your stove is matched to your house, how cold it is outside, etc.
This all varies based on how your stove is matched to your house, how cold it is outside, etc.
I run our Firelight so that the top temp is 400-500F. I rarely spend much time above 600, but I do make sure that I get a good burn towards 550 each time I load up. That heats our entire house (open 2200sq) very comfortably no matter how cold out it is, and this regiment seems to be enough to keep my chimney spotless top to bottom (straight vertical stack, 8' double wall to about 18' of Excel). I only have one season on this setup, so will see if I get the same results this year, but do far it has hardly been cold enough to burn.
Nelraq--I agree-- I'm confused too -- I've been wrestling with a new Jotul Oslo for 2 months -- if you have read any of my latest posts you know I have had a bad ash pan door - but seems to be fixed to some degree -- but I just can't seem to keep the heat in without going up the chimney--run thru a load of wood in about 90 minutes --won't keep the house warm -- have to back up to the stove to feel the heat -- won't last more than 5 hours shut up -- everybody has their own techniques and learning curves -- mostly depending upon individual chimneys and personal past burning experiences -- so hang in there and read all you can -- I've already chalked up this year as lost to the furnace and hoping I get it straightened out by next year.
Buffygirl
New Jotul Oslo Fall 09
Buffygirl
New Jotul Oslo Fall 09
Buffy, now that you have solved the air leak, wood consumption should be much better. It would be good to take this to another thread so that you get better assistance. In that thread, can you describe how you load, and then run the stove now? Include info on stove top temps, air control setting, wood size.
Also, can you post a picture of the stove loaded with wood from the side with the side door open? It would help to see what your method is, the size of the splits, etc.. Do you know what species of wood you are currently burning?
Also, can you post a picture of the stove loaded with wood from the side with the side door open? It would help to see what your method is, the size of the splits, etc.. Do you know what species of wood you are currently burning?
SWNH
Feeling the Heat
I've managed to reach 550 a few times, but then I have to open a couple windows upstairs to dump heat. I can't imagine 650! I usually run it around 400.
ansehnlich1
Retired Hearth.com Member
I'm in year 3 with my Oslo. I've put 10+ cords of wood through the thing
I measure stove top temps as per the manual at the right back corner of the stove top. I "run" the stove up to 600 or 650 degrees daily, when it reaches that point I'll set the air control back to half open, then wait a few minutes, and either set it way back for a longer burn or just leave it at half if I need the heat, it all depends.
I can't close my air control lever the whole way or I'll lose secondary burn. I always have to nudge it open just a wee bit in order to let it cruise for the overnight burns.
Of course, wood type makes a HUGE difference in the above scenario too!
I treat boxelder, pine, sycamore, basswood, and willow WAY differently than oak, hickory, cherry, walnut, and ash!
I measure stove top temps as per the manual at the right back corner of the stove top. I "run" the stove up to 600 or 650 degrees daily, when it reaches that point I'll set the air control back to half open, then wait a few minutes, and either set it way back for a longer burn or just leave it at half if I need the heat, it all depends.
I can't close my air control lever the whole way or I'll lose secondary burn. I always have to nudge it open just a wee bit in order to let it cruise for the overnight burns.
Of course, wood type makes a HUGE difference in the above scenario too!
I treat boxelder, pine, sycamore, basswood, and willow WAY differently than oak, hickory, cherry, walnut, and ash!
Gotcha. Yeah Jotul just recommends 400-600 for the optimal burn. Then they say not to overfire your stove and make it glow. They don't specify a # there.
what do guys with inserts use to gauge what is too hot or too cold?
(im one of those guys)
i have a IR thermometer that i use on the stove top and the inside side cast iron walls of the fore box.
i keep it under 700 on the inside iron. my stove top has reached 250 last night, but usually is at 150-200
if anyone has a definitive answer for us insert guys who use a blower(cools the stove top) i would love to hear what you have to say,
enviro says to just keep things from glowing... kind of makes me roll my eyes. i am an mathematical person, i need a number to aim for.
(im one of those guys)
i have a IR thermometer that i use on the stove top and the inside side cast iron walls of the fore box.
i keep it under 700 on the inside iron. my stove top has reached 250 last night, but usually is at 150-200
if anyone has a definitive answer for us insert guys who use a blower(cools the stove top) i would love to hear what you have to say,
enviro says to just keep things from glowing... kind of makes me roll my eyes. i am an mathematical person, i need a number to aim for.
Dull red glow is something like 900 °F. Seems like you have a little headroom before panic time.
FWIW, our Jotul 602 would shoot up to 900 in a heartbeat if you didn't watch it closely. It's 25 yrs old, had one rebuild and still strong. Even the enamel looks like new.
FWIW, our Jotul 602 would shoot up to 900 in a heartbeat if you didn't watch it closely. It's 25 yrs old, had one rebuild and still strong. Even the enamel looks like new.
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