I'm on my first winter with my non-cat Jotul F 500 after burning a cat stove for many years. I want to make sure that I'm not creating more soot in my chimney so I have been careful to keep the primary air adjustment open so that I get a good solid secondary burn flames during the first couple hours of my cycle. My wife has remarked that I am spending more time adjusting and fooling with the stove than I did with the old cat stove. So I am looking to see whether I can simplify my routine.
I know I'm on a learning curve in how to operate this stove. I also know that some of my wood may not be perfectly dry (parched), but most is good enough that it burns nice and hot, getting up to temp within acceptable time frames (20 - 35 minutes on a cold start; 10 - 20 minutes on a resupply). Sometimes I may be fighting a piece or two that gets its final seasoning during the first 15-30 minutes in the stove. Next year I will have all my wood split by the end of this winter, and some will be at least 18 months split and 2+ seasoned. I burn mostly red oak. I have also learned that using smaller splits provides a faster hotter fire. However, the smaller splits are consumed faster and are not very good for an overnight (or gone to work) burn. So I use larger splits, 6"+, when I am setting the fire for a long untended burn.
My concern is that I want to turn down the primary air before I leave, but I do not want to turn it down too early, thereby generating excessive creosote. And I do not want to have the air too far open and burn up the wood too quickly and not have coals left for the morning resupply. When I around for the weekend or holiday, and it is cold out, I will run it up so the center will registered 500 - 550+ F with the blow furnace secondaries. But I am asking about a long burn set up.
So the questions are:
If I am getting some ghost flames above the wood as my secondary burn is that sufficient if they seem to be sustained for at least 10 minutes? My surface temp can be in the 400 - 450 range at the center of my cook top as shot with a infrared temp meter. My Rutland magnetic thermometer may only register 300 to 350 F in the back corner.
Sometimes the ghost flames are concentrated in one or two areas, e.g., to the sides or where the air is getting through the splits. This may be especially true when I pack in a couple or three splits between the base level and there is not much room between the wood and burn tubes. I have not sooted up my glass yet with 24/7 burning for two weeks up through Christmas.
Just trying to be careful so that I don't soot up my chimney liner. My old cat stove was pretty easy once it was cruising, just top off the wood, give some air for 10 minutes, engage the cat, give it another few minutes to make sure that cat was cooking, and then shut down the air to a minimum. While I do find some advantages to the old cat, larger firebox, easier to get a solid overnight burn, I have very much enjoyed the Olso and know that it takes some time to refine my techniques. Also, I will, I will have dryer wood next year.
I know I'm on a learning curve in how to operate this stove. I also know that some of my wood may not be perfectly dry (parched), but most is good enough that it burns nice and hot, getting up to temp within acceptable time frames (20 - 35 minutes on a cold start; 10 - 20 minutes on a resupply). Sometimes I may be fighting a piece or two that gets its final seasoning during the first 15-30 minutes in the stove. Next year I will have all my wood split by the end of this winter, and some will be at least 18 months split and 2+ seasoned. I burn mostly red oak. I have also learned that using smaller splits provides a faster hotter fire. However, the smaller splits are consumed faster and are not very good for an overnight (or gone to work) burn. So I use larger splits, 6"+, when I am setting the fire for a long untended burn.
My concern is that I want to turn down the primary air before I leave, but I do not want to turn it down too early, thereby generating excessive creosote. And I do not want to have the air too far open and burn up the wood too quickly and not have coals left for the morning resupply. When I around for the weekend or holiday, and it is cold out, I will run it up so the center will registered 500 - 550+ F with the blow furnace secondaries. But I am asking about a long burn set up.
So the questions are:
If I am getting some ghost flames above the wood as my secondary burn is that sufficient if they seem to be sustained for at least 10 minutes? My surface temp can be in the 400 - 450 range at the center of my cook top as shot with a infrared temp meter. My Rutland magnetic thermometer may only register 300 to 350 F in the back corner.
Sometimes the ghost flames are concentrated in one or two areas, e.g., to the sides or where the air is getting through the splits. This may be especially true when I pack in a couple or three splits between the base level and there is not much room between the wood and burn tubes. I have not sooted up my glass yet with 24/7 burning for two weeks up through Christmas.
Just trying to be careful so that I don't soot up my chimney liner. My old cat stove was pretty easy once it was cruising, just top off the wood, give some air for 10 minutes, engage the cat, give it another few minutes to make sure that cat was cooking, and then shut down the air to a minimum. While I do find some advantages to the old cat, larger firebox, easier to get a solid overnight burn, I have very much enjoyed the Olso and know that it takes some time to refine my techniques. Also, I will, I will have dryer wood next year.
