J�tul F 50 TL Rangeley - Anyone burning?

WOW, what a blaze! Great pictures, thanks. I can also see the rope gasket material under the top plate. Where it bolts down to the firebox. I wonder if other stoves do this also, such as cast iron assemblies. I do have some concern about that seal if it would begin to weep smoke after 5 to 10 years of use. Anyone have any experience with stove tops such as this design with a top plate, either cast or steel plate bolted down with a rope seal?

so..notice the primary air is all the way down and you see all the flames... I have a good bed of coals and 4 or so 3"-4" inch logs laid in their. How much air or draft you think is going in? If I put in a key damper in the stove pipe above will that allow for a better burn so I don't have huge beds of coal after each load. The coal beds are great...but I wasn't expecting to get vast amounts so as to be able to load less wood each time and more frequently. At least with my previous VC Encore...The coals would burn down to almost nothing and leave dust as its trace. Still getting used to this stove and working out the kinks in my setup. Like I said...I need to put in a damper...but also realize I'm a greenhorn at this and only burning since 2007.

Hello F50TL guy, I was reading on another forum of a fellow who purchased the new Rangeley, and blocked off half of his secondary air with a piece of aluminum tape. I was thinking that after studying the air intake for the secondaries, if possible attaching a cheap, large door hinge. Then attach a rod to it, bend as needed, and let it just lay under the stove with a small weighted handle. Thereby being able to partly restrict the air flow into the secondaries if I want to. I would never want to completly shut it off. The fellow who posted about blocking off half the flow said it worked very well. He also mentioned that he had a very good flue, with fantastic draft. So this approach might not work for everyone, as a sure fire fix. I'm still going to also install a key damper if able. Any more pictures of that sweet running stove?

Looks like a normal good secondary burn going on there. I'd hold off the pipe damper til you learn the stove more. A damper will slow it down even more and leave more coals. Try different air settings, sometimes a slight 1/8" adjustment can make a big difference.

Hey! Nice stove
I may play with the secondary restriction as well but at this point in the season and this Biblical weather, I just wanna burn-burn baby.
Good job with the Rangeley
Jim

Still burning the Rangeley and it has surely become a close friend of the family. We are going to miss it when we finally stop regular burns. I was able to get up on the roof safely to sweep the chimney and found yet another bonus to the top-load feature. Just open the top and squeeze a small aluminum pan right into the flue opening and let it rest on the baffle. Two passes with the brush and all I had was a pint of buildup collected. This is after two straight months of burning wood (20-30% MC) and mixing Eco-bricks in. Once the secondaries are kicked in, nothing survives enough to build creosote. I am already stacking cord wood for next season and plan on installing a Jotul insert on the other end of the house. That should effectively keep the oil company out of my life!

Thank you Jim for the update!

I did, finally, put my "hands on" a Rangely. It was in their showroom, but not hooked up.
Now, it's up to the "boss" It's down to 3 stoves; the TL-50; F-500; and the P.E. T-5.

Anyone have a coin ;-)

Thanks again for the reports.

P.J.

Hey guys.

For months now I have been lurking on this site for information on everything "hearth". Its a great place for all things "hearth" related.

So I bought a Jotul Rangeley TL50 and so far plan on installing it myself in the next couple of months. I am in no rush as the winter is almost done and have plenty of time until next winter.

I have just two questions/comments, for now, for jrcurto:

1. The handle on the stove, does it get hot? I was having issues attaching my handle to the door and contacted Jotul directly. They told me that they are changing their design because in recent tests show the handle gets hot and actually charred the handle and I should forget attaching it anyway. How is your experiance?

2. I see that you placed a damper at the flue exit. That is my plan as well. I was wondering how you lined up the holes to secure the damper to the stove?


I just cant wait for this to be in place.

Jotul advertises this as highly efficient 85%+ while it has the older stoves Oslo and Rockland insert at more than 75%. Is there a real increase in efficiency or is this just marketing?

The handle was only for the showroom models as explained to me from Jotul and it wasn't UL Tested/Certified. As long as you have the pair of gloves that come with the stove...that is all you need. I do not use the handle anymore. I like the performance of the stove thus far, but plan on putting in the pipe key damper as well. you can watch video of how to install and line up the holes on YouTube or searching for it on the WWW. I have see a video of it recently.

If you have the money...you may be interested in getting the blower fan kit to help move the heat around your area...it helps move the hot air alot faster and heats up the rooms faster.

Hi,
I'm glad we still have some cool temps at night so I can burn Rangeley some more! As far as the handle, the one that came with the stove didn't line up correctly with the threaded rod due to the tapped hole in the square stock being off just 1/64th of an inch. This they replaced for me with a better machined piece. It does get hot but you would have to hold onto it for more than a few seconds. The up-down style cam of the handle seems to be a little sticky too, maybe they are re-tooling it as well. If I can get to a bridgeport milling machine, I may turn my own out. I lined up my flue and stove pipe by measuring and measuring again and then lowering the extended ceiling box down through the roof. I bought a 36" box in order to use it as an attic shield (chase) and then cut it flush to the roof line. Also, I would adjust and tighten the clamps that secure the glass and possibly add some thicker gasket material to the clamps on the glass. I will be replacing the door gasket with some fresh material during the off season to include the clamps. I love this stove and cannot wait to install an insert in the fireflace on the other end of the house for next winter. Keep us posted.

Jim

scuttlebutt is that Jotul is making another rangely that is front load only, no top door, at a lower price point for those who do not wish to have the top load feature.

Thanks all !!

I still can find those videos of lining up the holes for the flue damper. If anyone can help that would be much helpful.

Like I said before, I plan on installing the stove this month and will post pictures of the process somewhere here on the site.

Just cant wait for the first burn in my stove.

Ooh. Now that would be tempting...

Well I finally purchased a Rangeley, and got a very good buy on it. One of the east coast Jotul Reps was at the stove store also, and I spoke with him for quite some time. He confirmed the rumor of the non top loading Rangely, but also stated that the demand for the Rangeley is absolutely "off the hook". I like that phrase, got it from this thread. Thanks! That the manufacturing of the TL50 just can't keep up with demand, and a non-TL is at least a year away. I personally like the option of the TL feature. He said firebox size is 2.6 cuft, and that the projected non-TL firebox size would be about 3 cuft. He told me that the stove is 100% United States manufactured steel. Very glad for that. That the stove is 3/8" thick steel formed firebox. I could reach in from the top, and by placing my hand to the side feel that there is substantial thickness to the sides. When I get more time I will perform a detailed measurement. He also stated that regular fire bricks are used, due to the fact that they are middle of the road with reflection of heat back into the firebox, to ensure a good complete combustion of the wood, and also the complete burning of the smoke gasses, to minimize not only the emissions, but also to product as clean as a burn as the stove is capable of. The firebrick must also transfer heat to the surrounding steel firebox, to ensure that the stove's BTU output is also as high as they can engineer to. He said Jotul didn't want owners to have to buy speciality bricks from them like some other manufacturers. That a stove owner could just purchase firebricks from local suppliers, and install themselfs as needed. He said that the stove's weight is 575 pounds. Wheeeee, what a stout unit, and does add credibility to the 3/8" plate thickness of the welded firebox. The top cast stainless steel is very thick also, looks to be 1/2", with multiple thick ribs underneath. I just can't see it warping. Overall the stove is absolutely beautiful, and the build quality is just stellar. It looked to be better built that the Oslo next to it. He said that the Most Senior Research Stove Designer who quit Vermont Casting, and came to work at Jotul is the designer for the Rangely. And what an outstanding job he has done on this unit. It has everything going for it. Designed by a Grand Master Stover with decades of experience with design. Build quality is second to none in the industry. Extreme heavy, battlefield survivability construction. Top of the shelf quality material, and components. It's not a cheapO to purchase, but it appears to be a lifetime stove. I predict 20 year easy, most likely 30 year plus unit. The rep was telling me they still get calls for parts for Jotuls sold in the 1960's, that are still going strong. It was such a pleasure to speak with him, and gleem some real insight of stove design, and manufacturing from him. What a great position he has being a rep for Jotul.

Not that this stove is bad . . . but I would find it hard to believe that one would find the Oslo to not be built as good as this stove . . . the Oslo is near bullet proof when it comes to build quality and reliability.

Good review . . . sharp looking stove.

Not that this stove is bad . . . but I would find it hard to believe that one would find the Oslo to not be built as good as this stove . . . the Oslo is near bullet proof when it comes to build quality and reliability.

I'm glad to read that. Jotul looks to be a premium stove builder, on all their models. I know that there is risk with purchasing any new model stove. What looks great up front, may turn to being not the long term one had hoped it to be. I do have some resevations with all the doors, and their rope seals. The front, the top, and then the interior door which flips to allow top loading. I hope they don't give me any problems in the future, and especially hope the interior door doesn't warp. A lot can be said for a tried, and true stove as the Oslo is, and it's simplistic design, and minimum mechanical doors. Only time will tell if I made a good decision, or have to replace the Rangeley.

From what I've seen and read here . . . Jotul doesn't seem to have many -- if any -- junk stoves in their current or past collection of stoves. I think the T-50 will provide you with years of good service and more importantly . . . heat.

I really appreciate all the info here about the new Rangeley stoves. Sounds like they've been really working out well for you.

I'm wondering if any of you would mind checking out the thread I just posted, as I'm considering a Rangeley as one of my options, but just not sure about what the right fit is for our space.

Link to my thread of confusion

Dealer told me The firebox size is around 2.7 cu ft in the Rangeley.