Jotul 550 Insert.... Does this happen to you??

[joescho]

Hello Everyone:
I've had a Jotul 550 insert for 2 seasons now, and I think I've learned how the stove ig going to work. I have some observations/questions other owners may or may not have experienced:

First, I saw the post from vector1701 with that brown finish.... that's really nice..... mine's the cast-iron black and surround. Now,

has anyone noticed that there's really no good place to put a thermometer on it? I've read where people are putting them where the hot air blows out?? Are you using magnetic or oven thermometers, or what?

What are you using to start your fires? I've been using those little packets made by that company that makes the cleaning log (can't remember the name just now). They burn for fifteen minutes, and I leave the door open about 1/4 inch to suck that extra air in and it gets it going pretty good. Then I close it up and leave the damper fully open for an hour or so.

Is anyone having problems where every now and then you go and check the fire and there's a log leaning on your glass? This mostly happens to me about 3 AM when I'm keeping the fire going overnight. If so, are you fixing it or just letting it burn down?

I've fixed it now and then, but if the log is almost ready to fall apart as red coals, you open the door, red coals get everywhere, especially through the grate at the bottom and inside the blower area. It seems a little dangerous.

Does everyone pile their stoves to almost capacity before going to bed, and check the stove's status during the night? This is why every now and then a log rolls forward and is on the glass. As the fire burns down and the logs shift, it happens.
How much do you dampen yours down for overnight burning?

Anyway, this is a good way for me to learn a little bit more and find out if I'm doing something wrong.
I use the stove pretty regularly, about 3 coords per year - but I don't burn especially hard.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. comments and suggestions are welcome.....

Joe

 

[begreen]

Try SuperCedars for starting your fire. They work great. For many of us, just a quarter or half patty is plenty to get the fire started.

How deep is your firebox? I'm wondering if you can load the splits parallel to the stove sides (N/S) instead of parallel to the glass (E/W). That would stop the occasional log rolling up against the glass.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I have the plain black 550 as well, really wish I'd have spent the extra atleast for the blue/black. For thermometer I got an infared laser one, point it in the hot air slot towards the middle of the top. You can also place a magnetic one in the slot, but its hard to read. You can rotate it so your ideal temp is pointing straight out and just get used to the position... but I like the IR gun.

Firestarters: Like BG said I use the super cedars. Even with just a quarter of a super cedar I can usually light off some dry wood split small - I mean wood thats larger than kindling. However if your leaving it at full throttle for an hour you might either have draft issues or not the driest wood. With good dry wood I have overfired the stove in well under 30 minutes... I usually shut the door and set the timer for 10 minutes.

Yes, log occasionally rolls onto the glass. I thinks its more of a risk to try and fix it unless the fire is just started. Once its going I let it go until it burns down. The glass can handle it, although the glass will get dirty where the wood is against it, it cleans off easily the next morn with just paper towel and water.

I cram it as full as I can when goign to bed. With a full load of dense wood like black locust, I can get overnight burns. Problem is the shape of the firebox, its wide, but not very deep or tall. I've tried cutting pieces 22-24" to make use of the full width, but unless your pieces are perfectly straight they never seem to pack in there tight enough and end up wasting space. And since the door is narrower once you have a few big pieces in there the last few long ones wont fit because you dont have enough room to get one end in far enough for the other to clear the doorway. I had experimented cutting shorter pieces midseason last winter to put the pieces in front to back (N/S). I think this worked better, easier to load, no logs rolling into the glass, might have squeezed some more in there too, but its a pain having to basically cut twice as much and the little pieces are harder to stack and more work. I think it was somewhere aroun 12-14" I had to cut em to fit N/S.

 

[joescho]

Thanks guys, at least now I know I'm not alone on some of this stuff and its not just me. Other than the small things I mentioned though, I really like the stove, its much more efficient than what I used to have. When I replaced it 2 years ago, I had some insert that I didn't even know what brand it was. There was no pipe, nothing... just shoved in the fireplace and the damper was fully open all the time and smoke went up the chimney. Now I have a 6" round pipe, and my chimney guy who put it in (also cleans my chimneys) charges me less because its so easy for him to clean..

I really wasn't picky about the color either because its in my basement, which is finished, but I don't spend a lot of time down there so the matte black is ok for me.

As far as the superceders, I will give them a try - they sound like they may be better than the packets.... are they at Lowes/Home Depot/Walmart, or are they an online buy? I do in fact live in the armpit of the universe where most of the stuff I want is mail order....


Anyway, thanks for putting my mind at ease...

Joe

 

[begreen]

Usually Thomas offers free samples to folks once the burning season starts. Once you try them you will be hooked. They can be ordered online:

http://www.supercedar.com/

 

[Biff_CT2]

Hello Everyone:
I've had a Jotul 550 insert for 2 seasons now, and I think I've learned how the stove ig going to work. I have some observations/questions other owners may or may not have experienced:

First, I saw the post from vector1701 with that brown finish.... that's really nice..... mine's the cast-iron black and surround. Now,

has anyone noticed that there's really no good place to put a thermometer on it? I've read where people are putting them where the hot air blows out?? Are you using magnetic or oven thermometers, or what?

-- I use a magnetic thermometer. I have it placed in the slot, one the left side, at the forward edge. Needle is facing out. I keep a little hand held flashlight by the stove that I use to illuminate the thermometer when I read it.

What are you using to start your fires? I've been using those little packets made by that company that makes the cleaning log (can't remember the name just now). They burn for fifteen minutes, and I leave the door open about 1/4 inch to suck that extra air in and it gets it going pretty good. Then I close it up and leave the damper fully open for an hour or so.

-- I start the fire each morning with three dry pine cones and a handful of maple twigs. Works fine - and is cheap.

Is anyone having problems where every now and then you go and check the fire and there's a log leaning on your glass? This mostly happens to me about 3 AM when I'm keeping the fire going overnight. If so, are you fixing it or just letting it burn down?

-- I don't try to pack the stove to achieve over night burns, so I don't have the 3Am leaner problem routinely. When I've had a leaner, I simply open the door and reposition the log with a metal poker.

I've fixed it now and then, but if the log is almost ready to fall apart as red coals, you open the door, red coals get everywhere, especially through the grate at the bottom and inside the blower area. It seems a little dangerous.

-- There isn't that much flammable material in the space below the fire box behind the blower grate, so I don't understand escapee coals to be a serious issue. I pull the grate and vacuum the space behind the grate with a shop vac when I sweep the stove in any event - that keeps the spider webs and other crap to a minimum.

Does everyone pile their stoves to almost capacity before going to bed, and check the stove's status during the night? This is why every now and then a log rolls forward and is on the glass. As the fire burns down and the logs shift, it happens.

-- No, I don't chase overnight burns. I'd rather restart the stove in the AM than risk overtemping the stove while I'm asleep. I need to get at least 10 years out of the unit to make it truly worthwhile, so avoiding damage from overtemping the unit is a fairly high priority for me.

How much do you dampen yours down for overnight burning?

-- I position the damper lever two thirds of total travel to the left. It depends on the wood and condition of the coal bed, but if I damper down all the way with wood that isn't coaled up I wind up with crap on the glass.

Anyway, this is a good way for me to learn a little bit more and find out if I'm doing something wrong.
I use the stove pretty regularly, about 3 coords per year - but I don't burn especially hard.

-- I do 2 to 2.5 cords a season. This offsets about 600-700 gallons of heating oil a season in my house, which makes running a stove a fairly marginal proposition given the associated work. It's more of a hobby for me than a serious way of saving coin - although it could be considerable if the unit makes ten seasons. I've been through three seasons so far without any serious issues with the stove.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents. comments and suggestions are welcome.....

Joe

 

[gibson]

Joe, I have had my 550 for three burning seasons now, I have built out to about 3' of clearance out front of the stove with the brick of the hearth that was there and then an additional Vermont Slate apron. That solved the problem of coal spillage. I swear by the Rutland "graham cracker" firestarters. I say that because they look and are packaged like graham crackers. I started on my first box around Christmas last year and still have some left.

As for operating the stove, I think you may be micromanaging a little bit. It is a heavy duty thug of a stove. You don't necessarily need to be checking it in the middle of the night. It likes to run hot, about 650-750 at peak, don't freak out if it goes to 800. Shut down the air and put the fan on high. Overnight burns are a struggle, you need to figure out what works in your setup. I do well with red oak, loaded up with some big fat boys down at the bottom.

I love this stove. It is easy for me to run. I don't worry about it for a second. My family LOVES it. It was one of the best purchases I have ever made. I hope you enjoy yours the same.

 

[joescho]

Sen. John Blutarsky:

I enjoy the stove very much - I just hope I do when I'm 50 or 60 and still need to be hauling wood from the outside

Are you able to get overnight burns, or does yours go out in the middle of the night???

Also, can you possibly put up some pics of your setup? I would be interested in the surround you made.

By the way, you're right - when I see those red hot coals and the fire is burning like nobody's business, I DO get a little nrevous. Have you found a place on the stove where you can get a reliable reading, or are you doing what OhioBurner does with the laser gun? I'm going to be changing where I have mine. Right now I have a magnetic stuck on the side of the insert, and I need a little flashlight to kind of look behind the surround to see it.

and oh, one other trick I learned - maybe some of you already do this, but on especially cold days I try to catch the fire in the morning before my shower with the idea to let it burn during the day, and since nobody is home during the day, I load it up as if I was going to bed, dampen it down, and use a regular 15 amp timer on the fan and set it to about noon or 1ish. Sometimes when I get home I can catch it if there's enough coals.

Which reminded me of something else I meant to ask - does your temperature sensative fan off/on feature work for you? I have only got it turn on once for me. Maybe my fires just aren't hot enough, or the sensor just isn't in the best of places....

This is good that everybody has their own way of operating their stove. Good education... keep it coming


Joe

 

[Jaugust124]

Joe,
Got one year under my belt with the Jotul and I have found that the snapstat for the fan works great if theres a small amount of ash in the bottom of the stove. However, once I get a little ash build up I need to use the fan on manual mode. I think this is common with this model.

As far as a good overnight burn is concerned, I have really managed to get one of those yet. Mainly because I don't stuff the stove to the gills. I'm gonna play around with that this year though. Talking to my stove dealer, he suggested filling it right up, so I may try it out during the day first to see how it goes.

Since I don't get a good overnight burn, maybe a timer might do the trick. More than once I've checked the stove at 4:00 A.M. or so and and it was blowing luke warm air, so the timer should work well.


By the way, SuperCedars are the best. I use 1/4 or even less with some kindling to get things going.

Good luck!

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

I would use a magnetic thermometer. The ones made by Condar work great. Any surface directly over the firebox should work. If you fill your stove to capacity for an overnight burn, it's not unusual for a log to roll against the glass. I wouldn't worry about it, just wait for it to burn down and open the door slowly. You need to experiment with the air control, but normally you would close it almost fully for an overnight burn. There should be no need to check it in the middle of the night. Woodstoves are not like a furnace, where you just set a lever. You need to gain experience through trial and error. It's more of a skill you acquire.

 

[joescho]

Well, at least I'm now fairly certian that rolling/burning on the glass isn't excessively bad for the glass. I've heard where some have had their glass broken, but probably for other reasons. Replacing the glass and that rope gasket can't be cheap.

Joe

 

[OhioBurner©]

-- There isn't that much flammable material in the space below the fire box behind the blower grate, so I don't understand escapee coals to be a serious issue. I pull the grate and vacuum the space behind the grate with a shop vac when I sweep the stove in any event - that keeps the spider webs and other crap to a minimum.

The escaping coals into the blower is an issue because the blower can blow them into the room. There were a few times just a little fell out and got sucked up by the blower and shot out into my face (and eyes). From then on I always tried to remember to turn the blower off whenever opening the door... but sometimes your just in a hurry and or forget. But even if you shut it off the next time you turn it on it can still suck some coals that may have fallen down. One complaint (minor) I have with the stove is that the ash lip is rather short.

FWIW when I pack it full for overnight burns I throttle it all the way down usually, and sooner than I would on a partial load (because I know its going to want to take off). This will really depend on the wood though, both the species and dryness. I rarely get any residue on the glass if the wood is good and dry, since even choking it back early, it usually still hits 500-600 at the peak. I dont like waking up to a cold house and even with an 'overnight burn' its usually just coals in the morning and not putting out much heat.

The snapstat thermostat is basically in a spot that takes the longest to warm up from a cold start. So even if the fire is going well the snapstat is in the bottom in the air intake, under the firebox and with cold air being sucked around it. I've had the fire box over 600* a few times without it coming on yet. I dont even bother with it most of the time, I run in manual on full most of the winter if we are around to reload it before it gets too low. On mornings I dont have to get up early and I know its probably stretching the burn time I will switch it to auto when I go to bed, that way sometime in the morning it shuts off which helps keep the firebox and the coals warmer a little longer - easier to re-light it. But otherwise I try to run the stove hot all the time - it barely keeps up heating that side of the house at 600*. So its run 24x7 and with the blower on high usually.

Its a great stove, looks great (even in plane black) and works great. However for me it isnt a perfect fit and struggles to keep up. I think a convective stove in a 2 story great room isnt a good match - I think now I would have done better with a radiant stove in that room I just didnt want to mess with building a hearth for one.

 

[wood-fan-atic]

I swear by the Rutland "graham cracker" firestarters. I say that because they look and are packaged like graham crackers. I started on my first box around Christmas last year and still have some left.

I also like the Rutland fire starters. I used crumpled up newspaper all my life, until I found those suckers last year. It's like $12 for a HUGE box, enough to last a long,long time. I really only use 'em in the fall & spring, cause the stove doesnt go out between Thanksgiving and April Fools Day.

 

[joescho]

That kind of happened to me also. My parents have a fireplace and an old Fisher stove, and guess who got the wood and kept the fire going? Anyway, while I was growing up, I used newspapers too. Now there's these firestarting aids that make it much easier, and I can recycle my newpaper now instead of keeping stacks and stacks of it.

However, if I get a stubborn fire, I do go back to the newspaper.

Everything that everyone said so far is something that I have run into, so I guess my experiences are in no way unique with this stove.

Joe