Hi all,
Just wanted to give an update on the new stove. I’ve been running it around the clock for about three weeks now. I’m very impressed by this little stove. Having an old Vermont Resolute for years, there is a little difference with the new EPA stove. The main issue and biggest factor is the wood. It’s type and especially how dry it is. The VC was forgiving with the wood. It will dam near burn a live tree. Not the case with the new EPA stoves. I’ll give some information on running the Jotul F3 CB.
HEATER:
This little stove is an amazing heater. Very impressed. Our home is 1750 SQ feet. The stove is located on one side of the house (of course). Its 73-75 degrees in the back hallway, and around 69-70 in the bedrooms. It has heated the stone hearth so much it’s acting like a masonry heater, radiating heat back into the home. So, we have had a problem with the living room, family room being too hot. I have found it best to cycle the stove. The wife was adding one log at a time trying to keep a smaller fire and lower temps. The stove was smoking more and the glass was getting dirty, and the fires weren’t burning great. It burns best and helps with over heating the living room when we build a big fire and shut the air down. Secondary burn kicks in and leave it alone. Three to four hours later, great coals. Stove temp is down to around 275-300. Add three more splits that take off, run it up to 450-500 and close the air down again. Just run cycles instead of trying to keep it at a consistent low temperature.
EASY TO OPERATE:
Very easy to use. The wife said she wasn’t going to be able to use the stove. She’s doing great. Only one control that seams to do very well. The old VC has a damper and gas pedal that needs adjusting. Easy to control fire temps in the 300-500 degree range. However, keeping the fire around 300 seems to almost defeat the purpose of running an EPA stove. Loading fresh wood and choking it down right away, doesn’t give a real clean burn. It’s doable, with smaller splits and keeping an eye on it, but we have found cycling the stove is much better.
OVERNIGHT BURNS:
Gravy. I have only started three fires in three weeks using a match. I shut it down to dump the ash pan and clean the glass. I load it up at night before bed with 3-4 splits on a nice bed of coals. Using hard wood, madrone. I run the temps up above 500 degrees. I have found that closing the air down from wide open to 100% closed can almost choke the fire to where the secondary burn takes time to recover. I close it 75 % and do my routine before bed. Then close it 100%. Every morning I have coals to start up again. I’m usually up 6-7 hours later, and just add small splits. Then load it up and leave for work. (5 AM) Wife gets up at 7 with the kids and can keep it going the rest of the day. I have left it as long as 8-8 1/2 hours. And there are still enough coals to use kindling, and then small splits. The stove drafts very well and opening the secondary air on the bottom makes the coals glow bright for a restart.
WOOD:
No joke, you need bone dry wood for an EPA stove.
I brought home 4 cords of wood and threw it down in my yard during the first big rain of the year. I store it on the property where I cut it. Then I started working on my install project that took a couple months. This wood has been cut 2-3 years ago. As the weather got worse (knowing I need dry wood) I covered most of it with a plastic tarp. Geez, what a mess 2 months later, mold growing, wood sitting in mud puddles. Geez.
So, with the VC, seasoned wood is dry wood! Bang off the snow or wet from rain and load her up. Not so much with the EPA stove. The first week of running was great. I had a bone dry pile on the porch. After that I grabbed some wood from the pile out back. It was wet, sitting in a mud puddle. WOW, that pissed her off. She does not like wet wood! So, all last week in hurricane type weather I’m trying to save my 2-3 year old seasoned firewood. Its cut to size, some split again, and stacked off the ground and tops are covered. Drying out, so far not having any problems. But there are some really wet pieces out there. I’m burning mostly Ponderosa Pine, Doug Fir, White Fir, and Madrone at night.
SECONDARY BURN:
What a great light show. Secondary burn works great. I have found that around 400 degrees is the magic number to start the burn. Depending on the wood, and how hot she gets, I can close the air 75% or more and secondary burn runs great. And about half the time I can close it 100 %. For over night with the hard wood I have to close it 100 %, secondary burn it usually raging!
STOVE:
Great stove. Having the VC for years, I’m partial to the matt black cast iron look. The Jotul is a great old school looking stove. The glass stays really clean, and offers a nice view of the fire, secondary burn, and coal bed. The glass in the VC resolute would turn black in a couple of fires, it’s been taken out years ago. The Jotul F3 can take 18” logs. I have found that I can get the first split in, but the second and third 18” split is almost impossible. So I had to trim about half of my 4 cords of wood down to 17”. All this wood was cut for the VC (at the time was the only stove we had) And I split about half to make some smaller splits, around 4”. Having only really used a top loading stove, I have noticed that some ash does fall on the ash lip when I open the front door. Not much, but by the end of the day I have to sweep it off. I guess this applies to most front loading stoves. The ash box is nice. I like it because it keeps the fire box from building up too much. The VC did not have an ash box and shoveling out ash is a PITS ! Very well made stove. And cast iron radiates heat, like cast iron does.
Just wanted to give an update on the new stove. I’ve been running it around the clock for about three weeks now. I’m very impressed by this little stove. Having an old Vermont Resolute for years, there is a little difference with the new EPA stove. The main issue and biggest factor is the wood. It’s type and especially how dry it is. The VC was forgiving with the wood. It will dam near burn a live tree. Not the case with the new EPA stoves. I’ll give some information on running the Jotul F3 CB.
HEATER:
This little stove is an amazing heater. Very impressed. Our home is 1750 SQ feet. The stove is located on one side of the house (of course). Its 73-75 degrees in the back hallway, and around 69-70 in the bedrooms. It has heated the stone hearth so much it’s acting like a masonry heater, radiating heat back into the home. So, we have had a problem with the living room, family room being too hot. I have found it best to cycle the stove. The wife was adding one log at a time trying to keep a smaller fire and lower temps. The stove was smoking more and the glass was getting dirty, and the fires weren’t burning great. It burns best and helps with over heating the living room when we build a big fire and shut the air down. Secondary burn kicks in and leave it alone. Three to four hours later, great coals. Stove temp is down to around 275-300. Add three more splits that take off, run it up to 450-500 and close the air down again. Just run cycles instead of trying to keep it at a consistent low temperature.
EASY TO OPERATE:
Very easy to use. The wife said she wasn’t going to be able to use the stove. She’s doing great. Only one control that seams to do very well. The old VC has a damper and gas pedal that needs adjusting. Easy to control fire temps in the 300-500 degree range. However, keeping the fire around 300 seems to almost defeat the purpose of running an EPA stove. Loading fresh wood and choking it down right away, doesn’t give a real clean burn. It’s doable, with smaller splits and keeping an eye on it, but we have found cycling the stove is much better.
OVERNIGHT BURNS:
Gravy. I have only started three fires in three weeks using a match. I shut it down to dump the ash pan and clean the glass. I load it up at night before bed with 3-4 splits on a nice bed of coals. Using hard wood, madrone. I run the temps up above 500 degrees. I have found that closing the air down from wide open to 100% closed can almost choke the fire to where the secondary burn takes time to recover. I close it 75 % and do my routine before bed. Then close it 100%. Every morning I have coals to start up again. I’m usually up 6-7 hours later, and just add small splits. Then load it up and leave for work. (5 AM) Wife gets up at 7 with the kids and can keep it going the rest of the day. I have left it as long as 8-8 1/2 hours. And there are still enough coals to use kindling, and then small splits. The stove drafts very well and opening the secondary air on the bottom makes the coals glow bright for a restart.
WOOD:
No joke, you need bone dry wood for an EPA stove.
I brought home 4 cords of wood and threw it down in my yard during the first big rain of the year. I store it on the property where I cut it. Then I started working on my install project that took a couple months. This wood has been cut 2-3 years ago. As the weather got worse (knowing I need dry wood) I covered most of it with a plastic tarp. Geez, what a mess 2 months later, mold growing, wood sitting in mud puddles. Geez.
So, with the VC, seasoned wood is dry wood! Bang off the snow or wet from rain and load her up. Not so much with the EPA stove. The first week of running was great. I had a bone dry pile on the porch. After that I grabbed some wood from the pile out back. It was wet, sitting in a mud puddle. WOW, that pissed her off. She does not like wet wood! So, all last week in hurricane type weather I’m trying to save my 2-3 year old seasoned firewood. Its cut to size, some split again, and stacked off the ground and tops are covered. Drying out, so far not having any problems. But there are some really wet pieces out there. I’m burning mostly Ponderosa Pine, Doug Fir, White Fir, and Madrone at night.
SECONDARY BURN:
What a great light show. Secondary burn works great. I have found that around 400 degrees is the magic number to start the burn. Depending on the wood, and how hot she gets, I can close the air 75% or more and secondary burn runs great. And about half the time I can close it 100 %. For over night with the hard wood I have to close it 100 %, secondary burn it usually raging!
STOVE:
Great stove. Having the VC for years, I’m partial to the matt black cast iron look. The Jotul is a great old school looking stove. The glass stays really clean, and offers a nice view of the fire, secondary burn, and coal bed. The glass in the VC resolute would turn black in a couple of fires, it’s been taken out years ago. The Jotul F3 can take 18” logs. I have found that I can get the first split in, but the second and third 18” split is almost impossible. So I had to trim about half of my 4 cords of wood down to 17”. All this wood was cut for the VC (at the time was the only stove we had) And I split about half to make some smaller splits, around 4”. Having only really used a top loading stove, I have noticed that some ash does fall on the ash lip when I open the front door. Not much, but by the end of the day I have to sweep it off. I guess this applies to most front loading stoves. The ash box is nice. I like it because it keeps the fire box from building up too much. The VC did not have an ash box and shoveling out ash is a PITS ! Very well made stove. And cast iron radiates heat, like cast iron does.
