New Oslo plugs up the stove pipe in record time

[logger]

Stupid stove? My Oslo is family so careful with the insults. I've burned plenty of stoves and absolutley love our Oslo. There is something very wrong with your situation and my first guess would be the green, coniferous wood you're burning. If not that, then your setup. My runs like a champ. Takes a little longer to warm than a steel, but don't be afraid to wreck the cast.. once it is broken in it can handle a speedy heat-up. The stove's a work horse so get some seasoned wood and dont pretend its a tea party!

 

[Fsappo]

I burned an Oslo in my showroom on Long Island for 6 years or so. Of the whole Jotul line it was the nicest to burn. We burned 2 year old dry wood. I would light the fire in the morning with a few fire starters and immediately pack the stove full of wood. Id set the air on high and go about opening the rest of the showroom. 30 minutes later the wood was fully engulfed and charred and I would shut the air down 100%. The stove would maintain a fire and a 500 degree surface temp for about 7 hours and still be at 300 degress after 10 hours when we would close. Glass also stayed clean, chimney had a coffee cup full of creosote every year (only burning 10 hours a day 7 days per week) I used the ash pan feature and enjoyed it. I also never had a customer complain about the Oslo and we sold 30-40 per year of only that model Jotul. (we would get complaints on the Oslo and all our stoves from time to time, but I would go to the customers home with seasoned wood and re educate them on how to burn an EPA Certified stove)

Just my experience

Wow I gotta season me some two year old fuel....There is no way I can even think of holding 500 degrees for 7 hours! That is mighty impressive, i'm lucky to get three hours with sustained temps like that :long:

This is a few years ago. I may be off a little bit, but not much. I know that towards mid afternoon (we closed at 6) the stove would still be at 500ish and I would start the fire at 10AM and it was still too hot to touch by closing time. The more I remember it may have been 5 hours or so of 500 degree temps and 8 hours it would still be at 300. I did pack that sucker FULL of wood and always tried to get at least one big round log in there.

 

[xman23]

+1 logger, the Oslo does take a few reloads before getting heat off that big block of cast iron. A lot slower than a steel box stove I ran for a few days. My guess it has a lot to do with the cast iron plates on the inside of the side walls and mine has the 2 piece cast iron burn plates. The side plates have insulation behind them and the outside cast iron. To get mine going the first full loads are chunkey monkey pieces of oak, a lot of burnable surface area. When the house is cold I crank it as fast as possable to 700 - 800.

 

[Off Grid]

Okay, you easteners are lucky: you have hard wood. We Montanans don't have that luxury unless we go begging in town for a dying maple tree or something. My wood is dry, always has been. We have a massive die off of Lodgepole pine going on and that's what I'm burning. It's been standing dead for two years. My pipe runs straight up and I've never had problems with the draft unless the wind is gusting 20+ knots. The salesman said to run the stove around 400, which I'm sure doesn't happen at night or I'd have to stoke it every two hours. So I'm guessing it's the temp I'm running and I'll try getting a really hot fire going and trying to burn out the gunk. Someone posted they crank their stove to 500 or 600 and no problems?

And Hanko, some of us have to work then come home and plow snow and pull neighbors out of ditches and can't sit around the computer all day

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

I burned an Oslo in my showroom on Long Island for 6 years or so. Of the whole Jotul line it was the nicest to burn. We burned 2 year old dry wood. I would light the fire in the morning with a few fire starters and immediately pack the stove full of wood. Id set the air on high and go about opening the rest of the showroom. 30 minutes later the wood was fully engulfed and charred and I would shut the air down 100%. The stove would maintain a fire and a 500 degree surface temp for about 7 hours and still be at 300 degress after 10 hours when we would close. Glass also stayed clean, chimney had a coffee cup full of creosote every year (only burning 10 hours a day 7 days per week) I used the ash pan feature and enjoyed it. I also never had a customer complain about the Oslo and we sold 30-40 per year of only that model Jotul. (we would get complaints on the Oslo and all our stoves from time to time, but I would go to the customers home with seasoned wood and re educate them on how to burn an EPA Certified stove)

Just my experience

Wow I gotta season me some two year old fuel....There is no way I can even think of holding 500 degrees for 7 hours! That is mighty impressive, i'm lucky to get three hours with sustained temps like that :long:

This is a few years ago. I may be off a little bit, but not much. I know that towards mid afternoon (we closed at 6) the stove would still be at 500ish and I would start the fire at 10AM and it was still too hot to touch by closing time. The more I remember it may have been 5 hours or so of 500 degree temps and 8 hours it would still be at 300. I did pack that sucker FULL of wood and always tried to get at least one big round log in there.

I can get pretty close to 300 in 8 hrs, but only with the likes of well seasoned big splits of Shagbark or Pignut Hickory.
Black Birch and White Oak are also good for a chunky coal bed after 8-9 hrs.
I'll burn Cherry & Red Maple, but not overnight.

WoodButcher

 

[ansehnlich1]

Standing dead timber, no matter the species, ain't necessarily seasoned. The OP may want to get a moisture meter and check by splitting a split, and getting a reading INSIDE the split....then report back here what the moisture content is.

As for my Oslo, I get 5 hours of decent heat out of a packed load of hickory, oak, or locust. After 8 hours I always have a great bed of coals to fire up with, but the stovetop temp is usually at around 200.

 

[logger]

It's been standing dead for two years.

As someone mentioned, it needs to be split and stacked for at least a year to be seasoned, not just dead. With pine you might want to wait at least two years to dry the sap out.

Someone posted they crank their stove to 500 or 600 and no problems?

The Oslo manual says optimum burning temps are 400-600 degrees. I burn at 650 for a little while a couple times a week to burn off any creasote in the pipe.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Okay, you easteners are lucky: you have hard wood. We Montanans don't have that luxury unless we go begging in town for a dying maple tree or something. My wood is dry, always has been. We have a massive die off of Lodgepole pine going on and that's what I'm burning. It's been standing dead for two years. My pipe runs straight up and I've never had problems with the draft unless the wind is gusting 20+ knots. The salesman said to run the stove around 400, which I'm sure doesn't happen at night or I'd have to stoke it every two hours. So I'm guessing it's the temp I'm running and I'll try getting a really hot fire going and trying to burn out the gunk. Someone posted they crank their stove to 500 or 600 and no problems?

And Hanko, some of us have to work then come home and plow snow and pull neighbors out of ditches and can't sit around the computer all day

With all the issues you listed you have a problem somewhere and it doesn't seem to be the stoves you've had. Your wood still seems to be the most likely source of these problems. Clogging a pipe in a few weeks? clogging the cat of your previous stove? removing fire brick? Constantly banging the stove pipe to prevent build up?

 

[gpcollen1]

Standing dead wood does not equal seasoned wood. You can burn softwood in that stove without issues.

What kind of chimney setup do you have. It sounds as if your stove goes straight up into a pipe/chimney - what kind??

 

[firefighterjake]

Forget all the crap you know about burning old school stoves, it does not apply. Research this site, then follow what some of the wise men have said. I took out a coffee can of creosote last year after 24/7 burning all winter, I'm by no means an expert, but I ain't a chump either.

Off Grid - I agree with FWWARDEN -- I've been burning for 30+years and put in a new Oslo this year-like you - All you have learned from the past is a hindrance - try to forget it and start all over -- watch the Vanessa video and read all you can about the Oslo - like you I'm not in love with this stove and struggling to get heat from it but I know it will come with time and endurance. In reading some of the posts from years past - lots of people struggle at first so - be patient and keep trying.


Buffygirl
Oslo - New in Fall of 09
Retired VC Cat

I'll make a prediction here and now . . . next year by this time you may very well love the Oslo . . . providing you've got truly seasoned wood and you're learned from all the wise Oslo veterans here. You will learn a lot in the first year . . . I thought I knew a lot about burning last year and thought I was doing well in the first few months . . . it wasn't until the very end that I learned how to really get the heat from the Oslo.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hmmm . . . I am like most others . . . draft doesn't seem to be the issue . . . the issue really sounds like the wood is unseasoned.

I'm one of those damn Yankees on the east coast so I'm not really familiar with lodgepole pine, but I can tell you that I've burned many a standing dead elm or dead spruce and unless his wood is cut and split a lot of times it still isn't dry enough to burn very well . . . oh sure, there are some exceptions, when the elm has been dead for several years and has the bark falling off it may season up quicker, but even then the stove runs a lot better with wood that has been giving time to season . . . which is a lot different than how we used to burn when I was a kid -- we would cut, split and stack the wood in the summer to burn a couple months later . . . that just doesn't cut it with these new stoves . . . for better or for worse.

Cast iron does take a bit to heat up the place . . . I know if I restart the fire when the stove is cold that it will take a while for the room to heat up . . . however after having the fire going for an evening the entire room will be toasty warm and if I'm using the fan to circulate the heat much of the rest of the house will be warm . . . not as warm as the room with the stove . . . but warm enough for living.

These EPA stoves do burn less wood and burn long . . . but I will be the first to say that the pre-EPA stoves had some really, really long burn times . . . of course these stoves achieved these fantastic burn times by smoldering which meant a) not a lot of heat was being generated overnight and b) they were loading up the chimney with creosote. The new stoves work great . . . but the real key is to have good, well-seasoned firewood and run the stove differently than the old Ashleys, Shenandoahs and Fishers -- these stoves need to be run hot. Incidentally, I am using some moderate BTU wood (none of that high class oak or hickory) and I get 4-5 hours of really good heat and I will have a decent bed of coals for 6-7 hours -- enough to easily restart the fire in the morning.

Creosote in the chimney in 3 weeks . . . generally this is a prime indicator of unseasoned wood . . . that and not running the stove hot enough. If you're willing to spend a few bucks you can do a few quick and easy tests. First, go to the local supermarket or big box hardware store and splurge on some of that $5 a bundle plastic-wrapped firewood (or if you're cheap like me try finding some place that has a few old pallets they want to get rid of and break it apart) . . . try burning this wood and see if you don't get some decent heat out of the stove after running it for an evening. And while you're at it, check the chimney . . . it's not a hard and fast rule, but no smoke = good burning (although you may get some steam if it's cold out), brown smoke = wood is wet, draft is not good or you're not burning hot enough, black smoke = someone tossed a quart of motor oil in your stove when you were not looking.

If you're willing I have found having both a stove top thermometer and a flue thermometer (magnetic type for single wall pipe or a probe style for double wall pipe) to be wicked handy. The stove top thermometer will let you know if you're burning hot enough. As I said earlier, these stoves like it hot. 400 degrees is right on the cusp of burning hot enough . . . I routinely burn at 500-550 . . . this is where these stoves love to burn . . . you get more heat from the stove, less smoke and this is hot enough temp to achieve secondary combustion which is where the real magic happens as the smoke is reburned giving you more heat . . . and a wicked nice lightshow. The stove top thermometer can also let you know if your stove is getting too hot (700-750 degrees for the Oslo is a good marker.)

The flue thermometer is nice since it lets you know if you're burning too cool (which can lead to creosote) or too hot (which can cause that creosote to catch on fire.)

 

[firefighterjake]

So here are a few tips that may work for you:

Starting the fire from a cold start

Open up the air control all the way to the right. Place in a a few medium sized splits (5-6 inches in diameter) at the base (some of the wood bought at the hardware store or larger pallet pieces), place a few smaller splits on top, place some kindling on top of this (be liberal with the kindling) and then ball up (or make some nice bow ties -- I believe Hogwildz loves those bow ties ) and place them on top . . . if you want to go Maine Crazy, stick a flattened cereal box in with the newspaper. Leave the side door ajar and light the newspaper.

Watch the flue temp and stove top temp . . . when the flue temp is in the safe burning zone, shut the door, but leave the air control alone until it rises a bit more. At some point your stove top temp should be getting to 400-450 or more . . . start slowly closing the air . . . 3/4, wait 5-10 minutes . . . if the fire is still going strong drop it down to the halfway mark . . . repeat . . . still going strong . . . drop it down to the quarter mark. If the temps are good, draft is good, etc. you should be seeing the secondary combustion occurring -- i.e. Bowels of Hades in your stove or the Northern Lights.

Sit back and relax.

To get longer burns and easier re-lights do not clean out all of the ash and coals in your firebox . . . ash is your friend. You want 1-2 inches in the base . . . it helps insulate the coals which retains heat in the firebox and keeps the coals burning . . . it is almost always easier to relight a fire when you have the firebox warm and you have some good coals to get things going.

Finally, keep in touch and let us know how things are working out . . . the Oslo is a great stove . . . and we're committed (well some of us should be committed) . . . to helping you get the heat out of this stove.

 

[tutu_sue]

If the wood you have is dry but it's soft and dents (like cork) instead of being crisp and cracking, the cellular structure has collapsed (decomposed) too much for proper combustion.