Seems like Jotul F500 is burning too hot

[Bulldogmoose]

On the F600 the doghouse is inside the stove directly behind the primary control lever. It looks like a hump at the bottom front of the stove with five holes in it where the outside air enters the stove. If a log is placed within an inch or so of the doghouse you can actually see it burn five holes into the wood as the air enters the stove and hits the split. As I move my primary control lever I can feel resistance from it sliding something back and forth inside the doghouse to open and close these holes.

I'm pretty sure I installed it correctly


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[Bulldogmoose]

The other thing is.. my top plate is bolted down only in the front wth the two front bolts but not in the back due to a bolt being stripped. I was told that that wouldn't be an issue due to the weight of the top plate.. after that, the only other thing I can think of is the ash pan door or ash pan doesn't have a tight enough seal


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[Wallace]

Maybe I missed it, what kind of wood are you burning? I burn alligator juniper almost exclusively so I am pretty familiar with the burning characteristics of it. Every now and then I have burned some pinion pine and it's a pain In the ass to control compared to oak or juniper. My first year with the Oslo was a learning experience. It took a few weeks to get a feel for the when to dampen things down. As far as overnight burns go...I usually go to bed around 10pm so I put the overnight wood in about 9 and manage it for an hour. About 4am I wake up to take a leak and slide the damper open to burn the up the last of the coals then I'll throw a bigger split on, slide the damper to half and go back to bed. When the alarm goes off at 6 the house is usually pretty warm. From the sounds of things it would seem that you are on the right track and it's just gonna be learning curve for you.

 

[heavy hammer]

What kind of burn times are you getting? What kind of wood are you burning and how dry is it?

 

[Bulldogmoose]

What kind of burn times are you getting? What kind of wood are you burning and how dry is it?

I'm burning 2-3 year old oak n maple... I'm going about 2 hrs per load with 3 solid pcs


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[Bulldogmoose]

Maybe I missed it, what kind of wood are you burning? I burn alligator juniper almost exclusively so I am pretty familiar with the burning characteristics of it. Every now and then I have burned some pinion pine and it's a pain In the ass to control compared to oak or juniper. My first year with the Oslo was a learning experience. It took a few weeks to get a feel for the when to dampen things down. As far as overnight burns go...I usually go to bed around 10pm so I put the overnight wood in about 9 and manage it for an hour. About 4am I wake up to take a leak and slide the damper open to burn the up the last of the coals then I'll throw a bigger split on, slide the damper to half and go back to bed. When the alarm goes off at 6 the house is usually pretty warm. From the sounds of things it would seem that you are on the right track and it's just gonna be learning curve for you.

I'm burning oak and maple seasoned well over 2 years


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[bholler]

I'm burning 2-3 year old oak n maple... I'm going about 2 hrs per load with 3 solid pcs

And that is with the air closed all the way? How big are those 3 peices are you filling the firebox?

 

[firefighterjake]

It just seems like something isn't right. Maybe I'm over thinking things. Thought I'd get a longer overnight burn time also


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Depending on the size of the wood and amount of wood you should be getting 4-7 hours of solid heat . . . enough so that you can load it up around 10 and find coals large enough to restart the fire at 4 or 5 a.m.

 

[firefighterjake]

The other thing is.. my top plate is bolted down only in the front wth the two front bolts but not in the back due to a bolt being stripped. I was told that that wouldn't be an issue due to the weight of the top plate.. after that, the only other thing I can think of is the ash pan door or ash pan doesn't have a tight enough seal


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Yes . . . you technically do not need to have the bolts installed to hold down the top oval plate . . . although I have both of them installed just because that's the sort of guy I am.

Have you checked the seal on the ash pan door by doing the dollar bill test?

 

[firefighterjake]

That's what concerns me. There is small difference from all the way open to all the way closed. Any stove I've ever seen when shutting damper off basically takes the fire away and basically chars the wood.

What is the doghouse that you speak of?


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Modern EPA stoves are a bit different . . . when you close down the air and the temp is high enough it will result in a secondary burn and make things look like the portal to Hades has just opened up in your stove . . . typically the heat will really start cranking in the stove.

The doghouse is the small box inside the firebox at the front of the stove with the air holes. It should be held down with two 10mm (maybe 8 mm) bolts.

 

[firefighterjake]

Sometimes, depending on how well drafting a stove is, installing a flue damper can be handy. I'm actually giving some serious thought to this since my current technique of using some aluminum foil to partially block off the incoming air (large hole in the base, rear of the stove) works OK to slow down a really hot burn, but I would rather have a little more control.

 

[Bulldogmoose]

And that is with the air closed all the way? How big are those 3 peices are you filling the firebox?

No that's with burning tomget house warm .. there are definitely coals inwouks think after I put a loan in from4 hrs prior. Just concerned that it was burning too hot too quickly


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[Bulldogmoose]

Yes . . . you technically do not need to have the bolts installed to hold down the top oval plate . . . although I have both of them installed just because that's the sort of guy I am.

Have you checked the seal on the ash pan door by doing the dollar bill test?

What is the dollar bill test.. yeah the doghouse is bolted . I replaced the whole damper set up when I rebuilt the stove


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[Bulldogmoose]

Sometimes, depending on how well drafting a stove is, installing a flue damper can be handy. I'm actually giving some serious thought to this since my current technique of using some aluminum foil to partially block off the incoming air (large hole in the base, rear of the stove) works OK to slow down a really hot burn, but I would rather have a little more control.

With how my stove is in the fireplace... I don't know if a flue damper will be able to be installed. I have a block off plate and the the pc that connects theflex pipe to the stove meets just where the block off plate begins


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[begreen]

Burn times are going to be shorter when pushing the stove. When house temps are equalized and the stove is just maintaining temp the burn time will go up considerably unless outside temps are very cold and house heat loss is high.

 

[Burnmeister]

My F500 burns between 550-650. Seems like you are doing everything correctly. I'm not as caught up on wood. i.e. 4+ year seasoned as others. I'm on two year seasoned, but I get REALLY great secondaries, and good long burns at night ( sometimes with the help of a Home Fire prest pellet ) once I get good char and choke down the air.

This is my second season burning, and I'm really just understanding the nuances of the stove. But I love it.

 

[Burnmeister]

My stove sits in the fireplace as well. I have it piped out the back and up, and I have no damper. I get a good 7-9 hours of burn time; from split to coals before it really starts petering out. Come morning, a few real small splits gets it going again for the day

 

[firefighterjake]

What is the dollar bill test.. yeah the doghouse is bolted . I replaced the whole damper set up when I rebuilt the stove


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To check the stove's seals you place a dollar bill between the stove and open door ... shut and latch the door ... try tugging on the dollar bill ... it should either stay in place or come out with a little bit of force. If the dollar bill easily slips out with little to no force the gasket may need to be replaced.

Of course this should not be done while the stove is in operation or hot ... and technically you can use a five, ten, twenty or even a hundred dollar bill for the test ... it doesn't have to be a dollar bill. Canadians are advised that this test doesn't work so well with their loonies and twonies.

 

[Bulldogmoose]

To check the stove's seals you place a dollar bill between the stove and open door ... shut and latch the door ... try tugging on the dollar bill ... it should either stay in place or come out with a little bit of force. If the dollar bill easily slips out with little to no force the gasket may need to be replaced.

Of course this should not be done while the stove is in operation or hot ... and technically you can use a five, ten, twenty or even a hundred dollar bill for the test ... it doesn't have to be a dollar bill. Canadians are advised that this test doesn't work so well with their loonies and twonies.

My ash pan gasket definitely failed... it seems like the door itself isn't getting a good enough lock position. And my door I did all four sides and everything looked good except for the side all the way to the left where the handle is which is where the door locks into place


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[Bulldogmoose]

So I would say air is definitely getting in


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[Bulldogmoose]

That's a flue thermometer, not a stove top thermometer. (Note its name - Chimguard) It will work but you have to ignore the scales on it. They are meant for surface readings on a single-wall flue pipe. The reason for the scales is that the interior flue gases will be about 1.5 to 2x the surface pipe temp reading. This does not apply to the stove top. Just read the temperature. You are doing fine. 600F is a normal cruising temp for your stove.

Hey there... did dollar bill test on front door and ash pan door.. the front door has super tight seal on rob bottom and right.. the left side doesn't have a very good seal. The ash pan door has a very poor seal. Both are brand new gaskets should I go a size up on the ash pan door?


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[begreen]

Check behind the ash pan first and make sure it is completely clean of buildup behind the pan. Ash can get compressed back there and push the ashpan forward. This can prevent the ashpan door from closing tightly. Or just pull the ash pan and try the dollar bill test again and see if the seal improved.

 

[Bulldogmoose]

Check behind the ash pan first and make sure it is completely clean of buildup behind the pan. Ash can get compressed back there and push the ashpan forward. This can prevent the ashpan door from closing tightly. Or just pull the ash pan and try the dollar bill test again and see if the seal improved.

Ok hold on


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[Bulldogmoose]

Check behind the ash pan first and make sure it is completely clean of buildup behind the pan. Ash can get compressed back there and push the ashpan forward. This can prevent the ashpan door from closing tightly. Or just pull the ash pan and try the dollar bill test again and see if the seal improved.

It still seems as though air is getting in


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[Bulldogmoose]

Check behind the ash pan first and make sure it is completely clean of buildup behind the pan. Ash can get compressed back there and push the ashpan forward. This can prevent the ashpan door from closing tightly. Or just pull the ash pan and try the dollar bill test again and see if the seal improved.

Just doesn't make sense. The ash pan door seems like it has a nice tight locked position right now


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