The Jotul has arrived! Awesome stove, but have some questions.

[Yarzy]

Everyone,

I finally got my Jotul F500 Oslo installed yesterday. So far, I am really liking the stove. It is heating well and I really like the way it looks. I do have some questions for the experts as this is my first wood burning stove. Sorry for the beginner questions.

1. I have a thermostat on the unit, placed on the top of it. How hot should, or can, I get this? I did the break in burns, so the top heat so far has been about 400. I guess I am not sure how hot I can attempt to get this thing.
2. I saw in the manual that I should never run the stove with the ash tray open, however I get a REALLY strong burn when I open it. It is like a jet engine. My question is, can I open it for a few min when I am starting a new fire?
3. How tight can I pack this thing? I know once I get enough guts, I would like to try to burn overnight. I am not sure how much wood is too much.
4. How low of a temp is too low? Is there such a thing as too low?

Thanks so much for all your help so far on this project. I included a picture of what it looks like installed. Thanks again!

 

[begreen]

Congratulations on the new stove. It's a great heater. Lots of folks are burning in them here. Only problem I see is that the fireplace is too small ( j/k)

The stove will run about 500+ on the stove top, but it's ok to run it hotter up to 700F if need be. It can be filled pretty full, but leave at least a couple inches of space between the top of the wood and the secondary manifol.

Is there a block off plate at the lintel level to stop the heat from being trapped above the stove? In this type of installation I would also consider getting the optional blower to get more heat out of it.

 

[Yarzy]

Thanks! Yes, the top is sealed off so I should not lose heat up the fireplace. It is 8.5 feet wide, so that was a major concern.

I actually did order a blower for it for the exact reason you mentioned, it will be installed next week. Glad to hear you think it might be needed as well, I was wondering if I wasted my money on it.

Wow, 500-700F. Ok, good to know. I guess as it gets colder out, I will start to crank it up. As I write this, the stove is at about 375-400 and the room is getting up to close to 75F. I cant imagine what it would be like at 600F+!

Thanks again!

 

[ruth140]

its ok to open the ash door while lighting the fire...DO NOT forget to close it !! you will over fire your stove!! if at any time any part of your stove is glowing RED you have over fired it.
read your instruction manual thoroughly....it will also tell you what temp the stove top thermometer should run at.
You have purchased probably the best stove on the market and our most popular selling Jotul!!
Congratulations!!

 

[masonman]

Congrats on the Oslo. We've had one for 2 seasons now. #1, temp, Ours likes to be 450 or more, up to 700 or so, 700 is too hot for our house, even in the coldest, windiest conditions, we can get the house to 80f. #2, ash door. I opened ours when we first got it to help light the fire from a cold flu and stove. I never hurt anything, but now I never leave it open at all. I use the end door for filling and getting a fire going strong. When I get up at about 6:30 A.M. I fill the stove, and leave the side door open and inch or so. By the time I'm done with my shower and what not, it's burning strong and I shut the door, and run the draft control according to the conditions outside. #3, Fill it as full as you need, don't force anything, when those secondary air tubes are hot, they are glowing red and would bend easily. When the temp is cold, we fill it full at about 11:30 PM and will still have a lot of hot coals at 6:30 the next morn, if it's really cold, like -10 or a lot of wind, I usually get up at about 3 or so in the morn and refill, then it's toasty warm in the house in morn. In milder temps, I don't fill it very full, 1/2 or less and still get good burn times, it's a learning experience and no 2 homes and families are going to use a stove exactly the same.#4 lo temp, I don't worry about ours being too cool, maybe 400 on the top, flu temp of maybe 250-300 is as lo as it seems to like to run. My setup does not like to be fired up from totally cold, it will smoke a little if it doesn't have enough coals, or kindling. The Oslo also really likes dry wood, as do all stoves, but ours seems to do much better with dry well seasoned wood that has been stored under a roof. I guess that's about all I have learned from my experience with our lovely Oslo. Here's a pic of our first fire, notice the ash door is open, no need to do that now, IMHO.

 

[begreen]

The topic of using the ashpan door to start the fire comes up every year. The suggestion to read the manual is good advice:

• The ash pan door on the stove must always be securely closed when the stove is in operation.
• Burning the stove with the ash pan door open will overfire the stove and cause interior damage.

We've seen folks with cracked grates and cracked stove bases due to using the ashpan door as an accelerator. It puts a concentrated, forge-like blast of air in a small area, bringing that location to overfire temps very quickly, while the surrounding metals may still be cool. Damage here will void the warranty. Don't do it. Instead, leave the front or side door ajar for a few minutes while the fire ignites.

 

[BrotherBart]

I want that fireplace!

 

[begreen]

Yes, it would be great for testing. Looks like you could put 3 stoves in there.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yes, it would be great for testing. Looks like you could put 3 stoves in there.

Perfect for using just the right stove for the seasons. I could stair step them. 30-NC, F3, F100.

 

[jotulguy]

its ok to open the ash door while lighting the fire...DO NOT forget to close it !! you will over fire your stove!! if at any time any part of your stove is glowing RED you have over fired it.
read your instruction manual thoroughly....it will also tell you what temp the stove top thermometer should run at.
You have purchased probably the best stove on the market and our most popular selling Jotul!!
Congratulations!!

Sorry to burst the bubble here....but start up is the worst time to use the ash pan. The cold cast will get super heated in one spot and more then likely crack. Maybe not the first few times you do it but after a while it will. I would strongly recommend not using the ash pan door for fresh air at any point. If you do it will void the warranty.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Everyone,

I finally got my Jotul F500 Oslo installed yesterday. So far, I am really liking the stove. It is heating well and I really like the way it looks. I do have some questions for the experts as this is my first wood burning stove. Sorry for the beginner questions.

1. I have a thermostat on the unit, placed on the top of it. How hot should, or can, I get this? I did the break in burns, so the top heat so far has been about 400. I guess I am not sure how hot I can attempt to get this thing.
2. I saw in the manual that I should never run the stove with the ash tray open, however I get a REALLY strong burn when I open it. It is like a jet engine. My question is, can I open it for a few min when I am starting a new fire?
3. How tight can I pack this thing? I know once I get enough guts, I would like to try to burn overnight. I am not sure how much wood is too much.
4. How low of a temp is too low? Is there such a thing as too low?

Thanks so much for all your help so far on this project. I included a picture of what it looks like installed. Thanks again!

Howdy neighbor! Nice fireplace! I have one of those, but a little smaller (fireplace, not the stove). How old is the house?

 

[Yarzy]

Hey, we are right down the street from each other, I am in Chalfont. Small world, huh? The original house was build in 1740 with add-on's in 1760, 1800, and 2000.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Hey, we are right down the street from each other, I am in Chalfont. Small world, huh? The original house was build in 1740 with add-on's in 1760, 1800, and 2000.

Ha, you beat my by a year! The original portion of our home was built in 1741 with an add on in the early 1800s. The summer kitchen was redone and attached to the main part of the house in the late 1980s.

 

[48rob]

Wow!

Wonder how many cords a day that fireplace would eat!

Nice stove, kinda lonely looking in there though... ;-)

Rob

 

[BrowningBAR]

Yes, it would be great for testing. Looks like you could put 3 stoves in there.

Perfect for using just the right stove for the seasons. I could stair step them. 30-NC, F3, F100.

That would be quite the sight.

 

[NH_Wood]

its ok to open the ash door while lighting the fire...DO NOT forget to close it !! you will over fire your stove!! if at any time any part of your stove is glowing RED you have over fired it.
read your instruction manual thoroughly....it will also tell you what temp the stove top thermometer should run at.
You have purchased probably the best stove on the market and our most popular selling Jotul!!
Congratulations!!

Sorry to burst the bubble here....but start up is the worst time to use the ash pan. The cold cast will get super heated in one spot and more then likely crack. Maybe not the first few times you do it but after a while it will. I would strongly recommend not using the ash pan door for fresh air at any point. If you do it will void the warranty.

+1 - you just can't tell when you might become distracted and leave that door opened longer than intended. If you have a good install w/ good draft, there is no reason why you should need to accelerate the burn by using the ash pan. Normal start up should be just fine. These stoves are WAY too expensive to take needless chances. Cheers!

 

[fishingpol]

Looks like room for a smoker in that firebox. Thanks for the pic, it is massive. I can't even imagine the amount of work it took to tend that fire back in the day. Amazing what time and technology has done for us. Who knows, in a hundred years, there will probably be a stove the size of a tuna can putting out 75,000 btu's, vented through a 1/2 pipe... with overnight burns.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Looks like room for a smoker in that firebox. Thanks for the pic, it is massive. I can't even imagine the amount of work it took to tend that fire back in the day. Amazing what time and technology has done for us. Who knows, in a hundred years, there will probably be a stove the size of a tuna can putting out 75,000 btu's, vented through a 1/2 pipe... with overnight burns.

There's a Blaze King joke in there somewhere...

 

[NH_Wood]

Looks like room for a smoker in that firebox. Thanks for the pic, it is massive. I can't even imagine the amount of work it took to tend that fire back in the day. Amazing what time and technology has done for us. Who knows, in a hundred years, there will probably be a stove the size of a tuna can putting out 75,000 btu's, vented through a 1/2 pipe... with overnight burns.

There's a Blaze King joke in there somewhere...

Yes - the Blaze King Starkist - burns one supercedar for 14 hours on low burn, 10 hours on high burn! :lol:

 

[Green Energy]

Congrats on your new stove. The Olso is a very nice looking stove that is a very reliable appliance.

Regarding your questions:

Use the side door when you want to get some extra O2. Don't use the ash tray door, just not worth taking the chance.

I regularly run my stove at 600 F to 650 F after a reload with a hot bed of coals, once to 700F. (This is the stove top temp measured on the back left hand corner.)

Definitely get the stove top temp up to 400 - 450 F as the minimum. Of course later in the burn cycle it will drop below 400 F in the coaling phase. That is OK once you have burnt off the gases.

You'll also want to get it up to above 400 F so that you can enjoy the light show from the secondary burn tubes. Puts on quite a impressive show.

On loading the stove, just make sure that you don't press the wood into the burn tubes or the baffle above the burn tubes.

Enjoy the stove, it is a beauty!

 

[gibson]

I love the fact that many, including myself, looked straight past the beautiful Oslo installation, and said "I love that fireplace!". What a great hearth.

 

[Valhalla]

If you insist on having a door open for a few mins, make it the side door at fully open. Never, never, ever burn with the ash door open.

At 500 degrees F the BTU output is great. I do not go past 600 F so the burn cycle is maximized.

Good luck with it and burn wisely.

 

[semipro]

The topic of using the ashpan door to start the fire comes up every year. The suggestion to read the manual is good advice:

• The ash pan door on the stove must always be securely closed when the stove is in operation.
• Burning the stove with the ash pan door open will overfire the stove and cause interior damage.

We've seen folks with cracked grates and cracked stove bases due to using the ashpan door as an accelerator. It puts a concentrated, forge-like blast of air in a small area, bringing that location to overfire temps very quickly, while the surrounding metals may still be cool. Damage here will void the warranty. Don't do it. Instead, leave the front or side door ajar for a few minutes while the fire ignites.

Somehow I almost always find myself agreeing with BeGreen

I can attest to the damage that can be caused by using the ash pan door for extra air and have a cracked stove to show for it (not the Oslo I'm using now). You should use the side door. You can use the front door but because of way the smoke flows through the stove this can lead to smoke spilling out the front.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Burn well seasoned dry wood

If the brown on the glass is there (as in the pic) you are burning too cool

Burn up to 700 degrees stove top temperature, normally around 500.

I run mine up to 600/650 daily

Do not burn with bottom door open

Open side door to assist in starting a new fire

Add a couple pieces of kiln dried lumber if you want to get a fire going quicker

Make sure ash pan area is clear, ash falls behind ash pan and when re-inserting ash pan the ash pan door may not close properly

Happy burning

 

[adrpga498]

I have found that openig the glass doors (2) older Castine reduces the JET engine affect when when emptying the ash pan. This procedure is only done when I'm down to coals in the am after an overnight burn. Hopes this makes sence and may help on the Oslo group.