2025 Oslo 500 v3 operations burning /heating ?

[HeavyD357]

Hi Everyone an fellow Jotul owners .
I recently 2025 fall purchased a 2nd. Jotul F500 wood stove for my home which is a replacement of a former 2014 era Oslo f500 stove . The Jotul stove has been a excellent all around stove for myself heating my home in New England . My stove for the most part is utilized starting the Fall and runs /operates till maybe 1st. week of April pretty much non-stop either than for cleaning / dumping ash or I give it a break and don't burn /use it for a day or two. I burn mostly oak ,maple, ash and some small other clean type firewood and yes its seasoned covered approx a year or two.

My question an concerns on this Oslo F500 V3 is it seems to burn up eat a little bit more wood than my older 2014 oslo . Yes I monitor the catalyst probe on the side of stove keeping it within the mfg. reccomended temps. I do / can see the interior manifold is bright red glowing and operable at the temps noted .

My gaskets appear to be in good shape with no leaks as I tested them and also smoke tested the stove passing both tests.
At times I have to basically choke the stove off to have a long burn which i find kind of dumb to do to get a long burn into the nite.

Yes I have read about the 2 ports located underneath stove whisch houses the ashbox . On my stove the ports were sealed with some type of sealant which is still there.

I also had found on both sides of the lower ashbox heat shield , what looked like rubber type colored yellow plugs which I removed and assumed they were from the 2 ports everybody talks about of air leakage .
Yes I did buy magnets , but the ports have the sealant in the holes rendering using the magnets useless.
Being this was a New purchase 2025 , I did have the dealer come back housecall an check it. They said it was fine , my chimmney height c/o the stainless liner to exit was perfect and the gaskets good . Dealer stated that this F500 acts operates a lot more different than my other 2014 Jotul .

So bottom line what other areas might I check also on this Oslo V3 ? Just seems to eat up more wood , maybe it's just me over thinking this newer f500 compared to my older f500.

Thankyou for your input / oppinions .

 

[Todd]

Well it’s a new design and they could have tweaked the combustion air many different ways to achieve the cleanest most efficient burn they were shooting for.

Do you monitor flue temps? Maybe this stove lets in more air and you need to shut it down sooner? Maybe a pipe damper would help? Can you shut it down to a black firebox cat burn or does it always have flames?

 

[nunyabinis]

What is the temperature of your cat thermometer when the stove has been running for a while with the air damper turned all the way off? (air lever pushed to the left)

 

[HeavyD357]

Well it’s a new design and they could have tweaked the combustion air many different ways to achieve the cleanest most efficient burn they were shooting for.

Do you monitor flue temps? Maybe this stove lets in more air and you need to shut it down sooner? Maybe a pipe damper would help? Can you shut it down to a black firebox cat burn or does it always have flames?

No I don't monitor flue temps. I do monitor stove temps via a stove thermometer on top corner of stove . I have monitored the stove catalyst guage temps and even when stove has been at operational level / temps. it has been at the 1000* temp reading with the air controller close to choke off.
Sometimes when stove has been at its ideal operation with no turbulent air and only burning wood in box temp has been around 6 -800*

I have monitored the stove with a Thermal infared reader to see that the temp showing on catalyst is correct or close and it has been via the thermal reader.

 

[HeavyD357]

What is the temperature of your cat thermometer when the stove has been running for a while with the air damper turned all the way off? (air lever pushed to the left)

Roughly 6 -800* , sometime it varies even lower temps than stated .

 

[Todd]

Cat temps seem normal, it will read higher when it’s doing most of the work. When there’s flame or secondary combustion from the baffle the cat temps should be lower.

Maybe it’s just a learning curve with a new stove? I highly recommend using a flue thermometer instead of relying on lagging stove top temps on when to turn the stove air down.

I’m not sure on this stove how accurate the cat temps are? The probe is probably set next to one side of the cat. The difference in cat temp from one side to the other could be much different depending on the probe placement.

 

[nunyabinis]

It sounds normal to me.

When mine was brand new it would run around 1400 degrees at the cat with the cat glowing white hot and it would burn wood like wood was free. After I found the unregulated air holes in the Ash House and covered them with magnets the cat temp dropped to around 1100 degrees. It burned through wood much slower and the cat glowed dull red. As it ages the cat is less active but I try to keep it running at around 1000 degrees by adjusting the draft control.

 

[HeavyD357]

Thankyou Everyone on your replys / advice.

Bottomline this New Jotul 500 V3 deffinately eats more wood , Yes upon burning and checking my stove following morning wakeup the ash is mostly all powder with little to almost no hot coals. Its effecient allright , but my other 2014 era jotul F500 is a much better quality and heating wood stove which still doesn't eat wood like the f500 v3 model.

 

[Groaner]

Hi Everyone an fellow Jotul owners .
I recently 2025 fall purchased a 2nd. Jotul F500 wood stove for my home which is a replacement of a former 2014 era Oslo f500 stove . The Jotul stove has been a excellent all around stove for myself heating my home in New England . My stove for the most part is utilized starting the Fall and runs /operates till maybe 1st. week of April pretty much non-stop either than for cleaning / dumping ash or I give it a break and don't burn /use it for a day or two. I burn mostly oak ,maple, ash and some small other clean type firewood and yes its seasoned covered approx a year or two.

My question an concerns on this Oslo F500 V3 is it seems to burn up eat a little bit more wood than my older 2014 oslo . Yes I monitor the catalyst probe on the side of stove keeping it within the mfg. reccomended temps. I do / can see the interior manifold is bright red glowing and operable at the temps noted .

My gaskets appear to be in good shape with no leaks as I tested them and also smoke tested the stove passing both tests.
At times I have to basically choke the stove off to have a long burn which i find kind of dumb to do to get a long burn into the nite.

Yes I have read about the 2 ports located underneath stove whisch houses the ashbox . On my stove the ports were sealed with some type of sealant which is still there.

I also had found on both sides of the lower ashbox heat shield , what looked like rubber type colored yellow plugs which I removed and assumed they were from the 2 ports everybody talks about of air leakage .
Yes I did buy magnets , but the ports have the sealant in the holes rendering using the magnets useless.
Being this was a New purchase 2025 , I did have the dealer come back housecall an check it. They said it was fine , my chimmney height c/o the stainless liner to exit was perfect and the gaskets good . Dealer stated that this F500 acts operates a lot more different than my other 2014 Jotul .

So bottom line what other areas might I check also on this Oslo V3 ? Just seems to eat up more wood , maybe it's just me over thinking this newer f500 compared to my older f500.

Thankyou for your input / oppinions .

I’m educating myself on the Jotuls since I’m interested in the F445 and there are not many reviews on that all . I just came back from a dealer and drilled him on the 2?stoves I’m interested in, f445 and GM60.
He told me that you can not shut the air intake to zero. The mfg made it that way to meet epa requirements. Therefore it’s going to burn faster I would say. My old VC Dutch west I shut the air closed and the combuster does its thing and I have hardly any creosote every year.
It’s 37 years old and is still working great, but I’m sure I’m burning more wood than I used to.
So far I’m not getting a lot of confidence in going to the F445 after reading the comments on the f500 v3 which runs the same way.

 

[Todd]

I’m educating myself on the Jotuls since I’m interested in the F445 and there are not many reviews on that all . I just came back from a dealer and drilled him on the 2?stoves I’m interested in, f445 and GM60.
He told me that you can not shut the air intake to zero. The mfg made it that way to meet epa requirements. Therefore it’s going to burn faster I would say. My old VC Dutch west I shut the air closed and the combuster does its thing and I have hardly any creosote every year.
It’s 37 years old and is still working great, but I’m sure I’m burning more wood than I used to.
So far I’m not getting a lot of confidence in going to the F445 after reading the comments on the f500 v3 which runs the same way.

I wouldn’t base your decision on a few posts you’ve read here. Most people come here because they have some issues they’re looking to solve, that doesn’t mean the vast majority are having problems with these stoves. Maybe there aren’t many reviews because most are happy with the stove and don’t bother coming to a forum for advice? I’d be willing to bet that most have problems on taller chimneys and could easily remedy this with a pipe damper. That goes for just about every new stove now a days along with wet wood or even too dry wood. Yes these new stoves let more air into the mix to squeak out a little more efficiency and cleaner burn. There are ways to modify that if needed.

 

[Groaner]

I agree, most only post when having problems.
You made an interesting point about too much draft as a possibility for excessive burns with stoves shut down.

So it can be fixed that easy using a pipe damper? Does it have any draw backs like creating more creosote?

Can you say for certainty that both the F445 and f500 v3 seem to have the same issues.
Another complaint is the door latch being really hard to open.

I was really hoping the F 445 was the one and the other is the GM 60 . One must getting too much draft and the other may not be getting enough.

??

 

[Todd]

I agree, most only post when having problems.
You made an interesting point about too much draft as a possibility for excessive burns with stoves shut down.

So it can be fixed that easy using a pipe damper? Does it have any draw backs like creating more creosote?

Can you say for certainty that both the F445 and f500 v3 seem to have the same issues.
Another complaint is the door latch being really hard to open.

I was really hoping the F 445 was the one and the other is the GM 60 . One must getting too much draft and the other may not be getting enough.

??

Many people have fixed overdrafting with pipe dampers. Some on this site have even measured draft before and after using a meter.

I can’t say for certain this is the problem with these stoves but it just seems like it is a probable cause. Draft is the engine that runs the stove. Every stove is tested in a lab with about a 15’ chimney with devices that give you a perfect draft. In the real world this isn’t going to happen so there are little tricks to compensate.

I’ve talked to a local hearth shop about these two stoves and he claims he hasn’t seen any problems with the new Jotul’s but has seen problems with the Hearthstones cat clogging and actually told me he recommends taking the cats out. He’s also a salesman so take that with a grain of salt.

 

[Groaner]

Yes the salesman may have ulterior motives and very on experience. I talked to teo different salesmen at the store which been in business a very long time snd they sell quite a number of different brands and he said the Hearthstone was their best seller? maybe but was leaning me to the Jotul F445 based on discussions . Today a different salesman said either the GM 60!or the Jotul should work and they held at least 18” logs , I saw the BK 32, wow the size of that box was huge and he said it could be run in my house but it’s just too big for my room. That all said, my old stove is keeping me warm tonight and I just need to get a new stove out of my head and be happy.

 

[HeavyD357]

Well great point touching on the topic of the draft / chimmney issue . I do not have an issue with chimmney height with the stainless pipe in it . A older 500 was in it , same way install etc heating the home throughout. Currently with this 500v3 its not performing as the prior.

Im going to try to plug / place the magnets which I bought on the 2 air holes located on the cast shell bottom which holds the ash pan . It currently has some type of sealant in the holes now /presently direct from factory . Also found what appeared to be small plugs which looked like ear plugs colored yellow on each side of the location below those air holes resting on the lower pan heat shield .

Yes it burns efficiently with basically powder an few coal crumbs upon overnite burns, but definately is not heating throughout home .

And sure the Stove salesman said to place a small electric fan in the immediate area to push /circulate the heated air towards the other end of the house .
I said thats great but I never had to do that prior when I had the other stove which I used and still use a heat operated fan on top of the stove to move heated air today . So why would I have to do it now ?

Well its only been this winter 2025 /. Jan, Feb. Mar. 2026 season burning daily 24 hrs at most , So I will really see at the end for a true oppinion on this 500V3 2025 Model .

 

[Groaner]

Well great point touching on the topic of the draft / chimmney issue . I do not have an issue with chimmney height with the stainless pipe in it . A older 500 was in it , same way install etc heating the home throughout. Currently with this 500v3 its not performing as the prior.

Im going to try to plug / place the magnets which I bought on the 2 air holes located on the cast shell bottom which holds the ash pan . It currently has some type of sealant in the holes now /presently direct from factory . Also found what appeared to be small plugs which looked like ear plugs colored yellow on each side of the location below those air holes resting on the lower pan heat shield .

Yes it burns efficiently with basically powder an few coal crumbs upon overnite burns, but definately is not heating throughout home .

And sure the Stove salesman said to place a small electric fan in the immediate area to push /circulate the heated air towards the other end of the house .
I said thats great but I never had to do that prior when I had the other stove which I used and still use a heat operated fan on top of the stove to move heated air today . So why would I have to do it now ?

Well it’s only been this winter 2025 /. Jan, Feb. Mar. 2026 season burning daily 24 hrs at most , So I will really see at the end for a true oppinion on this 500V3 2025 Model .

It looks like you are not alone with fast burning.
I was considering the F445 but that seems to be identical with the 500.

I guess I will keep my 37 year old Dutch West that is still working fine.

I was hoping to find the right sized stove that would improve on cutting down on wood usage but I’m not convinced I’ll be happier on another unit compared to what I have.