602 burn temp

[jmcindric]

Hello all. Newbie to wood burning stoves. I have a old Jotul 602 that I picked up used. It has the round air control on the door. Tore it down, re-sealed and replaced both side burn plates and top baffle. I didn't make/install a rear burn plate and hope I don't regret that decision. This weekend I fired it out on the patio to cure the furnace cement. Using a Jotul stove top thermometer I slowly got it up to 550 like the furnace cement said to cure the cement.

Once it is installed, what would be the normal temperature range that I should shoot for while running the stove? Again, using the stove top thermometer not a flue thermometer.

Thanks!

 

[Fire Water]

I did a similar rebuild on a 602 recently and have been running the stove pretty regular the past few days . I am using the top outlet and running it at 300 degrees 18” above the stove, this seems to be the sweet spot for good combustion and heat generation . When I stoke the fire the cooler spot is the back I pull that forward reload the box and the stove will run about three hours on a zero degree day ( yesterday) and warm the entire upstairs to 78-80 degrees,let the fire go out and warm until later in the afternoon .
Great little stoves that do what their supposed to do. I have no concerns with no back burn plate. The stove wasn’t designed with one and mine had been used since 1980 with no ill effects,don’t over fire the stove ,find where it burns the best with your wood you will be fine.

 

[jmcindric]

I did a similar rebuild on a 602 recently and have been running the stove pretty regular the past few days . I am using the top outlet and running it at 300 degrees 18” above the stove, this seems to be the sweet spot for good combustion and heat generation . When I stoke the fire the cooler spot is the back I pull that forward reload the box and the stove will run about three hours on a zero degree day ( yesterday) and warm the entire upstairs to 78-80 degrees,let the fire go out and warm until later in the afternoon .
Great little stoves that do what their supposed to do. I have no concerns with no back burn plate. The stove wasn’t designed with one and mine had been used since 1980 with no ill effects,don’t over fire the stove ,find where it burns the best with your wood you will be fine.

Firewater, is that temp in the stack or on the stovetop? My thermometer is magnetic and on the stove top, not the flue. From what I've been able to find is Jotul recommends stovetop temps between 400-600. I don't know if those temps apply for my stove because of its age or if those are for the newer Jotul stoves. I'm just looking for real world temps. Thank you for your input!

 

[Fire Water]

Yes on the flue, per the manufactures instructions and recommendations here. Some people do both stove top and flue,the 602 is such a small stove I use just one.

 

[begreen]

You will need to watch the stove temp too. This is a ready and willing heater that warms up quickly. Once the fire is burning well the air needs to be closed all the way and then opened just a touch. Too much air will have it burning like a rocket. Try to keep the stovetop temp to no higher than 700ºF. Ours has been up to 900ºF and survived, but that was human error. You may want to add a key damper to the stove pipe. That will reduce the amount of heat going up the flue and will slow down the fire a bit.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I just put the laser gun on our stove and the top is 750* at the hottest. Right where is usually runs with a moderate fire. It will hit 900+ with a bigger fire. That said, our stove weighs ~1,000 lbs. and will throw about the same amount of heat for ~2 hrs after the fire is out. It makes it a pain to know when to reload. I just welded in clips for more firebrick today, so we will see how it does now.

 

[TheAnvil]

Also new to wood stoves and using an old 602 and trying to figure it out as I go. I have one Rutland magnetic thermometer on the stove pipe about 16 inches above the stove top - then one of those heat activated stovepipe fans - then another thermometer just above the fan. My stove pip does have a key damper but when I asked Jotul they said I really shouldn't need to use the key other than if the stove heads to overfire. They also suggested the sweet spot was 400 to 450 but I don't know if that is temp on the top of the stove or the thermometer on the stove pipe. I just assumed it was the pipe temp so have been targeting that. I just try to make sure I stay in that "burn zone". My struggle is getting it to burn longer without sacrificing heat output. Also that 16" length causes problems because though I asked for wood no longer than 16" the 4 cords delivered have a fair bit that it 17ish - it fits but just barely and the back ends up a bit unburned. I'm also unsure how full to load it. I have found that once it gets going it really gets going! I've also been splitting the wood down fairly small since it isn't seasoned as well as I'd like - Covid caused quite a run on wood. Bought a moisture meter but hasn't arrived. yet. I have the old daisy wheel so I end up shutting that to a sliver. Our little shack has no insulation so I'd really like any help learning now to get this thing to produce heat for 6 hours if possible. Waking up to a 30 degree shack loses its charm.

 

[begreen]

The stovetop temp will range between about 450 and 650ºF most of the time. Try to keep the flue temp around 200-400F. FWIW, I closed the key damper after every reload with this stove to extend the burn time and to reduce heat wasted up the flue.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Burn times are greatly inflated. The way they figure burn time is how long the stove can go from lighing a fire to restarting it without lighting a match. One tiny coal counts as burning time.

It is very misleading and causes a lot of confusion. I built a stove this spring that would burn seemingly forever, but it was for someone else. He never used it and I don't know what happened to it.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

The stovetop temp will range between about 450 and 650ºF most of the time. Try to keep the flue temp around 200-400F. FWIW, I closed the key damper after every reload with this stove to extend the burn time and to reduce heat wasted up the flue.

The problem with lower temps and longer burn time is reduced btu output. Higher temp pruduces more btu, so you are really just sensing a higher percent of heat up the chimney over more time.

 

[begreen]

The problem with lower temps and longer burn time is reduced btu output. Higher temp pruduces more btu, so you are really just sensing a higher percent of heat up the chimney over more time.

Running it at a lower temp is usually preferable once the place has warmed up. In this situation they may have no choice but to run it hotter as the heat leaving the building exceeds the stove's steady output.

 

[TheAnvil]

The stovetop temp will range between about 450 and 650ºF most of the time. Try to keep the flue temp around 200-400F. FWIW, I closed the key damper after every reload with this stove to extend the burn time and to reduce heat wasted up the flue.

Closed as in shut it completely? Or partial? I've tinkered with it a bit but stopped doing so at the recommendation of Jotul.

 

[TheAnvil]

Closed as in shut it completely? Or partial? I've tinkered with it a bit but stopped doing so at the recommendation of Jotul.

So I'm thinking you closed it after the burn completes and the stove then has coals - not while it's burning. Noob here so not sure exactly when you closed it and how closed.

 

[begreen]

Closed as in shut it completely? Or partial? I've tinkered with it a bit but stopped doing so at the recommendation of Jotul.

That depend on the draft. Where we had it installed it could be closed all the way when it was below 30 outside and about 3/4's above that. Even closed all the way the damper still leaks about 25% of the flue gases past it. This is by design. I Would close after the burn got going strongly. It was most helpful at peak burn. The stovepipe thermometer will show the effect if placed above the damper.

 

[Todd]

I have the 602 CB and mostly monitor the internal flue temps but also check the stove temps from time to time and see 500-700 for the most part burning a full load of hardwood with the air completely shut. I control my stove by how soon I shut off the air by watching the flue temps. If I want a longer burn and something in the 500 stove top range I close off the air when the flue temp reaches 400. For a shorter hot burn with stove top up around 700 I'll close down the air at 600.

 

[Todd]

My reloading schedule is usually every 5-6 hours when temps are in the 20-30° range, when it gets colder I'll reload every 4 hours. My stove is also capable of overnight burns but the stove is only luke warm with a few coals left for relight after 8 hrs.