Air Intake on F600

[Bob C]

Just got a new Jotul F600 a week ago. Still dealing with the stinking burn in!

Anyway, I was wondering where the stove draws the air from? Are there small intake areas to the right and left of the control lever?

Also, during the burn in process, with the low heat burns, when the stove cooled it smelled a lot like burnt wood. I know that sounds stupid, but I mean when you walked into the house and got near the stove it smelled like a campsite. There were unburned small pieces left behind due to ending the burn during the break in period. Is the air escaping from the stove into the room (down draft)? Or is it due to the pieces of unburnt wood in the fire box and ash in the pan?

New to this stove and wood stoves in general. Thanks! Great Site.

Bob C.

 

[begreen]

Welcome Bob. I think the air intake is at the bottom rear center. It's where the OAK connects. How tall is the flue system on the stove?

 

[lopiliberty]

Also, during the burn in process, with the low heat burns, when the stove cooled it smelled a lot like burnt wood. I know that sounds stupid, but I mean when you walked into the house and got near the stove it smelled like a campsite. There were unburned small pieces left behind due to ending the burn during the break in period. Is the air escaping from the stove into the room (down draft)? Or is it due to the pieces of unburnt wood in the fire box and ash in the pan

Was the fire completely out? On damp cool days and in the summer when its real humid I get that smell from my stove.

 

[stovelark]

Hi Bob, nice choice. Yes the Firelight intake is a 3" hole in the back lower rear of the stove, its routed along the sides and to the dogshack to be let into the combustion chamber. Air is also routed to the airwash and "washes" down on the front door glass. Sec air is pulled through the back of the stove and into the sec air manifolds, routed to the air tubes and released into the hot gases in the top of the stove, prompting a more complete secondary burn before the gases escape around the top baffle and out the chimney. Its hard to say about if smell is leaking back into the room, but if you have unburned fuel, its possible to have that smell. It'll prob clear up and go away with hotter burning after the break in fires and winter settles in. If you have any concerns about your stove not operating properly, consult a stove installer or talk to your dealer Curious tho, like BG asked, how tall is the chimney and what size is the flue?? Take care.

 

[Bob C]

Sorry for the delay. Since my OP I have had a couple of fires. The smell seems intermittent and my coincide with windier days.

The stove vents through the 6inch stove pipe for about 3 feet, into a stainless steel liner into a 25' brick chimney. When the fire is burning there is only a "hot" smell that I think is due to the newness of the stove.

I am having a hard time keeping the stove above 400 though. I even need to keep the door open a bit for about ten minutes or so. Recently instead of the door I have cracked open the ash door so smoke does not enter the room at the beginning of the fire.

I have opened an adjacent window, made sure there is no central air circulated/dryer on. Wondering now if it all might have to do with my wood. Less dry wood could = lower temps, more smoke, more smell.

Supposed to get down to the 30s tonight here in MA. Gonna burn the driest wood I can find and see how it goes. Thanks for all the help.

Bob C.

 

[Nick Mystic]

Hi Bob, I too have a Jotul F600 that I installed last February. You don't want to get in the habit of leaving the ash door open to start fires due to the danger of cracking the grate and even the floor of the stove. You might have seen the recent post on an F500 Oslo stove with a cracked bottom. When I start a fire in my F600 I find that if I crack the side door about a half inch that lets in enough air to get the stove fired up. If you pay close attention you can easily tell how far you can open the door before any smoke will start coming out into the room. There will be some turbulence around the open edge of the door where smoke is swirling around. Open the door a bit more and the smoke starts flowing out into the room. For my set up I can open the door about a half to three quarters of an inch with no problems. Another tip: It's a good idea to remain at the stove whenever you have the door open. This precaution prevents you from accidentally leaving to answer the phone, change the channel on the TV, etc. and becoming distracted and forgetting you left the door open. If you read enough posts you'll see how often these distractions lead to people over firing their stoves. I think you'll find the F600 does a wonderful job of heating. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[Bob C]

Agreed. I am super cautious and will avoid using the ash door. Wasn't aware of the cracking issue associated with this practice. I do however NEED the extra air at the beginning. I will use the side door, or crack the front a bit, but l do notice less opportunity for smoke to escape through the side.

Thanks for the info!

 

[begreen]

Definitely get out of the habit of cracking open the ash pan door. A cracked base on that stove is expensive. Leave the front stove door open a little instead. If you are having a hard time getting a hot fire going the odds are that the wood is not fully seasoned. Try starting the fire with some dry construction scraps or BioBricks mixed in.

 

[Nick Mystic]

With the F 600 I think you are better off cracking the side door a bit rather than the two front doors if you need a little more draft when starting your fires. Most F 600 owners usually load through the side door due to ash falling out the front doors once you've had a couple of fires in the stove and the ash is starting to accumulate. With the side door you get much less mess and it's easier to clean up if you do get any ash spilling out. The side door will give you all the draft you need to get the fire going well.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

Congratulations on your Jotul purchase. F500 owner here!