Air Wash Question
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The intake air is preheated and enters the stove as an air curtain wall at the top of the stove glass. This "washes" the glass with air and prevents buildup. It's why a good running stove has clean glass for a long time. Load your stove normally and keep wood at least an inch or two away from the glass.
I'm under the impression that the air enters thru the "dog house" at the front of the stove near the bottom of the door, not the top. My stove does have what looks like maybe a deflector that follows the arch of the top of the door. When I load it tight I suppose I get with in a 1/2" of the glass. Perhaps I better be sure to save more room.
When you have some smoke in the stove - at startup, for example - you can see the effects of the clean air blowing down from the top of the stove across the glass, from top to bottom and moving the smoke. At other times it is harder to see the effects of the airwash, but it is still there as long as the primary air control isn't completely closed. In my stove I think the primary air control regulates the amount of air in the air wash.
It enters in the rear bottom, then is valved in the doghouse. From there it exits through the top over the glass and a small portion goes through the boost manifold at the front bottom of the firebox.
Yep, the valving part makes sense and I've explained it to folks that way. So I guess I've got that part clear in my head then. What is the boost manifold? I've not heard of this thing. I think that when the air is "shut" down what it really means is that the air is now diverted 100% to the burn tubes above. I'm still confused how the air at the begining of the burn enters the box from the dog house (Air open full) located at the bottom, but Airwash is air moving from top to bottom! Forgive my slowness!
The air is never 100% shut down. There is always a small percent of primary air washing over the glass. I may have misspoken about the boost manifold. It is on the F400, but I'm not sure about the F500. If there, it's a pair or holes that directs air at the base of the fire, bottom front center.
I just referenced the Jotul Manual exploded view parts list. It showed me how the air is routed. The valve adjusts the flow of the air. Either out the dog house or to the tubes. Anyway I think I know all I need to know now. Keep a healthy gap to the glass and I'll be good. Thanks for the explainations!
OK wait..... I think now I see in the view how the channel for the air entering the stove moves thru a channel around the base of the stove. That channel is connected to the tubes by another channel that runs vertically in the back. In addition there is a vertical channel running up the front of the stove on each side that spills out from the top. There I feel even better now.
Mind the gap . . .
As long as you don't pile up wood right up against the glass . . . although the inevitable round or split will occasionally roll up against it . . . you shouldn't have much gunking of the glass other than the occasional cleaning of the fly ash/soot (unless of course the wood is too green or you cut the air too much and suffocate the fire.)
As long as you don't pile up wood right up against the glass . . . although the inevitable round or split will occasionally roll up against it . . . you shouldn't have much gunking of the glass other than the occasional cleaning of the fly ash/soot (unless of course the wood is too green or you cut the air too much and suffocate the fire.)
There are three holes in the front of the stove (where the doghouse is -- about an inch up from the base) . . . from your description that sounds like the boost manifold?
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