biobricks in Jotul 550

[WoodNewbie]

I would be interested to hear any advices you may have for burning biobricks in a Jotul 550 insert? How many bricks do you use? how long do you have them burning for? How long after starting the four teepee bricks do you load the bulk of them? any special setup? do you fully close the damper? Any information or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

 

[jadm]

Never tried it.

There is a 550 thread there that you might check out. Has 12 pages of info. from people here who have the 550.

Do an advanced search -Jotul c550 Rockland tips thread - and that will bring it up.


If you try it you will have to let us know how it works!

Good luck and Welcome.

 

[DAKSY]

If you burn bio-bricks in ANY Jotul product,
you will void any warranties associated with the purchase.
They are NOT tested to burn ANYTHING but natural seasoned wood...
PERIOD.

 

[WoodNewbie]

Thanks Daksy. My understanding was Jotul was warning against overfiring the stove (which could happen with wood as well, I assume).
Anyway, my question is not about whether to use biobricks or not, but how to use them (safely and efficiently).

 

[argus66]

i use them all the time, i start a fire with newspaper and kindling with some small splits and then after a little while when things are hot and running smooth put in 2 bio bricks let them burn as they die down put in a few more 2 to 3 is all i ever put in. 2 or 3 burn about a hour or so yes i can damper them all the way down. sometimes i do the teepee but i use them as supplemental so i just put them in like when i don't feel like going out to get wood. remember they burn great and no creosote what so ever!

 

[Chrisdo]

Hi: What ever you do DON'T Load it up They Burn Too Darn Hot - I did & the top of my stove started to Glow ( good thing I have a Blower helped to not go into melt down )I'd be embarrassed to say how many I put in 1st time using them. I also have Large Envi blocks & they are much more predicable - put in 4 North / South & they will burn 10 - 12 hours ...
Chris ...

 

[begreen]

I found they worked well in the F400, but it was a learning process. Use them as directed and by all means stay near the stove until you are used to burning them. Don't pack the stove at first. Try just a layer or two and get used to them. They will burn more slowly and predictably if you pack them tightly as per instructions.

Here's a link to my tests with the F400:
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/wiki/BioBricks/

 

[BioPellet]

I would be interested to hear any advices you may have for burning biobricks in a Jotul 550 insert? How many bricks do you use? how long do you have them burning for? How long after starting the four teepee bricks do you load the bulk of them? any special setup? do you fully close the damper? Any information or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

BioBricks(R) are completely as safe as cordwood. Europeans have been burning them for 30 years, and brown coal bricks before this. 350,000 ton of briquettes like BioBricks are consumed yearly in the EU. lb for lb you get 1.7 times more heat into the house with them. Please see the three plots: www.biopellet.net/data.html note that the area under the curve is proportional to the heat delivered to the house. There is 1.7 times more area under the BioBrick heat curves.

Remember they are 100% wood and very dense. Since they are dense they burn longer and slower. Look at this progression to see the advantages of burning a progressively denser fuel:

Seasoned Softwood -> Seasoned Hardwood -> BioBricks => longer burns

In any case you need to handle your stove correctly. If you do you are fine.

Here's a link to instructions:

www.biopellet.net/instructions.html

 

[WoodNewbie]

Thanks BioPellet for your answer. I just started them and overall I am very satisfied. As mentioned by BeGreen, there is definitely a learning curve. Where I seem to struggle the most (surprisingly) is to actually have them started. I used 4 of them in a tepee-like conformation as advertised and 3 Rutland Safelite fire starters, with the door opened (either fully or ~1/2in). I found out that even after 30min or so, it is borderline to have them able to ignite the freshly added one (even with the door opened). I am waiting for my Super Cedar free samples and have big hopes in them....but if you have any suggestions, i would love to hear them.

 

[BioPellet]

Thanks BioPellet for your answer. I just started them and overall I am very satisfied. As mentioned by BeGreen, there is definitely a learning curve. Where I seem to struggle the most (surprisingly) is to actually have them started. I used 4 of them in a tepee-like conformation as advertised and 3 Rutland Safelite fire starters, with the door opened (either fully or ~1/2in). I found out that even after 30min or so, it is borderline to have them able to ignite the freshly added one (even with the door opened). I am waiting for my Super Cedar free samples and have big hopes in them....but if you have any suggestions, i would love to hear them.

I will publish a film on youtube in the comming days. You should take four wads of newspaper and lean 4 bricks around them. Put one brick on top laying flat. Light the newspaper and that's all you nered to do....

 

[BioPellet]

If you burn bio-bricks in ANY Jotul product,
you will void any warranties associated with the purchase.
They are NOT tested to burn ANYTHING but natural seasoned wood...
PERIOD.

wow! is there a problem with the way Jotul builds their stoves???

 

[argus66]

no just made to burn wood, legally they must stand behind the full purpose of the stove. u can burn them fine in any jotul.

 

[Chrisdo]

Be careful to pack them Very tightly. If there are air gaps & you have more than six or so - the heat will be Very high. Just a fair warning to avoid Overfiring your stove. I do like the Bio bricks very much ( I just use a few or 1 @ a time mixed in with wood ) works great & plenty hot too.


Chris ...

 

[begreen]

If you burn bio-bricks in ANY Jotul product,
you will void any warranties associated with the purchase.
They are NOT tested to burn ANYTHING but natural seasoned wood...
PERIOD.

wow! is there a problem with the way Jotul builds their stoves???

Jotul wood stoves are listed as solid fuel appliances. I didn't find anything banning the use of pure wood, compressed fuel products in the warranty doc and asked my dealer if responsible burning of compressed wood products was ok in our Jotul. The response was that it was ok as long as no overfire or abuse to the stove. The only compressed wood products advised for these stoves are the products that use no additives, just pure wood sawdust, compressed under high pressure.

The only stove I have seen a direct statement in the manual with these products are Hearthstone soapstone stoves. They apparently are not designed for the high heat output potential in compressed wood products. I would not recommend their use in these soapstone stoves.

 

[BioPellet]

If you burn bio-bricks in ANY Jotul product,
you will void any warranties associated with the purchase.
They are NOT tested to burn ANYTHING but natural seasoned wood...
PERIOD.

wow! is there a problem with the way Jotul builds their stoves???

Jotul wood stoves are listed as solid fuel appliances. I didn't find anything banning the use of pure wood, compressed fuel products in the warranty doc and asked my dealer if responsible burning of compressed wood products was ok in our Jotul. The response was that it was ok as long as no overfire or abuse to the stove. The only compressed wood products advised for these stoves are the products that use no additives, just pure wood sawdust, compressed under high pressure.

The only stove I have seen a direct statement in the manual with these products are Hearthstone soapstone stoves. They apparently are not designed for the high heat output potential in compressed wood products. I would not recommend their use in these soapstone stoves.

You know, the other way to think about this is that the less dense you get the higher the heat output.......... Imagine what would happen if you could continually wad after wad of loosely wadded newspaper into your stove -- man that's rocket fuel

 

[begreen]

Burn a lot of bone dry carpentry scraps or pallets and it's easy to push the stove towards overfire territory. But hey, it's pure wood.

 

[BioPellet]

If you burn bio-bricks in ANY Jotul product,
you will void any warranties associated with the purchase.
They are NOT tested to burn ANYTHING but natural seasoned wood...
PERIOD.

wow! is there a problem with the way Jotul builds their stoves???

Jotul wood stoves are listed as solid fuel appliances. I didn't find anything banning the use of pure wood, compressed fuel products in the warranty doc and asked my dealer if responsible burning of compressed wood products was ok in our Jotul. The response was that it was ok as long as no overfire or abuse to the stove. The only compressed wood products advised for these stoves are the products that use no additives, just pure wood sawdust, compressed under high pressure.

The only stove I have seen a direct statement in the manual with these products are Hearthstone soapstone stoves. They apparently are not designed for the high heat output potential in compressed wood products. I would not recommend their use in these soapstone stoves.

The implication is that a quality high density product like BioBricks(R) - which holds its density in the burn ------ is a high heat output fuel. While it IS high energy density it is not necassarily high heat output - on the contrary, it is the LOW DENSITY fuel that is the high heat outputter - - the limit example is a burning wad of loosely packed newsprint - which my customers use regularly to start BioBricks Let high density be your friend.

 

[weatherguy]

Anyone ever try smartlogs? A dealer near me sells them.

(broken link removed)

 

[BioPellet]

Anyone ever try smartlogs? A dealer near me sells them.

(broken link removed)

Be careful to compare price by the pound and not the piece.

 

[WoodNewbie]

BioPellet, please let me know when the video is available on YouTube...can't wait!

I checked what Jotul France says about the use of wood bricks (I am French):
(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/en/wwwjotulfr/Main-Menu/Les-Questions/Comment-allumer-un-feu/)
Very interesting indeed: it clearly says that the use of biobrick-type combustible doesn't void the warranty. Jotul recommends to use the wood bricks according to their manufacturer directions. It also states that the warranty doesn't cover damages caused by overfiring the stove.
Btw, Jotul UK gives the same info:
(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/en-gb/wwwjotulukcom/Main-Menu/Questions/Lighting-the-fire/)

 

[BioPellet]

BioPellet, please let me know when the video is available on YouTube...can't wait!

I checked what Jotul France says about the use of wood bricks (I am French):
(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/en/wwwjotulfr/Main-Menu/Les-Questions/Comment-allumer-un-feu/)
Very interesting indeed: it clearly says that the use of biobrick-type combustible doesn't void the warranty. Jotul recommends to use the wood bricks according to their manufacturer directions. It also states that the warranty doesn't cover damages caused by overfiring the stove.
Btw, Jotul UK gives the same info:
(broken link removed to http://www.jotul.com/en-gb/wwwjotulukcom/Main-Menu/Questions/Lighting-the-fire/)

Great! I knew that Jotul Denmark approved the use of Wood Briquettes, this confirms things further - thank you!

 

[kobudo]

I was not familiar with this product until reading this post.
Is there a retailer in the Mpls/St Paul area that carries this product? Are samples available?
Also, can they be burned together with other wood (birch, oak etc)?

 

[BioPellet]

Thanks BioPellet for your answer. I just started them and overall I am very satisfied. As mentioned by BeGreen, there is definitely a learning curve. Where I seem to struggle the most (surprisingly) is to actually have them started. I used 4 of them in a tepee-like conformation as advertised and 3 Rutland Safelite fire starters, with the door opened (either fully or ~1/2in). I found out that even after 30min or so, it is borderline to have them able to ignite the freshly added one (even with the door opened). I am waiting for my Super Cedar free samples and have big hopes in them....but if you have any suggestions, i would love to hear them.

Here's a link to a not so great movie on how to start a stove with BioBricks(R), but I hope you get the idea

www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6GZ58sG6Ug

 

[WoodNewbie]

BioPellet, many many thanks. I will try and let you know how it works for me.

 

[cycloxer]

A Jotul will burn virtually any wood product as long as it is 100% wood. Just keep an eye on the stove temperatures.