Breaking in a stove

[BasaltCoast]

Well it's finally arrived, the Jotul F55 Carrabassett. I'm at the point of breaking it in, and wondering how long does this process take? The guide seems to indicate about 3 fires. Has this been anyone else's experience? Had it hot yesterday and did get some obvious off gassing.

I'm also noticing the glass is staining awfully fast. Is this because of the low heat first few burns? I've never had glass stain that fast or easily before. Is this normal? I've had a hot fire, but the glass ins't getting clearer; it's looking like it's getting cloudy.

And my wife is trying to clean it with windex. Will the commercial store bought cleaners clear this up?

 

[Oregon aloha]

Three fire progressively hotter each time is my stoves recommendation, or a slow gradually increasing fire over 4 or 5 hours. Every repainting of my old stove had serious off gassing, but the off gassing of my new stove was minimal.
My glass did get some nasty staining on break-in. I don't know if it's normal, but my experience was the same. I used water and a single edge razorblade to clean mine and still have the staining along the edges.
I'm sure others will chime in and help us out.

 

[USMC80]

every time you break a new temp you will get some smell, that has been my experience at least. My glass did get a little dirtier on the break ins

 

[Paul L]

My first fire baked on a film I couldn't touch with the old tried and true methods. I tried to keep the temp low and my wood is not ideally dry ... smoke city. If the stain is stubborn try oven cleaner as was suggested in my Quadra Fire manual. Not while the glass is hot of course ... and you have to be very careful about getting the spray on metal parts. If that stuff gets baked on it can stain permanently. But, it cuts right through the bakey crud.

I got visible smoke and enough gassing to give my wife a headache on the second fire which was the first hot one. After the third fire it was pretty much gone.

 

[DMB]

I did my break in fires over one weekend trying to reach new high temperatures each time. Seemed to work pretty well. My manual stated some temperatures to reach but never stated where to take those temps so I felt like that was pretty worthless information.

As far as the glass goes, mine stayed pretty clean with some unavoidable staining around the edges. A damp paper towel dipped in grey ash does work really well to break that stuff up. Go back over it with another towel and its pretty much gone. That's got to be the cheapest way to go about it.

 

[dmmoss51]

When I get my new stove I'm going to "break it in" Outdoors...

 

[BasaltCoast]

thanks all for your suggestions on the glass. I haven't had to break in a stove before, so was a little surprised on the glass, especially because i got a stove with a big view so we could see the fire

The stove is going well at the moment, and not setting off the alarm and not smelling anything. This is the 5th fire and 3rd hot one.

 

[begreen]

What temperature is the stove running at?

 

[BobUrban]

Low fires will darken the glass but once you get it broke in and running hot the glass will clear up. Rutlands makes a cleaner that is kind of a thin toothpaste texture that works great, is cheap and the bottle lasts a long time. Other options work like the ash and water, oven cleaner and even good ole razor blades but as cheap and as good as the Rutlands works I will stick with it. I like clean glass.

 

[Sprinter]

And my wife is trying to clean it with windex. Will the commercial store bought cleaners clear this up?

I understand that ammonia is hard on the window material, so I'd avoid those cleaners. The Rutland's cleaner is good, and dipping a damp cloth in ash works well too although if you pick up any abrasive material in the ash, it could scratch.

The first couple of fires will be cool and may be why you're getting darkening. After that, though, the window should stay cleaner.

How is your wood supply? Do you know the moisture content?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Here is what we use on the Woodstock Fireview. Anyone could use this as a guide and would not go wrong with it:

1. First fire. Up to 6 pieces of kindling (1" x 1" maximum). Light the fire (super cedar works great), leave the draft full open and just let it burn out.

2. Second fire. (Stove should cool some but should not have to be cold before second fire.) Same amount of kindling. No more than 2 small or medium splits. Light the fire and let it burn. After splits get burning good, close draft to about 50%. Let the fire go until it is out.

On the second burn you may or may not get hot enough to engage the cat but you should on the third burn. (200 degree stove top and 400 flue (measured on single wall flue pipe.)


3. Third fire. Stove should cool down some but no need to wait for total cold stove. Just luke warm. Same amount of kindling. This time 3-4 splits and light the fire. Stove top should reach 350-400. If the temperature goes higher, no worries. Again turn the draft down to 50% as on your second fire but after you feel the fire is good and established, turn the draft down to at least 25%. Let the fire burn itself out.

At this point you should be good to go with hotter fires. I'd suggest aiming for 500-550 on the next fire and finally to 600 or more. The stove should be ready for big time burning now.