F500 V3 crumbled top (large) insulation panel

[RCJetFlyer]

We were getting poor (as in none) air through the stove. Flue liner in chimney was clean so I took the top off the stove to attempt to clean the "combustor" which apparently is just a bunch of corrugated metal sheets that exhaust air passes through. I touched this top refractory member (part # 226360 in the parts list) and it broke in 3 big pieces. I don't know what the thing is supposed to do. Looks like it just insulates the top of the stove which seems counter productive so I'm tempted to put it back together and run without the thing until I can get a replacement.

So does anyone know what it's for and is there some overriding reason I should buy a replacement? I found one at Rockymountainstove for $149.
(If it just keeps the top cooler, I don't want it. I want the top hot. The purpose of the stove is to radiate heat.)

As a "just for the record" item, my combustor had a lot of plugged up holes. I laboriously used a jewelers screwdriver to poke down through the million or so holes (maybe there were only hundreds but it seemed like a million) and I think this should solve my problem with airflow. Things weren't burning and smoke was seeping out the sides of the top. I have a gasket repair kit so I'll put a new gasket around the top too before I put it back on.

Any knowledgeable comments would be welcome.

 

[begreen]

The combustor should be cleaned with a brush or brush tool on a vacuum. It is a lot more than just layered metal and quite expensive due to the platinum coating of the layer. If functions like the cat in a car exhaust. The baffle board is an essential part of the combustion system on the stove. It routes the stove past the secondary combustion rack before the remaining smoke rounds the front and up through the combustor. The manual goes into more detail in section 5. Operation.

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If this is the first time the stove lid has been off the gasket is probably fine. The lid is meant to be removable for regular inspecting and cleaning the combustor. It does not need to be bolted back on. Combustor maintenance is covered on page 24 of the manual.

 

[D. Hermit]

It is a lot more than just layered metal and quite expensive due to the platinum coating of the layer.

You aint kidding. $668.98 msrp for a replacement cat. Not including shipping.

 

[HighlandHT]

I just returned from the dealer where I bought my Jotul F500 V3. I purchased the stove in Nov 2020 and it has been our primary source of heat since then. It worked perfectly for the first two seasons, but we have been having significant draft issues this year. Smoke filling up the chamber and seeping out the sides every time it is lit and then almost going out when the door is closed. The pipe is clear--was professionally swept in November of 2022 and then I swept it again last month. Nothing but a light grey ash in the pipe. I took off the lid and noticed the combustor was completely plugged. I have been using a soft brush like described in the manual, but this thing is packed. I have no idea how it could become so plugged after 2.5 seasons. The dealer where I bought it basically shrugged her shoulders and said you should use seasoned wood. Other than that, she said if its plugged like that, you'll have to buy a new one. That can't be the case. Hopefully some folks here can assist. The combustor seems super fragile.

 

[begreen]

It is plugged with ash? Try vacuuming out as much as possible, then used a can of air to blow out the remaining ash.

To prevent this, maybe change the way the stove is being cleaned. If a lot of ash is being stirred up, the draft may suck it into the catalyst. Try to keep ash stirring to a minimum.

 

[HighlandHT]

It is plugged with ash? Try vacuuming out as much as possible, then used a can of air to blow out the remaining ash.

To prevent this, maybe change the way the stove is being cleaned. If a lot of ash is being stirred up, the draft may suck it into the catalyst. Try to keep ash stirring to a minimum.

Thank you for the response. It appears to be plugged with ash. Here are a couple of pictures (front and back)

 

[hearthhelp123]

we are having the same problems with the cat. I have been using a soft brush and a shop vac (not touching cat with vacuum ) to get clean the cat just as the manual suggests. this doesnt seem to do the trick to completely clear the cat. the manual does not suggest another way to correctly clean the cat. maybe they should.

 

[HighlandHT]

Here is what I ended up doing. I removed the combuster and took a small metal pick--about the size of a paper clip--and cleaned out every single crevice. While doing that, I would periodically suck out the loose ash with a vacuum. I don't know if this would be advised by the company, but i really had no other option. It is now performing like it was when it was new so I can't complain about the results, but it was pretty tedious. It seems like there should be a better solution.

 

[hearthhelp123]

Here is what I ended up doing. I removed the combuster and took a small metal pick--about the size of a paper clip--and cleaned out every single crevice. While doing that, I would periodically suck out the loose ash with a vacuum. I don't know if this would be advised by the company, but i really had no other option. It is now performing like it was when it was new so I can't complain about the results, but it was pretty tedious. It seems like there should be a better solution.

interesting., but not practical during burning season to have to take top plate off numerous times. when I installed my 2nd cat, and took off the first cat the refractory member the lightweight part at both ends
broke very easily, feels like cardboard, I put it back together with mortar
jotul tech advised less messing with these parts the better
if these burning smoking issues are happening from a poorly designed cat
this stove is not user friendly. your comments? were you having draft issues? just using a brush and shop vac in the front of the cat doesnt seem to do the trick at all, not good advise from Jotul

 

[HighlandHT]

I totally agree...not practical at all. Our stove had gotten to the point that it was totally unusable because the cat effectively blocked the draft. Whenever we started a fire, the second we closed the door the fire would snuff out and the windows turned black. Not a good situation at all since this is our primary heat source. Our options were to try to thoroughly clean it or buy another combuster. The effort worked, but was quite labor intensive and I do worry that over time it will compromise the combuster because it is so fragile. I don't have a long term solution. Definitely seems like a design issue that Jotul needs to address. I'm not optimistic, though. I am wide open to other suggestions.

 

[hearthhelp123]

I totally agree...not practical at all. Our stove had gotten to the point that it was totally unusable because the cat effectively blocked the draft. Whenever we started a fire, the second we closed the door the fire would snuff out and the windows turned black. Not a good situation at all since this is our primary heat source. Our options were to try to thoroughly clean it or buy another combuster. The effort worked, but was quite labor intensive and I do worry that over time it will compromise the combuster because it is so fragile. I don't have a long term solution. Definitely seems like a design issue that Jotul needs to address. I'm not optimistic, though. I am wide open to other suggestions.

one of the moderators keeps asking me if I am using seasoned wood we are. I had another smokey episode last night even after stove got hot, flames and smoke shooting out of door when i opened it, and smoke was seeping out of front seams when firing up stove, and yes like you window get totally black when starting. I have called Jotul and wait to see what they say. I really believe this is a stove cat issue, or stove issue in general since we never had trouble with our chimney issues.

 

[bholler]

interesting., but not practical during burning season to have to take top plate off numerous times. when I installed my 2nd cat, and took off the first cat the refractory member the lightweight part at both ends
broke very easily, feels like cardboard, I put it back together with mortar
jotul tech advised less messing with these parts the better
if these burning smoking issues are happening from a poorly designed cat
this stove is not user friendly. your comments? were you having draft issues? just using a brush and shop vac in the front of the cat doesnt seem to do the trick at all, not good advise from Jotul

It has nothing to do with the actual cat. It is the design of the stove. Without a bypass all the ash stirred up loading wood stirring coal emptying ash etc ends up going through the cat. Also any time you open the door that cat gets hit with a blast of cooler air.

 

[GrumpyDad]

one of the moderators keeps asking me if I am using seasoned wood we are. I had another smokey episode last night even after stove got hot, flames and smoke shooting out of door when i opened it, and smoke was seeping out of front seams when firing up stove, and yes like you window get totally black when starting. I have called Jotul and wait to see what they say. I really believe this is a stove cat issue, or stove issue in general since we never had trouble with our chimney issues.

do yourself a favor and buy a cheap moisture meter from amazon and check your wood, just to make sure. For what you paid for that stove, a moisture meter is a must.

 

[HighlandHT]

do yourself a favor and buy a cheap moisture meter from amazon and check your wood, just to make sure. For what you paid for that stove, a moisture meter is a must.

The symptoms hearthhelp123 are exactly what we were experiencing (prior to full blockage of the combuster). The fire would appear starved for oxygen until we opened the side door, and then flames and smoke would pour out. We would also get smoke out of the seams. I split and season all of my wood myself and I pretty rigorously test the moisture content before burning--splitting a piece and testing the middle. When we had a professional chimney sweep come out, he noted no indication of creosote in the liner, just a fine grey ash. Also, the chimney draft is solid when i check it from the T behind the stove. Bholler is correct regarding the design of the stove. Not sure what a long term solution will be.

 

[hearthhelp123]

Thank you for all your comments. looks like this will be an unsolvable problem, since there is no bypass damper.
I open up the ash pan drawer when starting fire to let in some draft, and even if the temp on the flue and stove top plate is 300 degrees, the stove can have flames and smoke rushing out as soon as I open the door
we like to heat our home with the wood stove so this is a big problem and now has become a health issue. Brushing and shop vacc-ing the front of the cat does not do the trick in stopping this issue
really appreciate your feedback we should get our money back
as far as the other responder suggesting a moisture tester, we have that, our wood is fine.

 

[stoveliker]

Opening the ash drawer is not advisable; it stirs up ashes that then get sucked into the cat, clogging it.

 

[HighlandHT]

Thank you for all your comments. looks like this will be an unsolvable problem, since there is no bypass damper.
I open up the ash pan drawer when starting fire to let in some draft, and even if the temp on the flue and stove top plate is 300 degrees, the stove can have flames and smoke rushing out as soon as I open the door
we like to heat our home with the wood stove so this is a big problem and now has become a health issue. Brushing and shop vacc-ing the front of the cat does not do the trick in stopping this issue
really appreciate your feedback we should get our money back
as far as the other responder suggesting a moisture tester, we have that, our wood is fine.

I would encourage you to reach out to Jotul technical support at [email protected] and tell them the issues you have been having. They will likely just tell you not to open the ash door when starting the fire and not use a lot of paper (neither of which I do), but I think it will be helpful for them to hear from as many customers as possible.

 

[bholler]

Opening the ash drawer is not advisable; it stirs up ashes that then get sucked into the cat, clogging it.

Absolutely making that issue even worse. Not to mention cracking the base of the stove

 

[bholler]

Thank you for all your comments. looks like this will be an unsolvable problem, since there is no bypass damper.
I open up the ash pan drawer when starting fire to let in some draft, and even if the temp on the flue and stove top plate is 300 degrees, the stove can have flames and smoke rushing out as soon as I open the door
we like to heat our home with the wood stove so this is a big problem and now has become a health issue. Brushing and shop vacc-ing the front of the cat does not do the trick in stopping this issue
really appreciate your feedback we should get our money back
as far as the other responder suggesting a moisture tester, we have that, our wood is fine.

And what moisture content is that? What is your burn procedure? You said you checked draft what was that measurement

 

[stoveliker]

Also, at least half of those here have to be educated in how to obtain a trustable measurement of moisture content.

We are asking for details because details matter. The only time they don't matter is if one is not willing to change their mind and does not want to understand precisely what is going wrong.

 

[moresnow]

This stove design appears to require a
very regular scheduled cat cleaning routine.
The posted pics of the severely plugged cat really is simply operator error in my opinion.
No offense but as a cat stove operator the cleaning and maintenance intervals need to be figured out per individual installation.
Maybe the vinegar and distilled water cleaning should also be implemented.

 

[hearthhelp123]

Opening the ash drawer is not advisable; it stirs up ashes that then get sucked into the cat, clogging it.

when i open the ash drawer its usually when I am starting a cold stove and NO ashes are in the pan. clean out ashes on a daily basis

 

[bholler]

when i open the ash drawer its usually when I am starting a cold stove and NO ashes are in the pan. clean out ashes on a daily basis

Doing that will without a doubt eventually crack the base of the stove. And will definitely create allot more turbulence in the stove sending more ash into the cat.

What does the manual say about using the ash pan while burning?

 

[stoveliker]

Also, doing that while having paper burning (cold start) can clog the cat even faster.

 

[skycamper]

I'm using this stove and getting a constant draw of smoke into the house, strangely I have good draft, on a 22ft -6" pipe , no spark arrester. NOT opening the ash pan drawer at all these days has given me longer burn, I clean the cat with a soft brush and a shop van every week or more. Burn wood with less than 20% and am still getting a tiny draw of smoke fumes on the top corner back left under the ledge. No idea why. Stove seems to burn well if ashes left in it. I don't burn paper......Seems like the thing should suck air instead of letting out smoke. This happens whether fully damped or fully open and its constant.