F600 prevents oil usage

[jotul?]

So last night was our first night with the F600 in full effect. It wasn't too cold, but we did get a good frost. Anyway, the oil furnace never ran, and I spent a lot of the evening staring into my fire box trying to optimize my fire while my wife had half the windows open since the living room topped out around 84 or so. One question I would like to ask concerns the secondaries. I noticed that the secondaries only occasionally fired with any vigor. Mostly I would have one or two tubes about halfway lit. My stove top surface temps. easily reached 400 - 500 degrees, and the secondary tubes would be glowing red at times, but no flames coming from them. I don't believe that I'm going to have creosote issues or anything since my door glass and stove interior are clean and shiny from the fire burning so hot, but I'm just curious to see if this is normal operation.

 

[jeff_t]

I think the primary goal is good heat and no smoke. If those tubes look like a gas grill all the time, chances are the wood is offgassing faster than you want it to, and you end up too hot and wasting heat and fuel.

Last night, I had a nice, small amount of flame coming from the wood, a tiny bit of action from the holes in center of the baffle, and a 600° stove top and nothing but heat waves out the chimney. This is with the air cut all the way back, then opened just a hair.

A box full of hell isn't always the most efficient way to burn.

 

[realstihl]

A box full of hell isn't always the most efficient way to burn.[/quote]

Well said.

 

[begreen]

To keep it more comfortable and not waste wood, try running the stove with a partial load of wood. 4-5 splits should be fine at this time of year. Add another couple splits in a few hours to keep up the light show if desired.

 

[jotul?]

A box full of hell isn't always the most efficient way to burn.

Undoubtedly true, but who can resist playing with a new toy?!

 

[jotul?]

To keep it more comfortable and not waste wood, try running the stove with a partial load of wood. 4-5 splits should be fine at this time of year. Add another couple splits in a few hours to keep up the light show if desired.

I started off with a smaller fire and thats when I had the most action from the secondaries, the house was comfortable, and that's when I decided to "see what this baby can do!"

 

[Nick Mystic]

I've had my Jotul F 600 since about March of 2013, so just over one full season of burning. The secondary action out of the tubes varies quite a lot. I've had strong secondaries fire off within five minutes of lighting a fire (top down) when the stove top was cool enough to set your hand on! Other times there will be a good fire going with no secondary burn action. So, I think as others have mentioned it depends a lot on how hot the tubes are and how much the wood is off gassing since those gasses are what fuels the tubes.The overall temperature of the stove isn't the critical factor.

 

[jotul?]

I've had my Jotul F 600 since about March of 2013, so just over one full season of burning. The secondary action out of the tubes varies quite a lot. I've had strong secondaries fire off within five minutes of lighting a fire (top down) when the stove top was cool enough to set your hand on! Other times there will be a good fire going with no secondary burn action. So, I think as others have mentioned it depends a lot on how hot the tubes are and how much the wood is off gassing since those gasses are what fuels the tubes.The overall temperature of the stove isn't the critical factor.

Thanks Nick! That describes my experience last night to a T.

 

[xman23]

Just trying to visualize the secondary burn. The tubes only provide air to the top of the fire box. now fire coming out of them. If there is unburned gasses the secondary burn looks like northern lights. To get it going the fire box has to be hot, good draft and close down th e main air control

 

[BrotherBart]

All the secondary burns are is gasses burning when it mixes with the air coming out of the tubes. According to how much turbulence there is in the firebox it can look like fire in front of the holes in the tubes or fire between the tubes and the top of the wood load. Or sometimes something thermonuclear.

 

[xman23]

Nice Brother, Now that's a secondary burn. I like when I get the secondary burn to flash on, burn itself out then repeat the cycle every 30 seconds or so.