It's been a month since I bite the bullet and bought my Jotul 5oo and installed it. I was wonderin about loading it. The instructions as I understand them say to let the fire burn down to a 2 inch bed of hot embers and then reload the box. The instructions say this will usually have a burn time of 90 minutes. Which it does just like clock work. The first 2 weeks I had this stove I was not operating it as per the manual. Old habits are hard to break I guess. I was operating it like I did with my old metal tin can stove. After the first 2 weeks of the nightly fire to just relax and eat and watch the nightly news I went to do a chimney inspection. I was amazed to see a thin shiney black coating of creasote covering the entire chimney. Of coarse I freaked and climbed down and then back up started brushing it out right quick. Well anyhow, after that first scare I reread the book on this thing and have been doing it exactly as they say to with the 1 exseption of I leave the side loading door open just a crack till I get the flue temp up to the high end and a good fire going in the stove. After another 2 weeks of operation as per manual I looked at the chimney again. Just a dull black haze not unlike I see in the top of the muffler on my old Oliver tractor. Just enough to make your finger tips dirty iffn you rubbed them on the clay liner. I guess my ? is, do you all let the fire burn down according to the book, or throw a stick in when the fire is getting low? Clear as mud right? Like I said when I came here last night I have a ton of ? but will spoon them out 1 at a time. Thanks all.
Lesson learned though. I cannot go and grab some 5 inch rounds offin a standing dead elm I just cut down and let them smolder in this stove overnight. Not like I used to anyhow.
I'll get some pics when I get time but need to figure out how to post youtube on here. First attempt didnt work. Maybe i should read the instuctions?
Lesson learned though. I cannot go and grab some 5 inch rounds offin a standing dead elm I just cut down and let them smolder in this stove overnight. Not like I used to anyhow.
I'll get some pics when I get time but need to figure out how to post youtube on here. First attempt didnt work. Maybe i should read the instuctions?