I have a new Jotul olso. My deal is....I can't get the dang thing to burn over 400 f for more than 3 hours? My set up is a 20ft chimney with double wall uninsulated up to the ceiling then double wall insulated out the roof. Metal pole barn house. It takes a while to get the stove up to 400 in the mornings...like over an hour! Then when I slide the draft down and look at it 3 hours later..staying at 400..it is time for wood. Mostly oak, hickory, hackberry, cherry, walnut, and hedge. All seasoned 2 years. I can't keep this dang thing hot without filling it constantly? I'm sure its user error so I ask what I'm doing wrong? Maybe letting too much heat go out the flu? If I shut it all the way the fire goes out.
Help me with my new jotul f500
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Also....I use the side door and feel like I can't put much wood in it? I'm scared to death to get the wood close to the glass
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!With good dry wood, it should not take an hour to get up to 400 degrees. So, even though the wood has been seasoned for two years, that's the first possibility. The second would be the chimney. Every situation is slightly different. In yours, 20 feet may not be enough. The third possibility is that you're cutting down on the air too soon. Let it get up to at least 500 degrees before adjusting the draft.
Seriesnuns
New Member
- Sep 22, 2013
- 13
Thermometer?
Try a digital laser?
I have a magnetic that reads at least 200 less than another one. And won't read right until the stove is up to 600
Try a digital laser?
I have a magnetic that reads at least 200 less than another one. And won't read right until the stove is up to 600
+1 . . .
We could use some more info as well . . . how do you start the fire in terms of kindling? do you leave the side door ajar to get it going? do you have a probe thermometer on the stack?
Also . . . don't worry too much about the glass. I have an occasional split or round roll up against the "glass" (actually it's a very durable clear ceramic) . . . about the only thing that happens if I don't move it is that the glass gets gunked up a bit as it interferes with the air wash. What you shouldn't do though is attempt to jam a split into the firebox and slam the door on it . . . if that is up against the "glass" it could cause it to break.
As Frax said, every situation is different . . . but here's what works for me . . .
To get a fire going from a cold start I use the top down method. I put a couple of large splits on the base, a couple of medium to small sized splits on top of that and then some kindling . . . I then either use some crumpled up newspaper or more often a partial Super Cedar and I light it. Air control is open all the way and I leave the side door ajar.
I then sit back and watch the temp come up . . . when the probe style thermometer in the double wall pipe comes up to the "safe" burning zone I close the side door and watch the fire. If the fire continues to burn well AND the temp on the flue has not dipped AND the stove thermometer is starting to come up to temp I will slide the air control back to say 3/4 of all the way open and wait . . .
If the fire is still burning strongly and the temps on the stove and flue are good I'll move it to the half way mark . . . wait 5 minutes . . . and repeat this process until I get the fire to the quarter mark or all the way "shut". At this point typically the temp on the flue is right in middle of the good burn zone, the temp on the stove is anywheres from 450-550 and the secondaries are firing off . . . and the stove is putting out some decent heat and will continue to do so for the next 5-7 hours.
That glass ain't glass and much tougher than you might think. A split rolling up against it is of no worries.
OK...I'll stop worrying about the glass. But it dang near takes a load of wood to get this thing up to 400 from cold. My start. Rake coals and leave door open. Good bed of coals! Throw on some sassafras kindling front to back then load the stove with splits through side door. This keeps the splits off of the coals so the air gets under them? Then leave side door cracked till I hear it roaring. I may be to worried about the roar as I don't want to burn this thing up! Never seen my stove 600 yet? May be me worrying?
It would still be more useful to have info on actual temps when you close the side door.
And no, it's fine to worry . . . but in this case I would suggest it's not so much a case of worrying as it is wondering how come the stove isn't pumping out the heat that it should be . . . it should easily go up to 450 degrees plus . . . in fact that gives me an idea . . . you may want to let the stove warm up even more before starting to close down the air. The secondaries tend to kick in with many folks at around 450 or so degrees.
Bringing a cold stove up to temp takes quite a bit of energy, but it sounds like you are having wood issues. With good, dry wood and proper draft, I would expect operating temps in less than half an hour.
I think jags and Big Redd are perhaps on the right track . . . next step might be to buy some of that kiln dried wood at Home Depot/Lowes/etc. and see if this doesn't make a difference. If it does . . . the problem is the wood. If not . . . we'll look at this problem anew.
Do you rake the coals to position them in front of the "doghouse?"
That's where you want them to be, with your splits behind them...
That's where you want them to be, with your splits behind them...
WOW I'm doing g something wrong then? My wood is all hardwood and seasoned 2 years. I guess you would call it a cold start as the thermometer is down. Top is warm to touch though? It is taking forever to get it hot! I'll try again when I get the kids to school. I filled it to my liking at 11pm last night. When it got up to 400 I shut the flu to 1/4 and went to bed. Got up at 8 and the eco fan wasn't even turning...below 100?
I'm doing g something wrong then? My wood is all hardwood and seasoned 2 years. I guess you would call it a cold start as the thermometer is down. Top is warm to touch though? It is taking forever to get it hot! I'll try again when I get the kids to school. I filled it to my liking at 11pm last night. When it got up to 400 I shut the flu to 1/4 and went to bed. Got up at 8 and the eco fan wasn't even turning...below 100?
400 might be shutting it down too fast. I go north of 500 before I tune it down. And YES, that can make a big difference on how the stove runs for the long haul.
Taking an hour to get to 400 is not normal. That should happen in less than HALF that time. The number one cause for slow stove operation that we see is a wood issue. The second is operation and the third is draft.
Take no offense that we beat the daylights out of the wood issue. That is the first thing we have to be sure of in our quest to make this work right.
Taking an hour to get to 400 is not normal. That should happen in less than HALF that time. The number one cause for slow stove operation that we see is a wood issue. The second is operation and the third is draft.
Take no offense that we beat the daylights out of the wood issue. That is the first thing we have to be sure of in our quest to make this work right.
There was just coals? But? And...as far as the wood....beat me up all ya want! I just gotta get used to this thing!! As far as the wood....I'll go over to my buddys and get some good dry hickory that's been in his wood shed dryed and vented for years! Report later. Thanks for the help! I want to get this thing down....it twas not cheap
My Oslo hits 500 in about 15-20 minutes from a cold start. I usually shut her down around there or 550. I could be wrong, but everything you describe has me thinking its your wood. Did you do the splitting and stacking yourself? A lot of people who sell wood lie about the amount of time theyve seasoned it. Let us know once you try that dry hickory.
This stove is too picky about seasoned wood, takes like 5 year seasoned oak to get it up to temp in under an hour. I have similar gripes with the thing. burning 2 year seasoned oak should not be so dam difficult. So you have to have something like 25 cord of wood split and stacked on your property so that you can be 5 years ahead...
OK...report. I went to my Buddy's and got a huge armload of hedge and hickory that has been in the woodshed for over 3 years. At 11 am I started from cold with good coals. Stove read 100. I placed sassafras tender and played 2 sassafras small pieces and then loaded with hedge and hickory well seasoned. At noon it was wide open on the flu and temps were 350? Stove pipe temp with double wall uninsulated over that? ( I know I can't be accurate). Now its 1 pm and I had shut it to half at 12:30 and.....its dropping below 400. Never got above 450. And the woods almost gone,.down to almost coals. In less than 2 hours? It is really windy...but if I close the flu all the way the fire will go out? Can get this dang thing over 500? If I leave the flu wide open....how can the stove heat up? The pipe almost glows! This wood is GOOD I promise. I cut my own wood also. Usually 2 years in advance! Dangit
! This wood is GOOD I promise. I cut my own wood also. Usually 2 years in advance! Dangit
Butcher
Minister of Fire
You keep saying you are opening and closing the flu. Damper in stove pipe? Or are you talking about the primary air on the bottom front of the stove?
Sorry... I have no damper in the pipe. Just the bottom control lever. The fire is out and the wood is gone. Just coals? Its now at half and been there. Temp is 300.
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