Is the jotul f600 too big?

[Fritz]

Hi-
I am new to this forum but not to burning wood. Up til now I have been using a 30 year old Kickapoo Stove Works stove which has done the job nicely but is getting to look like it should be in the shop and is probably not as efficient as the new stoves. I have just bought a two year old Jotul f600 for a very good price. However, after the purchase adrenaline I started to wonder if it would be too hot for my 2000 sq ft well insulated 2-story home (r26 walls, r40 roof, r12 under slab with in-floor heat). The hearth is in the center of the open floor plan 1st floor (about 750 sq ft open and 250 sq ft closed rooms but open doors). The 1000sq ft second floor is virtually all open with cathedral ceilings that are 11 ft at the peak. There is an open stairway to the 2nd floor about 6 ft behind the hearth. We have good passive solar gain so when the sun is out and the woodstove going open windows are in order. I live in SW Wisconsin were it used to get darn cold for extended periods but seems to be warming up alot-last winter there was only a few days that went to 30 below where it used to be weeks. So, is the f600 too much stove for my needs? Can it be easily and efficiently run with smaller fires? I am an old time woodburner and don't know what you can do with the new technology in this stove. I would have gotten a smaller stove like the f500 or f400 if I had found one at such a good price. But now I have this one and am wondering if I will need air conditioning in the winter. I do like the idea that it should hold a fire for overnight or when we are at work.
Thanks,
Fritz

 

[builderbob]

I am a newbie too. But some recurring advice I have found here is, it's better to go too big than too small. And to discount manufacturer claims (on BTU and size house a particular model can heat) by about one-third.

Better to have some heating capacity in reserve with a too big model, than having to push a small model to the limits to stay warm.

Besides, what if you do need to open a window or two for awhile. Not a big deal.

BTB

 

[Gooserider]

BTB basically has it right - I even go further and say to ignore the claims about performance, and that the ONLY stat that really matters is the firebox size. If you want an overnight burn, w/ good wood, you need at least 2 cu. ft. - how much more depends on how big the space you are heating is, the quality of your wood (you need a bigger box if burning a fast / hot wood like pine) and how cold it gets, but it is HARD to get a stove that's too big, and easy to get one that's too small - If you were to count the threads here where people complain about stove size, it's about 95-1 saying the stove is too small. - That should tell you something...

How do the firebox sizes compare between the old and new stoves? In general, a modern stove is about 30% more efficient than an old style stove, so you don't want a firebox thats more than about a third smaller than the stove you were replacing, assuming that you ran that stove full up on occasion.

It is much better for the stove to run it most of the time at about 1/2 to 2/3 of it's maximum output, a stove run that way will still burn cleanly and efficiently, and last for a long time. If you get a smaller stove that needs to be run flat out, you will find more rapid parts failure, plus it gets real easy to cross the line into 'over firing territory' if you are already on the edge.

Bottom line, I'd go with the stove you have as it will probably be just fine.

Gooserider

 

[elkimmeg]

The price was right, the manufacturer tops, the climate can be extremely cold, the stove is only 2 years old, Sounds like a fit most members would die for

 

[Fritz]

Thanks for all your responses. The firebox on the Kickapoo stove was about 3.2 cu ft which is, I think, similar to the Jotul. On that stove I could just shut it way down and let it smolder if I wanted to. Can I do that on the Jotul or does it need to run at a certain temp to make things work right?
Fritz

 

[BrotherBart]

Thanks for all your responses. The firebox on the Kickapoo stove was about 3.2 cu ft which is, I think, similar to the Jotul. On that stove I could just shut it way down and let it smolder if I wanted to. Can I do that on the Jotul or does it need to run at a certain temp to make things work right?
Fritz

Jotul recommends running all of its cast freestanding stoves at 400-600 degree surface temps for optimum efficiency and clean burning.

Here is the manual for your F600.

(broken link removed to http://tinyurl.com/33kad9)

 

[TresK3]

This raises a question I have wondered about... measuring temperatures.

I've read many times where people talk about the temperature of their stove or insert. However, when I've looked at stoves or read about them online, no one has mentioned thermometers. Are these standard (and therefore not mentioned), or will I have to buy one separate (when I finally decide on which insert to buy)? If it's a separate purchase, any recommendations?

 

[elkimmeg]

a seasoned burner probably can get by with experience. He can dwaw for years of opperation examination and know how to run his stove and what to expect
he will know when to activate the secondary damper controls how to regulate inlet air.
A thermometer is a learning tool. Particularly helpefull to any wood burner witha new stove Even more helpfule to a Novic burner.

Most of us purchase magnet stove of connector type Thermo's smoe stoves have them built in the cover like Dutch west stoves.

Inserts can be problematic due to being recessed and hidden and placement on the connector pipe impossible. then some have convection encasements that not give true readings of surface temps of the stel/ cast iron boxes

the 500/ 600 degrees surface temps mentioned are a good safe range to run your stove hot enough to establis a good clean burn rate but much less than over firing under that range stoves burn less clean and less effecient almost impossible to establish secondary burning which is the cleanest burning state

some dealers throw in in with the purchase $ 10 +- at home cheapo I bought mine. then there are internal probes or stack probes some even use infired thermos all are indexes of what is going on with your stove a learning tool

 

[Bill]

Fritz: It's always better to have a bigger stove in Wisconsin, were due for a nasty cold winter one of these years. I made a mistake two years ago and bought a small stove and I had to push it to keep the house warm. In the morning the fire would be out. I have a bigger stove now and when it's real cold out I just burn less wood, scraps, and softer wood. I am saving the hardwood for January.

Matter of fact my old stove had a steel door, with glass in it and I believe I warped it. When it was hot I could see light in the corner by the door gasket, but when it was cold the gasket passed the dollar bill test.

I have been burning wood most of my life and this is the first year I had thermometer's on the stack and the stove. Lets you know whats going on inside. Sometimes it's a little hotter than you think. I have my wife keep an eye on it so she doesn't over-fire the stove.

Also welcome to the Forum!

 

[Gooserider]

This raises a question I have wondered about... measuring temperatures.

I've read many times where people talk about the temperature of their stove or insert. However, when I've looked at stoves or read about them online, no one has mentioned thermometers. Are these standard (and therefore not mentioned), or will I have to buy one separate (when I finally decide on which insert to buy)? If it's a separate purchase, any recommendations?

As mentioned, some stoves come with them built in - especially cat stoves where it can be important to monitor the temperature in the cat chamber so you can tell when/if the cat lights off. However more typically they are an accessory that is readily available, usually a magnetic "stick on" that would attach to the stovepipe about a foot above the stove to monitor the stack temperature. If you are running double wall pipe, you might need a thermometer with a probe tip that goes into a hole drilled in the pipe, and some inserts or stoves will have other places they prefer to be monitored from, but it's a straightforward thing.

As to running your stove cooler, you probably won't be able to dial it down quite as low as your old stove, instead the way to control the heat when you don't want as much is to just build smaller fires.

Gooserider