Jotul 450 Kennebec Newbie... How many break in fires???

[hatrick]

I had a Jotul 450 Kennebec installed a couple of months ago and I am finally firing her up since it is now getting into the 30's. I was wondering how many break in fires I need to burn to get it properly "seasoned" before I can open her up.

I have already made two small fires the past two nights. The first one was very small and mild (1-2 small logs max at a time) which I burned for about 3 hours. It was hot enough to get the blower to come on but not hot enough to raise the room temperature more than a degree or two. The second burn was a bit hotter and did raise the room temp about 5 degrees but I was able to sit 12-18" away from the stove and it wasn't too hot that I had to move (even with the blower going in my face).

Do I need to do any more break in fires or can I safely crank it up and let her rip??


Thanks,
Eric

 

[Fsappo]

Do a few more break in fires, same as you have been. Remember to let the stove drop right down to room temp between each one. Then do one larger fire with 2 or 3 regular sized chunks of wood, back down to room temp and then I'd say your good to go. I always reccomend 6 break in fires and one larger break in fire on cast iron or soapstone stoves. If it is more than the manual says, I look at it this way.....does it really hurt to be extra safe with your investment? You have a nice piece of equipment, enjoy it!

 

[hatrick]

Franks,

Thanks for the advise. I agree that I would rather take the safe and cautious route with the break in and not risk damaging the stove.

I wish that I had bought a thermometer for the stove so I could tell how hot each of the break in fires was getting. I'll keep the next 2-3 break in fires restricted to no more than 2 small/medium sized logs with the damper mostly closed. I was concerned that my second break in fire was getting a bit too hot (I would guess that it was 300-400 degrees) so I had the damper fully closed and the fan on high to keep it as cool as possible.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Fsappo]

Dont go nuts with the temps. Just a small fire as in some kindling and maybe one or two small splits.

 

[hatrick]

That's what I have been using for my first two break in fires. Kindling and 1-2 small split logs. It just seemed that the stove got a bit hotter than expected on the second break in fire. I think that the coals on the second fire got the temps up even with just the two small splits. Hopefully between closing the damper and having the fan on high I didn't get it too hot for just the second break in fire.

I'll just go with kindling and one small split log for the next couple of break in fires to ensure that the temps stay low.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[yanksforever]

Its funny that Jotul mentions nothing about small break in fires with the Kennebec manual. It does on a lot of their other
stoves though.

 

[11 Bravo]

I get my Jotul Castine next week..........pretty much the same advice as for the Kennebec ?

 

[oconnor]

I ran three fires thru mine. The main point is that these aren't heating fires -you may be opening a window to allow the room to air out. Every time you reach a new temp, you will get more fumes from paints and such. As for the thermometer, I agree that having one can be a big help, especially when learning a new stove.

 

[Tedsokol]

With a break-in fire, you should be able to touch the stove with your bare hand and not burn it. That's a break-in fire. When you reach heating temps like 300-400 degrees-you're heating and not breaking-in.

Ted
www.woodhomeheating.com

 

[hatrick]

I figured my second break in fire was getting a bit to hot but all I could do at that point was fully close the damper and have the fan on high to try to keep the temp as low as possible.

The first fire I did was definitely a break in fire as the stove was never generating any heat and I could easily touch it without getting burned.

I did a third and fourth break in fires yesterday making sure to keep things from getting too hot. The good thing is that I am not getting any more fumes from paint or anything else burning off. The bad thing is that the glass is totally dirty and I haven't been able to see through it for the last two fires which may be a good thing as the stove isn't getting hot enough to burn/clean off the glass.

I hope that I didn't do any damage to my stove or flue with that slightly hotter second fire. Everything seems to work perfectly.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[op_man1]

Its funny that Jotul mentions nothing about small break in fires with the Kennebec manual. It does on a lot of their other
stoves though.

Just a guess, but most of Jotul's other stoves are cast firebox whereas the inserts are steel. Perhaps break-in requirements are a bit less stringent on the steel boxes and this is reflected in the manuals.

I did not do 5 or 6 break-in fires, only 3. However, I did not really push the insert until after 6 fires or so.

 

[hatrick]

op_man1,

You may be on to something there. It is odd that the 450 Kennebec insert manual mentions nothing about break in fires but the manuals for the free standing Jotul stoves clearly outlines the break in fire instructions.

Eric

 

[boostnut]

If I remember correctly I just did 2 than packed her full and put it to work. 5 years with no problems. By the way, you may think you're done with the stink but I'd bet you'll notice it again when you really put it to the test. Do yourself a favor, get a thermometer. Really nice to have. Good luck.

 

[Rudyjr]

I ran about three progressively hotter fires in mine as well before going full tilt. No problems with mine at all.