Jotul 602 v2 questions for those rear venting

[coastie]

Good morning!
This real world experience is so needed!
Thank you so much!

Purchasing a Jotul 602 v2; need to rear vent it.

For those who are rear venting their 602 v2 (because I was told there is a temp difference between top and rear venting):

After fire is lit;
how long does it take to bring, say, a 10” bottom stock pot (half filled) of water to a rolling boil....30 minutes, an hour?

How hot will the cook plate be after 30 minutes of burning wood?

How many sq ft is your 602 v2 keeping around 70 degrees, when it is around 30 degrees out?

What are the dimensions of the firebox opening?

Thank you so much!!

 

[Todd]

I heated a small log cabin with a 602cb a few years ago and it should be very similar to the 602 v2. The cabin is 600 sq ft with a 200 sq ft loft. It had no problem keeping the cabin over 70 even in below zero temps but with the colder weather you needed to feed it about every 4 hours. Warmer weather figure on a 5-8 hour burning schedule with good hardwood. It doesn’t take long for the hot plate to boil water, if done right you can have it boiling in 30 min from a cold start, sooner if the stove is already hot. Door opening is 9” tall 7” wide.

 

[coastie]

Good afternoon, Sir, thank you so much for your reply!
That really helps!
That is so reassuring and good to hear that it is so easy to boil water!
Thank you so much for the info on how it heated your cabin! That helps a lot!
Ours is 950 sq ft, so we should be ok, for most of the cabin, at least!

Did you rear vent your 602?

 

[Todd]

Yes sorry I forgot to mention it was rear vented then straight up 22’ corner install. This stove drafts very well I probably could have benefited with a pipe damper. It sometimes took off on me if I didn’t shut the air down soon enough. A pipe thermometer is a good tool to use as a guide. The hot plate was always the hottest part of the stove, usually 100-200 degrees hotter than other parts of the top. Don’t be surprised if you see 900+!

 

[coastie]

Good evening, Sir, thank you for the great info!
I am so glad you got those great results while rear venting!
I wish they made the glass without the cast iron design.....that really hampers the fire view! Lol!
Could you close your air down, all the way, or was there still a lot of gap?
Did you modify your air control, at all, to get it to close all the way, so you could get longer burn times, or no?
Thank you!

 

[Todd]

At first the air control had a slight gap then it loosened up and closed pretty much completely. I did mess with the secondary air inlet in back of the stove with some magnets but that didn’t seem to do much. I know of one person that ground down the stop of the primary air control on his V2 to have better control. I did think about cutting off that lattice on the window for a better view but chickened out lol.

 

[Todd]

I was getting pretty good burn times as long as the weather conditions weren’t too cold. On a normal 20’s to 30’s Winter day I could go 7 to sometimes 9 hours with enough coals to rekindle without a match. I found the best way to extend the burn times is to rake all the left over coals to the front and pack the fire box tight with 4-5 splits. This will give you a mostly front to back burn and leave some coals in the back for reloading.

 

[coastie]

Hello, Sir, thank you for the real world experience on the v2! That is encouraging and helps a lot!
Thank you for the tips on how to get longer burn times by raking coals to the front and filing firebox.
I am so glad the air control spring loosened over time.
Yes, I saw the video of the man who ground down the stop on his. Very cool!
Yes, there is a place in town that said they would see if they could cut out that lattice!
Will have them look at it, at least.
If I try it, I will post about it!
Yes, going to get two of those heat powered fans for the top to help spread the heat.
Thankful for this model of woodstove.

What model of woodstove do you have now, if I can ask?
Would you say the 602 is the best, of that kind of stove, out there?

 

[Todd]

I switched out the 602 for the Jotul F45 because I really needed a little more power and longer burns during colder weather. Jotul also just recently released the F35 which size wise is right between the 602 and F45. Probably would have been a better fit for me but I’m pretty happy with the F45.

I kept the 602 for my workshop but still haven’t installed it.

I don’t know if the 602 is the best in its class, there are too many variables and differing opinions. I do know it’s is one of the most popular stoves sold all over the world so that says something.

 

[coastie]

Hello, Sir, thank you!
Have you tried to cook or bring water to a boil on your F45?

 

[Todd]

We cook all the time on the stove, mostly soups and chili but have also done Dutch oven recipes and it’s nice to warm up leftovers. We always have a kettle of water for coffee and tea that just stays on the back of the stove.

 

[Todd]

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

 

[Todd]

Spegetti on the 602

 

[coastie]

Oh, wow, looks great!
Sorry to belabor the whole boiling water thing Thank you for your patience!
How long from a cold start to boiling water/soup on the F45?
We may upgrade to the smaller F35 to get more heat output but boiling water is very important to us....not just warm water, but we have to be able to boil water.
Thank you so much, Sir
I appreciate your time and assistance!

 

[Todd]

No problem, glad to help. I think the F45 probably takes a little longer than the 602 to bring water to boil, I would say 45-60 min from cold start. If the stove is already warm and you reload cut that time in half.

 

[coastie]

Good evening, Sir, wow, so helpful!
Thank you so much!
Wow, you have given me some great, real information, and things to think about.
You have really helped me to know that the 602 v2 is right for us, right now, and if we need to upgrade, in the future, that the F35 would not only heat the house but boil water, as well!
Wow, so thankful for you!
Been a pleasure talking with you!!
If I cut off the lattice I will post to this thread! Lol!
Thank you, again, Sir!
Hope you have a nice evening