Jotul C 550 owners: does it smoke?

[fberger]

I am about to pull the trigger and buy a Jotul C550 insert. I read 2 reviews here of dissatisfied customers complaining of smoke problems when starting the fire. One also complains of getting no heat for the first 3-4 hours, and fan issues.

If you own this insert could you please let me know if you also experienced those issues? If so have you found a work around or solution?

My wife and I really like the look of this insert, but want it to be functional too and heat our 2400 sq ft house this winter.

Thank you

Fred

 

[jadm]

Mine does not smoke UNLESS I shut the door all the way too soon when starting up a fire before a good draft takes hold or if I try to shut down the air too quickly.

If I am starting up a fire when house is cold and insert is cold it takes about an hour for things to heat up. Important to remember that when everything in a house is cold it has to heat up too.

Read here that first load of wood usually goes to heating up the insert. It has a lot of metal to heat.

I have read on the 550 threads here that several people had trouble with the left blower not working. Mine was fine for a year and then it began to squeak. Called the dealer and it was replaced. No problems getting the problem solved.

I have had no complaints and love my 550.

If you get one - be patient and have realistic expectations and it will teach you how it likes to burn.

 

[fberger]

Thanks, good to know that the smoke issue is an "operator error" that can be corrected. I hope it is realistic to expect the 500 to heat most of the story it is on (1200 sq ft) and some of the second story.

 

[mcollect]

I have this insert and although it takes a while to get it right, steep learning curve, it works great. The biggest problem is it requires dry wood. We heated our house last winter with it without any propane! 2450 sq.ft. high ceilinged home. Smoking was never a problem, light the fire let it rip with the door slightly open until logs burn, leave the damper open shut the door and after an hour add more wood and slowly damper her down. The only problem is in the shoulder season when the fire takes forever to get a draft going, but that is always a chore.

 

[Summertime]

I never had a smoke issue, the fan can rattle around a little and be annoying at times but that would be my biggest complaint. overall a great stove with a huge firebox.

 

[fberger]

I got some wood that seems to be dry and seasoned, but it is hard to tell for sure. I may want to get some wood from a source that can assure me that it's seasoned, and later use what I just got from the woods once I know it's really seasoned. I'll make sure I follow your procedure of keeping the door open until I can see a nice draft.

Rattling fans are very annoying and would take all the fun out of it. Since this insert is flush there's probably very little heat coming out of it without the fans, am I correct? Is the rattling sound coming from vibrations in the case, or is it the fan motor itself? Have you tried talking to Jotul or the dealer, and are they willing to help solve such a "small" problem? I am curious if they are taking this kind of issue seriously, or if for them it is a minor detail. For me it would be a major issue that I would need to have fixed.

By the way, I can't see on the web where the hot air is coming from. I assume the cold air is pulled though the grille below the door, but can't see an outgoing one. Is the hot air coming from all around the insert?

I will try to find a dealer that has the 550 on display to have a chance to test and hear the fans running.

 

[FrankMA]

I got my C550 last season and love it. Like others have said, you have to have the door slightly ajar when you first light it to get it going and have the damper fully open. Once it gets going, close the door and slowly close the damper about 1/8 at a time until it maintains a consistent burn. After about 1 hour it will become very consistent and begin generating alot af heat. I have a 2,000 sq. foot colonial and I was able to heat both the 1st and 2nd floors throughout the winter and I was burning about 80% of the time - sometimes I was 100% for a week or so.

 

[labrador]

You will like the insert. I had mine put in last August and heated the house 24/7. If you don't mind getting up about 2 or 3 am to put more wood on. The best way to know your wood is dry is diy. , anywhere from 6 months to a year. If you buy it dry wood should have a clinking sound when you tap it. If it is a thud it's still wet. The heat from the 550 comes from the top of the unit. I have not had any problems with the blower fans yet, and they ran constantly last winter on manual.

 

[gibson]

It is an easy stove to run. There is a learning curve, like any other stove. I couldn't be happier after one year. The main lesson I have learned is to not let the fire die out. It has to work hard to heat up the hearth and the room. I have also found that it loves the coldest weather. It works like a reliable Honda Civic at 35 degrees. When it is below zero, it runs like a Ferrari. That is my one year of experience. Good Luck!

 

[fberger]

Thanks a lot everybody for taking the time to write and give all the positive feedback on the 550. This forum in an invaluable place. Given what I read, I went to a store 50 minutes away from home to see the real thing. I liked it even more. I had them hook up the blowers so I could hear the noise level, and everything was perfect so I ordered one. The are coming on Tuesday to install it.

The hard thing now is to wait for some cooler weather. We were in the upper 90's today and will probably hit 100 degrees tomorrow. Impossible to even think about starting the 4 test fires recommended by the manual. I want to be able to open the windows and clear the smell of the new insert. Oh well, plenty of time to stack up on wood and split as much as I can.

Fred