Jotul c550 no secondary burn

[Cndctrdj]

Ive had my c550 for a few years now. I get the fire hot. It heats up the house. But ive come to realize I dont think ive ever had a proper secondary burn. I posted a video on Facebook and was told it isn't working to its potential. People were telling me that they are not even working. But its been the same since day 1. Now im wondering if ive been losing out on extra heat the whole time. I tried reading up on posts but im not seeing anything g that would help.

 

[begreen]

At times secondary combustion is not very visible but you should be seeing some. There are some possible reasons. One is weak draft. Another is wood that's not fully seasoned. And, it's possible that the insert is not being run correctly. Closing down the air encourages secondary combustion. Is the air being closed down, incrementally, as the fire gains strength?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

What temp are you running the stove at?

Try some really dry wood like a 2x4 off the warped and twisted cull pile at Home Depot.

That should light off the secondaries pretty easily.

 

[Angelo C]

Ive had my c550 for a few years now. I get the fire hot. It heats up the house. But ive come to realize I dont think ive ever had a proper secondary burn. I posted a video on Facebook and was told it isn't working to its potential. People were telling me that they are not even working. But its been the same since day 1. Now im wondering if ive been losing out on extra heat the whole time. I tried reading up on posts but im not seeing anything g that would help.

Two questions:
Where ya getting info on FB?
And what temps of “heat” are you getting? My 550 is not impressive so far.

 

[begreen]

Two questions:
Where ya getting info on FB?
And what temps of “heat” are you getting? My 550 is not impressive so far.

This is a different model C550 if it's been running for a few years. There's no cat in the older model. And, we await updates on changes in operation in your thread.

 

[Angelo C]

This is a different model C550 if it's been running for a few years. There's no cat in the older model. And, we await updates on changes in operation in your thread.

Updates: still very unimpressed

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I have the older 550 model, so I can’t speak to the new one. What are your overall burn times? Sounds like you’re ok with overall heat output. You said you run it hot, so like @begreen hinted at, if be curious where you have that air control level.
How many sq feet is it heating?

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

I have a hybrid but similar concept where I get my best secondaries with really dry wood and a gradual turn down on the air after letting it get pretty hot.

 

[Orion 4343]

Many posts about the C550 are how to tame it, not how to get more secondaries. I have a machine screw in my air boost, use thick splits, and air down quickly; I still see 750 regularly on my stove top. I have about 20' of insulated liner and a block off plate. Not gloating, just saying that with dry firewood, this thing burns very hot. I have been using it for about 8 years, it cranks out serious heat. OP, what kind of wood are you burning, and what percent moisture are you at?

 

[Cndctrdj]

At times secondary combustion is not very visible but you should be seeing some. There are some possible reasons. One is weak draft. Another is wood that's not fully seasoned. And, it's possible that the insert is not being run correctly. Closing down the air encourages secondary combustion. Is the air being closed down, incrementally, as the fire gains strength?

It could be the wood. Ive never had great wood. Not sure about the draft or even how to measure it.
I usually close down the air as soon as I can without snuffing out the fire. I run the fans on low and the air all the way closed.

 

[Cndctrdj]

What temp are you running the stove at?

Try some really dry wood like a 2x4 off the warped and twisted cull pile at Home Depot.

That should light off the secondaries pretty easily.

I have an ir thermometer. I aim it in the back of the top of the stove where the air is pushed out. It is usually in the 400-500°f range when the air is shut off.

 

[Cndctrdj]

Two questions:
Where ya getting info on FB?
And what temps of “heat” are you getting? My 550 is not impressive so far.

Not much help. A few people tried. Gave good advice. But nothing i can do yet to fix it. So im covering all my bases here.

 

[Cndctrdj]

I have the older 550 model, so I can’t speak to the new one. What are your overall burn times? Sounds like you’re ok with overall heat output. You said you run it hot, so like @begreen hinted at, if be curious where you have that air control level.
How many sq feet is it heating?

I have the older 550 model, so I can’t speak to the new one. What are your overall burn times? Sounds like you’re ok with overall heat output. You said you run it hot, so like @begreen hinted at, if be curious where you have that air control level.
How many sq feet is it heating?

The burn times with a full box. Filled up the the secondaries is about 3-4 hours. More closer to 3. Thats all the way to hot ash that sometimes I need to use a firestarter to get going again. The box stays hot though.
Yes the overall output is good. But id like longer burn times. I hate waking up every 3 hours to fill it back up. The house is about 1800sq ft. We use ceiling fans to push the air to all the rooms and they stay plenty warm.

 

[Cndctrdj]

Many posts about the C550 are how to tame it, not how to get more secondaries. I have a machine screw in my air boost, use thick splits, and air down quickly; I still see 750 regularly on my stove top. I have about 20' of insulated liner and a block off plate. Not gloating, just saying that with dry firewood, this thing burns very hot. I have been using it for about 8 years, it cranks out serious heat. OP, what kind of wood are you burning, and what percent moisture are you at?

I use a lot of different wood. I get it from almost any free posting I see on market place. The wood is usually around 15% sometimes 20% i know its not dry enough. But that's just about 6/10 of the wood I use. 1/10 is wet. 3/10 are under 15% so its all over the place.

 

[begreen]

It could be the wood. Ive never had great wood. Not sure about the draft or even how to measure it.
I usually close down the air as soon as I can without snuffing out the fire. I run the fans on low and the air all the way closed.

Try loading a fire with 50% of the load being 2x4 cutoffs in order to introduce some known dry wood. That should provide a nice light show.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

The burn times with a full box. Filled up the the secondaries is about 3-4 hours. More closer to 3. Thats all the way to hot ash that sometimes I need to use a firestarter to get going again. The box stays hot though.
Yes the overall output is good. But id like longer burn times. I hate waking up every 3 hours to fill it back up. The house is about 1800sq ft. We use ceiling fans to push the air to all the rooms and they stay plenty warm.

Burn time has been a “hot” topic on this site for a long time. How burn time defined is important. Note- burn time at least to me starts at reload and end when the usable heat is done (maybe when stove top temp hits 250.
If you are thinking burn time end when the visible flames go away, that’s not how it’s defined here. 3 hrs of flames is normal for a mid sized stove.

 

[Angelo C]

Not much help. A few people tried. Gave good advice. But nothing i can do yet to fix it. So im covering all my bases here.

Copy.
I was most interested in the FB page info as I'm still fighting my Jotul as well.

 

[Cndctrdj]

Burn time has been a “hot” topic on this site for a long time. How burn time defined is important. Note- burn time at least to me starts at reload and end when the usable heat is done (maybe when stove top temp hits 250.
If you are thinking burn time end when the visible flames go away, that’s not how it’s defined here. 3 hrs of flames is normal for a mid sized stove.

I consider burn time from fill to embers that will start a new fire without adding anything else. If I have to add something to start it up again its not burn time.

 

[Orion 4343]

I consider burn time from fill to embers that will start a new fire without adding anything else. If I have to add something to start it up again its not burn time.

That does seem short. I'm in SE Pennsylvania. Burning mostly oak, cherry, maple, hickory and currently a lot of black locust. By your definition of burn time, I'm getting about 6-8 hours. If I'm burning mostly silver maple, then that number drops significantly. Might just be what you have on hand right now is not giving you the burn times you would like. Thicker splits will help.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I consider burn time from fill to embers that will start a new fire without adding anything else. If I have to add something to start it up again its not burn time.

You should be getting a good 6 hours or so.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

You mentioned that your wood is not the best. That would seem like a likely culprit here in not getting the secondary burn and burn time you need. That will take a bit of time to sort it out as the wood dries out. My apologies if it’s already been mentioned, but trying to make sure that door gasket doing its job is an easy way to rule out too much air getting through the door. Search for “dollar bill test” learn how to do this very simple gasket check.
This sounds like a wood issue but the symptoms you’re describing could also be gasket related.

 

[JotulLover]

I've had the MK1 C550 for 6 years or so and I'm impressed. However, this season, I've noticed I don't achieve secondary burns. I swapped the door gasket with no improvement. Previously I would regularly see flames coming out of the burner tubes and I only burn seasoned wood. However, I'm sure I've found the culprit. The air manifold gasket is not secure. Therefore, I'm going to replace it this weekend and report back.

Does anyone know if I have to remove the baffles and tubes to remove the manifold? I'm hoping I can just remove the three 10-mm bolts from the inside of the firebox, without removing the baffles and tubes.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I have the 550 as well. I don’t know exactly how to adjust the manifold gasket, but it looks like the way the baffles are currently sitting is a little bit off, with the right one sitting a little higher than the left. Not sure if that is contributing but wanted to mention to help rule out everything.

 

[JotulLover]

Thank you @Ctwoodtick , I appreciate your observation. I checked this morning before loading up the wood and there is some play, so I'll thoroughly clean the area (& baffles) when I swap the gasket. The gasket has clearly dropped down on the left hand side of the manifold (it's visible in the photo), so I wonder if cold air is going straight up the flue, rather than being directed down the glass into the firebox. Air is being channeled down the glass and through the directing vent on the bottom of the grate center, because the wood burns bright in the center (opposite the exit of the direction vent).
I presume its the gasket which seals the manifold to the firebox and not the one which is affixed to the air intake slider. The c550 manual has a great diagram indicating the positions of the gaskets but there isn't clear instructions on how to remove the manifold.

 

[JotulLover]

I wanted to circle back and share the full outcome in case this helps someone else running a Jøtul C550. For context, my wood supply was not the issue. I burn properly seasoned ash, oak, maple, and hickory that I’ve processed and stacked myself. Moisture content is consistently good, and this stove has produced strong secondary burns many times in the past.

This season I noticed the secondary burn had essentially disappeared. Early on, I removed the burn tubes and baffles, but they were surprisingly clean. I also replaced the door gasket at that time. While inspecting further, I noticed a gasket hanging down between the fins. After pulling the baffles and tubes again and inspecting the manifold area more closely, it became clear that the loose material corresponded to the inner air manifold gasket. My working theory was that this gasket was allowing excess intake air even when the slider was set to low, effectively over air feeding the stove and disrupting secondary combustion.

Although the perimeter manifold gasket looked intact, the flat gasket at the intake interface appeared compromised. I cleaned everything thoroughly, even though buildup was minimal, and replaced both air manifold gaskets.

The gaskets replaced were:

1. Gasket, LD .250 SA Fiberglass Rope, Outer Air Manifold, part 129644
2. Gasket, .125 x 8 mm Flat SA, Inner Air Manifold, part 127215

Removal was relatively straightforward. There are three 10 mm bolts securing the air manifold to the front. The middle bolt is longer than the two side bolts. During reinstallation, I installed the left bolt first and rested the manifold on it to help hold alignment. I then installed the right bolt near the air intake adjuster, and finally the longer center bolt. Tightening them evenly ensured a proper seal.

Since installing the new gaskets, the burn has been noticeably more efficient. Later that evening I began seeing secondary combustion again. It is not as dramatic as what I have seen previously when burning pine, but secondary burn is clearly visible, especially in the slower portions of the video. The stove is once again responsive to air control adjustments.

For general maintenance, I have a professional company sweep the liner annually. They remove the tubes and baffles and sweep from the top down. I also remove the blowers each year to lubricate the bearings. After a previous bearing failure on the right side, I now stay ahead of it. I also added wire wool between the heat shield and blower cases near the switches to reduce rattle and harmonic vibration, which made a noticeable improvement in blower noise.

Overall, replacing the air manifold gaskets resolved the issue. I appreciate the input from others here. This forum has helped me for years, so I am glad to contribute something back.