Jotul F500 Firebrick Airleak?

[Pannoner3]

Hey Everyone,

Anyone ever experience fire pouring down from the top of their firebricks? I was burning yesterday and there was a stream of fire coming down the the face of the left-most fire brick, and I don't recall this happening during prior burning seasons. Seemed like an air leak, as I had the air control completely closed and it seemed like the fire was being fed air from that point of the firebox. I'll try to get a pic the next time it happens, but curious if anyone else has ever experienced this.

I have a model year 2000 F500 that I purchased second hand in 2021. Historically I've had really poor control of fires using the front air control lever. Typically I need to have the air closed completely, and even then I'm not getting great burn times - e.g. I'll have a healthy bed of coals, load the stove and cut the air completely at 9pm and at 4am I'll have no coals left. I have changed gaskets on the side door, front door, ash door, top lid and top lid oval insert. Haven't replaced firebricks. I've been thinking I may need to break the stove down and rebuild it completely just given the age of it.

Appreciate any insight here. I have some incense arriving tomorrow so I can do some smoke testing too for air leaks.

Drew

 

[EbS-P]

Hey Everyone,

Anyone ever experience fire pouring down from the top of their firebricks? I was burning yesterday and there was a stream of fire coming down the the face of the left-most fire brick, and I don't recall this happening during prior burning seasons. Seemed like an air leak, as I had the air control completely closed and it seemed like the fire was being fed air from that point of the firebox. I'll try to get a pic the next time it happens, but curious if anyone else has ever experienced this.

I have a model year 2000 F500 that I purchased second hand in 2021. Historically I've had really poor control of fires using the front air control lever. Typically I need to have the air closed completely, and even then I'm not getting great burn times - e.g. I'll have a healthy bed of coals, load the stove and cut the air completely at 9pm and at 4am I'll have no coals left. I have changed gaskets on the side door, front door, ash door, top lid and top lid oval insert. Haven't replaced firebricks. I've been thinking I may need to break the stove down and rebuild it completely just given the age of it.

Appreciate any insight here. I have some incense arriving tomorrow so I can do some smoke testing too for air leaks.

Drew

the secondary air manifolds that feed the burn tubes run above the fire bricks. I would inspect the burn tubes and where the insert into the manifold. If all looks ok then I would pull the side bricks and inspect the manifold.

 

[Pannoner3]

Thanks. Will do that today or tomorrow. Trying to get it sorted out before the real cold arrives.

 

[Todd]

Could be a gasket failure on the top plate or the top isn’t seated properly