Jotul F500 just doesn't heat much of anything

[rw02kr43]

I can have it burning right along and the thermometer on top shows 600 or so in the red. I stand right by it and don't feel any heat. I've read many people saying that their wood stove will heat their whole house. Mine doesn't even heat 2 feet away. What am I doing wrong? Little to no smoke out our chimney so it seems to be burning very efficient. Just doesn't make any heat.

Thanks
Jason

 

[Jags]

Hmmmm...the F500 is a darned nice stove with many happy users. Have you checked your thermo for accuracy? 600F off of a stove that size should be very noticeable.

 

[rw02kr43]

Hmmmm...the F500 is a darned nice stove with many happy users. Have you checked your thermo for accuracy? 600F off of a stove that size should be very noticeable.

Thanks for the very quick reply. I have checked it and that thermometer seems to be right or at least close. I'm running the wood stove and a space heater and still very cold. I'm using well seasoned wood too. If anything, it burns the wood too fast. But not much heat.

 

[Jags]

During the burn cycle when you drop the primary air down for the long haul, about what percent open is the primary air setting?

 

[rw02kr43]

Usually around half open. If I drop much lower then my temps nosedive.

 

[firefighterjake]

Do you reduce the air control incrementally . . . and wait a few minutes each time you do so? The Oslo should be blowing you away in terms of temp.

Another question . . . what is the temp on the flue thermometer?

How full is the firebox in terms of both wood and ash? Generally more wood = more heat once you have closed down the air control to the quarter mark or less. I have noticed the Oslo tends to do better with an inch or so of ash in the base.

Final question . . . have you removed the two bolts (when the stove is cool) to the dog house at the front and checked to see if the air control mechanism is sliding properly?

 

[blazincajun]

Your heat is going up your chimney. Sounds like your seasoned wood is too moist for proper stove combustion.

 

[Sunfish]

Your heat is going up your chimney. Sounds like your seasoned wood is too moist for proper stove combustion.

I agree with this. The problem isn't the stove...

 

[Nick Mystic]

Hard to believe. When my Jotul F 600 is cruising at 400 F and I stand directly in front of it after about 30 seconds I can smell my clothes starting to give off the scorching smell you get when you have your iron set too high while ironing clothes! My wife is often standing right in front of the stove for a few minutes to warm up when she comes in from a colder part of the house and I'm always afraid she's going to self-combust! Something is off if your stove is reading 600 F and you can't feel heat coming off it.

 

[Jags]

Usually around half open. If I drop much lower then my temps nosedive.

This is very telling. You should not need a 50% open primary air once the fire is established. Most run at somewhere less than 25% and many (including myself) run at about 5-10% open (or even closed).

The most logical and probable reason is your firewood not being truly dry. A cheap moisture meter can confirm or deny that.
The second most reported would be draft or lack thereof. There could be several causes of this, but I would rule out the first before trudging down that path.

Jags prediction: Poor wood quality is causing the need to feed the fire more air. More air in, more air out, carrying the heat right along with it.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I think you all are missing the point of the original post. Be that as it may regarding the quality of his wood he said he's getting readings of 600 F off the top of his stove and can stand right next to it and not feel any heat! How do you explain that?

 

[Jags]

Nick - at 50% open that is like a vacuum. A bunch of heat that should be going into that room is being sucked right back into the stove.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I follow you that running a stove with the primary opened too far is going to send a lot of heat up the chimney. However, right now I have my primary wide open to burn down some coals so I can reload. The stove top temperature is reading 300 F and when I stand in front of my stove I can feel the heat radiating out and warming my legs. If my stove was 600 F like the OP mentions I wouldn't be able to stand in front of the stove more than a few seconds before my pants would start to scorch! That's what I don't understand. How can a stove be 600 F and not throw off any heat?

 

[Jags]

I understand and I am sure that "no heat" is an over statement, but the rate that the intake is sucking up air could be part of the "no heat" issue, or at least a cold draft getting sucked toward the stove that negates some of the stove output. Plus - you are running an F600 - hobits could take up residence in that thing.

 

[rw02kr43]

I'll try to takes some pics of the thermometer. My dog likes to stand near the stove and watch the fire. She wasn't any warmer than normal either. Can I burn those Gren things and get it up to temp? That will tell me if it's the wood or something else wouldn't it?

 

[Jags]

Your best bet would be to actually test the wood itself. The small buck moisture meters that can be had from Harbor freight and other places are good enough for this application.

If you can find kiln dried firewood at a gas station or grocery store, that will work also, but you will darn near spend as much money for a few bundles of wood as you would for a meter.

Trying to compare the burn of cordwood to manufactured stuff is difficult. They have different characteristics.

And be aware - not all bundled wood is properly dried. My local gas station gets theirs from a mile down the street. I have seen them bundle fresh splits.

 

[Butcher]

This stove is INSIDE the home right? Just jokin. At 500° STT you cant stand in front of my 500 for very long and till you get that dryer exhaust smell from your britches. You are using a stove top thermometer right? I read on here the other day that some one was trying to use an oven thermometer to measure temps is why I ask.

 

[rw02kr43]

yep it's inside. Right in the living room. The thermometer is the one that was on it when we got it. It's a stovetop magnetic thermometer.

 

[mass_burner]

I can have it burning right along and the thermometer on top shows 600 or so in the red. I stand right by it and don't feel any heat.

the only way this would be possible, is if the stove were under an open window. can you feel heat if you hold your hand a few inches above the top?

 

[jotul8e2]

On the rare occasions I have had 600 deg. show up on the thermometer (top back right corner) I have scarcely been able to even stand near the stove.

Your situation sounds like granddads old pot bellied stove - we'd roast on one side and freeze on the other. This was due to the inability of the house to hold heat. I heat my 2500 sq. ft. house with an Oslo and do so easily down to about 0 deg., but it is super insulated.

 

[Butcher]

yep it's inside. Right in the living room. The thermometer is the one that was on it when we got it. It's a stovetop magnetic thermometer.

Like I said, I was just jokin. This cold here in the Midwest for so long has froze my brain. Something is wrong though iffn you aint feeling heat off of a 600° Oslo. Maybe the knowledgeable folks here could help if you gave more specifics as to chimney, wood type etc.

 

[DTrain]

600F. Toasty buns for sure. Never thought about the air moving into the stove so quickly it'd cool the room. Would an outside air kit then make a noticeable difference?

 

[razerface]

I just put my hand about 12 inches above my stovetop which is reading 417 as it comes up to temp on a new fire. I can't hold it there very long. If it was 600,, I am positive I would be pulling back fast. Get a new gage.

 

[schortie]

Where's your thermometer sitting? It should be in one of the corners of the stove. If it's right on the center, that's a different thing altogether. When it's 600 in the middle it's probably only 350 or so in the corner.

 

[molly1414]

Where did you put the thermometer ? It is supposed to be in one of the top corners of the cook top. Can you take a photo of where you placed it on the stove. Do you have a very drafty house? What is the temp in the room you are running the stove and does it warm up when you are using the stove? When my house is cold it takes a little while for the Heat to build up in the room. Once the heat builds up and everything is warm then you should notice the heat coming off the stove more then when the room is cold.