Jotul F500 Oslo in my future?

[Shari]

With the current tax credit I have really been researching swapping out my Traditions stove for an Oslo.

Hubby & I looked at the Oslo blue/black today and are in process of setting up an appointment to have them come take a look at installing this as a hearth mount. I have a couple of questions:

1. Blower fan or not? Will we need it? (Hearth mount, masonry fireplace)

2. The installer said blower costs $300+ yet I found this one (broken link removed to http://www.cshincorporated.com/product_info.php/products_id/3914) priced at $127. Is this a good price (if we need it)?

3. One of the options is a cook plate. Most often we would just have a tea kettle on the stove but might use the stove top for warming chili. Would you recommend the cooktop?

Thanks to all you guru's who have taught me so much in the last year!

Shari

 

[netmouse]

About a blower.

The person in this house before me, who put in the big old VC Defiant stove, put in grates high over the doorways to other rooms (livingroom and kitchen) so as the hot air rises, it floats to the other rooms. The grate to the living room has a fan inside to pull the hot air in (you can control the speed) . And then the livingroom ceiling has a paddle fan to push the hot air down. And it also has a ceiling grate that allows the hot air to rise to the second floor (it can be closed or open). This grate is located in what is the center of the second floor.

Think of the grates as holes through the wall that are encased with beautiful black cast iron in a lovely pattern.

This gives great control of air flow through whole house.

 

[begreen]

Will the stove sit in the hearth (inside of the current fireplace opening somewhat) or completely in front of the fireplace? The reason I ask is twofold. First, the blower will be very helpful, (as will a lintel level blockoff plate), if the stove is set into the fireplace opening. Second, the Oslo is most convenient to use side-door loading. Is this possible in this location?

 

[Shari]

Will the stove sit in the hearth (inside of the current fireplace opening somewhat) or completely in front of the fireplace? The reason I ask is twofold. First, the blower will be very helpful, (as will a lintel level blockoff plate), if the stove is set into the fireplace opening. Second, the Oslo is most convenient to use side-door loading. Is this possible in this location?

Actually, I think we could do either type of install. This is a raised hearth (16" deep) and I do like the side loading feature. We could also set it slightly inside the fp opening with a slight hearth extension. We are planning on a blockoff plate with either type of install. Also, we are planning on a T for chimney liner cleaning. Liner will be insulated.

Masonry chimney is central to the home.

Shari

 

[ansehnlich1]

I have the oslo, it's a good cast iron stove. I had to reply as I want you to know that I only use the side door for loading. With heavy burning the ash lays against the front door, you won't be able to use the front door for loading 24/7 unless you are willing to clean up ash spill every time you open the front door.

My front door on my olso stays closed

I have no blower, but my stove sits on a hearth, plenty of heat radiates off that bad boy!

 

[colebrookman]

Will the stove sit in the hearth (inside of the current fireplace opening somewhat) or completely in front of the fireplace? The reason I ask is twofold. First, the blower will be very helpful, (as will a lintel level blockoff plate), if the stove is set into the fireplace opening. Second, the Oslo is most convenient to use side-door loading. Is this possible in this location?

Two excellent points BeGreen. The front door is only for cleaning the window and spilling ash all over. We had a blower on our old stove and the stove really came alive with heat when the blower was on. But the constant noise drove us nuts. We like peace and quiet and we get plenty of heat from the Oslo but it is out in the open. If it's inside I would think blower but would not buy the Oslo. Rather buy a good front loader. Be safe.
Ed

 

[begreen]

Is the Traditions a pellet stove? If yes, this is a big switch.

 

[Shari]

Is the Traditions a pellet stove? If yes, this is a big switch.

Nope. It's a Earth Stove Traditions 150, wood stove. Lennox bought 'em out.

I appreciate all the replies so far. Any comments on the optional cooktop?

Shari

 

[begreen]

I'd skip the cooktop unless it is going to be a frequent user. If you are warming chili or a slow stew, you'll want to do it on a trivet. The stove top gets to about 450-650.

 

[colebrookman]

Is the Traditions a pellet stove? If yes, this is a big switch.

Nope. It's a Earth Stove Traditions 150, wood stove. Lennox bought 'em out.

I appreciate all the replies so far. Any comments on the optional cooktop?

Shari

We don't have the cooktop, just keep a lattice topped pan with water on it at all times. If you have an electric stove you may like the top when power goes out but we use propane so it is not a problem. Course a blower also would not work without power either. Be safe.
Ed

 

[firefighterjake]

Blower or no blower: I would give you the same advice as my dealer gave me (even though he could have ended up with a little more cash) -- try it without the blower and then buy it if you think it might help. As BG mentioned the Oslo puts out plenty of heat without the need for a blower, although if it was installed inside the fireplace a blower might be beneficial in moving more of the heat outwards (even though I would suspect that the largest amount of heat radiates out through the front -- based on IR readings that I have taken and the fact that my cats tend to favor lying in front of the stove.)

Colebrook Advice: I absolutely concur with his advice. One "drawback" of the Oslo is that ash tends to build up at the front door and spills out when using. For this reason, if you do a hearth mount into the fireplace and cannot use the side door I suspect you will get irritated in short order with the ash/ember spillage and would therefore suggest another make/model. If you opt to have the stove out a bit and can use the side door I think you would do fine.

Cookplate: As BG mentioned I think for the usage mentioned (warming up foods like chili, beans, soups, water for tea, etc.) that a cook plate would not be necessary. Just use a trivet and be careful of spillage.

 

[Shari]

The dealer is coming out next week Monday to have a look. Thanks everyone for the replies!

Shari

 

[Bigg_Redd]

With the current tax credit I have really been researching swapping out my Traditions stove for an Oslo.

Hubby & I looked at the Oslo blue/black today and are in process of setting up an appointment to have them come take a look at installing this as a hearth mount. I have a couple of questions:

1. Blower fan or not? Will we need it? (Hearth mount, masonry fireplace)

2. The installer said blower costs $300+ yet I found this one (broken link removed to http://www.cshincorporated.com/product_info.php/products_id/3914) priced at $127. Is this a good price (if we need it)?

3. One of the options is a cook plate. Most often we would just have a tea kettle on the stove but might use the stove top for warming chili. Would you recommend the cooktop?

Thanks to all you guru's who have taught me so much in the last year!

Shari

1) Definitely go with the enamel finish.

2) The blower and the cook plate can be added later without a great deal of trouble.

 

[atomichawg]

I have never heard anyone regret that they got the enamel finish. We just purchased an Oslo with the blue black finish and it looks really nice, plus my wife loves the way it looks. You dont have to worry about rust. The blue black and the ivory are supposed to be really durable as well, more so than the majolica.

You don't really need the top cook plate. I dont think it would function any better than just putting a kettle on top of the stove, but it is pretty. I think its an additional 125 bucks or so. We decided not to get it.

We did not get the blower either. You can always get one later if you need it, or get a cheapo fan that will move the air around.

 

[netmouse]

On ebay are lots of photos of used wood stoves for sale. The below link is to a Vermont Castings enamel stove that is 3 years old. It is young, and the enamel does not seem to hold up that well. The seller talks about having used touch up paint for chips. Going through the photos, the stove looks pretty worn with some "bald" spots, and not as shiny and attractive anymore. The charm seems gone. In my talk with my store guy about whether to get the shiny enamel or cast iron, the advantages of cast iron seemed to be, besides being cheaper, that is is easier to paint to freshen up. He also pointed out that the enamel finish may crack if you have an incident of over firing the stove.


(broken link removed to http://cgi.ebay.com/VERMONT-CASTINGS-DEFIANT-RACKS-DRAGONS-WOOD-STOVE-SS-PI_W0QQitemZ370234084285QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5633abcbbd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14)

 

[begreen]

The VC stove has a majolica porcelain finish. That's a different process. Run the stove right and a blue-black enameled Jotul will look as fresh in 5 years as the day it was bought.

 

[fattire]

Cook plate: We have the Oslo in our cabin which has no running water typically from December-March. During those months we melt snow for water. The cook plate's flat surface improves heat transfer substantially when melting a huge pot of snow or any situation where you need to get something hot as quickly as possible. But for normal warming of foods/beverages I agree with above posts that it is not necessary. One issue with the cook plate is that it rusts very easily if you spill on it.