Jotul GF 600DV feedback, was it a LEMON?

[CenterTree]

I am wondering when the Jotul GF 600dv (Firelight) went out of production? My dealer can't give me an answer and Jotul now only sells/makes the 500 Portland model as their largest one.

I located a USED 600DV that we are considering for a non-electric cabin. It seems to fit the bill, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that the Firelight had burner issues. (Stainless steel failing?)

Are parts still available?
Was the GF 600DV a lemon model for Jotul?

Thanks!!

 

[DAKSY]

I burned a GF600 for 4 years as the only heat source for a studio apartment,
& I removed it after my daughter moved out (again!)
I sold it to my sister, who is disabled & can't burn cord wood.
She has been burning it for 7+ years & the ONLY thing I've had to replace is the thermocouple.
IIRC, the pan burner has a lifetime warranty...

 

[CenterTree]

I burned a GF600 for 4 years as the only heat source for a studio apartment,
& I removed it after my daughter moved out (again!)
I sold it to my sister, who is disabled & can't burn cord wood.
She has been burning it for 7+ years & the ONLY thing I've had to replace is the thermocouple.
IIRC, the pan burner has a lifetime warranty...

I heard that the lifetime warranty was for the ORIGINAL OWNER only. Maybe that is false info??

Do you have info on the production years? It seems there was an older model that had 8 logs and then something newer (still old now) with 4 logs.
Is there some improvement in the 4 log model?

 

[DAKSY]

The Jotul GF600 (4-log & 8-log) Manuals can be found here.

(broken link removed to https://jotul.com/us/guides/identify-your-old-j%C3%B8tul-product-and-user-manuals)

I don't know if the manufacture dates are in them...

 

[DAKSY]

The 4-log burner was a u-shaped tube type.
The 8-log burner is a stainless steel/cast iron pan type.

 

[CenterTree]

The 4-log burner was a u-shaped tube type.
The 8-log burner is a stainless steel/cast iron pan type.

That is good info!
Which is the better of the two?

We found a used one that has the 4 log setup and the seller claims that he just had a new burner installed.
So I am fishing for any reasons as to why a burner would go bad in this type of stove.

 

[DAKSY]

Inside of a gas stove is a pretty harsh environment. I don't think the tube burners were stainless steel (I could be wrong)...
After seasons of heating & cooling & then condensation during the non-heating season the steel tubing just wears out.

 

[Spencer57]

This is a really old thread, but figured I would add my two cents anyway. I have a Jotul firelight original version,GF 600 DV with the tubes in the rear, 8 log. We bought it new about 20 years ago. The burner failed about two years ago. (There’s another post here about my search, )The pilot eventually burned a hole through the burner. Unfortunately, the burner is no longer made but I did find the original manufacturer. Persistent was the key there, as no one wanted to tell me who made it! Jotul didn’t! The burner manufacturer will fab new burners but you might as well buy a new stove at $1000 a pop and they will only make 3 at a time! We replaced the thermocouple about 10 years ago and that was another adventurous search and we finally convinced Jotul to make us one...so we bought two! I still have the second one they made. It was just luck that the burner manufacturer was doing a show and had a standard box of display items they took with them. When they were setting up there was my burner! The last one in existence, so I bought it for $150! It’s had its challenges. It was a display burner after all and not completely tested we found. But the manufacturer has been helpful in resolving the delayed lighting issue and we have it pretty much solved. The delayed lighting only happens about once every other day and I can’t fully rule out gas pressure issues as my range has issues when everything is running done dats( another story for another day). So here’s the history of that stove, as I learned from my burner search. When Jotul got into the gas stove business, every part except the cast iron was made by another supplier. Superior did a lot of it but the burner tube itself was made by Stealth Manufacturing in Savage MN. Very nice folks and they kept my firelight from becoming a boat anchor! If I could find a used one with a good burner I would buy that one too. That stove has heated my home as the only heat for over 20 years and has been very reliable . Not a lemon at all!

 

[Spencer57]

Oh, and the tube is stainless steel.