Jotul No. 4

[Caoimhin]

Anyone have experience with a three-legged Jotul No. 4? Just bought a house that came with one, and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips/tricks to share. Specifically wonder about the damper that's on the pipe flange at the back of the stove. It seems to have three settings: "Totally closed, totally open and half closed." Should I even bother playing with that, or just open it fully to get the fire started, then half closed for the rest of the burn? And what should I expect for burn times?

Thanks!

 

[the_guad]

I don't have a stove like yours, but I can tell you that in my brief experience that you're going to have to toy with all of your options in order to discover your own sweet spot for longer burns. What you want to look for is a point at which you can maintain a lazy blue orange flame. There are a lot of factors involved including your chimney setup, how airtight your home is and so on and so on. However, it's pretty commonly accepted that you'll need everything wide open for the first 15-30 minutes of the fire in order to establish a good draft and a bed of coals.

Make sure you get the stove looked at by a professional prior to using it the first time. Best of luck!