Jotul runs "slow"?

[WOODBUTCHER]

Sounds like damp wood to me, what kind of stove did you run in the past? Hows your draft, tell us about your set up (chimney etc....).
Most of the time my stove is humming right along with the front draft control 75% or more closed between 450-600 (depending on the temps outside and size of the load.)
Leaving the front draft control wide open for any length of time will over fire it.
You should be able to take that Oslo up to 600 no problem (assuming proper stove operation, dry wood and good draft)

WoodButcher

 

[grommal]

Damp wood most likely.

In the unlikely event that it's a stove issue, look inside the little housing that's just inside the front door. You can peek inside it through a small hole. When you move the primary air intake level left and right, can you see the lever sliding a flat piece that covers/uncovers the air inlet pathway? The lever's inside end is supposed to fit between two raised areas on the flat piece, but I've read about the lever somehow slipping out from that location. If this happens, either the flat piece does not slide, or it does not slide all the way one direction or the other. If you can't tell, you can always remove the housing that covers this air inlet to inspect and/or correct, but be sure you reassemble it properly.

 

[cmonSTART]

Hey Skinny. Assuming your stove and flue are both clean it's either damp wood as said above or that it's just not that chilly out yet. At least with my setup these temperatures can be a bear to get a fire to burn in.

 

[skinnykid]

can't remember if I asked this question before but....

Do Jotuls always burn "slow?"
I am burning Hemlock that I stacked up last April, I have having a heard time keeping a the fire burning and not smoldering. I have
to open the ash door alot to get it going again.

It is probably my wood not being seasoned well (very rainy summer) but it seems as though I am having a hard time more than with my last stove. Comments?

 

[Burd]

I would think that hemlock is very moist wood and takes longer to season Its probable okay to burn in a mixture of different woods but to load the stove with just hemlock I would think that you wouldn't get a lot of BTU hotter the fire the faster it burns

 

[Hurricane]

Try some dry wood. Get an old 2X4 or a pallet and see if it burns better.

 

[fbelec]

Try some dry wood. Get an old 2X4 or a pallet and see if it burns better.

reading until here i was going to suggest that with some wood that the 24hr corner store sells for 6 to 10 bucks

 

[kork]

Like others have already offered it does sound like your wood is less than ideal. On another note please do not get use to using the ash pan door to get your stove up to temp. With good dry wood you could turn the firebox into a blast furnace using the ash pan door. I find cracking the side door slightly works just fine.
Hank

 

[Skier76]

Like others have already offered it does sound like your wood is less than ideal. On another note please do not get use to using the ash pan door to get your stove up to temp. With good dry wood you could turn the firebox into a blast furnace using the ash pan door. I find cracking the side door slightly works just fine.
Hank

Some solid advice. I think it was BeGreen who told me the same thing...along with the possibility of back puffing. I told my wife about that. One night, she said: "Open the ash pan door!" This while I had a decent load in there. Well, that fired up the fire, then I got a nice backpuff of flames out the ashpan door. That was a wakeup. Won't be trying that again.

 

[logger]

Damp wood most likely.

When you move the primary air intake level left and right, can you see the lever sliding a flat piece that covers/uncovers the air inlet pathway? The lever's inside end is supposed to fit between two raised areas on the flat piece, but I've read about the lever somehow slipping out from that location. If this happens, either the flat piece does not slide, or it does not slide all the way one direction or the other. If you can't tell, you can always remove the housing that covers this air inlet to inspect and/or correct, but be sure you reassemble it properly.

There was a minor issue with some older Jotuls' dampers getting stuck, but models made this year have had the problem fixed. If it is the damper, unscrew it from the inside and some filing down will have it sliding properly. Seems like Jotul stamped the mold backwards or something that didnt allow proper sliding to occur.

 

[Avitare]

what is the temperature outside -- when you are trying to get your stove to light up ??

stoves work better in cold temperatures

until there is a significant difference inside and outside ,..or you have some heat in the flue (kindling fire, etc) the pipe wont draw and most stoves wont take off
tc

 

[firefighterjake]

If I had to guess Skinny I would put my money on the hemlock . . . it's fine to burn, but notoriously wet when green . . . I would suspect that the wood just hasn't seasoned up as much . . . which may be no surprise based on the summer weather we had up this way. Try adding some pallet wood or more seasoned wood in there and see if this doesn't change the burning equation for you. You may also want to try adding some hardwood in there . . . I have some spruce that while standing dead and cut up and split last November doesn't seem to really take off very well . . . when added to already established coals from a fire however the wood takes right off.

 

[PunKid8888]

I split some Hemlock in the summer and boy was it a sponge. Everytime I hit it with the Maul it would litteraly squeeze water out.

 

[logger]

can't remember if I asked this question before but....

Do Jotuls always burn "slow?"
I am burning Hemlock that I stacked up last April, I have having a heard time keeping a the fire burning and not smoldering. I have
to open the ash door alot to get it going again.

It is probably my wood not being seasoned well (very rainy summer) but it seems as though I am having a hard time more than with my last stove. Comments?

You did ask this.. its the wood. My Oslo burns hot and bright. Watch that ash door. I know it can be helpful but it cooks up too much heat at a very fast rate. Could cause some expensive cracks down the line. Heard a few horror stories.

 

[gpcollen1]

Aside from the wood issue, what is your chimney setup like? That could be your issue...