My Jotul is weak
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Ok I hadnt realized they reintroduced the Rockland. It looks like it is a normal tube stove so running it wide open will usually give you very low heat output because you are sending all the heat out the chimney. It will also give you the short burn times and seriously shorten the life of the stove. Do you have ceiling fans to push heat back down from the ceiling? Did they install a blockoff plate and insulation behind the insert if its on an outside wall?
Sorry. Just don’t know what “Secondaries “ are or where to look for them
It’s about 3/4 loaded. There is some room on the left side for a “short” piece but I just don’t cut 14” pieces too often. Most are 17’ to 20”
Seems to run better with some room for airflow. I may be way wrong with that statement
Cieling fans are on but I can’t reverse the direction room is too tall, I’m too short and don’t have a ladder long enough.
Asked dealer about a block off plate and was told it will be too hot for unit. There is just some insulation surrounding the flue. I have to believe that is the culprit as the stone around the insert is warm. Almost too warm if it were just Sheetrock
Did you test with a moisture meter pressed deep in a room temp freshly split piece? what was the moisture content?
I won't believe the wood is at least not part of the problem until u verify this. As i see your burn with a good amount of splits shown in your pic....... i see smoke or steam at the ends and that fire should be ripping. It clearly is Not ripping.
Also there is bark on those splits which which usually means the splits could be dryer.
And i don't really see any secondary flames (Flames coming out of the tubes with holes in the top of the firebox). This also screams wood is not dry enough. There should be jets of flames firing out of those tubes, Just like a BBQ Burner.
I won't believe the wood is at least not part of the problem until u verify this. As i see your burn with a good amount of splits shown in your pic....... i see smoke or steam at the ends and that fire should be ripping. It clearly is Not ripping.
Also there is bark on those splits which which usually means the splits could be dryer.
And i don't really see any secondary flames (Flames coming out of the tubes with holes in the top of the firebox). This also screams wood is not dry enough. There should be jets of flames firing out of those tubes, Just like a BBQ Burner.
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They used compressed wood blocks though with the same result
I have loaded the entire box with “firebricks “
There is no possibility of them being “green” as they will blow up with the slightest moisture content. Much of the wood is 2 year old white oak annd ash that I was burning last year and NOT green. I have a pretty good working knowledge of “seasoned” wood. Some of the sticks are 2 year old stash. I have used some wood that was three year old. I do repairs for tree services in the area and have access to unlimited supply. Nothing in the stove atm is less than 12 months split and sitting. I don’t believe it’s the fuel. If it was there would be a day and night difference with the bricks compared to any of the firewoods
Jotul Burner here. I've got an old 3 CB, probably pretty different from your stove but also a tube stove and a Jotul. Couple of things about my stove:
Absolutely have to shut the air down almost as soon as the fire gets going, I burn it with the air all the way closed most of the time unless, paradoxically, it is mild out, and then I need to open it up more or I get smoke out of the chimney instead of a clean burn. Definitely in my stove if I give it much air in cooler weather the heat goes up the chimney. When it's cold, too much heat goes up the chimney anyway. I need a key damper. My chimney is probably 25 feet above the stove top. I think if I get the chimney pretty hot or it's pulling a lot of air through the stove in extreme cold weather the stove gets squirrely to operate. It just doesn't behave the same for me when the chimney is pulling hard, but it behaves predictably in milder weather. I think I get more heat out it when it's not as cold out, which is too bad. Though sometimes in the cold it can really get going.
My stove has a small firebox, so yes, one log after another.
I'm putting about 55 pounds of very dry hardwood through it per day. I could put more through if I woke up in the night to feed it, but I let it go out. I just started weighing my wood a week or so ago, and it's been pretty consistent except on days I've let it go low into coaling for a while between loads.
Jotuls are not known to hold fires well, like overnight. Maybe the Oslo does OK? Generally it is not a strength of this brand.
On the plus side, except in extreme cold the stove is pretty bulletproof to operate, durable, low maintenance, it was inexpensive (I bought it used). Mine is a good steady heater I don't need to troubleshoot or fiddle with it much. I've used it for over 15 years, dependable, pretty efficient.
That said, I am moving on from it (hopefully). I'm getting a different stove, which I hope will hold a fire overnight, be more controllable and efficient. It's been an OK stove but I'm ready for an upgrade.
Absolutely have to shut the air down almost as soon as the fire gets going, I burn it with the air all the way closed most of the time unless, paradoxically, it is mild out, and then I need to open it up more or I get smoke out of the chimney instead of a clean burn. Definitely in my stove if I give it much air in cooler weather the heat goes up the chimney. When it's cold, too much heat goes up the chimney anyway. I need a key damper. My chimney is probably 25 feet above the stove top. I think if I get the chimney pretty hot or it's pulling a lot of air through the stove in extreme cold weather the stove gets squirrely to operate. It just doesn't behave the same for me when the chimney is pulling hard, but it behaves predictably in milder weather. I think I get more heat out it when it's not as cold out, which is too bad. Though sometimes in the cold it can really get going.
My stove has a small firebox, so yes, one log after another.
I'm putting about 55 pounds of very dry hardwood through it per day. I could put more through if I woke up in the night to feed it, but I let it go out. I just started weighing my wood a week or so ago, and it's been pretty consistent except on days I've let it go low into coaling for a while between loads.
Jotuls are not known to hold fires well, like overnight. Maybe the Oslo does OK? Generally it is not a strength of this brand.
On the plus side, except in extreme cold the stove is pretty bulletproof to operate, durable, low maintenance, it was inexpensive (I bought it used). Mine is a good steady heater I don't need to troubleshoot or fiddle with it much. I've used it for over 15 years, dependable, pretty efficient.
That said, I am moving on from it (hopefully). I'm getting a different stove, which I hope will hold a fire overnight, be more controllable and efficient. It's been an OK stove but I'm ready for an upgrade.
Mine seemed to do a better job when it was much milder outside as well. To me, that makes it useless. What good is a fireplace that doesn’t work when needed most ?
I haven’t tried to load N/S as I just don’t have as many small pieces to load the entire box that way. And it’s way too short IMO for that operation. 14” is about the longest that will fit
"Mine does a better job when it's milder outside too" -- I think what we are both dealing with is too strong draft. I kind of just thought, "this is the way it is" for too many years, realizing only lately I could put a key damper in. I'm not sure what you could do with your insert for that.
When I get my new stove, I'm going to ask the sweep about a key damper when we install.
When I get my new stove, I'm going to ask the sweep about a key damper when we install.
Mine really isn't so bad, but in the real cold it just gets sort of weird the way it behaves differently. I'm not going to cook myself out of the house, but it does OK. We had -7F in the morning a week ago, and it was windy. I kept it around 70 or high 60s anyway without using oil or the mini split that morning. Right now it's 15F and windy. I've got one hickory log on a lot of coals, burning nice and lazy and clean I'm sure, stove top temp a bit above the bottom of the thermometer range. It's 70 in here with just the stove for heat. I'll have to put another log on before I know it! If I squeezed in more wood and opened the air control just a hair I could definitely get it to run hotter.
For some years I bought most of my wood, and he split it pretty fine as I asked, so I could get more small splits in. The stove would get quite hot. In recent years I've been cutting and splitting my own, and I don't split as fine as the wood I was buying. My criterion is pretty much, "will it fit in the stove at all?" With these bigger chunks it's definitely harder to get more extreme heat out of the stove. In those years when I had the finer wood I often worried about overfiring the stove, and it was hard to control in the cold in a bad way. The bigger chunks make it far more controllable but also limit the heat output a lot. With the bigger chunks on a bed of ash, the stove lopes along nicely but doesn't go wild.
If I can keep room temp 70 in extreme cold, that's pretty good, and I never have any creosote in my chimney, just soot. So it's been definitely good enough for many years. I'm excited for the new stove though, a Woodstock Progress, which I'm pretty sure will be much better in many ways.
For some years I bought most of my wood, and he split it pretty fine as I asked, so I could get more small splits in. The stove would get quite hot. In recent years I've been cutting and splitting my own, and I don't split as fine as the wood I was buying. My criterion is pretty much, "will it fit in the stove at all?" With these bigger chunks it's definitely harder to get more extreme heat out of the stove. In those years when I had the finer wood I often worried about overfiring the stove, and it was hard to control in the cold in a bad way. The bigger chunks make it far more controllable but also limit the heat output a lot. With the bigger chunks on a bed of ash, the stove lopes along nicely but doesn't go wild.
If I can keep room temp 70 in extreme cold, that's pretty good, and I never have any creosote in my chimney, just soot. So it's been definitely good enough for many years. I'm excited for the new stove though, a Woodstock Progress, which I'm pretty sure will be much better in many ways.
This sounds remeniscent of an old C550 thread. Help me catch up with a few questions.
@Angelo C Is this fireplace on an exterior wall? Was an insulated block-off plate installed up in the damper area? Is the insert connected to a 6" insulated, stainless liner? If yes, approx. how tall? If not, how is it vented?
(Excuse me if this was already asked and I missed it.)
@Angelo C Is this fireplace on an exterior wall? Was an insulated block-off plate installed up in the damper area? Is the insert connected to a 6" insulated, stainless liner? If yes, approx. how tall? If not, how is it vented?
(Excuse me if this was already asked and I missed it.)
Thanks. Many years ago there was a lady who had a new C550 and complained of the same issue. She came to hearth.com seeking a replacement. We convinced her to have an insulated block-off plate installed and a layer of insulation added behind the insert. She was delighted with the results and went from wanting to replace the insert to loving it.
This doesn't answer the question of draft strength however. The air should be able to be closed down enough to promote good secondaries.
This doesn't answer the question of draft strength however. The air should be able to be closed down enough to promote good secondaries.
Old veterinarian from NE GA. I had a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep come clean and inspect my 17 year old Jotul Castine a few weeks ago and he pointed out things that really helped it burn better. Better and quicker (to start) secondaries and it burns through the night and is sometimes still hot at mid-day! My dealer was okay but the installers weren’t. So it helps sometimes to get a second opinion (long-winded because of my age and second opinion advice because of my profession lol).
I can’t get the secondary to fire without full open vent. Work much better with door slightly open. Almost the opposite, as it is choking for air
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