My Jotul is weak

[stoveliker]

Help me follow the "open door" theory. Is it that the house might be TOO tight and not enough air is getting to the unit ?
Thanks IA

Yes, if the home is too tight, air flow thru the stove won't be enough, leading to lackluster fires.
(and possible smoke roll out).
Testing with a window cracked can provide some indication as to whether that is the case. (Of course it's not a good permanent solution.)

 

[begreen]

Help me follow the "open door" theory. Is it that the house might be TOO tight and not enough air is getting to the unit ?
Thanks IA

Yes, that's the hypothesis. Try a nearby window on the same floor, a 1/2" opening should suffice for this test.

 

[begreen]

Where does one source the block off plate or is t something we make custom ?

We have a good article on this.

Resource icon

Block-off plate construction

Aug 3, 2022

Make a damper sealing block-off plate

• webfish
• How to Build, Install, Operate, Etc.

and

Chimney info Thread 'MAKING A SHEET METAL BLOCK-OFF PLATE FOR A MASONRY FIREPLACE'

Sep 23, 2015

Hint #1 The plate does not fit it up at the damper area, but lower than that - about 2” above the fireplace opening…this has many advantages….


Materials needed
Sheet metal - 24 or 26 gauge galvanized metal is ideal for this application - available at many plumbing and heating supply houses
Masonry or cut nails - approx 1.5”
Silicone sealant
Furnace Cement


First, remove the fireplace damper. This usually involves removing a cotter pin and lifting the damper out. Store damper in a safe place in case you ever want to restore the fireplace to original.

Now, study the picture...

• webfish
• block-off plate
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Articles

and

Make a damper sealing block-off plate

How to make a block-off plate A block-off plate is particularly helpful with inserts installed in fireplace on exterior walls with exterior chimneys. Without one, the flue liner (which should be insulated) and the stove will try to heat the mass of masonry that is exposed to the outdoors...

www.hearth.com

 

[Angelo C]

The 1/2" window opening will test whether the insert is starving for combustion air. Try with the air control about midway to 75% closed.

Didn’t change the flame front like adjusting the airflow control does. Seems to be a happy medium though. I’ve only run full open or choked off so far.
Temp with an infrared gun says 380* with a mix of firewood and bricks.
I’ll let this load burn through then fill with only bricks and see if any temp difference

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I'm hoping there is a solution. But if two year old oak or firebricks is not then there really isn't a practical use for this unit. The expense of kiln dried lumber which would be the only practical way of sourcing "seasoned" kinda negates any efficient use. Few of us can season 4-5 cords for 4-5 years space wise.

This is true. I can only store about 8 cords total which maxes out my space. I try to stay to woods that season fairly quick.
It doesn’t help you immediately but I’ve been finding the cord of pine I have been burning up until now for this season has been surprisingly good. Fast drying time too

 

[Orion 4343]

Didn’t change the flame front like adjusting the airflow control does. Seems to be a happy medium though. I’ve only run full open or choked off so far.
Temp with an infrared gun says 380* with a mix of firewood and bricks.
I’ll let this load burn through then fill with only bricks and see if any temp difference

That temperature seems pretty low. I would expect 650 degrees from a full load. At 380, im not surprised its barely heating your room.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Didn’t change the flame front like adjusting the airflow control does. Seems to be a happy medium though. I’ve only run full open or choked off so far.
Temp with an infrared gun says 380* with a mix of firewood and bricks.
I’ll let this load burn through then fill with only bricks and see if any temp difference

Although my Rockland is the older version, I’d imagine the basics are the same. I’ve used a IR thermometer in the past and it didn’t work well. It did not get a good read of the actual stovetop and instead picked up on the surround. I absolutely would not go by those IR temps. A stovetop thermometer from amazon will get to there before the weekend and they are not too expensive. This is where I put the stovetop thermometer seen in the pic below. For reference, I’m burning about a half load of pine with a little under half closed. The temp is about 675.

 

[Angelo C]

Tough to see, but it looks only half full.
Can't see how secondaries are either.

Question
So far in my limited experience, I noticed I get better "burns" with spacing the firewood as opposed to jamming a full load into every available space. I've assumed "Jamming" would increase burn times but hasn't increased "temps"
Am I miss reading this ?

 

[Orion 4343]

Question
So far in my limited experience, I noticed I get better "burns" with spacing the firewood as opposed to jamming a full load into every available space. I've assumed "Jamming" would increase burn times but hasn't increased "temps"
Am I miss reading this ?

It's a balance. There needs to be some space, but you don't want to make a log cabin either. How are you starting your initial fire. Have you tried a top down fire?

 

[MRD1985]

This screams airflow either in or out. Does opening a window help at all?

If it won’t burn with sawdust logs it’s likely not the fuel, although it is still worth checking to see exactly what you’re dealing with moisture wise.

Maybe I missed it, but could you post a picture of your chimney setup with the cap?

 

[bigealta]

For your previous question, yes air gaps/ spacing can help.
Try loading your stove like this and see if it helps. It should help.

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Did you try building like this? You could put 2 or 3 sawdust bricks on the bottom like in the pic and your oak and ash on the top rows. This gives great airflow with a full load, and will answer your question of if your jotul stove can burn well and rip as it sits now.