New Oslo-in love already but nervous

[szmaine]

Hi -

Finally, got our new Oslo hooked up and running - completed break in fire #3 last night.
The secondary burn is truly amazing as is the heat output/retension - we only have experience with antique stove so as you can
imagine we are like neanderthals (my husband in particular ;-) ) suddenly confronted with a Ferrari.

But I'm a little nervous about controlling the fire...we are used to having pipe damper.
It bothers me that there is passive secondary air that I cannot shut off in the event of an overfiring stove.
I was playing with the primary air last night while doing the last burn and trying to stay right at 400 by mostly shutting down but strayed up to 500 anyway (the firebox was only about ~30% full). Golly, how can you ever really load up the firebox?

What if there was ever a chimney fire?? How can you deprive it of oxygen?

What is a "normal" temperture rise on this stove when in cruise mode .


Talk to me...

 

[Fsappo]

If your worried about a chimney fire, get one of those flare looking extinguishers and keep it handy. As far as the design not requiring a pipe damper, that's common in almost all stoves and has been going on for decades. It's a tried and true method. You have a great stove. Enjoy it. If I recall from my time burning an oslo, on a full load of wood and air control closed it would cruise at about 400 degrees surface temp. I can't remember if we had the thermometer on top or not

 

[PapaDave]

Hi -

Finally, got our new Oslo hooked up and running - completed break in fire #3 last night.
The secondary burn is truly amazing as is the heat output/retension - we only have experience with antique stove so as you can
imagine we are like neanderthals (my husband in particular ;-) ) suddenly confronted with a Ferrari.

But I'm a little nervous about controlling the fire...we are used to having pipe damper.
It bothers me that there is passive secondary air that I cannot shut off in the event of an overfiring stove.
I was playing with the primary air last night while doing the last burn and trying to stay right at 400 by mostly shutting down but strayed up to 500 anyway (the firebox was only about ~30% full). Golly, how can you ever really load up the firebox?

What if there was ever a chimney fire?? How can you deprive it of oxygen?

What is a "normal" temperture rise on this stove when in cruise mode .


Talk to me...

Are you my sister in law? Only difference, my brother LIKES his pronounced brow.

 

[szmaine]

Hi -

Finally, got our new Oslo hooked up and running - completed break in fire #3 last night.
The secondary burn is truly amazing as is the heat output/retension - we only have experience with antique stove so as you can
imagine we are like neanderthals (my husband in particular ;-) ) suddenly confronted with a Ferrari.

But I'm a little nervous about controlling the fire...we are used to having pipe damper.
It bothers me that there is passive secondary air that I cannot shut off in the event of an overfiring stove.
I was playing with the primary air last night while doing the last burn and trying to stay right at 400 by mostly shutting down but strayed up to 500 anyway (the firebox was only about ~30% full). Golly, how can you ever really load up the firebox?

What if there was ever a chimney fire?? How can you deprive it of oxygen?

What is a "normal" temperture rise on this stove when in cruise mode .


Talk to me...

Are you my sister in law? Only difference, my brother LIKES his pronounced brow.

I didn't say he doesn't like his browridges - they are a useful adaptation, protecting the eyes from fireballs of ether emitting from carburators.

 

[edthedawg]

szmaine,

it's actually not at all uncommon for closing down the primary a bit to show increased stovetop temps. I get the best heat from the Heritage w/ it at the 1/4-open point.

And I use a flue damper, too. But even with that, you couldn't really "shut it down" if there's a chimney fire (tho there are various ideas on that topic). The best thing to do is know you're burning cleanly - a hot fire every day, if not a hot start to every re-load. Burn clean and never worry about it

What's your stack height & dia? Where are you measuring temps? stovetop? flue pipe? flue internal?

We can help refine your burn practices once we know more about your setup, and then discuss more about your loading & settings.

hope this helps!

 

[firefighterjake]

Hey there Szmaine . . . where did you buy your Oslo if I might ask?

A few random thoughts . . .

Oh oh oh . . . I remember well the first time I fired up the Oslo and saw my first secondary action . . . if I remember correctly I may have actually chortled in joy . . . and it's not often that I chortle. I was thrilled and enthralled . . . and a bit scared since it looked as though I had unleased the fires of Hell in my brand new stove . . . don't worry . . . you'll get used to it in time . . . but the thrill of seeing that secondary action never is diminished.

As Ed mentioned it's pretty common to see the stove top temps rise a bit when you start cutting back on the air . . . not a big deal . . . I tend to give myself 50-100 degree leeway . . . in other words if I want a "cooler" fire I'll keep in mind that the temp may rise 50-100 degrees and so I may start to cut back on the air when the stove top is at 350-400 . . . and if I want to really pour the proverbial coals on . . . I'll let the stove top get up to 450-500 before cutting back the air. I've found that typically the stove top temp will rise a bit . . . or sometimes not rise at all . . . and usually after the temp rises and stabilizes it pretty much stays the same . . . before it starts dropping again . . . in other words . . . usually it doesn't continue to rise to thermo-nuclear levels.

If you don't have a flue thermometer to go along with your stove top thermometer I would encourage you to get one . . . and I would also suggest checking these thermometers to see if the readings are in the ballpark . . . some stove thermometers can give some pretty wild readings while others are close enough. I've found that for me pesonally, having both a stove top thermometer and flue thermometer helps me keep things in the safe zone . . . safe for not producing creosote, safe for not having a chimney fire, safe for not over-firing . . . and it has aided me in knowing when I should start to close down the air and when I should open up the air a bit more.

Cruising temps . . . for me the Oslo tends to like bopping along at 400-600 . . . when it's wicked cold outside I'll tend to have it running at 500-550 normally with the stove top temp (right rear corner -- the place where the stove tends to get the hottest in my case . . . which reminds me . . . I've found there can be some discrepancy in the stove top temps depending on where you have the thermometer.) 500 degrees is in the hakuna matata territory . . . over 600 degrees is when you should perhaps start to worry a bit.

Loading . . . I typically only load up 60-75% of the firebox . . . usually a little more than the height of the firebrick in the back of the Oslo . . . leaving 2-4 inches of air space in the top. I tend to get good secondaries this way, don't bash the baffles and I still get decent burns time-wise . . . and no out of control fires.

Part of the temp issue is the wood . . . the good news is that it sounds as though you have some well seasoned wood . . . which is good . . . I've found that species of the wood can make a difference (i.e. burning lots of softwood vs. burning hardwood) . . . but more importantly even is how seasoned the wood is and the size of the wood. If you want to burn a really hot fire, load small softwood slabs or kindling that has been seasoned for over a year . . . not that I recommend doing this I should add.

Avoiding chimney fires . . . Edthedawg said it best . . . burn clean and never worry about it. The key here is to burn well seasoned wood, burn hot enough in the flue and let the woodstove cycle up and down . . . and of course to check the chimney frequently and clean when necessary. However, if worse comes to worse, you can do a search and find a ton of threads on what to do with a chimney fire.

 

[szmaine]

Thanks to all for the fast, very helpful and soothing replies.

Was hoping you'd chime in, FirefighterJake - as I know you love your Oslo and have put ALOT of thought into it's operation.
I bought it at Evergreen back in Aug. We chatted breifly then when I was making my extremely un-UL listed hearthpad/extension out of recycled tin ceiling (came out not so bad -if I do say).

Ok- I love to have control over the situation. We have a Rutland magnetic thermometer on the top right corner (seems that most of the acitve flames are over there - made me wonder if that is where the 2ndary air is) - so do you mean I should get another for the chimney pipe or one of those fancier types that many here mention?
A possible problem for use? - we only have maybe three feet (tops) of stove pipe showing - it is a hearth mount with direct connect to SSLiner (25 ft connected by 2- 45 deg angle with super short double male length in between). Anyway would measuring the temp of that small run of pipe actually mean anythying?

We have a real hodge podge of wood: elm (standing dead cut this summer), black locust (had 2 yrs but split this year), and a variety of other hardwood seasoned 2 ys but rained on alot this yr. I can see some is too wet = shooting jets of steam, and I suppose that why I am having to leave the door open a crack for an awfully long time to get it really going. I'd really like one of those moisture meters so I can show my husband (otherwise know here as "He-Who-Loves-Big-Brows") that wood can't dry much if it not split.

Thanks so much for the excellent description of the way you load and determine when to start backing off. That just what I needed to know and I've printed it out to keep handy.

Yes, the secondary burn is trippy - I couldn't take my eyes off it last night - a bed of coals glowing like lava with not one little flicker of flame but a thin stream of blue shooting up to a mushroom cloud of swirling blue and orange, like some here say - "northern lights" - yep, I definetly think it must be love.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Uh, I read somewhere that if you wanna cut the air off on the OSLO, shut the draft lever off and then shove some NON-combustible into the secondary intake at the bottom rear of the stove....that's what I'm prepared to do should the situation ever arise.

Brad

 

[semipro]

Uh, I read somewhere that if you wanna cut the air off on the OSLO, shut the draft lever off and then shove some NON-combustible into the secondary intake at the bottom rear of the stove....that's what I'm prepared to do should the situation ever arise.

Brad

I'm not sure but I believe that this 3" dia. hole that Brad mentioned is the only air intake. Before I installed my stove I tried to identify air inlets and this was the only one I could find. If there are other I'd love to know about them. It looks like air entering this hole splits off immediately; some controlled by the primary air lever and the another channel feeding the burn tubes.

 

[szmaine]

Uh, I read somewhere that if you wanna cut the air off on the OSLO, shut the draft lever off and then shove some NON-combustible into the secondary intake at the bottom rear of the stove....that's what I'm prepared to do should the situation ever arise.

Brad

I'm not sure but I believe that this 3" dia. hole that Brad mentioned is the only air intake. Before I installed my stove I tried to identify air inlets and this was the only one I could find. If there are other I'd love to know about them. It looks like air entering this hole splits off immediately; some controlled by the primary air lever and the another channel feeding the burn tubes.

Oh! Excellent! Thanks.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Indeed, under an emergency situation I'm thinking of shoving some insulation in that secondary air inlet, good to have a piece handy in the wood box or something I presume.

 

[gibson]

I have the 550 insert which has the same air control. From what I hear of others having to jump through hoops with pipe dampers and draft issues, this has to be the best example of keeping it simple. That air control flat out works. I have had 800+ stove temps and shut her down and put the fan on high and she came back down to 600 within a few minutes. Yet she will cruise at 450 for a few hours with the air shut down. You have a great stove. Enjoy.

 

[branchburner]

I am having to leave the door open a crack for an awfully long time to get it really going

Just be careful not to walk away and forget - instead of a job well done you'll have a Jotul well done.

 

[firefighterjake]

Thanks to all for the fast, very helpful and soothing replies.

Was hoping you'd chime in, FirefighterJake - as I know you love your Oslo and have put ALOT of thought into it's operation.
I bought it at Evergreen back in Aug. We chatted breifly then when I was making my extremely un-UL listed hearthpad/extension out of recycled tin ceiling (came out not so bad -if I do say).

Ok- I love to have control over the situation. We have a Rutland magnetic thermometer on the top right corner (seems that most of the acitve flames are over there - made me wonder if that is where the 2ndary air is) - so do you mean I should get another for the chimney pipe or one of those fancier types that many here mention?
A possible problem for use? - we only have maybe three feet (tops) of stove pipe showing - it is a hearth mount with direct connect to SSLiner (25 ft connected by 2- 45 deg angle with super short double male length in between). Anyway would measuring the temp of that small run of pipe actually mean anythying?

We have a real hodge podge of wood: elm (standing dead cut this summer), black locust (had 2 yrs but split this year), and a variety of other hardwood seasoned 2 ys but rained on alot this yr. I can see some is too wet = shooting jets of steam, and I suppose that why I am having to leave the door open a crack for an awfully long time to get it really going. I'd really like one of those moisture meters so I can show my husband (otherwise know here as "He-Who-Loves-Big-Brows") that wood can't dry much if it not split.

Thanks so much for the excellent description of the way you load and determine when to start backing off. That just what I needed to know and I've printed it out to keep handy.

Yes, the secondary burn is trippy - I couldn't take my eyes off it last night - a bed of coals glowing like lava with not one little flicker of flame but a thin stream of blue shooting up to a mushroom cloud of swirling blue and orange, like some here say - "northern lights" - yep, I definetly think it must be love.

No problem SZ . . . I am glad to have possibly helped you . . . the advice I offered should not be intended to read as a end-all, be-all . . . it's just what has worked for me and what I have discovered through personal use.

Northern Lights . . . ah yes . . . they're very mesmerizing . . . the propane torch effect with blue jets streaming out and the Bowels of Hell effect are neat . . . but I think I like the spontaneous burst of flame most of all.

Wet wood . . . what, it rained where you were this Summer? Yeah, so much for June and July . . . not the best year for seasoning wood or gardening . . . or just being outside. The good news is it sounds like your wood is probably OK . . . ideally the wood should have been split for a year, but hey, new install and life in general . . . you've got to play the cards you're dealt, right? Sometimes I get a piece or two of wood that is still less than optimal . .. experience has shown me that if I put this on an established fire (or coals) the moisture will cook out . . . sometimes I need to keep the door open a bit to get things up and running.

Wood species . . . elm is a great wood . . . as long as you don't have to split it by hand . . . and if it's dead dead. Last year I saw a huge difference in elm -- the wood that was standing dead with the bark falling off split up and burned like a dream, but the elm that was standing dead with the bark still on it split up stringy and didn't burn so well as it was still unseasoned.

Evergreen . . . I love these guys . . . fantastic place . . . and wicked good people who know their stuff. I was sad to see them leave Bangor . . . but happy to see they've opened a shop in Brewer (along with their Ellsworth store). I believe Jim will be coming up (or over) for our Open House at the Fire Department in fact on the 31st of this month . . . if you're up this way, stop on by the Central Fire Station on Main Street to say hi to me . . . or Jim.

Hearthpad . . . sounds like the pad turned out OK . . . did you end up taking pictures and posting them here . . . you know we love stove pornography right . . . pictures of stoves and hearthpads just make our hearts go all a-twitter.

Placement of stove top thermometer . . . for me personally I have found the consistently hottest part on the stove top to be the right rear . . . I've shot the stove top (and everything else emitting any heat . . . including my wife) with an IR heat gun and found the hottest point to be there . . . I've also discovered my Condar thermometer (bought at the local True Value Hardware store) to be pretty close in temperature readings when compared to the IR gun.

Flue thermometer . . . I'm a big proponent of these . . . for me they let me know when I can start adjusting the air control and dialing it back down without causing the temps in the flue to get too cool (and produce creosote). Most (magnetic and probe type for double wall pipe) flue thermometers recommend being placed 18 inches or so above the stove collar . . . based on your description I'm not sure if that would work for you or not.

 

[ansehnlich1]

I don't time how long I keep my side door open on a startup or reload on top of hot coals, what I do is this. I too keep my thermometer on the right rear of my Oslo. When that thermometer reaches 200+ I can usually close the door and the fire will grab ahold, sometimes I let that thermometer go to 300 then close the door. At 300 it's guaranteed to take off.

I've had no warped grates. I don't open the ash door and let 'er roar, that'll mess things up for sure

One thing I've learned, it's better to rake the coals in such a manner that there is a front to back "valley" created in front of the air inlet so as to allow fresh logs to lay across it and not DIRECTLY in front of the 3 air inlet holes. This lets air circulate under the reload and helps things get fired up easier.

 

[szmaine]

]. . . the advice I offered should not be intended to read as a end-all, be-all . . . it's just what has worked for me and what I have discovered through personal use.
[/quote
Oh, I see... the fine print....too late! I have a hard copy of the post, you're a fireman and I know where to find you.

Wet wood . . . what, it rained where you were this Summer? Yeah, so much for June and July . . . not the best year for seasoning wood or gardening . . . or just being outside. The good news is it sounds like your wood is probably OK . . . ideally the wood should have been split for a year, but hey, new install and life in general . . . you've got to play the cards you're dealt, right? Sometimes I get a piece or two of wood that is still less than optimal . .. experience has shown me that if I put this on an established fire (or coals) the moisture will cook out . . . sometimes I need to keep the door open a bit to get things up and running.

Yes, it's not too bad - some wet-ish, some very good - but I plan to help split some it smaller, keep a little extra in the house to dry up. But, we've just doing the breakin fires and so starting cold each time. Last night we did a "real" fire and had some morning coals - it was MUCH faster to get going - so i am much encouraged.

Hearthpad . . . sounds like the pad turned out OK . . . did you end up taking pictures and posting them here . . . you know we love stove pornography right . . . pictures of stoves and hearthpads just make our hearts go all a-twitter.

I'll take some pic - don't know how to get them in here but will try.


Flue thermometer . . . I'm a big proponent of these . . . for me they let me know when I can start adjusting the air control and dialing it back down without causing the temps in the flue to get too cool (and produce creosote). Most (magnetic and probe type for double wall pipe) flue thermometers recommend being placed 18 inches or so above the stove collar . . . based on your description I'm not sure if that would work for you or not.

Yeah - I don't think that is gonna work for us. I'm lousy at quessing measurements - the exposed pipe is even less than I thought.
But I like hearing all the possible details .
I'll try to pop into the open house - if I can rememeber...

 

[szmaine]

One thing I've learned, it's better to rake the coals in such a manner that there is a front to back "valley" created in front of the air inlet so as to allow fresh logs to lay across it and not DIRECTLY in front of the 3 air inlet holes. This lets air circulate under the reload and helps things get fired up easier.[/quote]

Make sense - thanks, I'll try it. I remember reading somewhere here that someone said build the fire in the shape of a cave
around the air supply which also makes sense nbut I can't really see how given the lenght of the wood...