New stove owner burns out Jotul F118 Black Bear; seeks advice

[2oldvolvos]

Dear Hearth.com,
(Refer to accompanying images.)

I installed this new Jotul F188 CB Black Bear in the winter of 2010. In seven seasons in upstate NY, I averaged about 7 face cords per year of seasoned hardwoods. I have enjoyed the Black Bear and have been happy with the way its design has fit my application.

I have monitored the stove temperature using a Rutland burn indicator magnetically attached to the upper sideplate. Rarely have I exceeded the burn zone of 550. I have never observed the stove glowing and all black paint is intact.

However, I have discovered that I have destroyed the baffle and the insulating blanket. In addition, I can observe some small cracks in the left and right burn plates.

This is my first experience with a wood burning stove and frankly I do not know what to expect in terms of maintenance and stove performance. I will definitely replace the baffle and the insulating blanket before next season. I am hoping for some advice from this forum that would answer some or all of the following questions:

Q1: Do I need to replace the left and right burn plates? The cracks are hairline at this point.
Q2: Do I need to run my stove at a much lower temperature? I was not expecting to burn out the stove components in 7 seasons even though I have not babied it. I was under the impression that I should be able to operate the stove in the “burn zone” for many years without causing damage.
Q3: any other advice or opinions concerning my situation and/or the Jotul F188 will be appreciated.

Thank you.
Dan, Rochester, NY

 

[begreen]

Jotul recommends the thermometer be placed on the top plate, not the side. That might have alerted you to the trouble earlier. That baffle has been degrading for more than just the past season. It looks like air may have leaked underneath it. Have you closely examined the secondary rack for warpage and leakage or tube rupture? The stove looks due for a complete rebuild including the warped side plates and possibly with a new secondary rack. When the side plates start warping like that, they don't last much longer.

I like most Jotuls and really like the original F118, but the early F118CB is not their best. The secondary rack was poorly designed and frequently warped and leaked causing cascading failures like this case. Also, the baffle can be knocked out of position by overloading which can cause problems. In 2012 Jotul did make some changes to the design and I believe now offers a lifetime warranty for the baffle. You might want to talk to your dealer and see if Jotul has any sort of customer warranty for the updating early design. This thread has more info:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/updated-jotul-f118cb-information.149909/

 

[Squirrely]

Jotul recommends the thermometer be placed on the top plate, not the side.

That's at least one contributing factor. My stove can be 700 on the top and 350 on the side. A laser thermometer really helps because you can sample temps from any location on the stove to get a better idea of what's going on.

 

[moresnow]

Excellent taste in beer