Newbe! Jotul F3 CB Questions

[FireRod]

Hi everybody,
I just purchased a Jotul F3 CB to replace my Vogelzang Boxwood Stove. I thought when I bought this stove that I had the option to vent from either the top, back or side. As it is the stove can only be vented through the top. After removing the heat shields from the back of the stove the back wall of the stove has a casting for the chimney hole but it is molded into the back plate and can not come out. If I use two 90° elbows, where can they be (near the stove or away towards the top)? Right now my chimney goes straight up through the ceiling.

My next question has to do with the previous owner painting the stove with Rust-oleum stove paint. The paint job is real bad. Should I burn this off before I bring the stove in my house or/and can I give it another coat to make the finish look better or should I use a different paint made for this stove?

Last question! How can I find out how old this stove is? The seller said they bought this stove about 10 years ago.

 

[begreen]

The rear port is a knock out. But you need to remove the smoke outlet cover and traverse bar that holds it in order to plug the top hole. If the stove didn't come with it perhaps you can get one from the dealer? Instructions for flue collar reversing are on pages 4 & 5 in the manual.

If you want to top vent, use a pair of 45's to create that. Add a short connector in between if necessary to get the correct amount offset.

 

[FireRod]

That's a great suggestion for my chimney, thanks! As far as the knockout, as per the pic, I don't think that can be knocked out.

Do you have any suggestions about the paint for this stove?

 

[begreen]

It can be knocked out. I did it on our F3CB. The process is intimidating, especially on a brand new stove, but can be done. You do it from the inside out. It is scored on the inside into pie slices.

I have no idea how well the Rustoleum will stand up, but would be leery of applying another brand on top. They may not be compatible. You could wipe off the paint with a solvent or steel wool out the rough spots and give it another coat with the same paint. Normally most folks use StoveBrite paint for stoves, but that is acetone based and likely not compatible for a recoat of the Rustoleum.

 

[FireRod]

I think I'm going to go with the 45° chimney, I'm guessing if I knock out the back plate I'll be spending more money for a cook plate to cover up the top hole and other hardware too.

I did fire up the stove outside yesterday, so today I'll use some steel wool and sanding where necessary and apply another coat.

In you opinion, how much less wood do you think I'll burn compared to my old Vogelzang boxwood stove?

 

[FireRod]

How can I find out how old my stove is?

 

[begreen]

It's hard to predict how much wood you will use. This will depend on how frequent and long the stove is run and the quality of the wood. Unlike the box stove the F3CB is going to want dry, well seasoned fuel. Ask your local Jotul rep for the age of the stove based on the serial number. I suspect the seller was being honest with you. I think the F3CB first came out about 10-12 years ago.

 

[FireRod]

I just found on Jotul's website a page to identify older wood stoves. The F3 CB with the curved handle started production in 1995. Mine could be a newer model, I'll have to try to get in touch with Jotul.

 

[begreen]

There you have it. Jotul will be your best bet.

 

[wahoowad]

In you opinion, how much less wood do you think I'll burn compared to my old Vogelzang boxwood stove?

Depends on how hard you run your stove. If it is deep winter and you reload it back to back to maximize heat output you will get about 3 to 4 hours per load. A load will be 3 to 4 medium/small splits. How does that compare to your old Vogelzang?

 

[FireRod]

I'm a little confused! Jotul claims a 5-7 hour burn time with this model. Even so, with wood at 20-24 inches the burn time is probably 2-3 hours. The BTUs are much higher with the Vogelzang but the stove loses it's heat much faster. The Vogelzang weights 126 pounds compare to 265 for the F3. Just doing a burn outside I was amazed with how long just a few pieces of kindling and scraps took to burn.

 

[wahoowad]

I'm a little confused! Jotul claims a 5-7 hour burn time with this model. Even so, with wood at 20-24 inches the burn time is probably 2-3 hours.

Yes, your 3CB will put out some heat for 5 to 7 hours but it will just be a pile of coals after 3 to 3.5 hours. This may be adequate in shoulder season when you don't need lots of heat. My 3CB will still have enough coals to start a fire the next morning if I stuff a good load of hardwoods after 10 PM, but the heat output of the stove starts to drop quickly after 4 hours or so. In real cold weather I have to reload it after 3 to 4 hours to keep it in the good output range. It is pretty much a function of the smallish size of the firebox. A bigger one would hold more fuel.

Many think of this stove as a good one for casual burners, and on the small side for primary heating because it just doesn't hold enough wood for longer burns. But it may prove perfectly adequate for heating your overall house depending on your floorplan. My stove is in a bonus room and the doorway/ceiling height prohibit good heatflow to the rest of the house. My bonus/family room stays toasty but the stove does a poor job keeping the rest of the house warm. My neighbor has the same house except no bonus room. He has an even smaller Jotul stove yet it keeps his whole house warm because the heat can flow to other first floor rooms and also flow upstairs. And then yet another neighbor went with the Castine (1 size up from 3CB I think) and it does well for him.

 

[begreen]

I'm a little confused! Jotul claims a 5-7 hour burn time with this model.

Marketing. Burning softwood I think I only got an overnight burn a few times with the F3CB. It is a small stove. The firebox capacity is something like 1 cu ft. I think you will find it will match the box stove for heat output. It's a willing heater with a lot less heat is going up the flue. But in cold weather you may be refilling it every few hours.

 

[FireRod]

Great stuff guys!

My house is only 900 sq. ft., cinder block with a stucco finish, one floor with a full basement built in 1945. A larger stove seemed like it would be too much heat. This Jotul F3 will definitely be an improvement from my old stove. My biggest fear was I would have a stove that would put out too much heat. If this jotul F3 doesn't do the job then I'll think of upgrading to a larger stove next year. Running a wood stove as much as I can with an oil furnace as my main source of heat saves me at least one full tank of oil a year. So even when I would burn two cords of wood with my old stove I was still saving $800 minus the cost of wood. Still in all I think I will do better with this stove rather than my old one.

 

[begreen]

Keep us posted. It may work well for you. This will depend though on how quickly heat leaves the building. Is it insulated?

If this doesn't work out, consider getting a small catalytic stove like a BK Sirocco 20 or Woodstock Keystone. They can burn low and slow, but be turned up when you need heat.

 

[FireRod]

WOW! They have incredible burn times. I thought I had made a good choice. If this doesn't work out I'll have to re-think this!

 

[2biker]

Hey Firerod,
I got a 3CB in my family room, which is 18' x18' with a 14' ceiling. During the winter, it'll keep the lower floor comfortable as long as the outside temp is above 32 degrees. A paddle fan in the rooms helps big time to keep the heat away from the high ceiling. When the outside temp is below freezing, I have to supplement the heat with the furnace. Last winter, which was pretty harsh, I had to burn 24/7. I went through about 4.5 chords. This stove is extremely efficient. It likes small dry wood. Big splits are tuff to load due to the smoke shelf. But once you learn how to breathe to stove, you'll like the burn times. Load it up before you go to bed, and you will be able to re-fire in the AM. The only down side is the small ash pan, which really needs to be empty every 24 hours. As long as I only burn hardwoods, I only need 1 chimney sweep per season. If this is you first cast iron stove, it will retain heat a lot longer than a steel stove.

 

[FireRod]

I do run my stove with a small fan along side of the stove on the floor as well as the ceiling fan.

How do you guys keep the glass clean and what is the best way to clean it?

 

[begreen]

Burn the stove properly with dry wood and it will do a pretty good job of keeping the glass clean.

 

[2biker]

I usually spray the window with Windex and use a paper towels. Wet wood and reduced air inflow will occlude the glass. But as the stove heats up, usually the glass cleans up on it own. It is usually a gray dusty film that wipes off with any window glass cleaner. Sometimes, I've used a razor blade as a scraper without any glass damage.

 

[FireRod]

Thanks Guys for all the help, I'll keep you posted with my results.

 

[begreen]

A hot fire will usually clean up the glass pretty well. If it is consistently blackened, there may be something wrong with the burning, the wood or the stove. The easiest to find glass cleaner is wood ash. To clean the ceramic glass, dampen a paper towel and then dip it in the wood ash. Scrub off the build up, then wipe clean with a clean damp paper towel.

 

[FireRod]

Thanks again, Nice tip!