I've had an Oslo F 500 for a few years and have never been able to get good draft or heat from it. I know we're not suppose to leave ash pit door open to start stove, but I have to at times to get fire to start burning. I have a 25 to 30 foot 9"x12" flue chimney with only one elbow from metal 6" pipe going through the hearth wall. I had to run the wood stove into the same flue which has my cold start oil furnace in the basement below my woodstove. I noticed that this coldstart has a damper in its exhaust pipe that stays partially open... Could this be possibly interfering with good draft. When I open the ash pit door on wood stove it draws like a jet engine. .. Very disappointed with this stove. My wood is very well seasoned hardwood.
Oslo F500 - Poor burn
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Yes, it could be diluting the draft and is in part why in almost all other states the wood stove needs a dedicated chimney. This is not a stove problem, it is a chimney issue. The chimney cross section is also too large for the stove. Read the manual. With a proper chimney the stove will perform much better. You risk severe damage to the stove by continuing to use the ash pan door for starting.
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If your wood is good, without a doubt, it's all in the chimney set up you have.
A. Chimney is too big to create and maintain a proper draft / pull to keep the stove running well. Says in the manual that it's designed for a 6" flu.
B. Sharing this flu with the furnace is a big NO for several reasons. Poor draft and CO poisoning are the main ones.
I would do what you can to get the stove exhausting like it was designed for and in a way that meets code and I bet you'll see significantly better performance out of it.
A. Chimney is too big to create and maintain a proper draft / pull to keep the stove running well. Says in the manual that it's designed for a 6" flu.
B. Sharing this flu with the furnace is a big NO for several reasons. Poor draft and CO poisoning are the main ones.
I would do what you can to get the stove exhausting like it was designed for and in a way that meets code and I bet you'll see significantly better performance out of it.
I should point out that Maine allows the sharing of a single flue with solid fuel burners . . . not that it is right . . . but it is allowed.
That said . . . I suspect you would see a world of difference if you had this stove hooked into a 6 inch liner . . . or were to set up the install in another manner . . . I have about the same run with Class A pipe . . . and sometimes the draft is too much . . . the ash pan door is never needed.
That said . . . I suspect you would see a world of difference if you had this stove hooked into a 6 inch liner . . . or were to set up the install in another manner . . . I have about the same run with Class A pipe . . . and sometimes the draft is too much . . . the ash pan door is never needed.
Yes, I remembered Maine being an exception, though the stove manual should trump that. The stove is not installed per mfg. directions.
Thanks for the helpful advice... I will eventually work on isolating a single flue for woodstove. I'm considering a propane hot water boiler and venting it out the sill, as I guess they say you can.. My oil fired furnace is getting along in age. This will ultimately leave me with a 12" by 9" chimney for wood stove.
I think you would still want a liner in the chimney for best results with the wood stove.
We had the oslo dumping into a 9x12 masonry outside chimney. It ran, but not great. Re did the chimney this year with 6" insulated class A pipe. Runs like a whole new stove now. Well worth it. A liner would accomplish the same thing but we had other issues going on.
The chimney is inside, block with 9" by 12" masonry liner... It runs down an inside corner, hidden until it hits the basement. I tap into it on the 1st floor by running the thimble through a brick hearth. I may temporarily shut oil furnace down, pull its stove pipe and put block in hole to see how that improves burn and draft. I'd check it out and reconnect pipe for furnace until I come up with a change in this boiler. Too cold up here in Maine to play around with modifications this winter.
Sounds like a start. IF you still need to crack open a door, use the side door instead of the ash pan door, doesn't work as well but won't damage the stove either.
I've read in here of people over heating the area around the ash grate and cracking (I think that's what happened) the stove.
I've read in here of people over heating the area around the ash grate and cracking (I think that's what happened) the stove.
The chimney should have a 6" round stainless steel liner to match the flue requirements for the stove. The boiler may be able to power-vent in order to take it off of the chimney. Or put up a new chimney for the stove and leave the boiler on the existing chimney.
Gue
In my own home I didn't have a chimney . . . went with an exterior Class A for the woodstove. Propane water heater has a power vent out the side of the house that has worked flawlessly for many years now (although I hate the cost of propane). The oil fired boiler also has a vent out the side of the house that has worked quite well . . . and fortunately both vents are high enough that the high levels of snow haven't bothered.
I should also ask . . . since I would be remiss if I didn't ask . . . you said the wood is definitely seasoned. How did you determine the wood was seasoned -- cut, split and stacked for a year or two? Moisture meter? Bought off a dealer who said it was seasoned? Not to sound jaded, but sometimes, oftentimes, the wood is the culprit for bad burning . . . although truthfully in this case I suspect a large part of the issue, if not the issue, is a draft issue.
As mentioned the Oslo -- and most stoves -- do best with a 6 inch chimney, flue, etc. vs. a larger opening. Best way I can explain it is that sucking soda while using a straw is much, much easier than sucking up the same soda with a similar length of garden hose. It can be done . . . but you have to really work at it with that garden hose.
In my own home I didn't have a chimney . . . went with an exterior Class A for the woodstove. Propane water heater has a power vent out the side of the house that has worked flawlessly for many years now (although I hate the cost of propane). The oil fired boiler also has a vent out the side of the house that has worked quite well . . . and fortunately both vents are high enough that the high levels of snow haven't bothered.
I should also ask . . . since I would be remiss if I didn't ask . . . you said the wood is definitely seasoned. How did you determine the wood was seasoned -- cut, split and stacked for a year or two? Moisture meter? Bought off a dealer who said it was seasoned? Not to sound jaded, but sometimes, oftentimes, the wood is the culprit for bad burning . . . although truthfully in this case I suspect a large part of the issue, if not the issue, is a draft issue.
As mentioned the Oslo -- and most stoves -- do best with a 6 inch chimney, flue, etc. vs. a larger opening. Best way I can explain it is that sucking soda while using a straw is much, much easier than sucking up the same soda with a similar length of garden hose. It can be done . . . but you have to really work at it with that garden hose.
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