Preferred log lengths for Jotul F100 AND F500 Oslo?

[tmlee]

Hello all,

First posting here.... I just purchased two stoves, a Jotul F100 and a F500 Oslo, with both being delivered in two days. We have always had a fireplace in the house but decided to add the wood stoves to actualy get heat from the firewood (and cut way back on the heating oil!).

I will be ordering firewood in the next few days and wonder what lenghts you prefer? The F100 manual says 16" max, and the F500 says 22" max. The local wood guy I have been buying from for years cuts from 12"-24".

What are your preferred lengths? Pros/cons of different lenghts for each of the stoves?

Thanks for your input!

-Terry
Rhode Island

 

[BrotherBart]

I will let BeGreen speak to the Oslo but as to the F100 15" is pretty much it for that little puppy. And small splits so you can arrange them and pack'em. It is a sweet little stove but a tiny firebox with short but beautiful burns.

 

[gyrfalcon]

Hello all,

First posting here.... I just purchased two stoves, a Jotul F100 and a F500 Oslo, with both being delivered in two days. We have always had a fireplace in the house but decided to add the wood stoves to actualy get heat from the firewood (and cut way back on the heating oil!).

I will be ordering firewood in the next few days and wonder what lenghts you prefer? The F100 manual says 16" max, and the F500 says 22" max. The local wood guy I have been buying from for years cuts from 12"-24".

What are your preferred lengths? Pros/cons of different lenghts for each of the stoves?

Thanks for your input!

-Terry
Rhode Island

Don't know either stove personally, but from my experience with mine, the log length specified in the manual is completely wrong. It says 16 inches, and yeah, you can get one, maybe two medium splits through the front-loading door of that length, but that's it.

Next time I buy a stove, I will take some splits to the dealer and find out whether they fit through the door or not. If it's a side-loader, you can probably trust the specs, more or less, but a front or top-loader is totally going to depend on the dimensions of the opening, not the firebox itself.

Also, when you get your wood c/s/d, you won't get anywhere near 100 percent the legnth you specify. Some will be shorter and some will be longer. So ask for wood an inch or two shorter than what you can easily get in the door of the stove so you don't end up with a lot of splits you can't use at all.

Be warned! I only barely escaped ordering up a couple cords of 16-inch firewood before I discovered at the last minute that it wouldn't fit.

 

[grommal]

Hello all,

First posting here.... I just purchased two stoves, a Jotul F100 and a F500 Oslo, with both being delivered in two days. We have always had a fireplace in the house but decided to add the wood stoves to actualy get heat from the firewood (and cut way back on the heating oil!).

I will be ordering firewood in the next few days and wonder what lenghts you prefer? The F100 manual says 16" max, and the F500 says 22" max. The local wood guy I have been buying from for years cuts from 12"-24".

What are your preferred lengths? Pros/cons of different lenghts for each of the stoves?

Thanks for your input!

-Terry
Rhode Island

Don't know either stove personally, but from my experience with mine, the log length specified in the manual is completely wrong. It says 16 inches, and yeah, you can get one, maybe two medium splits through the front-loading door of that length, but that's it.

Next time I buy a stove, I will take some splits to the dealer and find out whether they fit through the door or not. If it's a side-loader, you can probably trust the specs, more or less, but a front or top-loader is totally going to depend on the dimensions of the opening, not the firebox itself.

Also, when you get your wood c/s/d, you won't get anywhere near 100 percent the legnth you specify. Some will be shorter and some will be longer. So ask for wood an inch or two shorter than what you can easily get in the door of the stove so you don't end up with a lot of splits you can't use at all.

Be warned! I only barely escaped ordering up a couple cords of 16-inch firewood before I discovered at the last minute that it wouldn't fit.

I have an Oslo. 22" splits fit in with room to spare, and can be placed at the extreme front or back of the firebox (it tapers a bit at the corners), which is why I think they specify that as the max. In the middle of the firebox, 23 fits easily, and 24 is just about the limit. I had a bunch of scrounged wood last season that was already cut and I just had to split, and it was cut to all kinds of lengths, so I experimented in the off-season as I was splitting.

If I had my choice for length, I'd go with 20-22 for the Oslo. That way, you'd get a nice full firebox but still have a little breathing room in case the splits get caught on each other when loading (I side load), and don't easily slide all the way in. Also, for side loading, if you pack the firebox full of splits that are right up against the side door when you close it, you get some ash spill when you open the side door (which is not a problem with the side door if there's an inch of space between the door and splits). When I buy wood from my usual supplier, I let him use his standard 18" length because of the way he has is truck bed set up and the way he loads. I'd actually get less wood per cord if I went longer with him.

 

[firefighterjake]

For my Oslo . . . 18-20 inches . . . I'm not OCD about the size of my wood though so if a few are shorter or just a wee bit longer I don't lose sleep at night. I like them between 18 and 20 inches though since I've found that when they're this length I don't have to worry about the wood not fitting so well due to coals or ash being built up at the far end of the firebox and not allowing the longer pieces to fit in easily enough . . . still plenty of heat and burn time with 18-20 inch wood.

 

[tmlee]

Thanks for the quick replies! The stoves arrive tomorrow.

-Terry

 

[nelraq]

Last winter I processed a logging truck full of wood - got 19+ cords! I pondered re. the lenght for qjite awhile, and finally decided on 21". This length works well for the Oslo. The 21'' wood fits nicely in the firebox, and is just long enough to "bridge" the window opening. This prevents the splits from rolling forward onto the glass.

In hindsight, I wish that I had cut a few cords (of the smaller logs) at about 12". This would allow stacking a row in the North/South direction in the stove. This may help in getting the stubborn "cold start" fires going a little faster.

I am sure that you will like your Jotul stoves. They are well built, nice looking units that throw a lot of heat!

 

[tmlee]

Well the stoves are here! Both the F500 Oslo and the F100 arrived looking in perfect condition, plus a whole pile of chimney pipe, etc.

I measured the door openings and fireboxes for size. The Oslo door measures 18"wx9.5"h, firebox 24"w x 11"d. The F100 door measures 14.75"w x 7.75"h, firebox 16.5"w x 9"d.

I guess I'll look for 18-20" wood for the Oslo and 12-14" for the F100. (Plus/minus some, I am not that anal!) Sound reasonable?

Thanks again for the replies.

-Terry

 

[gyrfalcon]

Well the stoves are here! Both the F500 Oslo and the F100 arrived looking in perfect condition, plus a whole pile of chimney pipe, etc.

I measured the door openings and fireboxes for size. The Oslo door measures 18"wx9.5"h, firebox 24"w x 11"d. The F100 door measures 14.75"w x 7.75"h, firebox 16.5"w x 9"d.

I guess I'll look for 18-20" wood for the Oslo and 12-14" for the F100. (Plus/minus some, I am not that anal!) Sound reasonable?

Thanks again for the replies.

-Terry

If you're buying your firewood cut to order, especially using a particular supplier for the first time before you and he get to know each other, it's asking for trouble to give him a range. You'll get a range anyway, and he assumes you know that, so giving a range of lengths can sound to some guys like you don't give a darn what size it is.

Also, my firebox is 16 x 11, my front door opening is 12 x 8. I can get a very big 14-inch split in there for overnights with no problem. I'd suggest you ask for 14-inchers for your F100. You are, though going to need the wood split down more than usual in order to fill up that smaller box, so either ask for that or be prepared to do it yourself.

On the Oslo, I'd go for the 20. Even with that, you're going to have 4 inches of empty space in there that's not so easy to fill. But depending on your climate and the space you're heating, that may not be a big deal.

Have fun!

 

[firefighterjake]

Well the stoves are here! Both the F500 Oslo and the F100 arrived looking in perfect condition, plus a whole pile of chimney pipe, etc.

I measured the door openings and fireboxes for size. The Oslo door measures 18"wx9.5"h, firebox 24"w x 11"d. The F100 door measures 14.75"w x 7.75"h, firebox 16.5"w x 9"d.

I guess I'll look for 18-20" wood for the Oslo and 12-14" for the F100. (Plus/minus some, I am not that anal!) Sound reasonable?

Thanks again for the replies.

-Terry

Sounds good to me . . . I am still of the mind that I would rather be able to easily fit in my splits each and every time vs. worrying about filling up as much space as possible in the firebox with a few extra inches.