Hey guys my name is Mark. I'm new to the forum and I'm new to the world of wood burning. I'm 26 I recently purchased my first home back in April. The house came equipped with a Jøtul C450 I waited till I got it all cleaned out before I fired it up. The guy next door has been burning for years so he's been helping me out on showing me some stuff. I'm a little curious if anyone on this forum has this stove and could give me some tips on how to get a long burn, how often should I run The air valve all the way open? Please treat me like I know absolutely nothing I wanna know whatever I can
The new guy
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First thing, before you run that stove at all, have you had the chimney cleaned, and the stove / chimney and connections inspected by a pro? If not, that gets done as the # 1 priority.
Next, once you are sure this is fit for a fire, generally the air stays open for the first 10-20 or more minutes (depending on how you loaded the stove, if it's a cold start or loading on coals, how seasoned your firewood is, size of the splits used etc.) Basically, once the stove starts burning well (not much or no visible smoke from the chimney) start turning the air down. You want to turn the air down enough to control the burn, but not so much as to smother the fire. Turn it down in stages. Generally, before loading I open the air wide open. Once the fire is vibrant, I turn it down to about 50%, then in another 5-10 minutes, I'll turn it down to about 25% open, then it another 5-10-15 minutes, do a final tweak if necessary.
Welcome to the site, burning wood is fun / can save money / but most importantly needs to be safe. As a new burner, it is paramount that you know your setup is 110% safe. If it is, you can make mistakes, and they shouldn't cost you the unthinkable.
Lastly, the number one (by far) problem that is experienced by new burners is the dreaded "seasoned firewood that isn't syndrome" If you at all have problems getting the stove up to temp, notice a good many splits sizzling at the ends as they burn, need to leave the door cracked to keep the fire going, you probably have that problem.
Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy
pen
Next, once you are sure this is fit for a fire, generally the air stays open for the first 10-20 or more minutes (depending on how you loaded the stove, if it's a cold start or loading on coals, how seasoned your firewood is, size of the splits used etc.) Basically, once the stove starts burning well (not much or no visible smoke from the chimney) start turning the air down. You want to turn the air down enough to control the burn, but not so much as to smother the fire. Turn it down in stages. Generally, before loading I open the air wide open. Once the fire is vibrant, I turn it down to about 50%, then in another 5-10 minutes, I'll turn it down to about 25% open, then it another 5-10-15 minutes, do a final tweak if necessary.
Welcome to the site, burning wood is fun / can save money / but most importantly needs to be safe. As a new burner, it is paramount that you know your setup is 110% safe. If it is, you can make mistakes, and they shouldn't cost you the unthinkable.
Lastly, the number one (by far) problem that is experienced by new burners is the dreaded "seasoned firewood that isn't syndrome" If you at all have problems getting the stove up to temp, notice a good many splits sizzling at the ends as they burn, need to leave the door cracked to keep the fire going, you probably have that problem.
Welcome to the site, hope you enjoy
pen
Thank you for the quick response. Yes I did have it cleaned and swept. It seems that I'm on the right track just gonna take some time to get used to the air control and find the sweet spot. Thank you
Welcome.
EPA wood stoves need seasoned wood to get up to proper temps without making creosote. Seasoned wood will lead to hotter fires and in general a more safer fire.
EPA wood stoves need seasoned wood to get up to proper temps without making creosote. Seasoned wood will lead to hotter fires and in general a more safer fire.
I don't have a problem with getting it up to temp I do have seasoned wood I just can't get long burns.... Shouldn't this stove be able to go 8 hours
fill it as full as you can and as tightly packed together as you can. Put your biggest splits on the bottom. Save your best firewood for overnight.(Oak, Locust,Hickory etc). This will get you your longest burn times, and hopefully save you some coals for morning. Also, rake all coals to the front of the firebox before loading everytime, always gives the longest, quickest igniting, and most controllable fires. The best tip I can give you though is hangout on Hearth.com. You will learn all kinds of tricks and techniques. Happy Burning, Enjoy. Thumbs up on getting a sweep and inspection first. Your started on the right foot!!
Welcome Bones
Inspection by a pro ? You have no idea what this stove has been through best to be safe. Your neighbor is not a pro even if he has been burning for a long time. Shoot one of my friends has been burning 30 years and did not know till a week ago that 6 months was not dry wood I said 2 years and he laughed. Then he saw how insanely clean the inside of my stove was and how many coals I had
. Pics of the stove and house or it didn't happen
Pete
Welcome to the forum Bones and congrats on your new home with a woodstove! Pete is right we need pics and Pen is right you need a certified sweep to clean and inspect. Let us know where you're located.. Lastly you need dry wood to get the best results and greatly reduced creosote.
Ray
Ray
Welcome to the forum Bones. (I have a niece we always called Bones!)
I agree with the other guys but beware of that little word, "seasoned." That can mean different things to different people.
I would really like to have you explain your seasoned wood. How do you know it is seasoned? For how long? When was it split then stacked outside, preferably in a windy spot. How long was it in the stack before going inside? What kind of wood is it? By answering these questions you and the rest of us can learn much and we can help if help is needed.
I would also be leery about that neighbor who has been burning for years. Although I'm officially an old fart and have been burning for a few years I have found that very, very few of the wood burners who have been at this for a while really understand wood and the importance of handling it the right way. Well, many don't know too much about the proper handling of their stoves either...
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