Three Questions for the Jotul 550

[celcafe]

Okay, I just got my Jotul 550 and have 3 very novice questions

1) I have a magnetic thermostat. Everybody is talking about an IR one... is a magnetic one useful
2) Some people have suggested using the blower on automatic-low/others automatic-high. What's the real answer?
3) I've read never to use Ecologs or newspaper rolls or anything else. On the other hand a friend claims to basically burn everything that resembles a form of wood as he gets his chimney cleaned annually anyway.

 

[DAKSY]

Hey, celcafe,

Okay, I just got my Jotul 550 and have 3 very novice questions
1) I have a magnetic thermostat. Everybody is talking about an IR one... is a magnetic one useful

The IR will be more accurate, but the magnetic should work for you, once you figger out how accurate it is...

2) Some people have suggested using the blower on automatic-low/others automatic-high. What's the real answer?

The real answer is what works best for you. Everyone's house/insert/fireplace/installation is different. Experiment... Bond with it...
It's yours!

3) I've read never to use Ecologs or newspaper rolls or anything else. On the other hand a friend claims to basically burn everything that resembles a form of wood as he gets his chimney cleaned annually anyway.

Check the owner's manual.
Burn what it says to burn.
Anything else will void your warranty...
Visit www.woodheat.org
Ask more questions!

 

[jadm]

Okay, I just got my Jotul 550 and have 3 very novice questions

1) I have a magnetic thermostat. Everybody is talking about an IR one... is a magnetic one useful
2) Some people have suggested using the blower on automatic-low/others automatic-high. What's the real answer?
3) I've read never to use Ecologs or newspaper rolls or anything else. On the other hand a friend claims to basically burn everything that resembles a form of wood as he gets his chimney cleaned annually anyway.

There is a Rockport thread here with a lot of 550 owners on it. Try an advanced search and it should come up. (Sorry, I don't know how to drag thread # to a response..)

1- If you put your therm. on the 'shelf' where the blower air exits you will get accurate reads. I just find an IR is easier for me to read. Magnetic therm. on front of insert will not give an accurate read.

2-I keep my blower on manual as adjust according to how much heat I want in the room.

3-I burn only wood in my insert. Check manual.. It lists what can be used and what should never be used.

4- Some of us here clean our chimneys more frequently than 1x a season. If you are new to wood burning you might want to check yours more frequently to see how you are doing. A chimney fire is something you want to avoid. :ahhh:

 

[labrador]

The place to buy an IR is form Harborfreight.com. They have them on sale for $29. plus shipping. I have one and it works great for the price. Plus the cats love to chase it across the floor. Good lluck with your 550 rockland. Welcome to the web. The other site is "jotul 550 rockland tips thread".