# Jotul F500 vs Woodstock Fireview?



## Gyprat (Oct 7, 2011)

We've been looking for a new wood stove for a while. The choices were finally narrowed down to Jotul Oslo F500 or Woodstock Fireview.  $1.900 sale price on Fireviews is very attractive. Jotuls are beautiful stoves, we saw one in a store and really liked it. 
Now we are having a hard time making a decision. 
I have some questions about the stoves and hope someone can help with answers. I have no prior experience with wood stoves.

Fireview has no ash pan. Is it really important to have one? How do you clean the ashes from the stove and how often?
Is Fireview easy to maintain?  
Jotuls get mixed reviews. Some love them, some hate them. Many reviews mentioned that Jotuls are picky about wood quality. I don't plan on burning fresh wood but most wood will be seasoned for 6-12 month. Should I be concerned about it?
We have no fireplace and will need to install the chimney throught the attic. What Class A chimney brand would you recommend? I don't mind paying a little more for quality products.
Any help with will be appreciated.


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## Hanko (Oct 7, 2011)

with no ash pan, you have to shovel em out, messy, and you have to let the fire die down. I empty mine every morning when i get the paper, no muss no fuss. some that have a pan shovel anyway. The 500 is easy to run, easy to maintain, and looks good to.


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## CarbonNeutral (Oct 7, 2011)

I rarely empty the ash pan of my Jotul - I just shovel. I cannot make a comparison to the Fireview, but I really like my Jotul


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## NH_Wood (Oct 7, 2011)

I shovel ash even though I have the ash pan - it's easy and I only have to shovel about once/10 days to 2 weeks. Any newer, EPA stove will be unhappy with poorly seasoned wood. 6-12 months may be fine, but depend on the kind of wood. Black cherry could be ready after 6 months in good wind and sun, while oak will have just begun to season at that point - needs 2-3 years to reach its best potential. I'd focus on getting 2-3 years ahead on wood and then you won't be as concerned about fuel quality. As we all say, the majority of problems with wood burning have to do with poorly seasoned wood. I'm a big soapstone fan, and the customer service from Woodstock can't be beat (from everything I've heard). You are also dealing with a cat vs. non-cat issue - don't know if you have a preference. I wanted a simple stove with less parts to be concerned with - so, no cat. I'm sure a cat is not a big deal to manage and service, but at least read up on the pros/cons. Cheers!


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## begreen (Oct 7, 2011)

Ash pans are way over-rated in my opinion. Even when we had the Castine, I preferred to keep the ash pan full and let the ash build up accumulate in the stove until it needed cleaning. We have never used the ashpan feature on our Alderlea. If you like the Fireview, I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 7, 2011)

My guess is that the Oslo may cost you a few dollars more than the fireview. I can comment on the Oslo with wood selections and 'pickyness'. I have burned ash, red and white oak, maple and black cherry in mine over the last 2 years, not once did I have any startup trouble or reload issues related to wood quality. The ash pan is a nice luxury but to me not a make or break on a purchase. The Oslo is a workhorse, takes a bit of abuse and still looks great while keeping you warm. I, with the help of this forum, was able to further my overnite burns last year to have some generous sized coal bed after 8-9 hours.


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## BrowningBAR (Oct 7, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Ash pans are way over-rated in my opinion. Even when we had the Castine, I preferred to keep the ash pan full and let the ash build up accumulate in the stove until it needed cleaning. We have never used the ashpan feature on our Alderlea. If you like the Fireview, I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor.



+1 on this. I use three stoves at once when winter kicks in. Two of the three have ash pans. Only one works effectively and even then it wouldn't be the deciding factor when purchasing the stove.


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## Nonprophet (Oct 7, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> Ash pans are way over-rated in my opinion. Even when we had the Castine, I preferred to keep the ash pan full and let the ash build up accumulate in the stove until it needed cleaning. We have never used the ashpan feature on our Alderlea. If you like the Fireview, I wouldn't let this be a deciding factor.



+1 we never bother with the ash pan--it's too much of a hassle. Our old Defiant-Encore had a nice cover that would slide over the ash pan to keep ashes from flying everywhere while you were getting the full pan to wherever you were emptying it, and that was nice, but on our Oslo we never used the ashpan.

I've never used a Woodstock stove so I can't say anything much about them except that they seem like a great company that puts out a great product.

I can say that we were not happy with our Oslo, and in fact we just sold it. I think you need at least 25' of chimney to get enough draft for them to work right (we had 20' for a single story house), and I never liked the air control lever that got very hot when you were burning yet it had no Alaska handle or anything on it--just bare metal--so I was always looking for something to move the air control lever which was kind of a pain in the rear. Reviewers that say the Oslo is picky about needing very dry wood are spot on. The other issue was that whenever you opened the front door you'd get ashes falling out onto the hearth--not a very good design IMHO. They're certainly nice looking stoves and Jotul has a great reputation, but I would not buy an Oslo again.


NP


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## logger (Oct 7, 2011)

NH_Wood said:
			
		

> You are also dealing with a cat vs. non-cat issue - don't know if you have a preference. I wanted a simple stove with less parts to be concerned with - so, no cat. I'm sure a cat is not a big deal to manage and service, but at least read up on the pros/cons. Cheers!



1.  There's really no cat or non-cat issue becasue neither stove has one.  
2.  Both are good stoves.  Im partial to my Jotul.  Any bad reviews of the Jotul are usually from people who do not know how to properly operate  their stove, wood, or stovepipe... period.  Most of my friends and family were so fond of ours that they have since gotten their own Joutuls and are extrememly happy with them.  I got mine because I liked  a friends.  The front door does let ash out (we use the sidedoor), but its easily fixed (just search how on this site, costs less than 5 bucks).  The air intake can get hot, but most people I know have gloves nearby, so searching for something shouldnt take time, duh.


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## Nonprophet (Oct 7, 2011)

logger said:
			
		

> Thereâ€™s really no cat or non-cat issue becasue neither stove has one.
> 
> Any bad reviews of the Jotul are usually from people who do not know how to properly operate  their stove, wood, or stovepipe... period.  Most of my friends and family were so fond of ours that they have since gotten their own Joutuls and are extrememly happy with them.  I got mine because I liked  a friends.  The front door does let ash out (we use the sidedoor), but its easily fixed (just search how on this site, costs less than 5 bucks).  The air intake can get hot, but most people I know have gloves nearby, so searching for something shouldnt take time, duh.



It's my understanding that the Fireview IS a cat stove.....

Oslo's have their fans for sure, but there are experienced wood burners with dry wood and good chimney setups (like us) who just don't like the Oslo. There's really no need to insult those who don't like the same stove you do......


NP


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## BrowningBAR (Oct 7, 2011)

logger said:
			
		

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The Fireview is a cat stove.


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## CarbonNeutral (Oct 7, 2011)

logger said:
			
		

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Logger, can you post the link to the ash fix - I searched but couldn't find it


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 7, 2011)

logger said:
			
		

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It's funny how minor issues can make or break a stove in some cases. I could jump on loggers bandwagon here but it looks like enough is enough.


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## ddddddden (Oct 7, 2011)

The Oslo is rated @ 70k BTU max vs. 55k for the Fireview, so if you want to pump the wood through it with more frequent reloads, the Oslo will give you more heat.  OTOH, the catalytic Fireview will let you slow down the burn for 12+ hours when you want to, so it will give you more flexibility.  The Keystone has a nice ash pan, and it's only ~20% smaller than the Fireview.  If that's too small for you, Woodstock's new stove has an ash pan option too.


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## Gyprat (Oct 11, 2011)

Thanks guys. I did not mean to start another Ford vs. Chevy thread. Just trying to make an educated decision. My wife really likes the Oslo. And I like the fact that Woodstock is ameican made. Both seem to be great stoves. 
We can order Jotul from a local dealer and they will delive and bring it into house for $90. Not bad considering how heavy it is.
Woodstock will ship to a local carier distribution center (25 miles away) for $140. Bringing it into the house will be a major issue. They are heavy and my back is in bad shape. 
No we have to wait for a contractor to install a hearth pad and some nice hearth stone on the wall where the stove will be.
I already got a load of wood. Not much, just a pick up truck load of seasoned wood. The guy claims it's seasoned but it's hard to tell.
It's oak and was seasoned for a year. How can you tell if it's seasoned enough??? Ohh well, it'll do for a start. 
Again thanks for all the replies. It's gretly appreciated.


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## Nonprophet (Oct 11, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> I already got a load of wood. Not much, just a pick up truck load of seasoned wood. The guy claims it's seasoned but it's hard to tell.
> It's oak and was seasoned for a year. How can you tell if it's seasoned enough??? Ohh well, it'll do for a start.
> Again thanks for all the replies. It's gretly appreciated.



I can't speak to the wood requirements of the Fireview, but I know from personal experience that the Oslo needs VERY dry wood to work properly. Given that most Oak species need 2 years cut, split, and stacked to properly season, and given that most woodsellers are, shall we say "optimistic" about how long their wood has been cut, split, and stacked to dry, I'd say the chances of that Oak you bought burning well in an Oslo are not great. For $15 or so you can get a moisture meter that will tell you the actual moisture content of the wood you want to burn. 


NP


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## ddddddden (Oct 11, 2011)

Most folks here don't consider 1 year to be long enough for oak to dry out. . .enough time for many species, but not oak.  Many use a moisture meter on their wood.  I haven't gotten around to buying one.  I use the audible method. Tap on the end of the wood with a hammer. Dry pieces will sound like the "plink" of a bowling pin or the "crack" of a baseball bat.  A more muted thud = too much water in the wood.                   Regarding stove delivery, the same $90 would probably hire a crew of movers to bring the Fireview into the house.


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## ansehnlich1 (Oct 11, 2011)

I have not burned a fireview. 

I have burned my oslo.

My Oslo can be tough to get going from a cold startup, meaning a completely cold stove. But once I have her up and running, she's a real heater.

My wife and I built this home 5 years ago, south central Pennsylvania, and we've burned a quarter tank of fuel oil so far.

Yep, the oslo is a real heater.


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## ddddddden (Oct 11, 2011)

Yep, the Oslo is a good heater, by most accounts.  If it had a baffle bypass, which gives you a straight shot up the flue, draft on cold starts would not be a problem.  Some anti-cat folks complain about cat stoves having this extra lever to operate.  I see it as a good thing.  Apparently Lopi does too, because they put a bypass on some of their top non-cat models.


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## eyefish2 (Oct 12, 2011)

A comment on ash pans............Not all ash pans are created equal.    I am most familiar with the Oslo since I just purchased one and have had a few fires.   The Oslo has a cast grate on the bottom of the stove. The grate covers a good portion of the stove bottom/burn area.  This is one of the main reasons I purchased this stove.  It also looked very nice on the show room floor when I finally got a look at one.   Ashes fall through the grate and into the pan as the fire burns.  I am no stove expert, but several other stove designs with ash pans have small "squares" in the center of the stove that ashes need to be pushed towards to fall into the pan.  Some have ash doors/ gates for this to occur (maybe all do?? Not sure).  

If ash removal is important to you, you may want to look at this as you look at stoves.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 12, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> We've been looking for a new wood stove for a while. The choices were finally narrowed down to Jotul Oslo F500 or Woodstock Fireview.  $1.900 sale price on Fireviews is very attractive. Jotuls are beautiful stoves, we saw one in a store and really liked it.
> Now we are having a hard time making a decision.
> I have some questions about the stoves and hope someone can help with answers. I have no prior experience with wood stoves.
> 
> ...



Oslo user here . . . so I am biased . . . plus I find the Fireview a bit ornate for my liking . . . I do however really, really like the look of the new Woodstock Progress Hybrid and if I was looking right now would be giving some serious looks at this stove . . . especially at this price if it fits your needs.

Ash pan . . . I like the ash pan in my Oslo -- namely because it is functional. When reloading in the morning I stir the ashes and the ash drops down into the ash pan . . . a short time later I pull out the ash pan and go outside and dump it in the pan. No mess. No fuss. Other stoves with other ash pans may or may not be as functional. Usually I only have to dump the ash pan 1-2 times in week when burning 24/7. That said, are ash pans the end-all, be-all . . . I think by now you've seen enough members who say they can survive without them and do fine.

Reviews . . . you've got to take them with a grain of salt. I would say for the vast majority of folks either the Oslo or Fireview gets high marks. There are some who have special circumstances where those stoves may not work for whatever reason . . . some for the size, some for the way they burn, some for whatever other reason . . . but in general you cannot go wrong with either stove. I know I love the Oslo and it has been a great, reliable heater . . . then again . . . most folks would say the same about the Fireview.

Wood . . . The Jotuls are picky about seasoned wood . . . then again just about any EPA stove is pretty particular about seasoned wood. Garbage in = garbage out. I will say in the first year I burned some wood that was only seasoned 6-8 months and I did OK -- mainly by using pallets mixed into the wood to bring the temps up and help drive out the moisture . . . but in year two with truly seasoned wood I realized just how important seasoned wood is . . . but this is the same for any EPA stove.

Class A chimney . . . I suspect most any product will do . . . I ended up with ICC Excel and I have been very happy with the product.

Final thought . . . I really don't think you can go wrong with either the Oslo or Fireview providing they fit the style of your home, budget and size needs. At the time I bought my woodstove I was "cat shy" -- didn't trust them -- now I would buy a cat stove without any hesitation. Honestly, this is a time when you really cannot go wrong in my own opinion with whatever choice you go for . . . only negative I could see on the Oslo may not have as long a burn time since it does not have a cat -- the flip side being you will never need to replace the cat . . . counter that with the minimal cost of buying a replacement cost over time and the amount of wood saved . . . in my own mind either choice is a good choice.


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## fireview2788 (Oct 12, 2011)

All I can say is that I am new to the wood burning stove game and we fell in love with the Fireview.  I have found it VERY easy to work and empty, even for the rookie.



fv


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## Backwoods Savage (Oct 12, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> We've been looking for a new wood stove for a while. The choices were finally narrowed down to Jotul Oslo F500 or Woodstock Fireview.  $1.900 sale price on Fireviews is very attractive. Jotuls are beautiful stoves, we saw one in a store and really liked it.
> Now we are having a hard time making a decision.
> I have some questions about the stoves and hope someone can help with answers. I have no prior experience with wood stoves.
> 
> ...




Welcome to the forum Gyprat.

Sorry for not posting earlier but was away from home. Just returned from the Woodstock factory. This was our second time to be there and I'm just as impressed or more so now than I was at first. But on to your questions.

The Fireview does indeed have no ash pan. This is our first stove without an ash pan and I was a bit afraid it would be a problem. That has not proved to be true and we love it. It is so much so that our next stove also will have no ash pan. It is really simple and quick to empty the ashes. Wait until you have some of the coals burned down and then shove them to one side (we just use the poker). Scoop out part of the ash and then slide the coals the other way and clean the other side. We usually leave around 2" of ash in the bottom at all times. 

The Fireview is easy to maintain. We clean the cat usually twice per year. That consists of just a light brushing with an old paint brush. The total time to do this is from 2-5 minutes although I am certain it could be done in less than 2 minutes but we try not to hurry. The first time to remove the cat you must remove 2 shipping bolts. Those need not be replaced so that then when you clean the cat this is the process:  1) Open top lid (no latches; just open). 2) Reach in with one hand and lift the cat out. 3) Take cat out on porch and brush with old paint brush. 4) Replace cat and close lid. End of process.

fwiw, the best part of the Fireview for us is that we now burn only half the amount of wood we used to burn with the old stoves and we stay a whole lot warmer. We did buy a new steel cat while at Woodstock and are anxious to see it in action as we have gotten several reports of the good results. Seeing the steel cat at Woodstock and seeing how quickly they engaged the cat after putting wood in was amazing. These cats should last a lot longer than the older ceramic cats too so that is a plus. 

Still the biggest part of any stove is the fuel you put into it. We try to never burn wood that has not been drying (after being split) for 2 years or more. While at Woodstock, we took some wood that was cut and split in 2002. That wood got put into their stoves (Progress and Fireview) during the party and it burned just as nicely there as it does at home. However, if you do not dry your wood at least a year, you will have problems in any stove. So do yourself a favor and get your wood before you get your stove!

Good luck.


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## SWNH (Oct 13, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Fireview has no ash pan. Is it really important to have one? How do you clean the ashes from the stove and how often?



You'll find out soon enough that this is a Ford/Chevy issue.  :bug: 

Just from my experience with my Oslo: I empty the ash pan once a day. If I wait 2 days, it's overflowing and messy to remove. Some here claim they empty their Oslo once a week. Don't know how they do it, but it is what it is.  YMMV.  I can empty the ash at ANY time during the burn cycle, which is a good thing because I burn 24/7. I had a stove (briefly) that had no pan and I found shoveling ash a PITA. 

Some folks don't mind shoveling out their stove. They have is down to a science with various tools and techniques...and have been doing it ALOT longer that I have been burning at all. But personally, I won't ever do it again...period.   :coolsmile:


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## logger (Oct 13, 2011)

Nonprophet said:
			
		

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Thought the Fireview was a cat, but NH Wood's 1st post confused me for a second.  Didnt mean to insult anyone, just stated that using a glove isnt too hard to do for adjusting the intake.  Not sure why anyone would put down the Oslo with good wood and a good pipe setup.. again, just my opinion.


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## Nonprophet (Oct 13, 2011)

logger said:
			
		

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If you've got 25' plus of chimney, an Oslo can be a good stove with enough draft. The other issues like ash falling out, no andirons, and the air control lever being too hot to touch are easily remedied by Jotul and are long-standing complaints from many Oslo users. Glad you're happy with yours--lots of folks are.


NP


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 13, 2011)

Peter SWNH said:
			
		

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Sheveling a non-ash pan stove can be a serious PITA. The nice thing about the pan is that you can remove it from inside the house and dump outdoors, eliminating the ash from being airborn inside. Lesson I learned a couple years ago. 
I'm also curious as to your ash amounts, when I burn 24/7 I will have a full ash pan after 3-4 days.


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## firefighterjake (Oct 13, 2011)

My Oslo heats my home said:
			
		

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Hehheh . . . I remembered this time Peter . . . please note I wasn't the one to bring it up . . . although it still perplexes me as you seem to be in the minority when it comes to ashes building up so quickly in the ash pan . . . very odd . . . but again . . . I didn't say a word.


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## SWNH (Oct 13, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Hehheh . . . I remembered this time Peter . . . please note I wasn't the one to bring it up . . . although it still perplexes me as you seem to be in the minority when it comes to ashes building up so quickly in the ash pan . . . very odd . . . but again . . . I didn't say a word.



I must be doing something different.   :-S 

We just had our chimney lined a few weeks ago, so we'll see if that make any difference. Haven't burned long enough yet to substantively see any performance change yet.


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## Gyprat (Oct 14, 2011)

The more I read about wood stoves the more I get confused......
Many of you guys mentioned running your stoves 24/7. Is it safe to leave the stove running when noone is home? 
I was planning on running the stove only when night temperature drops below 30 degrees. Most of the time daytime temperates are well above freezing. 
What if the stove gets too hot when unattended?  I'm getting a bit paranoid.
Maybe we should look for a metal stove with thermostat controlled air damper? Decisions, decisions..... Better go get some sleep. 



P.S. We are running AC in the house right now. LOL


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## SWNH (Oct 14, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> The more I read about wood stoves the more I get confused......
> Many of you guys mentioned running your stoves 24/7. Is it safe to leave the stove running when no one is home?



Absolutely...once you know what you are doing.  ;-) 

I work from home, but I do go into the office once a week. I load the stove up to the gills in the morning, get it up to temp, then dial the air down to a good low clean burn before actually leaving. 12 hrs later, I still have enough coals in the stove to just throw on a few splits to fire it up again. Of course, it probably stopped putting out meaningful heat after 6 hours but usually the house doesn't cool down to the point I set my thermostat to kick on (which is 72, btw). This is during the NH winters where it doesn't get ABOVE freezing during the day.

Of course, I had reservations when I first started. But after getting some experience with the stove and from all the info gleaned from this site, I don't even think twice about leaving the stove running unattended.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 14, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> The more I read about wood stoves the more I get confused......
> Many of you guys mentioned running your stoves 24/7. Is it safe to leave the stove running when noone is home?
> I was planning on running the stove only when night temperature drops below 30 degrees. Most of the time daytime temperates are well above freezing.
> What if the stove gets too hot when unattended?  I'm getting a bit paranoid.
> ...



I'm on the same page as Peter, once you learn how to burn and get comfortable with your stove you will be able to run it overnites and leave the house while its working.


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## eyefish2 (Oct 14, 2011)

Quote==> I must be doing something different.   We just had our chimney lined a few weeks ago, so weâ€™ll see if that make any difference. Havenâ€™t burned long enough yet to substantively see any performance change yet. 

Hey Peter......What kind of wood do you burn???  I have burned oak, maple, birch and some kind of softer wood like aspen.  Not aspen, but it grows with maple and basswood and aspen (something like balmabellia????).  I forget the name but it smells like $%^&% when you burn it and it seems like it has 2 times more ash than other woods. (maybe not more but more fluffy?).  Different woods have different ash contents. Maybe your burning a wood type that has more ash or ash that is less dense.


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## cptoneleg (Oct 14, 2011)

Love my stove and I recon if it didn't have the very convenient ash-pan I would also have to figure out a method to empty ashes.

When I was shopping for stove I probably read every review on every stove, and I bought the Oslo and do not regret it.

We now only heat with wood 7/24s we turn furnace off, just use AC in summer.

All stoves need well seasoned wood (dry) but if you didn't read this site you could stay warm on 6 to 9 month seasoned wood and not know any better . I did for over 20 yrs. :zip: 

You will learn to stay warm with either stove and folks on this site will help you with any problem you have.

Oh yes that little air lever some complain about, I guess that depends on what you have done all your life I move it with my hands ( one finger) with no problem you just scoot it a little one way or the other.


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## cptoneleg (Oct 14, 2011)

Oh yes Oslo needs 25' of stove pipe is hogwash BS It may for some homes but 18' works great on mine.


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 14, 2011)

cptoneleg said:
			
		

> Oh yes Oslo needs 25' of stove pipe is hogwash BS It may for some homes but 18' works great on mine.



Agreed, the conditions for every stove in each location will be different.


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## akennyd (Oct 14, 2011)

Gyprat,

I'm getting ready to start on my second season with the Fireview...in short I love mine!!  Yes, I do burn 24 hrs and leave the stove burning with no one at home when the temps get low enough.  Like you, I was a little bit worried about doing this when I first started using the stove but am now very comfortable with leaving the stove burning.  It just takes a little time to figure out how your particular stove setup works out for you and what settings to leave the stove at.  

For me, during the week, I leave for work before the rest of my family even wakes up and I like to be out the door in 30-40 minutes after waking up.  I can have new splits going and the Fireview in cadillac mode (maybe that should be catyllac mode? :^) ) before walking out the door.  The wife and the family wake up to a nice warm house and a warm stove to cozy up to.  I do double and even triple check my settings before I leave but am usually in constant turn down mode after the new splits catch hold.  My wife never has to make any adjustments with the stove, period.

Good wood is important and as others have said, different woods season at different rates.  I burned mostly pine the first year as that is what I could get to season the fastest.  I am looking forward to this winter as I have some oak that is ready to go (I was even burning some of it last winter so it should be prime fuel this winter).  Pine IMHO works great for us in the Carolinas as we don't really need a long, hot fire until the end of Nov into Dec.

Also, the Fireview has changed my perception of what living with a wood stove would be.  My very limited experience with stoves was with old cast iron stoves that my grandparents used to use.  You either burned up sitting near the stove or in the room with the stove or you were in another room and you were cold.  I haven't been around the newer cast iron stoves and I'm sure they are much, much better now but I believe the soapstone stoves give a better, slower, more even heat.  You can still cozy up to the stove and get warm (and even have to back away if you have a good fire going) but it's not a searing type of heat.  Again, just my very limited, humble and prejudice opinion.  I would not hesitate for a second to buy another Fireview.  

Take care and I hope I have helped,


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## SWNH (Oct 14, 2011)

eyefish2 said:
			
		

> Quote==> I must be doing something different.   We just had our chimney lined a few weeks ago, so weâ€™ll see if that make any difference. Havenâ€™t burned long enough yet to substantively see any performance change yet.
> 
> Hey Peter......What kind of wood do you burn???  I have burned oak, maple, birch and some kind of softer wood like aspen.  Not aspen, but it grows with maple and basswood and aspen (something like balmabellia????).  I forget the name but it smells like $%^&% when you burn it and it seems like it has 2 times more ash than other woods. (maybe not more but more fluffy?).  Different woods have different ash contents. Maybe your burning a wood type that has more ash or ash that is less dense.



The usual...red oak, birch, maple, and that most evil of all wood, eastern white PINE.   :bug:


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## firefighterjake (Oct 14, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> The more I read about wood stoves the more I get confused......
> Many of you guys mentioned running your stoves 24/7. Is it safe to leave the stove running when noone is home?* Yes . . . not much different from running it all night long when everyone is sound asleep . . .* I was planning on running the stove only when night temperature drops below 30 degrees. Most of the time daytime temperates are well above freezing.
> What if the stove gets too hot when unattended?  *With time and experience you will learn that you cannot just load the stove, turn down the air and then walk away in 5 minutes time . . . it takes a bit longer to get the stove to "cruising" speed . . . but once you have the stove set and running it doesn't really spike in temp . . . in fact the only time I've got in trouble is when I've added wood too soon in the burning process . . . if you get things all set before leaving the house or going to bed at night you should be golden in terms of temps. *I'm getting a bit paranoid. *No . . . not paranoid . . . concerned . . . I would rather someone have a healthy respect for what fire could do vs. someone who is carefree and doesn't respect the possible danger. That said . . . install the stove correctly, keep an eye on the chimney in terms of creosote, maintain the stove, dispose of your ashes properly and learn how to use the stove and you should have a warm and trouble free time.*Maybe we should look for a metal stove with thermostat controlled air damper? Decisions, decisions..... Better go get some sleep.
> 
> ...



Final thought . . . I was a lot like you in the way I figured I would just run the stove when I was up . . . pretty much weekends and evenings . . . until I realized the savings by burning wood and realized that with just a little more time and effort I could safely run my stove all night long or while I was away. In my own case I'm pretty fortunate since my wife and I work opposite schedules so usually one of us is around to re-load the stove . . . typically I reload it in the morning before heading to work and when she arrives home she will putter around the house and load it before going to bed . . . when she wakes up or when I return home from work we'll reload it again . . . and I reload it at night.


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## BJ64 (Oct 14, 2011)

akennyd said:
			
		

> You can still cozy up to the stove and get warm (and even have to back away if you have a good fire going) but it's not a searing type of heat.



From what I understand the soapstone stoves deliver a very comfortable heat that has a unique feel.


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## Gyprat (Nov 7, 2011)

Our new Fireview was installed this weekend.  The stove has been running for over 4 hours now. A little smell but not as bad as I expected. Still learning to operate it. Some pictures will be posted sometime later. Now I'm too tired from running up and down the roof.
The stove looks very nice and puts out a lot of steady heat.  Right now it's cruising at 400 Deg. with the inlet damper set to 1. I'll leave it running through the night.

I'm not too impressed with the Selkirk chimney parts. It's made cheap and very poorly engineeed.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 7, 2011)

Congratulations Gyprat. I hope you did a burn-in fire or 2 before going to 400.  As for the final setting on the draft, you'll soon learn what is best and it may change when the real cold weather hits.


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## Todd (Nov 7, 2011)

Good choice, I think you will be happy with your decision, keep us posted.


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## Gyprat (Nov 8, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Congratulations Gyprat. I hope you did a burn-in fire or 2 before going to 400.  As for the final setting on the draft, you'll soon learn what is best and it may change when the real cold weather hits.



Thanks.
The manual does not specify break in temperatures. They only mention seveal low to moderate fires needed for proper seasoning.
There is another insert in the manual that talks about the first burn. They want you to bring it to 450 deg for 45 minutes and then bring it to 600 degrees for another hour. I thought it was a bit excessive and decided to take it easy.
It took almost 2 hours to bring it to 250 degrees, then the catalyst was engaged and it took 2 more hours to get it to 400 deg. I left it burning through the night. It was still at 150 degrees at 6 AM. 
Right now it's burning again at around 350 deg.


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## Gyprat (Nov 9, 2011)

Ran it again all night. This thing is fuel hungry. I loaded it 2/3 full with dry oak and there was no wood left in the burner 3 hours later.


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## leeave96 (Nov 9, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Ran it again all night. This thing is fuel hungry. I loaded it 2/3 full with dry oak and there was no wood left in the burner 3 hours later.



I am pretty sure that stove will do better than that.  What do you mean my no wood left - ashes or a pile of hot coals?  How was you damper setting.  If you are burning hard during january and you are burning at 1.5 or 2, then you could saw through a goodly bit of wood.  My Keystone was loaded about 3/4 full about 5 pm today and the stove top now at 8:45 pm-ish is 460 degrees with a large stack of coals and charcoal splits, damper setting at 1.

I'm getting some secondaries firing off and on and won't reload until much later tonight, so the wood load ain't finished yet.

Keep at it with your stove and you will find very long, useful heat burns.

You got a great stove that is mighty frugil on the wood supply.

Good luck!
Bill


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## Todd (Nov 9, 2011)

It's going to take a little time to figure out this stove. One thing many people do wrong with this stove is trying to reach that 250 light off temp in the bypass mode with too much air and actually send most of the heat up the pipe. Once you get some good flames established back her down to #2 or even less til the flames slow down, this will keep more of the heat in the fire box and get your cat ready to light off sooner. If you have the newer steel cat you can light off sooner at 200 or even a little less. Good dry wood should get you there in less than 30 minutes.

A good air setting to start at after engaging the cat is #1 and just let it burn for an hour to see what happens, sometimes the flames may snuff out for a few minutes then come back. Watch your temps and flames and adjust up or down for different outputs. Most people find a low cat burn is somewhere under #1, a medium burn around #1 and high burn a little over #1. It doesn't take much air adjustment to make a difference with this stove, anything over #2 is usually just used in cold starts or reloads.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 9, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Ran it again all night. This thing is fuel hungry. I loaded it 2/3 full with dry oak and there was no wood left in the burner 3 hours later.



Say what????  If I loaded our Fireview 2/3 full of oak it would no doubt be good for 10 hours or more! Perhaps it is time to learn some new wood burning skills with this new stove. 

As Todd stated, getting the stove temperature up is a problem with some folks as they seem to think running the stove with the draft set full open is the key. That is working against rather than with the stove and fuel. Once you get a fire and the wood charred it is time to set the draft down to 2. This will keep more heat in the stove rather than up the chimney. With the new steel cat you can get the stove to 200 degrees (flue to 400) and engage the cat. While engaging the cat, dial that draft down further (perhaps to 1 or 1.5) and you should see the stove top temperature climb much faster. As to your final setting on the draft, that will come with time. No doubt you may have the final setting a bit higher at this time of the year but when the air gets cold outside you'll have the draft set even lower. We find the sweet spot on our draft at .75 or at 1 (the higher being at this time of year).


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## Gyprat (Nov 11, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Gyprat said:
> 
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This is pretty much what I've been doing. It worked this way for the first 2 burns. The temperature would rise quickly once the catalyst was engaged. 
Not anymore. I just can't get the top surface tempeature above 380 Deg.F  I engage the catalyst at 250 deg and close the intake to about 1 1/4. The temperature stays at around 300 and then starts to drop after about 3 hours. It gets to about 380 degrees if I move the intake lever between 2 and 3. Closing the damper back to 1 makes the temperature drop to about 220 in about an hour. My wood seems dry. I even tried some Eco-Bricks to eliminate the wood problem. Same thing again. Maybe the catalyst is bad? Can it go bad in 5 days? I see some glow in the catalyst area when the damper is set to 2-3. 
I'm thinking of calling Woodstock tomorrow. Maybe they need to send me a new catalytic converter..


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 11, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
> 
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The cat is easily accessible. Pull out the cat and take a look at it. Seems doubtful that it's the cat at this point, though. If you are unsure, post a pic of it here.

What type of fire are you seeing during these burns?


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## ddddddden (Nov 11, 2011)

Hmm. . .maybe atmospheric conditions were giving you better draft on your first burns. . .or maybe not.   Some other things to consider:  Flue leak? Did you seal the connection at the flue collar with furnace cement?  Maybe the door latch needs to be tightened. . .check the door seal with a dollar bill.  Try using smaller pieces of wood very loosely packed to heat up more quickly.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 11, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
> 
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It sounds as if it could be 2 things:

1. Cat not working properly. Pull the cat and check it. 

2. Bypass not working.  Easy to determine by opening top lid and working bypass lever while watching bypass.


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## Todd (Nov 11, 2011)

Gyprat,
How tall is your chimney and what's the weather like down in SC?


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 11, 2011)

And did you call Woodstock? Answer? Or did you check the cat and the bypass? What did you find?


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## cptoneleg (Nov 11, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Ran it again all night. This thing is fuel hungry. I loaded it 2/3 full with dry oak and there was no wood left in the burner 3 hours later.





Sounds like you have a good wife, good chainsaw, and a good kerosene heater.  Maybe in time you can make that cat-rock keep you warm :lol:  just funning of coarse you will get it going.


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## jdinspector (Nov 12, 2011)

Gyprat, I hope you can straighten out your quick burn problems. I would go with what others above have said. You'll be up an running in no time.

I was reading this entire thread last night and know that one of your concerns was the ash removal on the fireview. I was finding that I had to remove some ash and coals daily (still do) to prevent large coal buildup. It was tedious to remove hot coals with a shovel and dust could easily get all over the house. I never spilled a shovel full of ash, but could imagine the mess it would make.

I bought the "Ash Dragon" last burn season. I am very happy with it. One scoop every morning and I'm good to go for the day. It closes right over the ashes to prevent spillage. It also is just the right width to get in the side door of the Fireview stove. Check out some old threads. I believe others are happy with this device too. http://www.ashdragon.com/


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 13, 2011)

inspector, that is highly unusual to have to clean ashes that often and very undesirable for sure. We've burn a lot of wood for this early in the season this year but still have yet to empty any ashes. During the winter months when we are burning the most wood we empty ashes perhaps every 4th day. As for the coaling, excessive coaling is usually a hint that the wood is not as dry as it should be. Another thing on the coaling, just before our wood gets down to nothing but coals, we open the draft full. This will help to burn down the coals and works really well.


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## jotul8e2 (Nov 13, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> We've been looking for a new wood stove for a while. The choices were finally narrowed down to Jotul Oslo F500 or Woodstock Fireview.



I looked at those same choices when I moved into our new house.  It came down to capacity - I needed the firebox size of the Oslo.  If faced with a similar decision again I would still come down on firebox size as the deciding factor between such two well regarded, quality stoves.

And the ash pan on the Oslo didn't hurt either.  The open grate in the Oslo with the large ash pan is a big deal to me.  I also burn 24/7 for about five months a year and the ability to quickly remove the ash without disturbing the fire is a real plus.  I wish I could go a week, but it is every three to four days for me.

The comment above about the air control getting hot caught be by surprise; I had never thought about it.  It does, of course, but I don' grab it, just tap it one direction or the other


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## oldspark (Nov 13, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> inspector, that is highly unusual to have to clean ashes that often and very undesirable for sure. We've burn a lot of wood for this early in the season this year but still have yet to empty any ashes. During the winter months when we are burning the most wood we empty ashes perhaps every 4th day. As for the coaling, excessive coaling is usually a hint that the wood is not as dry as it should be. Another thing on the coaling, just before our wood gets down to nothing but coals, we open the draft full. This will help to burn down the coals and works really well.


 My stove works better with less ashes in it so I clean mine out every 4 days or so and my wood is dryer than a popcorn fart.


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## begreen (Nov 13, 2011)

I'm curious why that is. Ours is better with a good bed of ash. I try to leave some even when cleaning out the clinkers.


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## jdinspector (Nov 13, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> inspector, that is highly unusual to have to clean ashes that often and very undesirable for sure. We've burn a lot of wood for this early in the season this year but still have yet to empty any ashes. During the winter months when we are burning the most wood we empty ashes perhaps every 4th day. As for the coaling, excessive coaling is usually a hint that the wood is not as dry as it should be. Another thing on the coaling, just before our wood gets down to nothing but coals, we open the draft full. This will help to burn down the coals and works really well.



Yes, I know that pulling ashes out daily is not the best thing. I've discovered that this stove is simply too small to heat the area that I am heating. As a result, I have to run it as hot as I can to keep the space warm. Basically, I'm running it as hot as I can get it 24/7. So, by doing that, I get coal buildup. I know my wood is dry (with an occassional wet piece once a week or so), so know that isn't the problem. Current wood has been C/S/S for 2 years, starts like a dream and gets the stove plenty hot.

I considered upgrading to the new, larger Woodstock stove, but thought it over and I'll stay where I'm at. I just don't want to spend another $1800-2K on a stove. My wife would shoot me!


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## oldspark (Nov 13, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> I'm curious why that is. Ours is better with a good bed of ash. I try to leave some even when cleaning out the clinkers.


 I leave the one inch or so but it seems like the fires get going quicker with less ash, the Nashua was the same way, a deep bed of ash and a new fire seemed slower to get going.


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 13, 2011)

jdinspector said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
> 
> 
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If you're burning that hot now, there is no way it will keep up when the temps get really cold.


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## grommal (Nov 13, 2011)

Nonprophet said:
			
		

> BeGreen said:
> 
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I don't think Oslos need a super chimney.  Mine is about 15 feet, external masonry chimney, 8" square clay tile lined, uninsulated.  Not exactly the best recipe for a chimney.  Yet my Oslo runs like a champ.  Starts right up, don't need to crack any doors to get it going, no smoke spillage issues.  I can't comment on the wood quality sensitivity, as I have only tried burning thoroughly dry wood.  

I can't agree with those who say the ash pan is worthless, though.  I've had two stoves (old one was a VC Defiant Encore, too) and both it and the Oslo have great ash pans.  I burn 24/7 and empty the Oslo's ash pan every 5-7 days.  There is no ash mess at all if you do it right, which involves NOT raking a bunch of hot coals into the ash pan before removing it.  If you just pull the pan, it's fairly cool, and the ash does not fly around.

Agree that the front door ash dumping is a design flaw.  An Oslo is designed to be run from the side door.  I open my front door once at the end of the season for spring cleaning.


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## jdinspector (Nov 13, 2011)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> jdinspector said:
> 
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I know it won't be my complete heating for the whole house. The layout of my house isn't conducive to heating with a single stove - even an Equinox, or some other large stove. I live in a large, old, uninsulated masonry home. There are simply no oppurtunities to insulate the exterior walls, mainly due to the type of construction. However, this stove (and the previous one) provide about 1/2 to 2/3 of my heating. I think the only way to heat the whole place with wood would be to have a second stove (like you!). Not something I'm willing to do, yet. So far (we've lived here for 17 years) the heating bills are manageable and the stove is a great source of extra heat, a great gathering place for my family, and a great hobby.


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## Gyprat (Nov 14, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> And did you call Woodstock? Answer? Or did you check the cat and the bypass? What did you find?


Yes I did call Woodstock. They advised to buy some kiln dried wood from a grocery store and try again. They also suggested to pull out the combustor and check for any contamination or damage.
It'll be another week before I can do this. I'll post the results.


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## Gyprat (Nov 14, 2011)

Den said:
			
		

> Hmm. . .maybe atmospheric conditions were giving you better draft on your first burns. . .or maybe not.   Some other things to consider:  Flue leak? Did you seal the connection at the flue collar with furnace cement?  Maybe the door latch needs to be tightened. . .check the door seal with a dollar bill.  Try using smaller pieces of wood very loosely packed to heat up more quickly.



Yes I put some stove cement on the flue collar although the manufactutrer did not recommend using any cement.  Checked the door gasket. Everything seems ok.


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## Gyprat (Nov 14, 2011)

Todd said:
			
		

> Gyprat,
> How tall is your chimney and what's the weather like down in SC?


The cimney is about 16 ft total length. The weather was around 31 degrees when I did the testing. It's warmer now.


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## Stump_Branch (Nov 14, 2011)

jdinspector said:
			
		

> BrowningBAR said:
> 
> 
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My house is equally  poorly laid our for good distribution of stove heat, i however bit that bullet and bought another stove. I will have to post the true rsults of this legendary duel set to go down. A but more work and it will be  oslo vs fireview under one roof....

Now ill have to decide who will get the starting gig in the family room, and whos going for fridgid weather backup, in soon to be finished basement.


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## Gyprat (Nov 14, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> inspector, that is highly unusual to have to clean ashes that often and very undesirable for sure. We've burn a lot of wood for this early in the season this year but still have yet to empty any ashes. During the winter months when we are burning the most wood we empty ashes perhaps every 4th day. As for the coaling, excessive coaling is usually a hint that the wood is not as dry as it should be. Another thing on the coaling, just before our wood gets down to nothing but coals, we open the draft full. This will help to burn down the coals and works really well.



You guys were right about the ash pan or the lack of it on the Fireview. No big deal. It's vey easy to clean and will easily go without cleaning for 4-5 days. No additional gaskets and dors to worry about.


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## Todd (Nov 14, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> jdinspector said:
> 
> 
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This will be an interesting stove duel. Cat against non cat, stone against cast iron. Can't wait to hear the results.


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## Todd (Nov 14, 2011)

Gyprat,
You will get it figured out, keep us posted, plenty of Fireview owners here to help out.


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 14, 2011)

Todd said:
			
		

> Stump_Branch said:
> 
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I'm guessing the Oslo will pack a heavier punch within a certain radius. The burn times is where the Oslo will far way short.


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## Todd (Nov 14, 2011)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> Todd said:
> 
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Yeah, I'm guessing the Oslo heat will feel more intense and have more ups and downs in the heating cycle while the Fireview will give that longer lasting less intense even heat.


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## ddddddden (Nov 14, 2011)

You are a very bad man, StumpBranch!  
Similar predictions here.  Both fireboxes ~ 2 cu ft, AFAIK, but I did read a recent post by someone who thought that the Oslo was bigger. . .I guess you will soon be in a position to tell us for sure.  I'd probably use the FV as  the steady heater.  It holds coals, like f0rever, so it's very forgiving of missed reloads. To me, the heat capacity of the stone makes it like a train, slow to get up to speed and slow to stop, at it's best running non-stop. The Lil' Heat Engine That Could!    The Oslo should be quicker on cold starts, and is rated for 70K BTU, but I guesstimate that this level of output would result in ~ 4-hr burn time.  So yeah, I'd want to keep the FV simmering 24/7 and fire up Ozzy to add a fast blast of heat when temps dip, but you'll probably have to swap them around 3 or 4 times to know for sure.     This is gonna be g00d!


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## Stump_Branch (Nov 14, 2011)

Well didnt take much to convince the better half. She enjoys the heat aa much as i enjoy playing with them.
However the placements have me puzzeled. Im thinking the fireview in a family room for the long burns and steady heat where i spend most of the time. SS lined 15' insulated. 
I think the jotul may get the backup in the basement, 8x8 clay about 25'....hard as i havent had a full season with her and has not let us down. Hate to pull a starter whos been doing well for another...

Oh if only they didnt weigh 500 lbs and i could change them like socks.


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## ddddddden (Nov 14, 2011)

Yeah, Ozzy doesn't deserve banishment, but if it's going to be a team effort now, better to use all the players in positions which fit their strengths.  Sounds like you have a free pass from the Mrs, maybe you could just slide Ozzy to the side and run the FV in that spot for a bit, then make a more informed decision.


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 14, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> Well didnt take much to convince the better half. She enjoys the heat aa much as i enjoy playing with them.
> However the placements have me puzzeled. Im thinking the fireview in a family room for the long burns and steady heat where i spend most of the time. SS lined 15' insulated.
> I think the jotul may get the backup in the basement, 8x8 clay about 25'....hard as i havent had a full season with her and has not let us down. Hate to pull a starter whos been doing well for another...
> 
> Oh if only they didnt weigh 500 lbs and i could change them like socks.




That is the best use of the two. I have found that the cast iron comes up to temp more quickly and is easier to use for quicker heat when you are using multiple stoves.


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## jotul8e2 (Nov 14, 2011)

Den said:
			
		

> You are a very bad man, StumpBranch!
> Similar predictions here.  Both fireboxes ~ 2 cu ft, AFAIK, but I did read a recent post by someone who thought that the Oslo was bigger. . . The Oslo should be quicker on cold starts, and is rated for 70K BTU, but I guesstimate that this level of output would result in ~ 4-hr burn time.



Since the stove is cold and I was curious, I just measured the firebox of my Oslo.  Not counting the area that protrudes for the front door (you can't really put wood there) it is 14" X 13" X 24", for a 2.5 cu. ft. firebox.

I expect that the experience of many of us colors our opinions regarding the importance of ash pans.  I have seen stoves where cleaning out the ashes is a real ordeal.  Others are no real problem at all.  I have a stove (the Oslo) which has a very good and reasonably easy to use ash pan.  I have used a stove (Hearthstone) with an ash pan that was pretty much useless.

If anyone can run an Oslo at its maximum rated output for four hours on a single load, I would very much like to see it.  Or any other wood burning stove, for that matter.  My back-of-the-napkin calculations shows that a 70% efficient stove can average maybe half its rated output for a single burn cycle.


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## ddddddden (Nov 14, 2011)

Yes, we all know that wood does not release heat in a linear fashion.  I was just pointing out the obvious. . .with a given amount of fuel, higher output = shorter burn time. . .70K BTU for 4 hours being an extreme example, based on a guesstimate that the Oslo will hold ~ 40 lbs of wood.    I don't think Jotul publishes a firebox volume spec for the Oslo. . .Castine either.  Woodstock spec for Fireview ~ 2.2 cu ft. . .usable space measures ~ 1.8 cu ft.  It sounds like the Oslo's box is about the same size, but 24" long, whereas the Fireview's ~ 20" (not a significant difference if burning 18" splits, but sure some folks burn longer splits.)

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/45949/


			
				BeGreen said:
			
		

> F600 = ~ 3 cu ft
> F500 = ~ 2 cu ft
> F400 = ~ 1.5 cu ft
> F3CB = ~ 1 cu ft


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## ddddddden (Nov 14, 2011)

p.s.  I recall a lengthy debate over the Castine's measured firebox capacity.  1.5 vs. 1.75 cu ft.  Apparently Jotul has some restrictions about how close to the glass and how high wood can be placed.  Maybe similar restrictions apply to the Oslo, causing some folks to estimate its capacity ~ 2 cu ft.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/50986/P0/


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 14, 2011)

Gyprat, we'll be watching and waiting for the results when you pull the cat.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 15, 2011)

jotul8e2 said:
			
		

> Gyprat said:
> 
> 
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Same here . . . I just tap it with my foot or use a small piece of left-over slate I leave on the hearth to move it one way or the other.


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## Todd (Nov 15, 2011)

Den said:
			
		

> Yes, we all know that wood does not release heat in a linear fashion.  I was just pointing out the obvious. . .with a given amount of fuel, higher output = shorter burn time. . .70K BTU for 4 hours being an extreme example, based on a guesstimate that the Oslo will hold ~ 40 lbs of wood.    I don't think Jotul publishes a firebox volume spec for the Oslo. . .Castine either.  Woodstock spec for Fireview ~ 2.2 cu ft. . .usable space measures ~ 1.8 cu ft.  It sounds like the Oslo's box is about the same size, but 24" long, whereas the Fireview's ~ 20" (not a significant difference if burning 18" splits, but sure some folks burn longer splits.)
> 
> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/45949/
> 
> ...



When I went to the stove shop and looked at the Jotul's I thought the Fireview's box was right in between the Oslo and Castine. The Oslo is definitely larger if you load it up full compared to the Fireview. I think Woodstock never changed it's fire box volume in the manual when they changed from the 201 model to the 205 model. The old baffle and cat setup in the 201 gives a little more fire box than the new 205.


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## Stump_Branch (Nov 15, 2011)

No argument that the oslo is larger. Mostly longer, or i should say longer splits. However its trickier to fill it up with worry of a shift and a split rolling up on the glass. I love the adirons in the fireview. I was debating on trying to add some to the jotul, easy to bolt with the doghouse being there. Would make front door loading near impossible. Which leads me to another thing i wish stove makers would do, incorporate some adirons on the door itself. Swing out of the way and keep logs off the glass. Would still have to be a two load point style stove, either top or side door but still.


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 15, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> No argument that the oslo is larger. Mostly longer, or i should say longer splits. However its trickier to fill it up with worry of a shift and a split rolling up on the glass. I love the adirons in the fireview. I was debating on trying to add some to the jotul, easy to bolt with the doghouse being there. Would make front door loading near impossible. Which leads me to another thing i wish stove makers would do, incorporate some adirons on the door itself. Swing out of the way and keep logs off the glass. Would still have to be a two load point style stove, either top or side door but still.




I used to worry about splits rolling onto the glass with the Heritage, but it doesn't bother me much anymore. More of a 'tip' than it is a 'roll'. I worry more about loading the stove as I have a tendency to hit the glass when side loading.

I'd like andirons on the Heritage if they were attached up on the lip of the stove, above the air hole, so it does not chew into the firebox size. And andirons should be removable like they are on the Intrepid.

I'd also like it if the andirons were removable on the Encore. When I look at used stoves I used to wonder how the andirons were bent or broken up top. I don't wonder anymore. Front loading the Encore can be a pain. You are dealing with this huge opening since the doors swing completely out of the way, but fitting large splits from the front of the stove can be challenging due to the andirons.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 16, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> No argument that the oslo is larger. Mostly longer, or i should say longer splits. However its trickier to fill it up with worry of a shift and a split rolling up on the glass. I love the adirons in the fireview. I was debating on trying to add some to the jotul, easy to bolt with the doghouse being there. Would make front door loading near impossible. Which leads me to another thing i wish stove makers would do, incorporate some adirons on the door itself. Swing out of the way and keep logs off the glass. Would still have to be a two load point style stove, either top or side door but still.



If you're worried about a round or split rolling up against the glass and breaking it, I wouldn't worry too much. It happens . . . even if you are careful in how you load the stove . . . the "glass" is tough stuff.

Now, if you're thinking the andirons would be handy in keeping a rolling round or split away from the window to keep it from messing up the clean glass . . . then yeah, I could understand that completely.

I too have entertained some thoughts in the past of making some home made andirons . . . maybe L-shaped with a heavy weighted bottom . . . but since I'm basically cheap and lazy and the stove still works well without them . . . well, still no andirons . . . I do like the idea of the andirons incorporated into the door though.


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## Stump_Branch (Nov 18, 2011)

Sunday, sunday, sunday!

Okay the fight actuall will start tonight with the swap out test fire, but after a busy weekend ill report sunday with i  hope pictures. This weekend should allow me to stretch the fireviews legs while being around to see whats going on.


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## Stump_Branch (Nov 19, 2011)

Shes in and lit. 

I did not expect to see similar secondary combustion like ghost flames. 
I like the red cat glow, like an idoit light saying your doing it right.
550, cranked down for overnight. Shall see what lies in front of me.


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## BrowningBAR (Nov 19, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> Shes in and lit.
> 
> I did not expect to see similar secondary combustion like ghost flames.
> I like the red cat glow, like an idoit light saying your doing it right.
> 550, cranked down for overnight. Shall see what lies in front of me.



Start a new thread and post some pics.


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## ddddddden (Nov 19, 2011)

Shazaam!     Yeah, she's a bit of a "hybrid," despite the lack of fancy designation.  Look inside above the glass, and you'll see a row of  jets for the air wash, also works like a non-cat burn tube when the box is hot.  IME, the light show usually starts 1.5-2 hrs into a slow cat burn, and the more air space you leave at the top when loading the box, the bigger the light show. . .pack completely full, and the secondary flames are mostly confined to the air scoop/cat box.         Welcome to the Temple of the Cat.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

The weather finally coooled down enough to use the stove again. I'm unable to get the top temperature above 420 degrees. The inlet damper has to stay half open to get it this high. Closing the damper causes the temperature to drop below 350 degrees.
I've even tried buying bundles of kiln dried wood from Home Depot. Same result with even shorter burn times.
I'm thinking of returning the stove if this is how it works. 4 hours of burn time is the most I can get out of it. I'm not going to get up in the middle of night to reload it and then wait for another 30 minutes for the temperature to get over 250 degrees in order to engage the cat. It's cheaper and more efficient to heat with electricity at this point.


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## logger (Dec 2, 2011)

Loaded the Oslo at 9pm and hat a hot bed of coals at 6am.. just sayin. lol.  Woodstocks have great reputations.  Im sure its something with your particular stove or set-up.  Best of luck.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

I pulled the cat out yesterday before lighting the stove. It looks ok with a little whitish soot accumulation. Cleaned it with a vacuum  cleaner and reinstalled.  Also checked the bypass damper. It was a little loose so I tightened the hinges a little bit. 
The stove still performs the same. I think something is wrong with the cat.


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## Todd (Dec 2, 2011)

Sounds like your using too much air? What number are you burning at? Most burn somewhere around #1. The cat won't have time to burn the smoke at higher settings. Good rule of thumb is to engage the cat at 1, let it burn for an hour and don't mess with it. Sometimes after engaging it may look like it's going out but comes back strong. Give it a little more time, plenty people here to help out.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> The weather finally coooled down enough to use the stove again. I'm unable to get the top temperature above 420 degrees. The inlet damper has to stay half open to get it this high. Closing the damper causes the temperature to drop below 350 degrees.
> I've even tried buying bundles of kiln dried wood from Home Depot. Same result with even shorter burn times.
> I'm thinking of returning the stove if this is how it works. 4 hours of burn time is the most I can get out of it. I'm not going to get up in the middle of night to reload it and then wait for another 30 minutes for the temperature to get over 250 degrees in order to engage the cat. It's cheaper and more efficient to heat with electricity at this point.



As you can tell by others who have a Fireview, there is something wrong there but it is doubtful that it is the stove. 

Getting the Fireview to 420 degrees is super easy with the right fuel. Also, why are you closing the damper? Have you tried the setting of 1 yet? The stove is not designed to burn with the draft closed. However, we have burned it that way a few times but our normal setting it from .75 to 1. Here is how we generally do things:

1. With cold stove, we put 2 small to medium splits on the bottom forming a slight Vee. 
2. Place 1/4 Super Cedar in middle of Vee and light it immediately.
3. Place 4-6 pieces of kindling across the Vee.
4. Place 1 or 2 more splits on top of kindling. 
5. Close door. Draft set fully open. Cat not engaged.

In a very short time (I would have to time it but maybe 10-15 minutes we have to close the draft to about 2 (half way). Another 10-15 minutes, sometimes more the draft will have to be closed further, usually to 1. Stovetop reaches 200 and flue 400, cat is engaged. Final setting of draft is either at 1 or slightly below that. 

Most times on this initial fire the stove top temperature will not go over 450 but as soon as we add more fuel, it is very easy to reach 600+ degrees.


So what is the difference?  First, our chimney is too short and according to more knowledgeable folks, we should not get good burns with this short chimney. Second, our fuel is what I'd call prime. No, I have never checked moisture content. This year's wood is 99% white ash that was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. It was split and stacked during early April of 2009. This year's wood was stacked in the barn in October of this year. So our wood is just a bit over 2 years seasoned but I have no idea what the moisture content is nor do I care. All I know is that the wood gives us excellent heat and we don't have to fight go get a good fire. 

Is there other differences? Of course it is difficult to compare weather and also difficult to compare the surrounding area except to say we live in the woods and have some very tall trees to contend with and being on the south and west side of the tallest trees we have to contend with downdrafts during windy days. It does not seem to have much effect though on the operation of the stove.


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## Stump_Branch (Dec 2, 2011)

Its hard not to toy with it but like todd said, youll be backing down the air and when its time to close the bypass you should be below 2. After its lit you should be in that 1 range. Maybe sooner.

Can you see the cat glow at all? Doesnt have to but its a  sure sign its working.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> The weather finally coooled down enough to use the stove again. I'm unable to get the top temperature above 420 degrees. The inlet damper has to stay half open to get it this high. Closing the damper causes the temperature to drop below 350 degrees.
> I've even tried buying bundles of kiln dried wood from Home Depot. Same result with even shorter burn times.
> I'm thinking of returning the stove if this is how it works. 4 hours of burn time is the most I can get out of it. I'm not going to get up in the middle of night to reload it and then wait for another 30 minutes for the temperature to get over 250 degrees in order to engage the cat. It's cheaper and more efficient to heat with electricity at this point.



Why would you have to wait 30 minutes to engage the cat.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Gyprat said:
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Because the top temperature would be below 200 deg. Normally I leave the bypass open for 10 minutes after adding wood, just like the manual says.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> Its hard not to toy with it but like todd said, youll be backing down the air and when its time to close the bypass you should be below 2. After its lit you should be in that 1 range. Maybe sooner.
> 
> Can you see the cat glow at all? Doesnt have to but its a  sure sign its working.



I can only see a small portion of the cat glow. It's the back right corner that glows. The temperature on the righ side or the stove top runs about 80 hotter. 
And yes I tried setting the damper to around 1 after engaging the combustor. Doing so makes the temperature to begin dopping below 380 deg.  It works better with the setting of 2 with large yellow flame and top tempeature reaching near 450. The thermometer is accurate and closely matches infared gun reading.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

Gyprat, do you have the ceramic or steel cat?


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## ddddddden (Dec 2, 2011)

Gyprat, is this a cold start that you are describing?  This is a great stove, but cold starts are not its forte.  Cold stone soaks up a lot of heat.  Reloading on hot coals is the shizzle, as with most stoves, and this is easily done every 10 hours with the FV.      WAG: Did you seal the connection @ the flue collar with furnace cement?       Certainly, try a new cat if nothing else solves your problem.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

And for sure, call Woodstock.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Gyprat, do you have the ceramic or steel cat?



Steel cat. 
I used some stove cement on the chimney joints.

Just got off the phone with Woodstock. They are sending a new combustor. The guy I talked to said they never had any problems with new catalytic converters. He also mentioned that new steel combustors are much better than the ceramic ones and they should last longer.


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## Stump_Branch (Dec 2, 2011)

Ive heard of this once, but the persons air control lever wasnt set right, it had come undone from the actual shutter. Maybe take a peak at that.

Do you know what your stack temps are? Ive found knowing this helps me adjust the air control better than just a stove top thermo. At least with the soapstone anyhow.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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You should have that new cat in only a couple of days but I still doubt that it is the cat. Woodstock will check the cat as soon as it has been returned.

In the meantime, could you please be specific with your wood supply. I realize you purchased from someone that is apparently reliable but yet we still find there are many suppliers who just are not that knowledgeable and some are even dishonest. 

Here is what we would like to know:

1. When was this wood purchased?
2. What type of wood is this?
3. When does the supplier say this wood was split; not cut, but split and stacked.
4. How did you handle the wood after receiving it? Stacked outdoors? Indoors? 
5. What was the weather like when you tried running the stove. Temperature? Stormy? Windy? etc.

Also on running the stove, flue temperature should be 400 and stove top 200 before engaging the cat. Once the cat is engaged, I suggest you set the draft at 1.


On the draft control, I doubt this is a problem but easy to check unless you have a rear heat shield. On the bottom of the draft control you'll see a rod that runs toward the center of the stove. That rod is connected to a little slider which you can actually see. Move the draft control. Does this slider move? You can determine if it is connected really easy and if the slider has somehow hopped off the track (this could happen during shipping) then it is easy to set the slider back onto the track.


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## KevinG (Dec 2, 2011)

I had a similar problem with my Fireview just not acting right this fall. I figured the marginal draft was due to the warmish weather. But I still wanted to burn the stove and take the chill off inside our old brick farm house.

The stove just wouldn't run right. I ended up having to start at 4 and run at 2. Stove top temps struggled to hit 400. Every time I opened the door to load the stove, I got a face-full of smoke. I was starting to get annoyed and my wife wasn't liking the house smelling wood smoke either.

I eventually looked up the SuperVent chimney via my outside tee and realized my poor draft was because something was blocking my chimney pipe! Turns out, the very top was roughly 80% blocked by some charred heavy-weight paper inside the cap. I dimly recall using some sheets of heavy paper to get a draft going once back in early fall. Guess I should have weighted them down? 

With a clear chimney, my draft is back to normal and my Fireview hits 400-500 easily on the first load and 600 without much problem on reloads. This is burning poplar split and stacked under a roof for 15 months.

How's your draft?


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

KevinG said:
			
		

> How's your draft?



Chimney is brand new, draft is excellent.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> Ive heard of this once, but the persons air control lever wasnt set right, it had come undone from the actual shutter. Maybe take a peak at that.
> 
> Do you know what your stack temps are? Ive found knowing this helps me adjust the air control better than just a stove top thermo. At least with the soapstone anyhow.



Checked the air control shutter several times. 
It's hard to tell what stack temperature is. We got double wall close clearance pipe between the stove and the ceiling suppurt assembly. There is a magnetic thermometer on the pipe and it reads anywhere from 90 -300 degrees.


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## Gyprat (Dec 2, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Here is what we would like to know:
> 
> 1. When was this wood purchased?
> 2. What type of wood is this?
> ...



1. This wood was purchased 2 month ago. Moisture reads anywhere from 10 - 20%. Right now I only burn the most seasoned (<15 %) pieces.
2. Mostly oak
3. He says it was split last fall
4. It's stacked outside covered on top. I put two treated 2x4's on the ground and stack wood on top of it. The stack is 8' long x 5' high.  I also tried store purchased, kiln dried wood. Same result. My neighbor has a Keystone stove, I got some of his wood and it made no difference. He has no problem getting his stove to temperature.
5. Last night it got down to 27 degrees, no wind.



P.S. Thanks everybody for trying to help me. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from this stove....


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## Todd (Dec 2, 2011)

What size are your splits? It can be harder to get her going with big splits or rounds. I like the size of my splits 2-5" so I can fill the stove with 5 or more for a full load.

Probably just need a little more time with it. I remember my first few days with my Fireview were a little disappointing and after I figured out more air doesn't necessarily mean more heat, I just stopped tweaking with the air and she started to throw great heat. I also had my air slide off track the first full year and was burning between 0-.5, after fixing that the stove was more controllable and was burning around 1.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 2, 2011)

Sorry, but if that oak was split last fall, I could care less what your MM reads. That simply is not enough time for oak to dry properly. On the kiln dried wood, that may or may not be good. I've seen supposed kiln dried wood that sells around our area and maybe it was dried....but the wood was not ready to burn for sure. It will be difficult for you to find good wood now so you might do yourself a big favor and get next year's wood purchased as soon as possible and get it stacked out like you've described. Your stove will work properly if the fuel is good.

As for the cat glowing on one side, that is common and nothing to be concerned with.


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## cptoneleg (Dec 3, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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   Heck you bought the kind of stove Dennis has, I can't help you Shucks sometimes he drys wood for 8 yrs and he says it burns fine.

  6 month Oak will keep you warm with the other kind.  Maybe the next 7 winters will be mild.


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## ddddddden (Dec 3, 2011)

. . .and the Ozzies hit back with a wicked left hook.  At 22", they have the longer reach, but what about the legs?  Can they go the distance?  Will they still be standing after 12 hours, or will they be knocked out cold?


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## cptoneleg (Dec 3, 2011)

Den said:
			
		

> . . .and the Ozzies hit back with a wicked left hook.  At 22", they have the longer reach, but what about the legs?  Can they go the distance?  Will they still be standing after 12 hours, or will they be knocked out cold?







   :lol:  :lol:  All in Fun


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## Stump_Branch (Dec 3, 2011)

This appears to be a fuel issue as backwoods stated. Btu's will be stolen to boil off any moisture rather than go to useable heat.

To be honest, once the cat is lit it jump up to 400 pretty quick, then slows down as  it works its way up too and past 500. After a steel tube stove, a cast tube stove, and a soapstone cat stove, i think the cats are but a bit easier to run. Really. I say this because its easier to get to and stay in the cruising mode, rather than adjusting the air in stages constantly to get and keep secondaries.

Its different than a car where more throttle means go faster. Stoves to a point, the less air in, less out, more heat stays in the stove. Has taken me time to learn this.

Gyprat, try and mix in lumber scraps with your current cord wood, dont do a full load of lumber. And no pressure treated wood either. You should see that you can burn at a lower air setting, such as 1. This should help you get up to temps. If not maybe we can rule out the fuel issue.

Best of luck.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 3, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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No way are you expecting too much from this stove. Something is not right and almost everything points to the fuel. Mostly oak says a lot! As I've stated, oak is one of the very best woods for us. However, oak is also the hardest wood to dry and that is why we wait 3 years around these parts before we try to burn it.


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## firefighterjake (Dec 5, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

> This appears to be a fuel issue as backwoods stated. Btu's will be stolen to boil off any moisture rather than go to useable heat.
> 
> To be honest, once the cat is lit it jump up to 400 pretty quick, then slows down as  it works its way up too and past 500. After a steel tube stove, a cast tube stove, and a soapstone cat stove, i think the cats are but a bit easier to run. Really. I say this because its easier to get to and stay in the cruising mode, rather than adjusting the air in stages constantly to get and keep secondaries.
> 
> ...



Not saying that the cat stove with its "set it and forget it" flip to the cat isn't the cat's meow because it is appealing . . . but I am wondering about fiddling around constantly to get and keep the secondaries . . . I mean with my Oslo once it's up to temp I generally kick it back to the halfway mark, let it settle down at that temp for 10 minutes or so and then kick it back to the quarter mark and let it settle . . . if it's been running for a while I'll often then kick it all the way "shut" . . . a little more fiddling, but once at the quarter or "closed" mark there is no more messing around with the air control as it goes through the burning cycle.


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## Stump_Branch (Dec 5, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Stump_Branch said:
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Your right jake, i shouldnt make it seem as if im fooling around with it all the time like newlyweds, i tend to follow your description. Everynow and again the load or weather conditions catch me.

Not knocking the non cat, it wouldnt be going to the spot its heading if it wasnt a heat monster, and reliable. I fully expect to " set  and forget" her as well. Maybe not forget, but you catch my drift.


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## leeave96 (Dec 5, 2011)

Gyprat said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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One other thought on your moisture reading - take the reading from the inside of a piece, in other words, split a piece of wood and take the measurement from the inside vs the surface of the outside part that has been drying.

I have found with two stove, one a Woodstock, that the first burns in a new stove are the hardest.  It can be very frustrating. Hang in there - you got a great stove.

Bill


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## Gyprat (Dec 10, 2011)

Update.
Got the new replacement catalyst. Installed it yesterday. Big difference. Now I can see it glow and the stove top tempeature climbs up much faster. I loaded the stove this morning at 8 a.m. Got home at 5 P.M. and the stove temperatyre was still near 300 degrees.
I think the combustor was defective or something happened to it during the initial burn-in procedure.
So far so good. 
Woodstock customer service appears to be top notch. They sent the replacement free of charge and even paid return shipping. They even answer phones on Saturdays.


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 10, 2011)

Yes indeed. Woodstock is second to none in the customer service area and yes, they do work the phones on Saturdays. Glad this has worked out Gyprat. Enjoy.


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## BrowningBAR (Dec 10, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Yes indeed. Woodstock is second to none in the customer service area and yes, they do work the phones on Saturdays. Glad this has worked out Gyprat. Enjoy.



Out of curiosity, has Woodstock ever considered developing a stove that wasn't soapstone?


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## Backwoods Savage (Dec 11, 2011)

Not sure on that but I doubt it. Realize the name of the company is Woodstock Soapstone Company.


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## BrowningBAR (Dec 11, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Not sure on that but I doubt it. Realize the name of the company is Woodstock Soapstone Company.



Understood. Just wondering.


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## leeave96 (Dec 11, 2011)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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They could change their name to Woodstock Stone, Iron and Steel Company..... 

Bill


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## cptoneleg (Dec 11, 2011)

If we had and decent MOPds --- Administrators they woul put this B/S to sleep the man bought his stove so get on with life.


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## Todd (Dec 11, 2011)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> Backwoods Savage said:
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I thought I heard a rumour that the new PH was designed so later down the road it could be developed into a cheaper steel stove without the soapstone panels? Maybe something like the Hearthstone cast stoves?


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