# F55 Owners, Step Inside



## cuttingedge (Jan 4, 2015)

I had a Jotul F55 installed in October. I really like the stove and it has been able to heat our entire home thus far. I have a few questions for those that own this particular stove. The metal plates on the right and left sides inside of the stove that hold the firebricks seem to have bowed out a little. Are yours doing the same? What is the highest stove top temp that you have achieved? My stove sometimes reaches 700-750 and I am wondering if I am doing any damage?
Thanks.


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## wvstriper (Jan 4, 2015)

My f50 is doing the same with the plates. I've run it up as high as 750.


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## 7acres (Jan 5, 2015)

wvstriper said:


> My f50 is doing the same with the plates. I've run it up as high as 750.



My IR thermometer has displayed 790 once. Ive seen mid 700s a number of times. My plates don't seem any different than when new. My stove isn't damaged at all.


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## jeffesonm (Jan 5, 2015)

18 months with the F55... max probably just south of 700... no discernible difference in plates


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## 7acres (Feb 4, 2015)

Seems as good a place as any to report my latest temp extreme. Cast iron top was 950F. IR gun pointed at the steel around the flue read 1090 and the steel around the flue was glowing dull red. No paint smell though. Turned on the blower and closed down the air and everything stabilized nicely. And the stove is fine, btw (so is the house). No damage. I'm not trying to win an F55 torture test contest or suggest what ranges the stove can be run at. Just sharing a datapoint for fellow F55 owners. I did not intend to let it get that hot. Please be kind.  

I will however say that I think it got that hot because the blower had been turned off. With it switched on (even at the lowest speed) I don't think the stove can reach that temp no matter what. One more reason for buying the blower, IMHO.


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## clark77 (Feb 4, 2015)

those are all stove top temps? what are the firebox temps when the stove top is 700+?


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## 7acres (Feb 4, 2015)

When it's in the 700s the sides won't get past 250-280 in my experience.


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## clark77 (Feb 4, 2015)

I was referring to shooting the ir gun through the front glass door and getting the inside temps.


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## 7acres (Feb 4, 2015)

clark77 said:


> I was referring to shooting the ir gun through the front glass door and getting the inside temps.



Never tried that. To clarify my last post though; those temps were for the cast jacket on the sides not the steel firebox behind the jacket.


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## clark77 (Feb 4, 2015)

im just curious to see what your firebox is firing at when your stove top is 700+. I know when my door thermometer reads 550 that I'm over 1000 inside the firebox. but that's my stove. last night I had 415 on the door and 770 inside.


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## iluvjazznjava (Feb 4, 2015)

F55 is an awesome stove!  Simple in design, but simple is good in this case.  Puts out the heat without too much fuss.

Haven't noticed any bowing on the steel holding the firebricks, but I haven't checked lately.

Stove temp ... well the wife loaded it up and left it running with the air wide open and went up town to go shopping (she is new to wood burning, she forgot to check the stove before she left).  When I arrived home, my stove top thermometer was all the way up to the max - 950F   House smelled like the stove was breaking in, except it wasn't.  Once I got the stove cooled down several hours later I gave it a good inspection and no harm done - whew!  My stove pipe discolored though.  I hope it never happens again, but its nice to know the stove can take the abuse if accidents happen.  Seems to be quite well made so far ... time will tell for sure.

Only oddity I noticed on mine the other day was some tar-like (creosote?) substance forming a little on the back wall of the stove inside.  Anyone else see something like this and have any ideas how I can clean it up?  I have an outside air kit (required by code where I am) and it has been suggested that with an OAK the incoming air can be too cold and result in some condensation of creosote inside the stove where the air feeds in.  Might be hearsay, but that's my only theory at the moment ...

I don't have the blower - my dealer wanted $400 for it and that seemed way too steep to me, but sometimes I wish I had it just to get the heat moving around quicker.  The solution has been to have a large box fan at one end of the room blowing towards the stove ... it works ok, so I'll probably live with it.  Anyone think the fan kit is worth the crazy price?  Or even better, anyone know where to pick up the fan cheaper? 

This seems to be a popular stove right now, so its great to have a place like this for everyone to share experiences and help each other out!


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## iluvjazznjava (Feb 4, 2015)

Here's another question for everyone - how do you typically operate the air control on your stove?  No hardwoods for me - I burn dry (<20%) larch and fir.  From a cold start, I will run the air wide open for probably 45min - 1hr and get the stove up to around 500F, then I back off to about 2/3 open for about half an hour, then I back off to about 1/3 and let her cruise.  If I have a bed of coals, then it all happens a lot quicker.  I haven't had any luck operating my stove with less than 1/3 air.  If I go below that point it seems I always choke the fire too much and I start to get visible smoke out of my stack.  I can get 8 hrs useful heat out of my stove the way it currently runs, but I'm wondering if there might be ways to get a couple more hours out of it with a different approach ...


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## clark77 (Feb 4, 2015)

Keep the feedback coming about this stove. I hope to go see one in person this week then make a decision as to get one or not.


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## 7acres (Feb 5, 2015)

iluvjazznjava said:


> Here's another question for everyone - how do you typically operate the air control on your stove?  No hardwoods for me - I burn dry (<20%) larch and fir.  From a cold start, I will run the air wide open for probably 45min - 1hr and get the stove up to around 500F, then I back off to about 2/3 open for about half an hour, then I back off to about 1/3 and let her cruise.  If I have a bed of coals, then it all happens a lot quicker.  I haven't had any luck operating my stove with less than 1/3 air.  If I go below that point it seems I always choke the fire too much and I start to get visible smoke out of my stack.  I can get 8 hrs useful heat out of my stove the way it currently runs, but I'm wondering if there might be ways to get a couple more hours out of it with a different approach ...



Yeah, I'm loving my F55 too. My experience is similar to yours except I burn primarily hard wood. I get 10+ hours every night. My standard routine after the load is lit is 1) Air lever 100% open till the fire is rip roaring through the whole load 2) back off to 50% for 10 minutes or so 3) reduce air to 30% - 40% for all night cruise. I load it up at 7pm. At 6am I put in a half load and it catches easily from coals every time. Only if it's super cold will the wife add more during the day. Most days she never touches it. It just stores up and puts out nice even heat.


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## Knots (Feb 5, 2015)

The manual says to measure stove top temps at the corner of the cook top, so that's what I do.  I figure Jotul knows what all the other associated temps will be based on that.

I'm burning soft maple and black birch.  I load at 300, burn hard to 450/500, and then start backing it down.  At 550 I put the primary air to the minimum.  The stove top goes to 600/675 and then slowly comes down.  I'm getting about 6 hours out of it.


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## jeffesonm (Feb 5, 2015)

I get it going good and then start backing it down in the 400-500 range... never really measure anymore, just wait until it's been raging for a few minutes.  With pretty dry hardwood (20% ish) I slowly back it down to about 1/3 or 1/4 closed.  With really dry wood (15%) I can get it down fully closed and it still burns well.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 15, 2015)

jeffesonm said:


> I get it going good and then start backing it down in the 400-500 range... never really measure anymore, just wait until it's been raging for a few minutes.  With pretty dry hardwood (20% ish) I slowly back it down to about 1/3 or 1/4 closed.  With really dry wood (15%) I can get it down fully closed and it still burns well.



So far this is roughly what I am doing.  I'm burning well seasoned hardwood with the air all the way down.

I'm new to this woodstove and woodstove heating in general.  I found that when I shut down the air after reaching about 450, the stove will climb some more and then fall a little.  About this time the secondaries start up and the stove will climb to 550-600 and cruise along with the air off.

The difference in temp between the center of the stove and corner were Jotul suggests to place thermometer can be 50-75 degrees.  I'm using a Condar Inferno thermometer in the center of the of the cookplate.  That is easily the hottest place on the cooktop too; there and straight back to the stove pipe.


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## clark77 (Feb 15, 2015)

This is where I'm putting it, not sure if it's right or not. This is my interpretation of the rear corner of the griddle plate. Either way, the center is a lot hotter ( 150+ degrees hotter).




I also made myself a high temp needle out of a piece of safety wire.




The stove heated the house well last night. It did set off the smoke alarms due to the paint cure smell but it all worked out.
So far we are really liking this stove. Just going to take time to learn how to burn it properly.




In this pic, the center of the stove top is 660 and the corner with the thermometer is 520.
The opposite left corner is 15+ degrees cooler. This is with the damper all the way closed.I started this load at 1p.m. with a good set of hot coals.


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## Creekheat (Feb 15, 2015)

I have an F55 as well. We love the stove. 
We are burning all seasoned hardwood <20% MC
With good coals I am getting about 8hrs total burn (useable heat above 300*)
It tops out around 700*ish briefly then creeps down slowly to about 550* and cruises. Then slowly drops to about 300 on the tail end. If you include below 300* temps probably about a 9-10 hour burn.
Fantastic stove and the secondary combustion system works great!


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## 7acres (Feb 15, 2015)

clark77 said:


> This is where I'm putting it, not sure if it's right or not. This is my interpretation of the rear corner of the griddle plate. Either way, the center is a lot hotter ( 150+ degrees hotter).
> View attachment 153677
> 
> 
> ...



I like that high temp needle mod!


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## clark77 (Feb 15, 2015)

7acres said:


> I like that high temp needle mod!




It's working nice. High temp is 575 since I put it there. cruising nicely at 550 now.


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## Creekheat (Feb 15, 2015)

Do you load yours to the tubes? I usually do but if you think lighter loads work better I may try that


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## clark77 (Feb 15, 2015)

I just did as lighter load so I can fill it before I go to bed. I haven't quite got a schedule down yet. Today was my first full day burning and I'm trying to learn the stove.


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## Creekheat (Feb 15, 2015)

Me too. Cool


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## 7acres (Feb 15, 2015)

Creekheat said:


> Do you load yours to the tubes? I usually do but if you think lighter loads work better I may try that



On a cold night I stuff as much wood in as will fit. Stacked to the baffles and touching them. But I never force anything in.


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## BradleyW (Feb 15, 2015)

Creekheat said:


> Do you load yours to the tubes? I usually do but if you think lighter loads work better I may try that


I Ioad mine as full as I can get it, unless I get off schedule and want a short burn before the overnight load. I think smaller loads burn more completely without fussing with the air. I find that a really full load needs more air adjustment as time goes by in order to burn the wood in the back of the firebox well. Of course, I don't bother doing this when I am sleeping. And since it is already below zero, I just stuffed mine to the gills. Normally the furnace might turn on around 5:00 am on a cold night, and tonight it has already come on. Tough to keep up right now, especially with the wind.


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## Dave52 (Feb 15, 2015)

I stumbled on a technique for this stove using just two 10 - 14 inch diameter logs, set close together, ends facing the door, then light the wood between the two pieces using a piece of  that super-cedar fire starter stuff.  Start with the air wide open, then cut it down to 1/2 when it gets going, which can take an hour. But it will go on for 7-9 hours at 400º.  Not much left but ash.  I'm burning well cured, peeled, pine logs.


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## Jsd245 (Feb 16, 2015)

This is my second season burning my f55 24x7.I have it installed in my fireplace,  on an outside wall, at one end of the house. though it is mostly out of it on the hearth and it is a very large shallow type runmsford type fireplace, so I dont think I lose a lot of heat into the masonry.

This stove is heating my entire 2800 sq ft house,  with less than ideal placement, though I have an open first floor plan and a large central staircase. 

Yes I've had it at 750 on the stovetop  a few times,  hasn't seemed to phase it. I don't have a blower and never felt the need for one. I have not seen any bowing of the plates inside. 

I've also felt the stove tolerates not perfectly seasoned wood well, and still throws a ton of heat- I have burned some beech that was cut and split last April and other than some sizzling when it first goes in , the stove burns fine and still throws lots of heat with no visible smoke once it gets rolling.

Love the stove for its simplicity and robust design. I don't see many things that could go wrong with it.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 16, 2015)

Last night it was -23 with the wind chill and living in a large wood tent with nothing but a 3" slab of wood and roof shingles to protect us from the elements, I'd say we did pretty well.  

I know my oil boiler would have been running constantly to try and keep up and would never have satisfied the thermostat.  The house would have been cold.  

We were told that the loft in the house was going to be like a sauna, but so far that hasn't happend.  I expect it might happen once the outside temps get back to something more normal.

Been loading mine N/S so far and like the results.


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## 7acres (Feb 16, 2015)

Jsd245 said:


> ...I've also felt the stove tolerates not perfectly seasoned wood well, and still throws a ton of heat- I have burned some beech that was cut and split last April and other than some sizzling when it first goes in , the stove burns fine and still throws lots of heat with no visible smoke once it gets rolling.
> 
> Love the stove for its simplicity and robust design. I don't see many things that could go wrong with it.



I'd like to echo this experience. Such a forgiving wood stove. Beautiful look, nice even heat, simple to operate.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Feb 20, 2015)

I am into my second season with my F55. Last year I ran 6 cord through it. This year I've run 3 thus-far, haven't been home as much during the day. I have all mixed hardwoods, <20% MC (I have a meter and check, anything above 20 I sit aside. My best burns are with white oak. I rarely get more than 6 hours out of a burn before I'm down to coals and the heat output starts to get a bit chilly. Outside air temps right now are in the teens to single digits. My house is 3500 sq ft, but the stove is heating an area about 1/2 of that. I like the room where the stove is installed (central room in the main section of the house) 70+ degrees. I waste more money on the standby loss on my furnace than I want to admit, it almost never kicks on to actually heat the house. I find the best way to load my stove with is a bottom row of small splits oriented N/S to facilitate airflow from the front of the unit, with the remainder of the splits above that oriented E/W. As the stove warms up I can cut back on the secondary air and watch the secondaries firing. I usually have to fiddle with the air control the further I get into the burn to keep the stovetop temps and heat output up. Stovetop temps range in the 500's and the flue temps in the 600-800 range. Once I loaded the stove entirely N/S with smaller splits (early on as I was getting to know the stove) and realized this was a stupid mistake as I watched my flue temps soar above 1200 and stovetop temps run in the high 6/low 700's even with the secondary air closed. Nothing was glowing but I definitely got the paint-curing smell throughout the house. Needed to take a couple of valium with that experience, I didn't know about the primary air intake in the rear and using a piece of foil tape to reduce the intake back then.

Couple things I don't like about the stove:

a. After several days of 24/7 burning I end up with a huge pile of coals, and a lot of charcoal in the rear of the stove where the airflow can't keep the wood burning as well (this is why I tried an entire N/S load once). To get rid of the coals I have to leave the secondary air all the way forward after scraping the ash/coals away from the door so the secondary air can flow over the coals;

b. The lack of an ash pan. I realize a lot of serious burners don't care for ash pans, but I find it an immense pain in the ass (even with an ash-dragon to sift through my ashes) to clear out the ashes that accumulate in the stove. I end up throwing out perfectly good combustible material whenever I clean the ashes.

c. My relatively short (compared to other people) burn times. Sure would be nice to get some 8-10 hour burns like folks here say they do. I simply can't seem to get it... at least, with the heat output / temperature I want to maintain for my "comfort" zone. My girlfrend has raynaud's in her feet and hands so even 60 degrees feels "cold" to her.

d. Mitten racks. I sure miss the mitten racks on my old stove. When the weather breaks I'm going to get some old horseshoes and weld up some mitten racks to sit on top of the griddle plate.

e. the lacks of andirons in the front. On more than one occasion I've had the wood load shift inside the stove and ended up with a piece of wood laying right up against the glass, effectively preventing me from opening the door until it burned down to a reasonable point. Once or twice I've actually had logs in the rear shift and roll out onto the hearth, or embers from logs which rested against the glass end up rolling onto my floor.


If I were in the market for a stove again, though, I'd still buy the F55, even with my "complaints". It has been a workhorse for these past two winters..


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## iluvjazznjava (Feb 20, 2015)

clark77 said:


> This is where I'm putting it, not sure if it's right or not. This is my interpretation of the rear corner of the griddle plate. Either way, the center is a lot hotter ( 150+ degrees hotter).
> View attachment 153677
> 
> 
> I put my thermometer in the same spot.


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## clark77 (Feb 20, 2015)

I've been burning mine for just about a week now and I love it. As far as ashes go, I haven't taken any out and I've been burning 24/7. When the temp gets to 250-300, I take all the large coals forward and burn that on high for an hour. Sometimes I put a split easy/west to get as little more heat out of the stove. By the time that burns down, I only have a little ash up front. 
I then reload and go from there.


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## Dave52 (Feb 20, 2015)

The first season I used the stove, we went through 7 cords of wood.  I was cleaning out 2 gallons of ash and coals every morning.  I snuff  it all out in steel sealed containers, then later sifted out the ash and used the charcoal in my garden.  What I've since realized is that in my climate and with my house insulation,  I can't keep the house much above 55-60ºF overnight no matter what I do with the stove.  So now,  before going to bed, the house at 75º with half a stove full of wood, I just open up the air 3/4 and let it burn out then start all over the next day.    That helps keep the amount of unburned  charcoal at a reasonable amount.  I empty out the ash, about 3 gallons,  every 4-5 days.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 21, 2015)

I started a fire last Friday (2/13) night around 6 pm.  I have been using the coals from every fire since then to reignite the fire and warm up.  I leave the house every morning around 8 and got home last night at 6:00.  The stove was around 200* and there was plenty of coals in the back.  I pulled them forward, tossed a small pine split on it and got the draft going nicely.  I placed some small/medium sized wood (sassafras, maple, maybe there was a piece of oak) and brought the stove back to life quickly.  I burned this load hot and fast to warm up the house and be able to reload later for an overnighter.  At 8:45 I reloaded the stove to the gills and it was cruising nicely by 930ish.  The photo below is after I racked the coals forward at 6:56am this morning.  The flue pipe was around 125 and the stove about 200-225.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

To me, this stove is super efficient. The stove uses every bit of energy in the wood and there's hardly anything left.  I bet I don't have a gallon of ash in there after a weeks worth of burning. something doesn't make sense if your taking that much out every day. What's your moisture content at for the wood your burning? Most issues with burning is contributed to the wood so check that.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Last night I filled up at 10:30 pm and this morning at 8-830 the stove was just under 200 degrees. It did get to -7 so it was fairly cold. So I raked the hot coals forward, loaded get up and right now the stove is cruising at 550-600.
Last night's wood was loaded east/west and this morning's is north/south. It's going to be a heat wave today, forecasting for 20's.  Tomorrow is shorts and tee shirt weather, low to mid 30's. Then back to single and negatives next week.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 21, 2015)

What is your flue pipe temp when the corner of your stove is at that temp?  I haven't had my corner thermometer get that hot yet.  Perhaps I'm not seeing everything this stove can deliver.  What temp is the center of the stove at?


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## Creekheat (Feb 21, 2015)

I loaded just a few minutes ago. Oak, maple and some Osage Orange. Cross cross load. She is cruising about 650*.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Looks like the stove is settling at 500 or so right now. As far as flue temps, I don't pay much attention to it. The manual says that optimum temp range is 400-700 on the corner of the griddle. So that's where I measure. I do hit the center just to see and it's usually about 100-150 degrees hotter. Depends on if the flames are wrapping up there or not. I'm not too concerned about those temps either. Just watch those corner temps like jotul says. They know their stove best.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Holzstapel said:


> What is your flue pipe temp when the corner of your stove is at that temp?  I haven't had my corner thermometer get that hot yet.  Perhaps I'm not seeing everything this stove can deliver.  What temp is the center of the stove at?




Let that stove rip. What temps are you seeing on the griddle thermometer?


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Just about 45 minutes ago the stove was down to 300 degrees so I raked the coals forward and put a small split on top. Temp went up to 400 and now slowly coming down to around 350. Somewhere around the 4-5 hour mark, I started opening up the air gradually as the temp hovered around 400 degrees. It's still in the high teens here and snowing. 
I'll take a pic of the fire box and ashes before my next reload so you can see how many ashes are in there after a weeks worth of burning 24/7 in single to negative temps.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Here's ash after a week of burning. There's nothing from midway to the back. Stove top is 200


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Load number 2 of the day. All white oak from the tree that hit my house during hurricane Sandy


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Stove temp maxed out at 650 with this load. It's hour 4 and the temp dropped to 300. I just up opened the air to half way and secondaries started back up and the temp is rising


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## ToltingColtAcres (Feb 21, 2015)

clark77 said:


> Load number 2 of the day. All white oak from the tree that hit my house during hurricane Sandy



If I packed my stove like that I would over-fire the stove, easily. I have to be incredibly careful with N/S loads. A few nights ago I did a load with the bottom row of (small) splits N/S, a row on top (large logs) E/W, and a few (small splits) N/S on top of that. Mixed species. Nothing more than 18% MC. I was hovering at 900 degrees flue temps in no time flat with with my secondary air all the way down.


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## 7acres (Feb 21, 2015)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> If I packed my stove like that I would over-fire the stove, easily. I have to be incredibly careful with N/S loads. A few nights ago I did a load with the bottom row of (small) splits N/S, a row on top (large logs) E/W, and a few (small splits) N/S on top of that. Mixed species. Nothing more than 18% MC. I was hovering at 900 degrees flue temps in no time flat with with my secondary air all the way down.



You can fix that by covering part of your secondary air intake. Search the site for Florida bungalow. Knots has post with some good pics.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> If I packed my stove like that I would over-fire the stove, easily. I have to be incredibly careful with N/S loads. A few nights ago I did a load with the bottom row of (small) splits N/S, a row on top (large logs) E/W, and a few (small splits) N/S on top of that. Mixed species. Nothing more than 18% MC. I was hovering at 900 degrees flue temps in no time flat with with my secondary air all the way down.



What's your flue setup like? You definitely can control more by limiting the secondary air inlet. I have a magnet just in case I start getting more than 650.
 I'm in hour 5 of the burn and just opened the air all the way. Temp is about 375.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Here's the pics of the stove now at 375.  White oak it's burning nicely.


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## clark77 (Feb 21, 2015)

Hour 7 and still at 350 degrees.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Feb 22, 2015)

clark77 said:


> What's your flue setup like? You definitely can control more by limiting the secondary air inlet. I have a magnet just in case I start getting more than 650.
> I'm in hour 5 of the burn and just opened the air all the way. Temp is about 375.



I have about 6' of double-walled stove pipe with a 90 elbow into the wall. There it joins a Metalbestos cleanout T and is pretty much a straight shot (with a couple of small bends) about another 15' or so out the roof, tucked behind the house's regular chimney.

Last year I installed a flue pipe key to try and control the N/S loads. It didn't seem to make much difference. For example I can watch the flames, close the key, and I will see the flicker will slow down slightly, but not enough to really make a difference in the burn. As opposed to loading E/W, when I close the air intake and I will shift easily to nice lazy rolling flames.

Last nite before I went to bed at 11:30 I raked all my coals down even, and loaded the stove E/W. Waited until everything was engaged, rolling nicely, turned my air all the way down and had a nice burn going. Got up at 6:30 this morning and was down to coals, stovetop and flue temp was around 300.. I had enough coals I could just open the air, throw a log in, and watch her take off again. Some mornings depending on the wood species I'll have more ash and less coals, and then I have to rake things out a bit. I do find any significant ash accumulation seems to choke the airflow of the stove, especially when accumulated towards the front of the stove. This stove definitely loves to run N/S. I will use my small shove and push the ash and coals away from the front lip a little to give the air "room" to flow out,  throw a few small splits N/S to facilitate air flow with a couple of larger logs E/W, and she'll get going again.

I definitely love the stove, she's an "easy keeper"


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## Holzstapel (Feb 23, 2015)

clark77 said:


> Let that stove rip. What temps are you seeing on the griddle thermometer?




Here is my current situation after the weekend with a little background information first.  One of our fires during the first weekend we had the stove got the flue pipe really hot - to the point that it was smoking.  I now attribute this to the paint curing and me allowing the fire to rage too long with the air fully open.  It scared my wife and made me hesitant to get the flue that hot again.  The flue thermometer was positioned too low (about 12" above stove) so the temps there were getting high fast.  I have since moved the flue thermometer to a better location, but I still don't think it's optimal.  The manufacturer says to place it 18" above the connection.  This is right where our stove pipe bends 90*.

I was turning down the air too soon because I was paying attention to the flue thermometer instead of the griddle thermometer.  I didn't want the pipe to start smoking again.  This weekend, after reading your post, I decided to let'r rip and paid more attention to the griddle therm.  I got the stove up around 550 and the house was nice and warm - this even tossed heat down the hallway towards the bedroom which was a pleasant surprise!  At this griddle temp, the flue temp was around 450.  I feel much more confident after this weekend with getting the morning fire going and settling the stove down. 

Thanks for posts regarding your burn times and ash.  I didn't pull out any ash this weekend and was better with burning the coals down before reloading.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Feb 23, 2015)

Holzstapel said:


> I was turning down the air too soon because I was paying attention to the flue thermometer instead of the griddle thermometer.  I didn't want the pipe to start smoking again.  This weekend, after reading your post, I decided to let'r rip and paid more attention to the griddle therm.  I got the stove up around 550 and the house was nice and warm - this even tossed heat down the hallway towards the bedroom which was a pleasant surprise!  At this griddle temp, the flue temp was around 450.  I feel much more confident after this weekend with getting the morning fire going and settling the stove down.



What was your max flue temp during these cycles? My flue temps with the air wide open and the stove cranking will easily exceed that of the griddle temp, and will quickly rise to 1000+ (internal). The only time I see flue temps lower than my griddle temps is after the stove has outgassed a load a little and I can turn down the air lever to get a good roll from the secondaries. Have made the mistake of baking the paint on my double-wall stove pipe one too many times, now I really keep an eye on things when I have the air wide open.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 23, 2015)

With the thermometer placed where shown in the photo, the temps never went into the red zone -  so about 500-550?


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## clark77 (Feb 23, 2015)

Holzstapel said:


> Here is my current situation after the weekend with a little background information first.  One of our fires during the first weekend we had the stove got the flue pipe really hot - to the point that it was smoking.  I now attribute this to the paint curing and me allowing the fire to rage too long with the air fully open.  It scared my wife and made me hesitant to get the flue that hot again.  The flue thermometer was positioned too low (about 12" above stove) so the temps there were getting high fast.  I have since moved the flue thermometer to a better location, but I still don't think it's optimal.  The manufacturer says to place it 18" above the connection.  This is right where our stove pipe bends 90*.
> 
> I was turning down the air too soon because I was paying attention to the flue thermometer instead of the griddle thermometer.  I didn't want the pipe to start smoking again.  This weekend, after reading your post, I decided to let'r rip and paid more attention to the griddle therm.  I got the stove up around 550 and the house was nice and warm - this even tossed heat down the hallway towards the bedroom which was a pleasant surprise!  At this griddle temp, the flue temp was around 450.  I feel much more confident after this weekend with getting the morning fire going and settling the stove down.
> 
> Thanks for posts regarding your burn times and ash.  I didn't pull out any ash this weekend and was better with burning the coals down before reloading.


 

glad the stove is working out for you. i shoveled some ash out this weekend but probably only a coffee can's worth. i really didn't need to but i wanted to have more room for wood.
last night i burned a real big load of wood and got to just about 700 on the corner of the griddle. at about 675, i placed my magnet over the secondary air just as a precaution. i ran it that way for a half hour or so then as i saw the temps drop, i removed the magnet and it crusied nicely between 550 and 600 degrees.
did i really need to place the magnet on the air inlet, i don't know but i just wanted to be safe and not go over 700. this stove really pumps heat out at those temps.
i wish i had gotten this stove at the beginning of the burning season verses now but i am very glad i got it. especially since these last two weeks have been the coldest its ever been before. definitely no regrets getting this stove.


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## john84 (Feb 23, 2015)

Lets see some pics of these beasts loaded up! I decided on this stove for an install sometime this year, this thread makes me think I'm making a good decision.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 23, 2015)

Loaded up about 8:15.
Flue 400
Stove 530


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## cybex (Feb 24, 2015)

john84 said:


> Lets see some pics of these beasts loaded up! I decided on this stove for an install sometime this year, this thread makes me think I'm making a good decision.



At minus 9, it's loaded!


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## clark77 (Feb 24, 2015)

the stove was packed this morning (-7 out) and now is ripping  650-700 degrees. once again, I placed the magnet over the secondary inlet. before I did that, the center of the griddle was 900 and the corners were 700 and 675 each. after the magnet was put on, the center dropped to 850 and corners to 650. cruising nicely now.


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## clark77 (Feb 24, 2015)

Temps still dropping but secondaries are like little flame throwers.


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## Holzstapel (Feb 24, 2015)

clark77 said:


> the stove was packed this morning (-7 out) and now is ripping  650-700 degrees. once again, I placed the magnet over the secondary inlet. before I did that, the center of the griddle was 900 and the corners were 700 and 675 each. after the magnet was put on, the center dropped to 850 and corners to 650. cruising nicely now.



That is hot!  My IR gun only goes to 615*ish 

Last night and this morning I kept the air fully open until the griddle temp reached 400.  Then I cut the air to 1/2 open and kept an eye on the flue pipe, which was now around 450.  The flue temp crept up to about 500-515 and the stove started to catch up.  Once the corner of the griddle hit 500, I cut the air back to 1/3 open (this morning I loaded up at 5am and was at this stage by 5:25am).  I let it linger here for a few and before I left the house the air was off and the secondaries were flying.  I left the house at 6 and my wife watched the stove until she left around 730 and she reported that all was well. 

I know it will vary form load to load since my wood is all mixed, but I can tell I'm getting a better feel for the stove.

Tonight I go to class (Carpentry) and the wife gets to stoke the fire.  She has more wood stove experience than I do, so I'm not concerned, but I did tell her about not leaving the air fully open and walking away from the stove.


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## clark77 (Feb 24, 2015)

I'm at the top end of the optimum burning range as per jotul. so I'm comfortable at running it at those temps. of course, I'm cautious as to not go above 700  corner griddle temps. magnet on at 650-675 works well for my setup at keeping my temps within range.


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## john84 (Feb 24, 2015)

826 degrees on the center of the griddle is not something to worry about? As long as the corners stay within the max temp range?


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## clark77 (Feb 24, 2015)

john84 said:


> 826 degrees on the center of the griddle is not something to worry about? As long as the corners stay within the max temp range?




I'm not worried. Jotul wants it read in the corners so I'll keep the temps at the corners within the range. I would think that jotul knows that the center is hotter and have given the range to be safe for the whole stove.


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## clark77 (Feb 24, 2015)

i'll try to give Jotul a call tomorrow to get a good explanation on this.


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## Setter Fan (Feb 25, 2015)

I have been looking at changing from an Insert to the F55 and was curious if others with this stove had done the same.  Currently burn with a Jotul Rockland 550 (3 cubic foot firebox) rated at 1,800 square feet and 65,000 btu’s.

It seems the F55 is super easy to use, puts out a ton of heat and nearly everybody is incredibly pleased with the stove. 

Again interested if others had switched from an Insert to this particular wood stove and if they could offer any feedback.  I am not disappointed with the Rockland (it does what it is rated to do) but it really struggles in my center chimney 2,500 square foot home when the temps get below 30.


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## clark77 (Feb 25, 2015)

so last night I was looking for a contact number for Jotul North America and I found it along with their Facebook page. I sent them a message via facebook and sent the pictures that I showed above which shows my thermometer locations and my 826 degree center griddle temp. I asked them if the thermometers were in the proper locations and if 800+ temps in the center of the griddle is over firing. they wrote back this morning saying that the thermometer location and temps I'm running are perfect. so no worries, let you stove's rip!


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## clark77 (Feb 25, 2015)

Setter Fan said:


> I have been looking at changing from an Insert to the F55 and was curious if others with this stove had done the same.  Currently burn with a Jotul Rockland 550 (3 cubic foot firebox) rated at 1,800 square feet and 65,000 btu’s.
> 
> It seems the F55 is super easy to use, puts out a ton of heat and nearly everybody is incredibly pleased with the stove.
> 
> Again interested if others had switched from an Insert to this particular wood stove and if they could offer any feedback.  I am not disappointed with the Rockland (it does what it is rated to do) but it really struggles in my center chimney 2,500 square foot home when the temps get below 30.




this is exactly what I did 2 weeks ago. I had/have a regency i2400 which has a btu rating of 75,000, rated for 2000 sq/ft and has a 2.3 cu/ft fire box. I've been burning that 24/7 since 2006 and it did ok. when temps were in the 30's and 40's, the stove would keep up fine. from 20-30 degrees, I had to run it full tilt to keep up and from 20 and below, it just wouldn't keep up. so every year we had a week that was near 0 degrees and each year for the last few, I kept saying I'm going to get something else. well this year I said it again, but finally acted on it and got the F55. I am so glad I did. one concern I had was getting heated out of the 19' x 15' room my stove is in but that is not a problem. we've had the coldest temps I've ever seen here in NJ over the last 2 weeks and the F55 hasn't disappointed.
the space I'm heating is approximately 2500 sq/ft with a interior chimney. granted, my setup isn't ideal for heating with a wood stove (I wish I had an open floor plan), but this stove heats so much better than the insert did. this stove heats the house at single digit degree outside temps like my insert heated at 35-40 degrees. you will not be disappointed when you switch. i wish i did sooner.


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## Setter Fan (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks Clark!

That is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for.  Love my Jotul but when the temperature dips I have to run it really hard and the furnace still kicks on.  The constant sound of the fan running is also a small annoyance.

This is a great thread and very informative.


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## clark77 (Feb 25, 2015)

Nice reminder on the fan. It's so nice not to have any fan noise now. So much better that it's quiet. I did not go with the fan option and I don't feel like it's needed after burning the stove in sub zero temps these past two weeks.


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## Grisu (Feb 25, 2015)

Setter Fan said:


> I have been looking at changing from an Insert to the F55 and was curious if others with this stove had done the same.  Currently burn with a Jotul Rockland 550 (3 cubic foot firebox) rated at 1,800 square feet and 65,000 btu’s.
> 
> It seems the F55 is super easy to use, puts out a ton of heat and nearly everybody is incredibly pleased with the stove.
> 
> Again interested if others had switched from an Insert to this particular wood stove and if they could offer any feedback.  I am not disappointed with the Rockland (it does what it is rated to do) but it really struggles in my center chimney 2,500 square foot home when the temps get below 30.



Have you actually measured the firebox dimensions? It looks like the firebox of the C550 is quite a bit smaller than 3 cu ft. If not than the F55 would not help that much and you need to go larger. 

Do you have a block-off plate? https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/


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## Setter Fan (Feb 25, 2015)

Grisu said:


> Have you actually measured the firebox dimensions? It looks like the firebox of the C550 is quite a bit smaller than 3 cu ft. If not than the F55 would not help that much and you need to go larger.
> 
> Do you have a block-off plate? https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/make-a-damper-sealing-block-off-plate/



Never measured the height of the firebox however it is approximately 24" wide by 12" back to front which makes for mostly East/West loading.  My dealer and others on the forum have said the 550 was approximately 3 cubic feet. Will measure again in the morning when the stove is cooler.

Yes, the installer put in a block off plate have a center chimney and wood at or below 20%.  

Should I be discounting the Jotul website BTU and square footage notes on both stoves?  Just look at firebox size?


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## Grisu (Feb 25, 2015)

Setter Fan said:


> Should I be discounting the Jotul website BTU and square footage notes on both stoves?  Just look at firebox size?



Yes. Firebox size is the best predictor of the real-world heating capability of a stove. The more fuel you can put in the more heat you will get out. If the C550 is truly 3 cu ft, switching it out for a 3 cu ft stove will only give you a minimal gain. You will need to look for a stove with a 4 cu ft firebox or a second stove then.


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## Setter Fan (Feb 25, 2015)

Called a CT dealer to clarify and he said the Rockland had a 2.1 cubic foot firebox and is realistically rated to heat between 1,500 to 1,800 square feet.  He also said the F55 has a much bigger and more usable firebox and would heat significantly more.


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## Knots (Feb 28, 2015)

I was on a trip for work last week, so the stove was stone cold today when I got up.  I took that opportunity to take a look in the chimney.

I've burned about 1.25 cord of dry wood.  Mostly soft maple, with black birch and white birch making up the rest.

The picture quality is bad, but I'll tell you this: I put it back together without cleaning anything.  There was just a very thin coating of light brown stuff.

Looking up:





Looking down:


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## BrotherBart (Feb 28, 2015)

Nice.


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## clark77 (Mar 1, 2015)

I've been doing some experimenting the last few days. I've noticed that just about every time I filled the stove, the temps would get up to 600-700 even when closing down the primary air at 400 degrees. so every time I would hit the 650 mark, I would put a magnet over the entire secondary inlet and the fire would then settle down in the 500-600 temp range. I know that 700 is within the manufactures optimum burn temps but I would rather not flirt with possibly overfiring the stove.
so instead of baby sitting the stove and waiting to see if i had to put the magnet on, I have been just leaving the magnet on all the time now. I was able to find a fridge magnet that was just a little longer and wider than the inlet opening. I just peeled off the paper advertisement on the one side and got off all the residual glue.
I have not noticed any ill effects when running the stove this way and I've found that the stove is more manageable now. I have a very good draft so this is my way of slowing that down.
if I close the primary air down at around 400 degrees (not straight from totally open to totally closed but closing in increments), I've noticed that the stove does not get much higher than 500 degrees. obviously if I wait longer to close it down, the stove temps will go higher which is needed in the single and below 0 temps we have been having. so far doing it this way, the stove is easier to run and I don't have to worry much about getting too hot.
so these are just my experiences. I'm sure others will not have to do this but if you have a real good draft and need to slow things down, this is a very good option. oh, I've got an approximate 22 foot interior chimney using an unlined stainless flex liner.


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## begreen (Mar 1, 2015)

I don't think this is a good option. Putting a magnet fully over the secondary port is a poor solution. It defeats the clean burning of the stove and decreases efficiency by letting more unburnt gases go up the flue. Don't be a slave to the thermometer. Go more visually. If the fire is burning strongly, start closing down the primary air sooner say at 300F and a bit more aggressively. Consider burning larger splits to help slow down the fire a bit.


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## clark77 (Mar 1, 2015)

begreen said:


> I don't think this is a good option. Putting a magnet fully over the secondary port is a poor solution. It defeats the clean burning of the stove and decreases efficiency by letting more unburnt gases go up the flue. Don't be a slave to the thermometer. Go more visually. If the fire is burning strongly, start closing down the primary air sooner say at 300F and a bit more aggressively. Consider burning larger splits to help slow down the fire a bit.



I still have good secondary flames when its fully covered so I figured the gases were being burnt. I'm still learning how this stove operates so i'll experiment some more with only a portion of the inlet covered.


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## begreen (Mar 1, 2015)

Try shutting down the air sooner and burning larger splits. You might also try to find the boost air supply to the stove if there is one and close that off with a magnet instead. This will take a hand mirror and a flashlight to examine the underside of the stove and locate air intake(s).


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## clark77 (Mar 1, 2015)

begreen said:


> Try shutting down the air sooner and burning larger splits. You might also try to find the boost air supply to the stove if there is one and close that off with a magnet instead. This will take a hand mirror and a flashlight to examine the underside of the stove and locate air intake(s).



well the split sizes are what they are. I've got about 13 cords split and stacked that range from 3-6 inches. now that I have a bigger stove, i'll make them on the larger size. I'm not sure what you mean about the boost air supply. on the bottom, I believe all I have is the primary air inlet and the unrestricted secondary air inlet. I do not see any other ports under there. I just noticed that there are two squares for the primary air inlet. when all the way closed, the square on the left stays open about a quarter of an inch. the one on the right closes all the way.  here are some pictures. picture of the secondary, I have about an inch that's not covered by the magnet.


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## jeffesonm (Mar 1, 2015)

Setter Fan said:


> I have been looking at changing from an Insert to the F55 and was curious if others with this stove had done the same.  Currently burn with a Jotul Rockland 550 (3 cubic foot firebox) rated at 1,800 square feet and 65,000 btu’s.
> 
> It seems the F55 is super easy to use, puts out a ton of heat and nearly everybody is incredibly pleased with the stove.
> 
> Again interested if others had switched from an Insert to this particular wood stove and if they could offer any feedback.  I am not disappointed with the Rockland (it does what it is rated to do) but it really struggles in my center chimney 2,500 square foot home when the temps get below 30.


I switched from an Osburn Matrix (flush insert, 2.4? cu ft firebox) to the F55. Whereas as the Matrix would be good down to the low 30's, the F55 is good into the mid 20's maybe?  Just a guess really.   It definitely puts out a bit more heat, but I don't think the difference is dramatic.  More noticeable is not having the fan run all the time, but hard to say if it's worth the $ to upgrade just for that.  I really liked the Matrix, got similar burn times and preferred its looks to the F55.  I suspect one day I'll install a wood boiler and go back to it.

To be honest the biggest comfort trick I figured out this year is to buy a programmable thermostat and just let the boiler run for a bit once a day when it gets super cold out.  I have the thermostats programmed to jump from 55 to 75 for an hour in the morning, starting just before I wake up.  This amounts to the boiler running flat out for about an hour, with a .65 gph nozzle burns like $1.50 worth of oil.  However in that hour it raises the whole house probably 6 or 7 degrees which seriously takes the chill off and then the stove can keep if comfortable burning throughout the day.  It takes a lot more BTUs to raise the temp of your house than it does to just maintain it.

I spent an inordinate effort trying to chase that list bit of oil (recently bought, installed, and am now selling a second stove) but for $150 or so a year I will just burn a bit and be comfortable.


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## clark77 (Mar 1, 2015)

Just did another full load, closed down early and it topped out at 550 or so. I guess I was letting it get to hot before closing down.


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## begreen (Mar 1, 2015)

clark77 said:


> Just did another full load, closed down early and it topped out at 550 or so. I guess I was letting it get to hot before closing down.


That's good news.  It looks like there is some secondary air coming in. That is also good, don't block it off entirely. Split a good portion of the next batch of wood to 6"-8" splits and that will also slow down the fire and increase burn times.


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## clark77 (Mar 2, 2015)

before I went to bed last night, I filled the stove again and turned it down quickly. so for me and my setup, I have to turn it down to the point where secondary flames are just barely showing and still doing that, the stove still went up to 575. I came down this morning, 8 hours later and the stove top was just under 300 and there was lots of formed coals in the back. I opened the air up, raked forward, threw a log and up to 400 she went. just threw another log on to burn the remaining coals down and the next load is going in after that. kind of a balmy day out already at 27 degrees. hope to see some warmer temps this week so we can get rid of some of this snow. I can't wait for spring!


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## Holzstapel (Mar 2, 2015)

Starting from an overnight burn with coals in the morning I start shutting the air down when the flue temp gets to about 450.  It gets there fast once everything is going with the air fully open.  The stove might still be in the 300s and slowly climbing, but if I leave the air fully open, the flue will easily shoot above 550 and head into the red.  If I cut the air back to 50% when the flue hits 450, it will slow down and hover around 500-550 and then the stove will start to get warmer.  Now is when I keep an eye on the flue temp, the stove temp and fire.  When the stove gets close to 500, I cut the air back a little more and it slows the fire down.  I think the hottest the stove got this weekend was about 550-575. 

Should I keep doing what im doing in regards to the flue temp?  The max flue temp this weekend was near 525 on the thermometer, which is located just before the 90* turn into my chimney - roughly 18" above the stove.  It hit this temp during a small reload when I left the air open a little too much. It smelled a little like the paint was curing, but as soon as I turned the air down, the flue temp leveled out.

Most of the wood I burned this weekend was red oak in rather small splits (3-5").  It has been CSS since before Sandy and burns really nice - I just wish the splits were larger.

Edit - after looking at the photo I posted of my flue thermometer, I was mistaken on the flue temp I hit over the weekend.  No way was it nearing 600 - more like 525 - juuuuuuust into the red.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Mar 2, 2015)

Holzstapel said:


> but if I leave the air fully open, the flue will easily shoot above 550 and head into the red



What type of flue temperature gauge are you using? I don't "hit the red" until 900 degrees, which I'm completely comfortable with, as my Metalbestos Class A chimney is rated above that, and my Selkirk double-wall stove pipe is rated for 1000 degrees.


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## Holzstapel (Mar 2, 2015)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> What type of flue temperature gauge are you using? I don't "hit the red" until 900 degrees, which I'm completely comfortable with, as my Metalbestos Class A chimney is rated above that, and my Selkirk double-wall stove pipe is rated for 1000 degrees.



This one right here.  In this photo it was mounted about 8-9" above the stove it has since been relocated.


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## Grisu (Mar 2, 2015)

Holzstapel said:


> Should I keep doing what im doing in regards to the flue temp? The max flue temp this weekend was near 600 on the thermometer, which is located just before the 90* turn into my chimney - roughly 18" above the stove. It hit this temp during a small reload when I left the air open a little too much. It smelled a little like the paint was curing, but as soon as I turned the air down, the flue temp leveled out.



I assume that is an outside flue thermometer on a single wall pipe? Internal temp will be 1.5x to 2x as much which brings you at or slightly above the recommended max of 900 F. For a short time, probably no harm was done. Still, I would try to cut down the air a bit sooner/more aggressively.



ToltingColtAcres said:


> What type of flue temperature gauge are you using? I don't "hit the red" until 900 degrees, which I'm completely comfortable with, as my Metalbestos Class A chimney is rated above that, and my Selkirk double-wall stove pipe is rated for 1000 degrees.



Are those internal temps?


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## ToltingColtAcres (Mar 2, 2015)

Grisu said:


> Are those internal temps?



Yes, I have a flue thermometer with a probe (google flue-gard probe), so it measures the inside temperature. With double-walled stove pipe I wouldn't even want to try and guess using a magnet-type thermometer mounted to the pipe.


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## Holzstapel (Mar 2, 2015)

Grisu said:


> I assume that is an outside flue thermometer on a single wall pipe? Internal temp will be 1.5x to 2x as much which brings you at or slightly above the recommended max of 900 F. For a short time, probably no harm was done. Still, I would try to cut down the air a bit sooner/more aggressively.



Roger.  Thanks for the information - good to know!

Edit - after looking at the photo I posted of my flue thermometer, I was mistaken on the flue temp I hit over the weekend.  No way was it nearing 600 - more like 525 - juuuuuuust into the red.


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## clark77 (Mar 2, 2015)

I really can't add anything about the flue temps cause I don't run one. The full load I ran earlier today topped out at 600.


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## john84 (Mar 2, 2015)

I know this might be getting off topic but can someone take a measurement for me? Anyone who has a rear vent into a Tee what is the height of the tee where it connects to the liner.

Thank you


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## clark77 (Mar 2, 2015)

john84 said:


> I know this might be getting off topic but can someone take a measurement for me? Anyone who has a rear vent into a Tee what is the height of the tee where it connects to the liner.
> 
> Thank you



the stove is still pretty hot but the best I could measure is just over 32 inches. I don't know if every tee is made the same but that's to the top of the solid part for a forever flex tee. hope this helps


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## john84 (Mar 3, 2015)

Yes it did. Thanks again


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## clark77 (Mar 3, 2015)

I'm not sure if the warmer temps (mid to high 20's and into the low 30's) has anything to do with it but I seem to have more control over the stove now. This is with no restriction on the secondary air inlet. After I close it down, the temps don't go as high anymore. Which is nice since I don't need to get the house as warm. 
It's currently 31 and slowly getting warmer. I just filled the stove and closed it down for the night. Stove top temps are around 350. 
We'll see how hot it gets in the morning when I get up. My guess is that it won't be over 500.


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## begreen (Mar 3, 2015)

Outdoor temps have a lot to do with it. Draft increases with lower outside temperatures.


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## clark77 (Mar 4, 2015)

i came down at 530am and the stove was at 250 degrees. there was still a lot of hot coals in the back so i just raked forward and got it back up to temp pretty quick before i had to leave. it had topped out at 450 last night.


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## iluvjazznjava (Mar 6, 2015)

My basement floor - not very pretty.  But a full load of seasoned larch in my F55 - that's pretty!  I don't have the blower, but the ecofan does an ok job of spreading the heat.


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## Holzstapel (Mar 13, 2015)

Yesterday I loaded the stove up at 5:15 am and did not return to the house until 7:15pm.  14 hours and still enough coals to get the fire ripping in a matter of minutes.  I really like that.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Mar 13, 2015)

I let the fire go out on Monday morning (wasn't home enough to justify keeping it going, was only home to sleep Monday & Tuesday night). Wednesday after work I came home at 4pm, stirred the ash/coals around found enough still-warm/glowing ash/coals so I was able to just throw a little kindling in, get a small fire going, and then slowly build it up with small splits. By 6pm was cruising really nice. Gotta love the F55, even if it doesn't have an ash-pan


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## iluvjazznjava (Mar 19, 2015)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> I let the fire go out on Monday morning (wasn't home enough to justify keeping it going, was only home to sleep Monday & Tuesday night). Wednesday after work I came home at 4pm, stirred the ash/coals around found enough still-warm/glowing ash/coals so I was able to just throw a little kindling in, get a small fire going, and then slowly build it up with small splits. By 6pm was cruising really nice. Gotta love the F55, even if it doesn't have an ash-pan



No ash pan is actually a preference for many, myself included.  I have one of those black ash buckets and shovels which works just as good.  There is a real elegance in the simplicity of the F55.  I bought it because I knew it would be a real solid heating appliance, its well made and should require minimal maintenance.


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## Knots (Mar 20, 2015)

When I was trying to decide what stove to buy, I visited many stove shops.  Those that were burning PE Summits and some others with ash pans, said they just let the ash pan fill up and were shoveling from the big door.  

That, coupled with my own experience with coal stove ash pans/doors, led me to believe that the F55 was the solution for me.  I like the simplicity - less gaskets and moving parts.


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## clark77 (Mar 20, 2015)

On the topic of ash pans, here's a few things I've noticed with the F55 burning it 24/7 for the last 6 weeks or so. 
First off, the ash that I take out is very fine which would lead me to think that the efficiency of this stove is real good. I usually take the ash out once a week but it's only a few scoops. I could easily go 2 or more weeks without taking ash out.
So not having a ash pan on this stove was not a big deal for me. I've been burning wood for the past 8+ years and I always used a shovel and bucket. 
Anyway, I thought I wanted an ash pan when I was first in the market for a new stove but I'm glad I got this stove. Having to maintain only one gasket is an added plus. 
another thing I noticed is that I'm using less wood with this stove verses my regency insert. Actually less wood and more heat. 
Putting this stove in my 19' x 15' living room, I thought I was going to get cooked out but I'm not. It's a nice even heat and with the ceiling fan on, the heat gets moved out of the room and heats the rest of the house nicely. 
I've been very happy with my purchase of the F55 and hope it lasts me the next 10+ years.


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## clark77 (Aug 13, 2015)

So what is everyone's methods of cleaning your stove after the winter months?


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## Creekheat (Aug 13, 2015)

cuttingedge said:


> I had a Jotul F55 installed in October. I really like the stove and it has been able to heat our entire home thus far. I have a few questions for those that own this particular stove. The metal plates on the right and left sides inside of the stove that hold the firebricks seem to have bowed out a little. Are yours doing the same? What is the highest stove top temp that you have achieved? My stove sometimes reaches 700-750 and I am wondering if I am doing any damage?
> Thanks.


You're fine. All of them bow out a little after the first few fires. It's still steel and no problems. I've had mine around 825ish. No worries. I normally peak about 740ish and cruise down at 700. Depends on wood characteristics. My last burn of the season I run it as hot as I can safely get away with to clear the stack. After its cool I scrub and clean the inside and wipe down the outside with a moist cloth followed with a VERY light oil rub to protect the cast iron in the off season. Inspect and clean stack as needed. Every time I load mine I run her hot for about 15 min after she comes up to temp to burn off anything in the stack. I get very little if any this way. Plus I burn good seasoned wood.


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## clark77 (Aug 13, 2015)

I scrape any creosote/crap from the inside of the main box area but looking up over the baffle area, I see there's stuff up there but I can't seem to reach it. Any tips on cleaning that area barring taking the top of the stove off? I would rather not do that.
I also take a damp cloth and wipe down the exterior of the stove.
This year will be my first full year with the stove and I'm hoping I use 4 or less cords. My insert I used to have, I averaged 5 cords a year but the f55 is way more efficient and it puts out more heat.
My heat source for this year.


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## jeffesonm (Aug 13, 2015)

That's already more than I do.  I still have some ash in the bottom from my last burn, whenever that was.

I just peeked up in there and I see some ash in various spots, but it's all light powdery stuff, so I'd just assume leave it.


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## Knots (Aug 14, 2015)

I shoveled out most of the ash, cleaned the chimney, and turned on the dehumidifier in the basement.  Oh yeah - I cleaned the glass real good too.


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## 7acres (Aug 23, 2015)

I ended up getting out all the ash and sweeping it out. It's in the middle of our house and we've got young kids. So inevitably someone will get curious or playful and the door ends up open. I didn't want to deal with ash wafting out randomly all Summer. "Summerizing" the hearth in this fashion did the trick for us.


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## iluvjazznjava (Sep 30, 2015)

Just a shout out to all the fellow F55 owners out there!  Now that October is pretty much here, I'm getting excited about burning season beginning again soon.  I lucked out the other day and had a neighbour give me a cord of maple rounds that he had sitting around his yard for a few years.  I put them through the splitter yesterday and tested them with the MM - 15-20%, so they will burn great this winter!  Maple isn't common where I live, so looking forward to burning some hardwood this winter.  Other than that, I have about three cords of larch/fir/pine mix split and ready to go.  

Anyone want to share any interesting stove projects that they worked on over the summer?  I'm looking for a good solution for monitoring stove temp remotely.  My stove is in my basement, so I can sometimes forget about it.  I need an alarm that will sound if things get too hot.  I'm looking at the various options from Auber Instruments and others.  Anyone install something like this on their F55 and care to share their experience?


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## Knots (Oct 2, 2015)

I have mine in the basement also.  So far I've been using an egg timer to avoid forgetting to go back downstairs.  I too am considering a remote temperature indication system.

I'd like to raise my stove up a little and eventually hook up the OAK, but I'm not sure it's going to happen before this winter.


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## cuttingedge (Oct 2, 2015)

I have mine upstairs in the living room but I also have a stove in the basement (Cawley LeMay 600). I would be very interested in something that monitors remotely as I sometimes forget to check on the basement stove as often as I should.


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## iluvjazznjava (Oct 2, 2015)

Knots said:


> I have mine in the basement also.  So far I've been using an egg timer to avoid forgetting to go back downstairs.  I too am considering a remote temperature indication system.
> 
> I'd like to raise my stove up a little and eventually hook up the OAK, but I'm not sure it's going to happen before this winter.



I have the OAK on mine - the dealer installed it with the stove.  I'm not sure you will need to raise your stove, provided of course its on the stock legs that came with it.  Or are you just needing to lift it to get clearance for the install?  My OAK is an impressive installation - there was no easy access to outside air on the side of my basement where the stove is, so they ran a pipe across my basement ceiling and down behind the wall near my stove and then underneath to connect it.  Altogether I would say I have 30' of pipe.  I was skeptical it would work, but it does.  I tried running the stove without it a couple times to see how that would go, but its better with the OAK.  OAK is also code in my area, so not much choice really, especially since I have a building inspector living on my street!  OAK allows for cooler outside air for combustion and the stove won't suck humidity out of my house.  This is nice, since my house is way too dry in winter to start with.


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## iluvjazznjava (Oct 2, 2015)

cuttingedge said:


> I have mine upstairs in the living room but I also have a stove in the basement (Cawley LeMay 600). I would be very interested in something that monitors remotely as I sometimes forget to check on the basement stove as often as I should.



I think I'm going to order one of the Auber Instruments temperature systems:

http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=17

Just trying to decide whether or not to shell out the extra $ for the wireless unit with the dual displays.  The wife also isn't thrilled with the way they look, so I may need to hide it or find a way to make it look nice.


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## Knots (Oct 2, 2015)

iluvjazznjava said:


> I have the OAK on mine - the dealer installed it with the stove.  I'm not sure you will need to raise your stove, provided of course its on the stock legs that came with it.  Or are you just needing to lift it to get clearance for the install?



I'm not raising it for the OAK.  I wouldn't mind being able to see in a little easier, and making my chimney shorter sure isn't a bad thing.

I think there's a thread around here somewhere on the Auber.  Might want to do a search if you haven't already.

Is your OAK inlet higher or lower than your stove?


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## iluvjazznjava (Oct 2, 2015)

Knots said:


> I'm not raising it for the OAK.  I wouldn't mind being able to see in a little easier, and making my chimney shorter sure isn't a bad thing.
> 
> I think there's a thread around here somewhere on the Auber.  Might want to do a search if you haven't already.
> 
> Is your OAK inlet higher or lower than your stove?



My OAK is definitely higher than my stove given that my stove is in the basement.  OAK inlet is probably 8 or 9 feet higher than the bottom of the stove.  I have heard that ideally you want the OAK inlet lower than the stove, but obviously not going to happen for a basement install and I didn't have any choice anyway because local code requires the OAK regardless of location in the house.


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## Knots (Oct 3, 2015)

Thanks for the info.  It would be difficult, if not impossible, for me to get my inlet lower than my stove.


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## iluvjazznjava (Oct 19, 2015)

Hello everyone,

I need your thoughts on my experience and some ideas on reducing creosote formation.  My F55 is installed in my basement.  The brick chimney runs outside the house and I have it lined with a 6" flexible liner that is connected to my stove.  Total chimney height basement to cap is about 25'.  After burning approx 3 cords of wood through my stove last year (first season with this stove), I inspected my chimney and found that there was some hard/glaze creosote at the top end of my chimney.  I bought the Gardus Sooteater and this weekend I gave it its first use, cleaning from the bottom up.  The Sooteater worked pretty good, but I wasn't able to to remove 100% of the glaze from the top end of the chimney.  This is what the top end of my pipe looked like AFTER it was cleaned:  






My apologies for the sideways picture, but you get the idea.  Obviously, there is still a little bit of glaze left, although I would say its about 90% better.  I ran the Sooteater over this area multiple times.  The good news is that the bottom end of the pipe only had a moderate amount of brown/black fluffy stuff that was easily removed, so that end of the pipe isn't a major concern.  My wood last year was pretty good overall - most under 20% moisture on the MM.  I may have been a bit aggressive in choking the air off on the stove in order to get a longer overnight burn.  Typically, I would get it down to about 1/4 to 1/3 open and then leave it there for the night.  The stove has always drafted well and combustion air comes from an outside air kit.  My main goal it to burn cleaner this winter and avoid the nasty glaze creosote, so I'll throw it out to my fellow F55 owners to see if anyone can share their experiences on burning clean and keeping their pipe glaze free ...

... I am considering installing a block off plate above my stove, and my wood this winter will be very well seasoned as I have stocked up on some 3+ years seasoned larch, fir and maple.   I know my chimney setup isn't ideal being completely outside the envelope of the house, but its in good shape and won't be rebuilt anytime soon.


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## Creekheat (Nov 29, 2015)

iluvjazznjava said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I need your thoughts on my experience and some ideas on reducing creosote formation.  My F55 is installed in my basement.  The brick chimney runs outside the house and I have it lined with a 6" flexible liner that is connected to my stove.  Total chimney height basement to cap is about 25'.  After burning approx 3 cords of wood through my stove last year (first season with this stove), I inspected my chimney and found that there was some hard/glaze creosote at the top end of my chimney.  I bought the Gardus Sooteater and this weekend I gave it its first use, cleaning from the bottom up.  The Sooteater worked pretty good, but I wasn't able to to remove 100% of the glaze from the top end of the chimney.  This is what the top end of my pipe looked like AFTER it was cleaned:
> 
> ...




My stack is 26ft. Stove to cap. Every time I load I burn it hot for about 20 min. To burn everything off. After last year I opened her up to clean the chimney and it was in great shape. Not a single bit of creosote, just a very fine thin layer of baby powder grey ash. Came right out with one pass.


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## clark77 (Nov 29, 2015)

Cruising at 500 this morning


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## iluvjazznjava (Dec 2, 2015)

Creekheat said:


> My stack is 26ft. Stove to cap. Every time I load I burn it hot for about 20 min. To burn everything off. After last year I opened her up to clean the chimney and it was in great shape. Not a single bit of creosote, just a very fine thin layer of baby powder grey ash. Came right out with one pass.



I burn hot on startup and reload - I put a stove pipe probe in and often get the flue gasses up to 800-900F and the stove top up to 650F on the reload, but once I start turning the main air down the flue gas temps drop like a rock to 200F or less.  I insulated the top and bottom end of my liner quite well now with Roxul, and I don't see much difference.  I'm thinking my only real solution would be to put in a double wall liner, but that's not going to happen, so I'm probably just stuck with sweeping a couple of times a season and always burning very seasoned wood to cut down on any gummy creosote formation.


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## 7acres (Dec 2, 2015)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> Gotta love the F55, even if it doesn't have an ash-pan



I made my own ash solution for our F55! It takes me two minutes start to finish and my bottom fire brick is clean again and ready for a reload. 

If there are live embers I like to leave enough behind to set off the new load.


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## nellraq (Dec 3, 2015)

7acres said:


> I like that high temp needle mod!



A small piece of tin foil crunched into a small ball works well to show you the highest stove top temp. Simply put it beside the pointer...as the temp rises, so does the pointer and the foil. Of course the foil stays put while the temp indicator goes down..thus showing you thw highest temp.


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## iluvjazznjava (Jan 3, 2016)

How about those secondaries F55 owners?  Here's a pic of mine about 2 hours into the burn cycle:



That's with the air about 1/4 open and the stove top around 350F.  If I go any lower with the main air, then I start getting incomplete combustion (visible smoke out the chimney).  Just curious how my burning experience compared to others.  I have never been able to close the air all the way to minimum, but I suspect that few people can unless they have unusually strong draft.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Jan 3, 2016)

iluvjazznjava said:


> That's with the air about 1/4 open and the stove top around 350F.  If I go any lower with the main air, then I start getting incomplete combustion (visible smoke out the chimney). Just curious how my burning experience compared to others.  I have never been able to close the air all the way to minimum, but I suspect that few people can unless they have unusually strong draft.



Not only can I close all the way, but depending on how much I load the stove, I can easily exceed 1000 degrees in my flue if I'm not careful, even with the secondary air all the way closed. In those cases, I have a key damper I close to slow the burn rate and reduce the flue temps.


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## iluvjazznjava (Jan 3, 2016)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> Not only can I close all the way, but depending on how much I load the stove, I can easily exceed 1000 degrees in my flue if I'm not careful, even with the secondary air all the way closed. In those cases, I have a key damper I close to slow the burn rate and reduce the flue temps.


That's interesting - how tall is your chimney?  What wood do you burn?  Do you have an outside air kit like me?  I burn mostly fir, but my experience has been similar with maple, birch and larch.


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## ToltingColtAcres (Jan 3, 2016)

My chimney is about 20' feet tall. I don't have a precise measurement. I have about 3' of DSP which 90's into a Selkirk wall thimble, which then goes straight up (with one small offset as the Selkirk runs behind my regular masonry chimney which has a slant.). My house is a 2 story cape so I'm guessing maybe 20' total? I did add a 3' section of pipe to the stack earlier this season to improve draft. I burn mostly red and white oak, but also have some mixed hardwoods in there as well.


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## 7acres (Jan 3, 2016)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> My chimney is about 20' feet tall. I don't have a precise measurement. I have about 3' of DSP which 90's into a Selkirk wall thimble, which then goes straight up (with one small offset as the Selkirk runs behind my regular masonry chimney which has a slant.). My house is a 2 story cape so I'm guessing maybe 20' total? I did add a 3' section of pipe to the stack earlier this season to improve draft. I burn mostly red and white oak, but also have some mixed hardwoods in there as well.



I have a 19' straight chimney. All but the last 4' are inside. I can run full open and get a crazy hot top griddle. I don't find fully closed to be of much use other than to effectively kill the flame show and preserve fuel for when I want effective heat output again. We run the stove overnight at about 30% open. That gives off good heat for a long time on a full load.


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## Creekheat (Jan 3, 2016)

I normally run mine at about 1/4. That's after taking it down in increments. I've got a strong draft and she pulls air good. If I'm home I'll babysit it and squeeze it for all its worth.


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## iluvjazznjava (Jan 4, 2016)

ToltingColtAcres said:


> My chimney is about 20' feet tall. I don't have a precise measurement. I have about 3' of DSP which 90's into a Selkirk wall thimble, which then goes straight up (with one small offset as the Selkirk runs behind my regular masonry chimney which has a slant.). My house is a 2 story cape so I'm guessing maybe 20' total? I did add a 3' section of pipe to the stack earlier this season to improve draft. I burn mostly red and white oak, but also have some mixed hardwoods in there as well.


Ok, well you are one of the lucky ones that has a good supply of oak, so that's a difference.  With the air fully closed, my stove is pretty useless.  It's intriguing how people can have such dissimilar experience with the same stove, but there are s lot of other variables.


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## Holzstapel (Jan 4, 2016)

Twice over this past weekend I was able to get my stove into the sweet spot where the air is down all the way and the secondaries are flying.  I was burning large splits of maple and oak in a N/S arrangement.  Masonry chimney is about 25' tall, SS lined, mostly interior save for the last 4 feet or so.


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## clark77 (Jan 11, 2016)

On almost every burn I'm able to get the air down all the way and the secondaries going like mad. Especially when I fill the fire box more than half way full.
It's all about the wood. If you've got higher moisture content wood, then the heat is being used to burn off the moisture instead of putting heat in the house.


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## clark77 (Jan 11, 2016)

I just put in 4 logs in about 30 minutes ago, the stove is at 400 degrees (slowly climbing) , air all the way down and secondaries going.
I'm running east/west at the moment too. I love this stove.





Here's a better pic 10 minutes after the first one


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## 7acres (Jan 11, 2016)

clark77 said:


> I just put in 4 logs in about 30 minutes ago, the stove is at 400 degrees (slowly climbing) , air all the way down and secondaries going.
> I'm running east/west at the moment too. I love this stove.
> 
> View attachment 171684
> ...



Last evening I started a full load from live coals. By the time I started cutting  back the primary air the top griddle was reading close to 750F on the IR gun. I threw in another split and started backing down the primary air. Last year I was burning properly seasoned hickory. This year I'm burning 1yr seasoned oak. Not ideal. Relights from a cold stove are more challenging. But once it's ripping I can't tell a difference in heat output or burn time from last year. I'm so glad I don't have to fret about fouling up a catalytic combustor from not burning primo dry wood. No regrets with this stove. 

I'm a few years ahead on wood in the stacks now and next year and beyond we will have 2/3yr+ seasoned wood to burn.  A neighbor dropped a big lightning struck oak that was a threat to some of his buildings. I brought down all the big limbs to the ground and got it all bucked up on Friday. He has 2 wood splitters he has encouraged me to employ to split it all on site before hauling it back to my property. Free firewood and fun with the chainsaws! Who needs a gym membership 

At this point as long as I'm harvesting faster than I'm burning I should be set. And when the boys get older I can pass the mantle


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## trusseld (Oct 27, 2016)

Creekheat said:


> I normally run mine at about 1/4. That's after taking it down in increments. I've got a strong draft and she pulls air good. If I'm home I'll babysit it and squeeze it for all its worth.


Creekheat,

I am trying to accomplish a similar alcove to what you have for your f55.  Any way you could email me advice and/or pictures?  My email is trussed@gmail.com


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## countrychick (Nov 16, 2016)

Wow this is a great thread!  I enjoyed reading all the comments!  Thank you all from this newby!

We are deciding (plan to purchase in the next week) between the F55 and the PE Alderlea T6.  It is a tough one for me.  I don't have alot of experience with wood stoves.  So going to have a sharp learning curve.

We have a 2700 sq ft home, ranch home, built in 2008 with four french doors two of which are in the great room where the wood stove will be. We have 10 ft ceilings throughout the house. We are in Oregon which isn't really freezing cold in the winters.  We can get down into the 20's but that is usually our bitter cold. Our house has a large great room with bedrooms off each side of the great room.  I think it will be pretty easy to heat this house with wood stove.  But my thoughts were that the F55 might have trouble heating it.  Then I read that someone had a 2800 sq ft house they were heating.  So maybe it will work.

Any thoughts?


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## Knots (Nov 16, 2016)

countrychick said:


> Any thoughts?



That's a tough call.  I have a 1400 sq ft ranch in Maine, but the stove is in the basement so I'm heating some of that too.  I have 2x8 walls and a lot of insulation in the attic.  I have no french doors and only have a 36" door and some small windows on the north side of the house.  My biggest loss is probably the bay window in the front.  8 ft ceilings.

In the depths of the Maine winter (-20) the F55 will heat my house to 72 and keep the garage bays under and the attached upper garage above freezing just with what bleeds through the walls.  That said, if the house is cold it will take a while to get it up to temp (~ 3-4 hours), but I find that acceptable.  

I'll say this - I wouldn't want a stove the slightest bit smaller.


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## countrychick (Nov 16, 2016)

Wow you have cold winters!  YIKES!  We don't like our house to be hot.  So normally have it 60's at night and around 70-71 daytime.  Our temps are much less frigid here so I would think the F55 will work.  Just curious what people thought.....

Going to put in a rock fireplace like this. 
http://www.houzz.com/photos/1745819/Wine-country-kitchen-family-room-eclectic-family-room-portland

Same rock minus the shelves.  And thought the F55 might look really nice in front of it.

Thank you for letting me know your thoughts on this.  No I don't want to go smaller than the F55 for sure.


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## Knots (Nov 16, 2016)

countrychick said:


> No I don't want to go smaller than the F55 for sure.



You can always have a small fire in a big stove.  Its overcast and in the 50s here today.  I'm limping the stove along with just a few small pieces at a time.


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## countrychick (Nov 16, 2016)

Wow....so you are having spring temps too!  Incredible winter we are having so far.  I know technically it isn't 'winter' but I get to Nov-Dec and it seems like winter to me.  lol.  Yes that is good to know about small fires....


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## 7acres (Nov 22, 2016)

I thought I'd mention one thing I did to my F55. The screw on wooden & metal latch handle was always loosening up and falling off. The boys can't resist messing with it year round. And I'm the guy with the Morso glass hearth plate. So yeah, I almost had a heart attack one too many times. I finally decided to JB Weld the threads to lock the handle in place. That has worked like a charm.


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## countrychick (Nov 23, 2016)

Can I ask a favor of those here who have a F55??

Can you post a photo or photos of the fresh air intake?  I want to see what it looks like hooked up to the stove. 

Thank you so much to anyone who could do that for me!!


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## Knots (Nov 25, 2016)

Sorry - no fresh air (OAK) for me yet.  I meant to do it this summer, but, well….you know...


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## countrychick (Nov 25, 2016)

Knots thanks for letting me know.  Bummer.  We would have to put it in for  the tax credit in Oregon.  

Surely out of all the owners someone has put one in!

Help.  Anyone????


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## countrychick (Nov 26, 2016)

So nobody has a fresh air kit hooked up to their Jotul F55?  Really?
They must not need them right?  Is that why ya all didn't hook one up?


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## countrychick (Nov 26, 2016)

We are getting the rock and tile done this next week!  I can't wait to see how it turns out!  Looks pretty funny right now. Then to get the stove ordered and put in before Christmas!  Lots to do!

I am still deciding if we buy the F55 or the Woodstock Progress Hybrid.  Lots of pros and some cons to both.  Love both stoves.....lol


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## countrychick (Nov 26, 2016)

Could someone show me a pix of the inside of their jotul F55?  Wondering what the lined area looks like without a ashpan.


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## Knots (Nov 27, 2016)

If you search on "OAK" or "outside air kit"  you might see some general discussion on OAKs.  I have the Jotul kit for mine, but haven't installed it yet.

My house is very tight, but I still pull some air from outside without the OAK.  Before plugging those gaps up, I'm going to put the OAK in.

Here's the best I can do for pics of the inside.  First light-up.


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## countrychick (Nov 27, 2016)

Hi Knots!  Wow thank you!  These photos were great!  We chose today between the Woodstock Progress Hybrid and the Jotul F55 Carabassett.  We chose to purchase the F55. There were a few reasons we didn't choose the progress.   It is a great stove with many pros to it.  But we both loved the F55!  And reading what everyone says about the F55 certainly gave us confidence that we will love it.  Hoping we do.

We figure we can always buy a different stove down the road if we for some reason want to switch to a different stove.....so many beautiful stoves out there!  I have certainly learned alot since looking at them and reading what people are saying here about stoves.  I know that if I ever get a different stove in the future with a ashpan I'd want a grate ash system.  But I am happy for now to have no ashpan.  I'm happy to scoop it out....no different than cleaning the barn!  lol.

Thanks again!  I love this stove....can't wait to have it here!  We also purchased the firescreen because we can't wait to have occasional fires with the door open.......=)  I know not the most efficient fire......but love the snap crackle of a open fire outside so I figure inside would be nice too.

We are getting the hearth put in this week!  Can't wait to get the stove installed before Christmas!


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## 7acres (Nov 28, 2016)

Congtratulations, countrychick! The F55 has really been a problem-free stove. I don't see threads getting started because someone's having an issue. And I follow the posts on this forum continually. I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your F55 installed with a fire in it!


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## countrychick (Nov 28, 2016)

Hi 7 acres!  Thank you!  Yes I am thrilled we chose it and can't wait to have it delivered and installed!  Now to find wood!  =)  We don't have trees on our property...they were all taken before we bought this property.  =(  So I will have to buy wood this year and maybe will go to the woods to get some this spring or summer for the next year.


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## begreen (Nov 28, 2016)

Caveat emptor. The odds of getting well seasoned wood at this time of the year are very low. Shop very carefully and expect to pay a premium for truly dry wood. As an alternative or supplement you might want to get some Tractor Supply compressed wood bricks or find a local seller of Northern Idaho Energy Logs or HomeFire's Prest-Logs as a reliable source of fuel. They will need a dry storage location like a garage.

How close are you to Portland?
http://firewoodportland.com/


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## countrychick (Nov 28, 2016)

Thank you begreen for this info!  We are about 45 min from portland.  We have options in the metro area to get kiln dried wood.  Not sure if that is important or not.  Do you think that link you gave me would be a good source for wood?  That wouldn't be very far for us to drive.  We have a mazda truck that has a covered top so could bring some home in our truck.  Not sure how much we could get in it with the top on....but probably a decent amount.

I want to start working on getting our wood....we have a covered porch and could store some there for now until my husband gets the wood storage lean to built.

What do you guys use for storing your wood?  I'd love to see photos of people's wood storage areas and how they store wood.....maybe there are other threads for that here....


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## begreen (Nov 28, 2016)

You'll need at least a cord if not two. I would have it delivered. A small pickup can only hold a 2-3  weeks worth. Their doug fir price is about average for an urban area. Go to the Wood Shed forum here and search for "wood shed". You will see lots of different sheds.


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## countrychick (Dec 19, 2016)

My new f55 installed today!
We did our first burn tonight.  Part of the top is dull now. Do you see the photo of the top?  Right side is dull and left side is shiny a bit.  Isn't it supposed to stay shiny on top?

Did we do something wrong?


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## countrychick (Dec 19, 2016)

Begreen I never responded to your post above. Sorry about that. Thanks!  We are going to get wood delivered this wk we hope.  We have some wood to hold us over for a while. But we need to get more.


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## 7acres (Dec 20, 2016)

countrychick said:


> My new f55 installed today!
> We did our first burn tonight.  Part of the top is dull now. Do you see the photo of the top?  Right side is dull and left side is shiny a bit.  Isn't it supposed to stay shiny on top?
> 
> Did we do something wrong?



Nothing wrong. Mine lost its shine during the break in process. Over time the paint shade will become uniform. 

That's a great looking hearth!


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## countrychick (Dec 20, 2016)

Hi 7 acres!
Thank you!   This puts my mind at ease!  We were worried a bit.  It helps knowing what happened to other people who are f55 owners. 
So thank you very much!  This helps!!
Thanks for taking the time to post during this holiday time.


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## john84 (Jan 31, 2017)

I finally spent some time burning my F55 and I have to say I'm pretty impressed compared to my VC. I've been burning N-S and only 1/2 loads. Still a little bit nervous to fill it up.

What is the opinions on the blower? Any one have it and regret buying it?


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## 7acres (Feb 1, 2017)

I don't regret having the blower. I had no experience heating a home with a wood stove when we took the plunge. I looked at buying it as stacking the deck in my favor for a successful first season. 

I like the ability to push the heat out into the house rapidly; not just radiate. I only need to use it a handful of times a season. Mostly when we've been out of the house for the day and come back to a cold house. I get her loaded up and ripping, dial the air back to 50/50 and the house warms up faster than if we didn't have the fan. And it runs very quietly. Also, visually it blends in nicely. You just don't notice it. 

If the price of the blower blows your budget don't get it. You'll be fine. But if you get the blower I think you'll enjoy the option to take advantage of it when you want to.


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## john84 (Feb 1, 2017)

7acres, that is good information I think in the next few weeks I'll buy the blower.

When you load it up full what temp do you usually start backing it down?


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## countrychick (Feb 1, 2017)

We LOVE our F55!  We have had two power outages just today!  Windy.... Snow headed our way again.  The F55 kept us nice a warm today.  We do not have a blower.  We have a almost 2800 sq ft house.  Granted not all the house gets toasty warm when the circulating fan isn't on.  But we just turn on our circulating fan on the furnace...can't hear it blow and it slowly circulates the heat around the house.  It works pretty perfectly!  So we haven't needed the blower.  We have a great room floor plan and our house stays really pretty warm even in the bedrms.  lol.  I had to have my hubby turn down the stove the other night I was too hot!  lol.

So highly recommend this stove.....we have been very very pleased and love the nice sized glass it has.  It is a beautiful stove!


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## Texas123 (Feb 1, 2017)

countrychick said:


> We LOVE our F55!  We have had two power outages just today!  Windy.... Snow headed our way again.  The F55 kept us nice a warm today.  We do not have a blower.  We have a almost 2800 sq ft house.  Granted not all the house gets toasty warm when the circulating fan isn't on.  But we just turn on our circulating fan on the furnace...can't hear it blow and it slowly circulates the heat around the house.  It works pretty perfectly!  So we haven't needed the blower.  We have a great room floor plan and our house stays really pretty warm even in the bedrms.  lol.  I had to have my hubby turn down the stove the other night I was too hot!  lol.
> 
> So highly recommend this stove.....we have been very very pleased and love the nice sized glass it has.  It is a beautiful stove!


We have done this for years, used the wood stove and ran only the circulating fan to spread the heat. In this fashion we have to fill us the propane tank only once a year.


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## 7acres (Feb 2, 2017)

john84 said:


> 7acres, that is good information I think in the next few weeks I'll buy the blower.
> 
> When you load it up full what temp do you usually start backing it down?



Back when I was checking the griddle temp with an IR gun I considered 575-650F a good threshold to start closing it down. If you let it get in that range you will be in good shape to engage the secondaries. But this year I haven't gotten the IR gun out once. I mainly go off the visuals. If the whole load in the firebox is engulfed in flame that's proof enough that it's been ripping long enough to be hot enough to start closing off primary air. 

If you ever worry about it getting too hot (dim red hot in the back) the fan is good insurance in that department. It has happened to me two times. Simply turn the fan on (and back off the primary air) and everything is under control again. 

It's never a good thing when the wife asks, "Is the wood stove supposed to glow red hot?"


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## rosem (Feb 5, 2020)

Picked up my F55 last weekend. Very impressed with the build quality. I looked at a lot of stove but bought this sight unseen (locally couldn't find a F55 in stock anywhere).



I took the firebricks out, along with taking off the door, cast iron side plates, top plate, baffle and flue collar. After all that my 61 year old Dad and I were able to carry it into the house.

Now I get to just look at it until I get it hooked up this summer. Then look at it some more until next fall.


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## 7acres (Feb 5, 2020)

Ooh, very handsome! Very clean looking hearth. We’re still loving ours! Zero issues whatsoever. My daughter got knocked into the stove by one of her brothers and burnt her little arm pretty bad. So I’m glad to see the fence you’ve got there. Wish we had the room for one.


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## rosem (Feb 5, 2020)

7acres said:


> Ooh, very handsome! Very clean looking hearth. We’re still loving ours! Zero issues whatsoever. My daughter got knocked into the stove by one of her brothers and burnt her little arm pretty bad. So I’m glad to see the fence you’ve got there. Wish we had the room for one.



Thanks!

Yeah, we have a fearless 1.5 year old and a 3 year old that likes to beat up on him. 

The fence is up already to set precedent. Otherwise I'm sure I would find a Minnie Mouse shoved in it. Haha.


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## rosem (Feb 5, 2020)

@7acres How many square feet are you heating and what kind of temps do you maintain in that area? 

Curious how well it will heat our 2,500 sq/ft house. It's decently insulated.


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## 7acres (Feb 6, 2020)

We currently heat 1800sq/ft. We regularly keep the house toasty between 71-75°F. About once a month we get some really cold weather and panic. Get the stove really going in the morning. House gets up to 85° and my wife opens up the windows to cool the place down.


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## rosem (Sep 9, 2020)

Have to say I love this stove so far. We have been burning for a week testing it out. It's such a game changer with this cold wet weather. Nothing better than coming in to get warm and dry off.

Location seems ideal so far with a fairly even heat throughout (+/- 10F stove room to get corners of house) unless it's just ripping.


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## 7acres (Sep 10, 2020)

Rosem, your cat seems to be loving the F55 too!


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## MR. GLO (Feb 18, 2021)

iluvjazznjava said:


> Here's another question for everyone - how do you typically operate the air control on your stove?  No hardwoods for me - I burn dry (<20%) larch and fir.  From a cold start, I will run the air wide open for probably 45min - 1hr and get the stove up to around 500F, then I back off to about 2/3 open for about half an hour, then I back off to about 1/3 and let her cruise.  If I have a bed of coals, then it all happens a lot quicker.  I haven't had any luck operating my stove with less than 1/3 air.  If I go below that point it seems I always choke the fire too much and I start to get visible smoke out of my stack.  I can get 8 hrs useful heat out of my stove the way it currently runs, but I'm wondering if there might be ways to get a couple more hours out of it with a different approach ...


same here i get smoke.  even if i can get it to 1/3 with no smoke.....it will smoke eventually..30 min to 1.5 hours later....


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