Anyone run a Jøtul F 55 Carrabassett
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My CDW was the same way so I left it full.. The T5 ashpan is not sealed to the firebox, they employ an ash chute door but I find it easy to just shovel it out..
Ray
Ray
I think I finally have this stove dialed in. I had a little frustration with unregulated secondary air but I definitely have it solved. I have two magnets covering 80% of the secondary air inlet due to a tall system and the high winds. Today was about 18* with 40 mph wind gusts. I reloaded this morning at 5:30 which was a piece of cake restart after 9 hours. Came home once at about 10 and noticed small wisps of smoke coming from the chimney, went inside and closed off even more of the secondary air (due to extreme winds) which in my understanding slows the gasses down enough to allow them to preheat to a higher temp. Result was instant secondaries, and no more wisps of smoke. Came home at 5:30 and stove top was at 300* with lots of coals for another easy restart. As a matter of fact, I am getting secondary activity within a minute of reloading, and by the time I get my boots on and go outside, no smoke. Very happy.
Bub381
Minister of Fire
My wood had only dried for about 8 months and i had dirty glass in both lower corners,i did have to tighten my door a couple times due to the gasket flattening out.This was operator error on the wood and normal activity i believe on the gasket.
Rusnakes
Member
Hi everyone--
Thanks for this thread; it has been extremely helpful in our decision to purchase an F 55. I was interested to hear any updates from you all now that you are further through the heating season.
We ended up choosing the F 55 because of hearth clearances. Our home is "blessed" with lots of doorways and windows, which made a stove site in the house more difficult to determine. However, with the 40 3/4 x 33 minimum hearth size, we'll be able to place it comfortably in the room where we'd like it to go (whew!).
Any updates would be great! Thanks again for all of the great info.
Emily
Thanks for this thread; it has been extremely helpful in our decision to purchase an F 55. I was interested to hear any updates from you all now that you are further through the heating season.
We ended up choosing the F 55 because of hearth clearances. Our home is "blessed" with lots of doorways and windows, which made a stove site in the house more difficult to determine. However, with the 40 3/4 x 33 minimum hearth size, we'll be able to place it comfortably in the room where we'd like it to go (whew!).
Any updates would be great! Thanks again for all of the great info.
Emily
Hello folks, I'll begin with this being my first post to this wonderful site, I've gained a tremendous insight into the world of wood stoves, burning technique, and moreover a respect for all the fine contributors to this site. For openers, my wife and I live in Bozeman, MT and are about to undertake a major remodel/addition to a very tiny 1920's bungalow in town. The finished first floor sq. ft. will be approx. 1,300, and will be very open with an open stairwell going up. The upper sq. footage will be around 800 to 1,000, which will house bedrooms and bathrooms. The basement is 28x28, the current size of the home and will remain that size (no basement addition, just crawl under new addition. Because I've never owned a stove before, I'll state that I know I don't know how exactly I'll utilize it, but our hopes would be that if desired we could heat the house with it. On the other hand I want comfortable heat that we can enjoy sitting near for the purpose of soaking in the heat for our old bones and being able to enjoy the flame. Because we are adding on a 16x36 rectangle on to our 28x28 home, the stove will be sitting at the transition point and centered between new and old, probably on the backside of a stairwell. The addition will house the new living and dining space, and adjacent to that in the old part of the house will be the kitchen.
The house is getting a whole new lid, all new windows, and insulation (all plaster is coming off the existing interior walls for electrical in insulation purposes)
The reason I'm posing here is that it is prevalent to the stove type that I'm interested in. We have the great fortune of having most stove mfg's represented here and have visited each dealer to get a feel for what we think we like. After reading in this website for a week or more on and off, I believe we'd like a cast iron or steel wrapped in cast iron stove. Our favorite local dealer represents Jotul, Pacific Energy, Vermont Casting, Hearthstone. We viewed the "new" PE T5 with the clean glass and like the looks of the stove very much. He also had the Jotul Oslo sitting right next to it. When asked about the Oslo he stated that it may be too much stove for us to sit by and enjoy and perhaps overkill. After visiting the Jotul site, I saw the new F50 and F55 stoves. He did not have them nor did he mention them.
Now after all that above....I know... I ramble, my questions are at to the noted or perceived differences between the PE Alderlea T5/6 and the Jotul F55 for our desired needs. Each stove mfg. has differences, but not having owned a stove before I really don't know how those differences would impact our desires in a stove. A bit of feedback here would be fabulous.
The house is getting a whole new lid, all new windows, and insulation (all plaster is coming off the existing interior walls for electrical in insulation purposes)
The reason I'm posing here is that it is prevalent to the stove type that I'm interested in. We have the great fortune of having most stove mfg's represented here and have visited each dealer to get a feel for what we think we like. After reading in this website for a week or more on and off, I believe we'd like a cast iron or steel wrapped in cast iron stove. Our favorite local dealer represents Jotul, Pacific Energy, Vermont Casting, Hearthstone. We viewed the "new" PE T5 with the clean glass and like the looks of the stove very much. He also had the Jotul Oslo sitting right next to it. When asked about the Oslo he stated that it may be too much stove for us to sit by and enjoy and perhaps overkill. After visiting the Jotul site, I saw the new F50 and F55 stoves. He did not have them nor did he mention them.
Now after all that above....I know... I ramble, my questions are at to the noted or perceived differences between the PE Alderlea T5/6 and the Jotul F55 for our desired needs. Each stove mfg. has differences, but not having owned a stove before I really don't know how those differences would impact our desires in a stove. A bit of feedback here would be fabulous.
I'd say these 3 stoves are quite similar in heating capabilities.. Based on this I'd go with which look you prefer. I can tell you that you can sit near the T-5 and not feel cooked because the cast iron sides have an air space between the firebox and the cast iron so the cast iron always stays under 300 degrees. Add a blower to keep the heat more uniform and they help alot in colder weather.. The T-5 blower is fairly quiet as blowers go and I can't speak to the F55.. I heat 1600+ sq. ft. in SE Mass. with the T-5 and it heats my home very well..
Good Luck!
Ray
I just looked at our plan again and we'll be just over 1,200 sq. ft. on the main level and another 700 up. I plan to have a look at the new Carabassett by Jotul in the next few days, looking forward to bringing a tape measure and check out the interior dimensions. The Jotul appears to be 15% or less expensive than the PET5. I'm getting a quote of $2,495.00 for the T5. Seems a bit high.
Thanks for the reply, Brian
We had an F55 installed 2 years ago and we are having problems with smoke escaping into the room when we add wood. To start the stove we have to open a window and leave the stove door cracked a bit or the flame will go out after the paper burns. I installed an outdoor air feed system and the problem still exists, any ideas.
saydinli
Burning Hunk
How tall is your chimney? Is most of it on the outside ? Where is your stove located ? Is it in the basement or on the main level?
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A couple more questions in addition to the good ones by saydinli. Has the stove always behaved this way or is it better once it gets very cold outside. Can you describe the flue setup in detail, starting at the stove and all the way up to the chimney cap?
24” up from the stove to a 45, 21” to another 45 and straight up the chimney. The stove has always behaved this way no matter of the outside temperature
the chimney is 6', 2' above the peak of the house. We have a single level house so most of the most of the chimney is outside.
About how high is it from the thimble to the top of the chimney? Does the chimney have a 6" stainless liner in it or is it just a clay liner? If just a clay liner, what are the approximate inside dimensions?
It is a little over 6’ from the thimble to the top, it’s an insulated stainless chimney
You have done the right steps on the interior and the insulated liner is great, but it seems like there is too little total flue system height on the stove for it to draft well. Most modern stoves need stronger draft. The F55 wants about 15' total. If possible, it sounds like the chimney need an extension. In lieu of that it may take a change the stove to one that can work ok with a shorter flue system.
From the F55 manual:
"Chimneys shorter than 14 feet (4.27 m) may not provide adequate draft. Inadequate draft can result in smoke spillage when loading the stove, or when the door is open. Poor draft can also cause back puffing (ignition of gas build-up inside the firebox) and sluggish performance. The minimum height does not, in itself, guarantee proper chimney performance. Optimum draft force should be in the .05 - .10 in. w.c. range measured by a Magnahelic gauge. Draft at .07 w.c. is ideal."
From the F55 manual:
"Chimneys shorter than 14 feet (4.27 m) may not provide adequate draft. Inadequate draft can result in smoke spillage when loading the stove, or when the door is open. Poor draft can also cause back puffing (ignition of gas build-up inside the firebox) and sluggish performance. The minimum height does not, in itself, guarantee proper chimney performance. Optimum draft force should be in the .05 - .10 in. w.c. range measured by a Magnahelic gauge. Draft at .07 w.c. is ideal."
Thank you so much for this, I do have another smaller stove in our garage so I will switch them out, the chimney in the garage is over 14 feet so it should be toasty in there this winter.
Instead of the hassle of moving the stove I added a 3’ extension and brace outside. Even though it is a rainy day here we can see the difference, we can open the door without any smoke coming back into the house. The chimney is now about 16’, I only wish I would have thought of seeking advice here when we installed this unit. Going to be a toasty winter here, thank you again.
Yotul is purring, thanks again folks. Anyone know the optimum operating range for beat efficiency.
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