Because your reducing air for a perfect air ratio burn? It seems as tho...you have to increase temp by increasing air for hotter burn...hence shorter burn times?
BTU's on JOTUL vs BK.
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Pretty much. Wet fuel needs more oxygen to burn so you end up running your stove wide open (or nearly so)
I do have ashes spill out of the front door. The Ashford does not have this issue. The Oslo has a this issue due to a few factors: its an east/west oriented stove and there is a small area in the front door that catches debris, so when its opened it all falls onto the ashlip.
The Ashford, or any of the BKs for that matter won't have this issue.
These stoves do best when burned in cycles. Meaning letting a full load burn down to coals before reloading. I will run one hard until my house is warm, then I turn it down to cruise for the rest of the time. At the minimum you should be getting 6 hours of respectable heat. I'm coming home after 10 hours and finding a 200 degree stove with plenty of coals left in the Oslo. The same result will be found with my BK after 16 hours.
Looks pretty deep to me judging by blueguy's pics.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...sirocco-30-install.124409/page-4#post-1677227
I was talking to a BK rep and he said their new models only have a 3 inch depth compared to the princess...I wonder why they did that knowing that other manufactures are having ash issues?
Begreen...you've been around awhile....how come you haven't purchased one of these infamous BKs? It's kinda like BMW motorcycles...we have but one support store in the state of Oklahoma? I wouldn't give a plug nickel for one anymore.
This depth change doesn't cause any ash issues though. The issue with your Oslo is because of the door design, not the depth. The door has a pocket that ash gets trapped in, combine that with an east/west stove and you have an issue.
The depth of the princess and king is part of the reason they have dirtier glass. This depth causes more turbulence in the box, interrupting the air wash. The Sirroco box has much cleaner glass. Its a welcomed change to me!
Here's the issue w unseasoned wood. It simply does not burn properly. It needs lots if oxygen to stay lit and does not burn hot at all. I'd also say it burns quicker for the following reason. Since it needs more oxygen, you have to keep your air intake open, this burns the wood quicker and sends most of your heat up your stack and outdoors, not good and without leaving the air open your fire will smolder, not put out good heat out, or sometimes go out. With seasoned wood, you are able to load the stove and leave the air open just to get your temp up, then close the air and keep your heat in the stove and ultimately in your home. Good wood makes a world of difference. It is not the stove that is your problem. I get usable heat for at least 6-8 hours on a full load of oak. If I pack it real tight, I've had burns well over 12 in my Oslo. I would figure the problem out before switching stoves.
Don't forget the airs gonna be wide open to burn green wood, hence it will prob burn faster than a load of good seasoned wood with the air closed. Just one green piece mixed in w a seasoned batch is a diff story. Sometimes I will throw one in the back of the stove before a full load if I want a nice long burn, but 9 times out if 10 ill use a seasoned round instead.
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This is Pecan and oak that's been aged about 9 months...I think I'm going to buy some now for next season...and see how much difference there. I've burned some coupala years old wood but don't recall there being a whole lot difference. I see the reviews here and noticed...quite a few were/are unhappy with burn times and ash. Funny how I didn't notice this in the reviews....before I purchased this one...gotta tell you tho...still think it's a quality stove...just don't want to work that hard at it. Or want better performance.
It's gonna be hard to find a nicer non-cat stove! The Oslo is a heating machine with nice long burns. I'm not sure why yours isn't performing better.
9 months for oak is no where near enough time to season. I split and stack mine for a year but that's after I've let the rounds sit for a few years and some people split and stack for 2-3 yrs. I'm 99% positive it's your wood that's the issue. I don't think a new stove will change anything. You also have to take reviews w a grain of salt because half the people do not properly season their wood and complain about their stove. It happens daily on this forum.
9 months is not dry enough for these modern stoves. 2 years works good for me, 3 years even better...
Interesting theory. One could prove it by allowing the belly to fill with ash and note whether the glass starts staying clean. I'll save you the time, it won't. Okay, that's an assumption, I make a habit of scraping the glass clean when emptying ashes.
3" is plenty unless you are burning a very ashy wood like soft maple.
I'm interested, even though it runs a bit contrary to my KISS philosophy. We really like the T6's operation and simple design. It has been a very good reliable performer. We like the trivet top design and use if often. In particular we like the ability to have direct access to the stove top. I'm not sure if the Ashford has a heat plate or direct access to the stove top? Also, holding things up is negative wife approval. Older models wouldn't make it past the garage regardless how good they are. She is not too keen on the grilleless window of the Ashford, but is willing to look at one in person. I'm hoping to make it out to Walla Walla in a month or so with her to take a look, but it's gonna be a hard sell.
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the Oslo should for sure do better than that. I too suspect your 9 month C/S/S oak is a problem. I burn a fair amount of it and it takes me 2-3 years to decide it's ready. One thing to remember, part of the BK's long burn time is the size of the box, and it's going to take a lot of wwod to fill it up for those long burn times.. but if your wood is subpar, you just aren't going to get long burns in it either.
It's not a theory! But there is more to it, several things in the Sirocco design play a role in this.
I would think that just not having a vertical door would help as opposed to a sloping one. Add a better air wash and cleaner glass seems plausible.
So the Ashford is on the back burner...but not the princess...due to style? Also...when you get back...hopefully you'll do a full review!
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