Burn times on an Oslo

[BrowningBAR]

I did a search and I notice some claiming 10 hours and some claiming 8 or less. Can I get the dedicated crowd of Oslo owners to chime in on how long they go from reload to reload? If all goes well, I will be picking one up this week. Just want to make sure I have a good understanding of the performance before I purchase.


*Burn Time Note: I understand burn times vary depending upon wood, heating needs, weather, etc. Burn times are not an exact science.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

That seems like a bit of a stretch.
The years I owned one 5-6 hrs would have been good.
Usually 2-4 hrs. was typical between loads.
I initially bought the stove with hopes of longer burns.
Got more heat, but not much longer burns.

 

[BrowningBAR]

That seems like a bit of a stretch.
The years I owned one 5-6 hrs would have been good.
Usually 2-4 hrs. was typical between loads.
I initially bought the stove with hopes of longer burns.
Got more heat, but not much longer burns.

2-4 seems really short for such a large stove.

 

[firefighterjake]

If I am awake and want the heat output to stay right up there . . . 3-4 hours . . . meaning that I reload the stove when the coals are still fairly large (size of softballs) and the heat output of the stove doesn't dip a whole lot.

If we're talking doing an overnight fire . . . I tend to load the stove about a half hour before I go to bed -- so that would be 9:30 p.m. and I wake up around 4-5 a.m. . . . generally the oil boiler doesn't kick on (I have the thermostat set to 60 degrees), but the house is cooler from the normal high 60s/low 70s that my wife and I like the temps to be at . . . but that said there usually are enough coals to throw some kindling on and get things rocking again . . . so that is what 6-8 hours . . . I should mention that I have not had access to many primo woods like oak, black locust, etc. -- mainly using red maple, yellow birch, white ash, elm, etc.

 

[BrowningBAR]

How does the heat output of the Oslo compare to the Heritage?

 

[begreen]

It really depends on how burn time is defined. There is a big difference between start to restart from coals and say a stovetop temp of 300F to 300F between refills. Based on the later, I would expect the Heritage to have slightly longer burn times, but the Oslo to come up to temp quicker and to be operable at a higher temp for the very cold nights.

Oslo burn time discussion:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/71187/
Heritage burn time:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/71144/

 

[semipro]

2-3 hours between reloads when we're in the room and burning hot. 8 and sometimes 10 hours overnight with enough coals to restart in the morning (air setting set to lowest). Of course we set aside some prime oak splits to put in the last thing at night if we know we'll be sleeping late.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Thanks for the input everyone. I, for some reason, thought the Oslo was much larger than the Heritage. Kind of thought the Oslo and Mansfield were kind of close in terms of output and burn times.

I'm going to hold off and try to find another Mansfield sized stove. Maybe a used Fireview since I am looking for longer burn times.

 

[Battenkiller]

The size and output of the Oslo is similar to your Vigilant. That's not my personal experience, but rather that of the local stove gurus who have been selling/repairing both brands for about 30 years, so take it for what it's worth. I imagine the Oslo will have a longer burn time since it is more efficient with the wood. I find I need to add wood to the Vig every 3-4 hours to keep the temp up above 600º where I want it. Never burned the Oslo, but I'd guess you'd get about 20% longer burn time at similar temps. That's what I've been told is about the real world increase in efficiency between the two models.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The size and output of the Oslo is similar to your Vigilant. That's not my personal experience, but rather that of the local stove gurus who have been selling/repairing both brands for about 30 years, so take it for what it's worth. I imagine the Oslo will have a longer burn time since it is more efficient with the wood. I find I need to add wood to the Vig every 3-4 hours to keep the temp up above 600º where I want it. Never burned the Oslo, but I'd guess you'd get about 20% longer burn time at similar temps. That's what I've been told is about the real world increase in efficiency between the two models.

Great. Now I'm back to "hmm".

I was out and they pulled me back in...

Edit: Actually, I'm still out. Because that's what I already have in the Heritage. No need to replace a stove with something I already have.

I'll stick with the the Heritage and pick up the Mansfield and the Encore.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

Burn time is very subjective. To me. burn time means when you still have a bed of coals to get a new load going and the stove is still putting out some heat. Everything else being equal, like the control-ability of the stove, it comes down to the size of the firebox and how much wood you can stuff in it. Burn times assume a hard wood like Oak filling the firebox.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Burn time is very subjective. To me. burn time means when you still have a bed of coals to get a new load going and the stove is still putting out some heat. Everything else being equal, like the control-ability of the stove, it comes down to the size of the firebox and how much wood you can stuff in it. Burn times assume a hard wood like Oak filling the firebox.

I look at what people say their experience is reload times during the day and what they get on overnight burns in term of stove temp and coals. I completely understand that there is a wide difference based on fuels, weather, draft, etc.

This thread gave me what I needed. It made me realize that the Oslo is about the same as the Heritage and it doesn't offer a big enough difference to justify purchasing. For some reason I thought the Castine was the size of the Heritage and the Oslo was the equivalent to the Mansfield.

I appreciate everyone's input. You saved me a lot of time, effort, and lifting.

 

[Todd]

For some reason I thought the Castine was the size of the Heritage and the Oslo was the equivalent to the Mansfield.

I think your right if you look at the actual usable fire box size

 

[begreen]

The Castine is a ~1.7 cu ft box, the Oslo is a ~2.2 cu ft box, similar to the Heritage. The Mansfield is a 3.2 cu ft box and closer to the 3 cu ft F600.

 

[Stump_Branch]

Are there any other cast/soap stove equivlent to the mansfield and f600?

I know some steel ones...

 

[begreen]

Quadrafire Isle Royale, VC Defiant, Dutchwest XL.

 

[BrowningBAR]

Quadrafire Isle Royale, VC Defiant, Dutchwest XL.

Finding an Isle Royale on CraigsList is a hell of a challenge.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The Castine is a ~1.7 cu ft box, the Oslo is a ~2.2 cu ft box, similar to the Heritage. The Mansfield is a 3.2 cu ft box and closer to the 3 cu ft F600.

That matches what I found online today. Good, I made the right call. Thank you.

 

[Todd]

The Castine is a ~1.7 cu ft box, the Oslo is a ~2.2 cu ft box, similar to the Heritage. The Mansfield is a 3.2 cu ft box and closer to the 3 cu ft F600.

The Heritage is not 2.3 cu ft, People here have measured it, more like the Castine size, don't know why Hearthstone is including everything above the baffle as the fire box. I've measured the Homestead and Pheonix, they also didn't come close to specs. I don't know about the Mansfield but guessing it aint 3.2.

 

[begreen]

Good point Todd. It does depend on how you measure and how close to the secondary manifold is reasonable. I'm fairly certain on the Jotul measurements, but not as much so on the Hearthstone. One notable difference on the Mansfield is the opportunity for N/S loading.

 

[BrowningBAR]

The Castine is a ~1.7 cu ft box, the Oslo is a ~2.2 cu ft box, similar to the Heritage. The Mansfield is a 3.2 cu ft box and closer to the 3 cu ft F600.

The Heritage is not 2.3 cu ft, People here have measured it, more like the Castine size, don't know why Hearthstone is including everything above the baffle as the fire box. I've measured the Homestead and Pheonix, they also didn't come close to specs. I don't know about the Mansfield but guessing it aint 3.2.

Doesn't matter to a certain extent. The burn times and reload times are very similar between the Heritage and the Oslo based on all the posts. That is the important factor for me. The claimed firebox size only backs that up for me that the Oslo isn't a huge difference over the Heritage so it isn't worth buying another stove for only a slight improvement in heating capacity and equal the burn times.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

Having made the transition from Oslo to Hearthstone, I wouldn't go back.
If you are a 24/7 burner, Hearthstone is better suited for you.
Once the fire went out on the Oslo, it didn't take long for it to cool off,
which meant you had to go through the restart process all over again.

My experience, not necessarily everyones......

 

[Frostbit]

If maximum burn time is at the top of your wish list and asthetics more toward the bottom, I know of only one stove to fill the bill. And I don't think I even have to mention the name.

The legion of happy owners it has is second to none, to boot.

BK to the rescue.

 

[wendell]

Sound like I'm too late the party. Last winter i loaded the Oslo every 8 hours and had plenty of coals left after 10-12 hours to start a fire. That was burning mostly elm. Very cold days (below 0) I would load every 6 hours.