Jotul c550 Rockland tips thread

[woodheat]

You can put it inside the opening where the air blows out like the previous post says, or you can get one of those point and shoot ir temp guns and aim it inside the air outlet or on the upper section of the glass door. The point and shoot will give you the most accurate reading, that is what I use. The below link is one example, in this example you would need the MT-Pro because it reads over 900 degrees. There are many other models out there by other companies also, just make sure the one you select is rated for a high enough temp.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...en/common/search/search-box.jsp.form1&Go;.x=0

 

[AK13]

Time to bump up this great thread. I've read that many people use their fans on manual rather than auto because auto takes so long to start the fan. After using my 550 for a couple of weeks I'm wondering if my auto control is working correctly. I don't have a thermometer yet so I can't offer temp data but my fan seems to not run unless I have a raging fire going for a couple of hours. Then last night I put the fan to auto with a full load of wood and went to bed and the fan shut off while I was still getting ready. The stove was burning strong and putting off tons of heat so there is no way the fan should have gone off. I had to go put it on manual and let it run all night.

The auto mode seems like it is working worse this week than last week and I'm wondering if the snap stat is faulty.

 

[EJL923]

Auto comes on too late and shuts off too late as well, IMO. People have pushed the snapstat closer to the bottom of the stove which will make it come on sooner. If you take off the bottom metal grate and look up behind the control, you will see the snapstat location. it s probably too far away from the bottom grate where the coals would be. You couls always take it off and test it, i believe the temp is somewhere around 110°

 

[labrador]

I have had my 550 for three years now . I ran into the same problem as you . I leave mine on manual 24/7 and have not had any problems. Being on manual I know I'm pushing heat out all the time and not letting it go up the chimney.

 

[AK13]

Auto comes on too late and shuts off too late as well, IMO. People have pushed the snapstat closer to the bottom of the stove which will make it come on sooner. If you take off the bottom metal grate and look up behind the control, you will see the snapstat location. it s probably too far away from the bottom grate where the coals would be. You couls always take it off and test it, i believe the temp is somewhere around 110°

I don't mind it going off late.....I just don't want it going off early. Mostly I want the auto mode for overnight burns.....so that the fan will shut off when the fire burns out.

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll look for the snapstat and see if it can be moved closer to the heat.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I had issues with mine as well. I burned with it for a couple weeks and always ended up just turning it on manual. I know it worked though, before going to bed I'd switch it to auto (it would stay on) and at some point in the night it would shut off. One time I was determined to wait for the auto to kick on, and just let the stove crank. It was at 660* and no fan yet.

One of my problems was letting the stove get hot to quickly, the fan is on the part of the stove which is probably last to heat up. Instead of letting it scream up to 700, I stated dialing the air back, it would take a little while but eventually the fan would kick on.

That was a few weeks ago, for some reason the auto isnt comming on at all now. I did pull the grate and check all the wiring. I'll have to get my meter out to investigate further but dont want to mess with that until next time the stove is cooled off. I'm not to worried though, I dont mind letting it run on manual.

I been meaning to join this thread... I love this stove but the burn time isnt impressive and neither is the heat output. I think a block off plate sounds like it would help the heat situation, I plan on trying to build one sometime.

 

[AK13]

Interesting. That sounds really similar to mine in that it sort of worked for the first week or so and now doesn't seem to be. I'll try to get it apart to take a look this weekend.

I'm not really understanding the idea behind the block-off plate and how it gets you more heat output? I had them install a new SS liner with a sealed cap at the top of the chimney. So its already blocked at the top.

 

[Jaugust124]

Alright then, I might as well chime in here as well.
My fan on auto seems to work when the stove is cleaned of ash. Usually pops on at 450* and shuts off somewhere below 200*. For the most part, when I have some ash in the stove it doesn't seem to want to come on. I've let the stove run up to 600* according to the stove top temp. and it still didn't come on. This has happened numerous times. I would really like the auto feature to work for those overnight burns (when I start them) or at least when there's still some possibility of heat output.
I will check under the stove to see if I can move the snapstat a bit. Thanks for the advice.

 

[andella]

I posted this in another thread, but has anyone else noticed that the secondaries have been redesigned on the C550? The .pdf manual on Jotul's website shows a different setup with new part numbers on the exploded diagram. Wonder how much it helps.

As for the automatic fan..... I think it has worked once or twice. Manual is fine for me. Couldn't be happier with it though. Heats the whole house except for the bedrooms which is perfect for me.

 

[ellipup]

So I got a magnetic thermometer and placed it where the hot air blows out above the door. It took a couple of hours until it got above 300 degrees. I didnt have the box full of wood. I had about 4 splits at any one time. Could that be the reason why it doesnt get hotter?

 

[ellipup]

I forgot to say that my blower goes on in auto at about 250 degrees. It goes on within the first hour of start-up. As soon as I have a good bed of coals, the blower definitely kicks on.

 

[OhioBurner©]

I'm not really understanding the idea behind the block-off plate and how it gets you more heat output? I had them install a new SS liner with a sealed cap at the top of the chimney. So its already blocked at the top.

Well from what I gather there is a lot of heat coming off the outside of the stove inside the fireplace. A lot of that is just going up the chimney, no not out the top of the chimney since the top is sealed but in my case I have 24' of space and brick its heating up. A block off plate would seal the fireplace area of, so heat isnt traveling up the chimney and heating a whole bunch of air and brick. So more heat should be retained by the stove and transferred via the blower. I forget the specific value but I think folks have reported their surround temperature increasing by like 100*. For example with my stove running 500+ I can rest my hand on the surround. I hear with a block off plate and the extra heat trapped right around the stove the surround will get too hot to touch. Anyone who has done the block off plate confirm all this?

 

[MikeC]

My insert is sitting in a brick wall. I place my hand on the brick and I can feel the heat radiate from the bricks. So heat must be escaping like you stated.
I do not have a block off plate (I wish I did).

 

[spencer186]

My insert is in a brick fireplace with an exterior chimney. I put a thick stone veneer over the brick and do have a block off plate. With a good fire, there's no way I'm touching that surround. Even the stone veneer above the surround is really warm. Not hot so I can't touch it but really warm. I think the block off plate made a big difference. I took a lot of time fabricating it and sealing it with furnace cement to keep any air from sneaking up my chimney. I installed it in the spring and started burning a few weeks ago. The temps here on Long Island haven't been that cold with only a couple of frosts, but my fairly well insulated house is rarely under 70* and I don't always have the fire going 24-7.

 

[vector1701]

Great thread and fantastic tips. I am just 2 fires in and working on breaking in the 550. So far I like it very much. My wood has been covered for 2 years and seems to burn well (moisture meter reads 12-15%), but I am not getting the stove terribly hot yet...as a result there is a slight film on the glass and the firebrick inside are pretty black. I have not added more than 2 splits at a time yet and I think lack of heat is my problem. Tonight, for my 3rd fire I will put in 3-4 splits once the kindling is established...hopefully the black will burnoff the brick. Using the IT thermometer the temps on the glass range from 250-300 and the blower area only around 300. I would assume as a newbie this is just part of the break-in (and learning) process and need to get it much hotter.

 

[vector1701]

Again thanks to the great members for their valuable input....I started my 3rd fire about 90 minutes ago.....Rutland Thermometer in place in the center of the blower slot on top....It is showing about 475 and most of the black has burned off the brick and they are back to the factory light tan.. The Rockland is a beast and I know I am only in 3rd gear... I have a few knocks/pings come from her as I assume that is the metal being seasoned... I dont want to get too hot as it is just my 3rd fire... I cut down the air to about 1/2 and the blower is on auto.

Still learning, but getting there.... The pic was taken before I shut the air down to 1/2......

 

[wannabegreener]

I contacted my dealer about the automatic fan not working. They said to put a penny between the snapstat and the bottom of the stove. This would cause the heat to transfer to the snapstat faster. I tried but could not get it to stay. The angle to get it in there was very difficult and I think the gab was larger than a penny.

Love the stove. Have had it in for a little over 1 month and I am using about 75 less gallons of oil in that month. I have programmable thermostats for the boiler and my downstairs thermostat shows about 2 hours a day for run time. Upstairs show a lot more.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Just wanted to chime in on this thread for those that didnt see my other thread I did a DIY block off plate install on my Rockland. It is at
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/67219/

Here is the finished product:

After said and done the jury is still out on the performance gains. Due to the design of the side of the house its heating its harder to get a feel for the change. The couple of times I got to run it in similar fashion to prior it did not seem to make any difference (the test was that before when outside temp dropped below 40º the insert could no longer keep that side of the house at 70º) and still doesnt seem to be able too. However it is for sure helping some, and the surround is now very hot rather than mildly warm, and with the combination of blocking off the zipper air (is that the correct term?) have had a warm stove hours after dieing out and I've even been able to have hot embers for a very long time - 14+hrs.

I also had an overfire a couple days after installing the insulated block off plate, had the top of the Rockland at 940º Was wondering if the insulative effect had anything to do with that, it sure probably didnt help getting it cooled down quickly. Had the front edge of the baffle starting to glow orange. All that was within 15 minutes of a reload in the 300's.

I think I might have been too used to freestanding stoves and overestimated that the insert could heat that half of the house on its own, it can't, even at only 40º outside.

 

[Jotul_Rockland]

Quick question.


Does installing a block-off plate at the bottom provide a lot of benefit in a interior chimney ( Chimney within the building)? How much of air escaped is going to get radiated from the brick and the other side of the fireplace?

 

[wannabegreener]

Ohio burner - How did you cool down your 550 quickly? I'm trying to figure out the best way to cool it down when the temp gets to around 800. My normal way is to close down the air supply and put the fan on hi speed. I will also take a poker and try to knock down the fire a little bit. I wonder if opening the door for a couple of minutes to let out some heat also helps. When I open the door with the fan on, the blast of hot air is pretty incredible.

Any others have methods of cooling the 550 down when the temps get high?

Thanks

Dean

 

[AK13]

I really try to keep the door closed when the fire is raging. Opening the door to a giant ball of fire just seems like a bad idea unless you really need to toss in wet paper or something because of a serious overfire. My wood is wet enough that I don't have to worry about that I guess. My 550 cruises at 400-650 degrees all day long. I keep an eye on temperature and will adjust the blower accordingly (bump it down if the stove is running cooler), but for adjusting the air I only look at the flames.

Maybe I will try the penny or will try to get under there to get the snapstat closer. Lately I've been just switching to auto before bed.....it might be shutting the fan off a little early but at least it doesn't run all night after the fire burns out and I figure it might help me end up with enough hot coals to get restarted in the morning.

 

[Jaugust124]

wannabegrener,

A couple weeks ago I thought I was about to have an overfire when the temps on the stove top thermometer were pushing over 700*. I shut the air all the way down and it made matters worse. The heat in the stove had no where to go so the temps continued to climb. I got really worried when the temps got up to nearly 800* with no sign of slowing down. Luckily, I remembered what Backwoods Savage once said and although it seems counterintuitive, I opened the air all the way. You would think all that extra air pouring in would cause a bigger fire, but it allowed the excess heat to escape up the chimney. I also had the fan on high to help out as well. Within a few minutes the temps started to settle down again. This was quite unnerving and I learned my lesson.

 

[wannabegreener]

Jaugust124,

That does sound counter intuitive. I wonder if the major factor is just running the fan on high, like a car radiator? You turned your air to open and I turned mine to closed and we both set our fan on high??? I have had my stove at 800 before and was getting pretty nervous. When my stove was that high, I did not have a raging fire, so opening the door was not opening a fireball. Opening the door seemed to release a lot of built up heat in the fire box. Not sure if it helped.

Thanks

 

[Jaugust124]

When I had my "incident" the fan was on high when I tried turning the air all the way down thinking that less air would keep the fire from increasing. It didn't do enough to keep the temps from rising. Inside my stove looked like a raging inferno. It was making a whoomping sound from the air pressure inside the stove. I did not try to open the stove door, as I think this would have been a bad scene. I agree with you that without a raging fireball inside the stove, opening the door would certainly get rid of some heat and as a bonus not waste it going up the chimney. However, with a scene like I had the last thing I wanted to do is open the door. That sudden burst of air into the firebox, might have caused flames to come shooting out. I don't know, but I bet firefighterjake would have the answer.

 

[OhioBurner©]

Ohio burner - How did you cool down your 550 quickly? I'm trying to figure out the best way to cool it down when the temp gets to around 800. My normal way is to close down the air supply and put the fan on hi speed. I will also take a poker and try to knock down the fire a little bit. I wonder if opening the door for a couple of minutes to let out some heat also helps. When I open the door with the fan on, the blast of hot air is pretty incredible.

Any others have methods of cooling the 550 down when the temps get high?

Thanks

Dean

Well I don’t really know, when I had an overfire my air control was wide open at the time - so I don’t see how opening up the air control would help cool it. Maybe on a different stove - each has unique air characteristics. As for the fan unless I am watching TV in that room I have it on full all the time. Doesnt seem to make much a difference anyhow, I normally cruise in the 500's and it usually peaks in the 600's right before settling down.
When I overfired it I opened the door - yes it was an inferno - and left it open for maybe 30 seconds or so and closed it. It was a huge amount of heat let out, and lots of cool incomming air (I hope). Its basically like a fireplace with the door open - I dont think it can maintain those huge 900's with that amount of air comming in. I did that process a few times and got it down into the mid 800's, after closing the primary air all the way down. The baffle stopped glowing when I had it down in the 800's and I pretty much just left it like that, I think it maintained around 800 for a good hour or so before starting to die back. I didn’t know about the wet towel trick that might have helped more.

I think what would help more is having control of the secondary air. There was another thread about DIY secondary air controls and I think that’s a great idea. However I do not know where the secondary air enters the Rockland, does anyone know? I have a feeling it is inaccessible. It really pisses me off; they want a clean burning idiot proof design so they have an uncontrolled air leak into the stove. I hate that the new stoves are basically crippled from a user control perspective just because they think people can’t control them properly themselves.