Hello to all: I just put money down on a firelight. I know the Oslo is a great stove, but how does the firelight stack up to it? I am puttin the stove on the upstairs of a bi-level ranch in New York. The downstairs is heated by a Harman P-61 pellet stove which we love. The total sq footage of the house is 2100sq. The upstairs is about 1200 sqft. Is the Firelight overkill? The reason I picked the firelight is I loved the double doors. I really want to get the heat to those back bedrooms. The livingroom where the stove is going has 12ft vaulted ceilings. Any insight would greatly be appreciated.
Jotul Firelight or the Oslo?
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I really dont think its overkill at all...I would have gone with the firelight but I personally liked the look of the Oslo a little better. My father is picking up a Firelight in the next week or so (cant believed I managed to convince him to upgrade to an EPA stove 
) and I am very excited to play around with it! My dad, like you, likes the double door feature. I think you made a good choice, let us know when you get it...and pics are always great!
) and I am very excited to play around with it! My dad, like you, likes the double door feature. I think you made a good choice, let us know when you get it...and pics are always great!
first of all its spelled oslo, anyway honest mistake Im sure. All jotul stoves are excellent and to my knowledge han'nt recieved any bad press here. The fire light is a bigger stove, not sure if there are advantages with the double doors vs. the oslo's single door. If you can afford the price and the floor space and arangement warrent the bigger stove, go for it. I wish I went with the firelight for the bigger firebox
Either stove is great. Normally I say go big, but with the pellet stove downstairs I kind of think bigger is overkill on this rare occasion. Unless you have lots of windows and/or poor insulation, or you don't mind running smaller, less efficient fires in the bigger stove, or you like the bedrooms really toasty. But if it ends up being too much stove, move it downstairs and see if it punches out the Harman.
I just don't want it to be extremely hot in the upstairs with the Firelight. I went with it for the looks and it was only$300 more than the Oslo. I hope I made the right choice.
Well, your worst case scenario is that you are building smaller/shorter fires in a bigger stove. All that really means is you may not always get secondary burning. That's not a big deal since your primary heat is the Harman. From a purist point of view the stove may be oversized for maximum efficiency, but it's always better to oversize than undersize. I think if you like that stove better you made the right choice.
i had same doubt when i got into this forum. at the end i finally bought the f500 which is supossed to be ok for the sq f or the house ( more or less like yours).
it hasent arrive yet, so when it arrives and i try it, ill tell you if its enough or not... Guess it will be..
it hasent arrive yet, so when it arrives and i try it, ill tell you if its enough or not... Guess it will be..
Iv'e had a Firelight CB (NON cat) for 10 years. I found it a little touchy to learn. However, I now use it as the sole heat source for 2000 sq. feet of our 2875 sq. foot house, and I love it.
If you are a 24/7 burner in the winter, you will find that the iron (stock) top burn-baffle will warp, very gradually, and need replacement in 2 to 4 years (easy job). I believe Jotul has available vermiculite/mineral baffles available to solve that problem; I changed to firebrick laid over the tubes, held off with 3/16 steel dowl. 'Fifth year that way. 'Works flawlessly.
All in all, the stove kicks out a ton of heat. A 10 pm to 6 am burn, with hot enough coals to ignite the morning re-load is no problem -- and that's with pine.
Regards,
Dexter
If you are a 24/7 burner in the winter, you will find that the iron (stock) top burn-baffle will warp, very gradually, and need replacement in 2 to 4 years (easy job). I believe Jotul has available vermiculite/mineral baffles available to solve that problem; I changed to firebrick laid over the tubes, held off with 3/16 steel dowl. 'Fifth year that way. 'Works flawlessly.
All in all, the stove kicks out a ton of heat. A 10 pm to 6 am burn, with hot enough coals to ignite the morning re-load is no problem -- and that's with pine.
Regards,
Dexter
I thank all of you for your replies and advice. After alot of thinking I called my stove dealer and ordered the Oslo instead. Since I have a pellet stove downstairs the firelight may be a little overkill. They are both beautiful stoves, so I am sure I made the right choice. I haven't heard of any bad reviews on the Oslo. I just had two cords of wood dlivered today ready to burn. Stove should be in by Halloween.
I think that's a good move. If the Firelight was downstairs and the pellet stove not in the picture, then the bigger stove would make sense. But with the Harman downstairs, the F500 seems a better fit.
How is the wood that was delivered? Have you chopped a couple splits in half to see how dry they are in the middle?
How is the wood that was delivered? Have you chopped a couple splits in half to see how dry they are in the middle?
Great point BeGreen. The Oslo hates wet wood and it will be a long winter and much creosote. Guess how I know!! If you can , order next years supply now and bask in the warmth next winter. Be safe.BeGreen said:
Ed
Wow my wood shipment came yesterday and I covered it with an old swiming pool cover and left the sides open. The wood on the bottom and sides got wet. I guess this is not a good thing. Will the wood dry out if I take the covers off? I wont be burning till the end of the month. I am very worried about the creosote build up and chimney fires. I am a total newbie to this.
I would go with the Oslo from a heating standpoint. When I was a Jotul dealer on Long Island, we burned the Oslo and Firelight (cat and non cat) in our two showrooms. The Oslo is the friendliest to use cast iron stove I've ever had the pleasure to set a fire to.
In the event you end up with the Firelight, you just may end up making smaller fires and loading it more often.
In the event you end up with the Firelight, you just may end up making smaller fires and loading it more often.
The biggest problem may be that your wood shipment just came in. Very few forum members who buy wood use it the same year because the wood is not dry. Take two splits and bang them together. They should almost make a ringing sound not a dull thud. Or just buy a meter and test it. If it is dry just cover the top as you did, expose the sides to sun and wind and a lttle rain won't hurt it. If you burn hot fires and don't just let them smolder and check your chimney every few weeks till you get a handle on things you will be ok. Don't forget to enjoy the experience. Be safe.Johnnyguitars said:
Ed
Johnnyguitars said:
Don't worry too much about the bottom and sides - that will dry out. The big thing is when the wood was cut and split. It is very unlikely, unless specified by an honest wood dealer selling it at a premium, that purchased cordwood is ideally seasoned for immediate use. If the wood is at 30% moisture, you may need to supplement it with some at 20%. That may be costly but worth it.
Johnnyguitars said:
Just to reiterate:
Wet Wood, from rain, has moisture on the outside and will dry out in no time at all.
Wood that is Wet / Green / Not Seasoned has moisture on the inside and will not burn very well as the fire has to boil off all this water first prior to the wood really burning. The result is lots of lost BTUs in boiling water and facilitates the formation of creosote in the chimney.
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