Jotul Oslo
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I would try to keep it under 700 but I wouldnt think going over by a few hundred once in a while would hurt anything. But im sure Jake would know better then me. I run a cat stove. lol
Reload once you have a decent bed of coals.
You may wish to keep the side door ajar for a bit (and air control lever all the way to the right in the fully open position) until the wood really gets going . . . again, I tend to use my flue thermometer most often to determine when to shut the door, turn down the air control, etc.
Shut side door. Allow the fire to "stabilize."
If the fire is burning "strong" and the stove temp is 350-500 degrees F, start to slowly close the air control lever by moving it a bit to the left. Wait and let the fire stabilize. The flames and temp may dip a bit. It's normal.
If the fire is still burning "strong" and the stove temp is still 350-500 degrees F, close down the air control to the half way position. Wait and let the fire stabilize.
If the fire is still burning "strong" turn down the air to the quarter mark . . . at this point (or maybe before this) you may or may not start to see a secondary burn . . . i.e. the propane BBQ gas jet effect, ghost flames or (my personal favorite) a Portal to Hell has just opened up in the upper third of your firebox . . . this is where you should to really start to see and feel the heat.
The Oslo is like a locomotive though with all of that cast iron. It's not an instant on/off heat source . . . I really start to feel the heat about an hour after lighting a fire and generally the stove does best when run 24/7 straight.
Ideally I like to run mine at 500-600 . . . I start to get a little antsy when it climbs up to 700 . . . and start to slow things up when it gets higher than that by restricting the air in the back.
I virtually have the same setup as you with a Castine in a rear vented stove with 13 ft up and 16 ft total chimney length and any changes is simply not practical. I also live in the MO Ozarks. I had similar issues with challenges of the stove temps usually maxing out in the upper 400s.
Before we alter your setup I can give you suggestions of burning technique that should help because I had similar issues.
Build a zipper fire which is a technique of laying firewood E/W on top of N/S risers of 1 to 2 inches level with the coal bed.
Make sure you limit ashes to the sides of the stove box. You want the combustion air area free of ashes. I can fill up an ash pan daily if I burn elm on a very cold day.
Leave an escape route for your flames in the middle of the firebox and always use a firelighting square in that free area and kindling is always your friend. If you leave the flame escape route to the sides you will have a poor fire
Oddlly enough bigger pieces go in the front of the stove and smaller pieces go in the back since the fire gets burnt from front to back. In a weaker drafting stove large pieces in the back always are left partially unburnt.
Hope these suggestions help.
Before we alter your setup I can give you suggestions of burning technique that should help because I had similar issues.
Build a zipper fire which is a technique of laying firewood E/W on top of N/S risers of 1 to 2 inches level with the coal bed.
Make sure you limit ashes to the sides of the stove box. You want the combustion air area free of ashes. I can fill up an ash pan daily if I burn elm on a very cold day.
Leave an escape route for your flames in the middle of the firebox and always use a firelighting square in that free area and kindling is always your friend. If you leave the flame escape route to the sides you will have a poor fire
Oddlly enough bigger pieces go in the front of the stove and smaller pieces go in the back since the fire gets burnt from front to back. In a weaker drafting stove large pieces in the back always are left partially unburnt.
Hope these suggestions help.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
Why don't you post some pics of your setup.
The simple way of looking at the pipe above the roof is, if your pipe comes out of the roof at ten feet or less from the ridge, then the pipe needs to be 2 feet higher than the ridge.
The simple way of looking at the pipe above the roof is, if your pipe comes out of the roof at ten feet or less from the ridge, then the pipe needs to be 2 feet higher than the ridge.
How about burning pines in the stove?..I love to hear these answers....Remember I lived In Alaska for 41 years and the only wood up there is spruce, birch..softwoods. Had no problems, plenty of heat, only cleaned flue once a year. Maybe adding some pine to my hardwoods would give out lots more heat.
If the wood you put in tends to burn black a lot and not flame...maybe just turn to coal chunks..any ideas?
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
edyit
Minister of Fire
i second the wet wood theory, hardwoods takes longer to season than the softwoods you were used to burning in alaska. there is also absolutely nothing wrong with burning pine as long as it is seasoned, anyone that tells you otherwise has no idea what they are talking about...
I'll wager that if you have one of your larger splits of that Oak at room temp, re-split it and test on the freshly-exposed surface, you'll find that it is 25% moisture content or more. Oak, one of the slowest-drying woods, needs to be stacked in the wind (top-covered only) for two years at least, but really gets dry when it has three full years in the stack. Right now I'm burning White Oak split and stacked four years, and Red Oak that's been drying five years. Now, if an Oak was dead standing for ten years, and wasn't too big in diameter, it might be getting somewhat dry. I've cut dead standers that had no leaves for several years, and the wood in the trunk was around 35% moisture. Get a cheap moisture meter at Harbor Freight, $15. Get some soft Maple (Silver or Red) and don't split it too big. Stack it in the wind now and it will be fairly dry by fall. If you have access to a wood lot, go out there now and find some small (6-8") dead standers with all the bark gone, they may be ready to go into the stove immediately, with moisture under 20%.
Some of the Jotuls are known to require strong draft, I believe the Castine and Oslo are two of them. Read your manual and see what the recommended chimney height is, then add a couple feet more. Heck, I usually read stove manuals two or three times..good info can many times be found.
"chimneys are required to meet the 3-2-10 rule. This rule means that they must extend 3 feet above the roof penetration on the shortest side, and the top of the chimney must be 2 feet higher than any portion of the building structure within 10 feet."
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Pine is fine . . . I burn a fair amount in the shoulder seasons and when I am around the house on weekends or evenings. I have had a few pines come down around my house so I look at them as "bonus" wood -- hardwood tends to burn longer and coal up better, but there's nothing wrong with pine if it is seasoned.
RandyBoBandy
Minister of Fire
I can say I do have mixed dry and wet wood in the mix...definetly...Can hear it steaming sometimes..Also I went on the roof..I have multiple roof levels. The roof the flue comes thru is definetly lower then the roof line 10 feet away..probably by 2 feet or a lil more..So , the pipe thru the roof is chrome triple wall I believe. Can I just scab on a double wall section for now, to see the difference..The pipe thru the roof is 4 feet higher where it comes thru roof..
ratsrepus
Minister of Fire
I have had mine for 8 season now, came to the conclusion now that Im running a BK princes in another building that the oslo is over rated and way expensive for what it is. good looking and durable, but its a hard starter, ( lousy draft), uses a lot of wood. will replace it with another BK.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
Well, ratsrepus, I have to say that I have had my Oslo for 2 years. This is the 7th wood stove that I have had.
I like the Oslo, it is good looking and a good heater. Mine is not hard to start.
But, I gotta agree with you on the wood consumption. Good lord does this stove gobble up the wood!
You think the Blaze King would get better mpg on the wood? Which model, would the BK King be comparable to the Oslo?
I like the Oslo, it is good looking and a good heater. Mine is not hard to start.
But, I gotta agree with you on the wood consumption. Good lord does this stove gobble up the wood!
You think the Blaze King would get better mpg on the wood? Which model, would the BK King be comparable to the Oslo?
ratsrepus
Minister of Fire
I think the princess as far a capacity is a fair comparison. The oslo looks real nice in my home, and its been a great stove as far as problems, but that wood consumption is bad. Now in all fairness im loading it 5 to six time a day, but its been at 0 or below here for about 2 weeks. now when its 30 out side its pretty good
RandyBoBandy
Minister of Fire
Yes, scab some single wall pipe on top of your chimney to see if it will draft better ( it will). Maybe buy two or three snap together sections from tractor supply for your testing. Once you have figured out what the magic number of sections needed is you can then buy your class A.
