My new Jotul Oslo 500

[Jkusnierz]

Hey everyone I recently purchased my first wood stove to heat my 1800 sq ft colonial here in Massachusetts. So far i love it we havent had much cold nights but i been burning just to get feel of it plus i had to do the 3 small burns to cure the stove. But I do have a question i seem to be having a hard time reaching the 500°F mark. I dont know much more on what to do or does it just take time to get to that temp. i can hold very steady at 400°F but i would like to know how to get it up esp for those upcoming cold winter days. I am burning seasoned Red Oak. I know i havent given much info but feel free to ask and i will answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.

 

[Simonkenton]

I don't know anything about the Oslo, any more than what I have read on these forums. But, I am going to buy one next summer and believe me, it will get a workout.
That stove is looking good!

Tell me, have you met the specs on the clearance to the walls. It looks kinda close to me.

 

[Jkusnierz]

Oh yea I had it professionally installed. I didn't have anything no chimney so I wanted everything done right. It is actually 1/2 inch over specs of clearance.

 

[Grisu]

Welcome to the forum!

The spot where you have the thermometer located 500 F may actually be enough. Have you tried different placements to see if there are hotter locations and how they compare to the corner you have chosen?

Just to be sure: Oak is great firewood but needs a long time to dry. Have you tested the wood with a moisture meter by splitting a few pieces in half and pushing the pins in the freshly exposed surface? Or did you dry it yourself? How long has it been split and stacked in an open location where it gets lots of sun and wind?

When you reload the stove, how much do you turn down the air and how quickly? I wait a few minutes for the wood to catch fire and establish a strong burn. Then I reduce the air by a quarter until the flames become kind of lazy. Wait a few minutes again until the flames are more rigorous again and then reduce the air by another quarter and so on. With good draft and dry wood, the air should all the way closed or close to it at the end.

 

[BrotherBart]

Step 1: Put a load of wood in it. Looks like just a few sticks in there. And it will take an iron stove that size an hour or so from cold to get up to temp.

 

[Jkusnierz]

Welcome to the forum!

The spot where you have the thermometer located 500 F may actually be enough. Have you tried different placements to see if there are hotter locations and how they compare to the corner you have chosen?

Just to be sure: Oak is great firewood but needs a long time to dry. Have you tested the wood with a moisture meter by splitting a few pieces in half and pushing the pins in the freshly exposed surface? Or did you dry it yourself? How long has it been split and stacked in an open location where it gets lots of sun and wind?

When you reload the stove, how much do you turn down the air and how quickly? I wait a few minutes for the wood to catch fire and establish a strong burn. Then I reduce the air by a quarter until the flames become kind of lazy. Wait a few minutes again until the flames are more rigorous again and then reduce the air by another quarter and so on. With good draft and dry wood, the air should all the way closed or close to it at the end.

No i havent tried anywhere else but i will move it. i was told to put it there in the front right hand corner is the best but i will def move it around. I have not tested with a moisture meter i will need to go out and buy one. i got this wood from an buddy who burns but i dont know where it was for his stock stock or new stock. This (tonight) is my first actual burn, i am still just learning stage so when i did reload the stove i turned up the draft and slowly open the door. should i be turning down the draft. i was trying to allow the chamber to pressurize be for adding wood. i hope i helped answer all questions if not im sorry just tell me i didnt.

 

[Jkusnierz]

Step 1: Put a load of wood in it. Looks like just a few sticks in there. And it will take an iron stove that size an hour or so from cold to get up to temp.

that pic is a pic of my step 1 burn where i had to get to 200°F sorry for the confusion. As of right now my fire box is pretty close to as full as it can get. but thats good to know that it will take that long to get up to temp.

 

[Jkusnierz]

well i just checked the stove temp and i am finally going up in temp right around the 450-475°F mark and i have the draft at about half way closed

 

[BrotherBart]

I think with most Jotuls you will find that you end up cruising with the primary air around 3/4 closed.

 

[Grisu]

No i havent tried anywhere else but i will move it. i was told to put it there in the front right hand corner is the best but i will def move it around. I have not tested with a moisture meter i will need to go out and buy one. i got this wood from an buddy who burns but i dont know where it was for his stock stock or new stock. This (tonight) is my first actual burn, i am still just learning stage so when i did reload the stove i turned up the draft and slowly open the door. should i be turning down the draft. i was trying to allow the chamber to pressurize be for adding wood. i hope i helped answer all questions if not im sorry just tell me i didnt.

When that is your first burn, then it is actually not a bad idea to get the stove slowly to new max temps as the paint has to cure. You may notice the smell and some "smoke" coming off the stove. Firebricks can also sometimes contain some moisture that may decrease the fire a bit. You are doing it right before the reloading. Open the air fully, wait a few seconds at least, open the door slowly. Then rake the hot coals towards the glass side, add the wood until you are almost reaching the burn tubes in the top. Wait until the fresh wood has caught fire, close door. Wait a few minutes until you have a good fire going and then reduce the air as I described. You should see flames in the top of the firebox above the wood when the air is fully closed.

Ask your friend how long the wood has been split and stacked. How many cords can you get from him?

 

[Nick Mystic]

Welcome to the forum. Regarding the thermometer placement - just make sure you follow the instruction manual. I have a Jotul F600 and it says to use one of the corners. I experimented a bit and found up to 50 F difference between different corners, so I picked the hottest one to guard against over-firing. Don't put it in the center of the top since that burns much hotter and you'll get false readings. No reason to move too fast trying to burn real hot fires this early in the season. Better, I think, to go slow and get a feel for the stove with various size loads and air flow settings. Too early trying to get a real hot fire and you risk getting into trouble. Better to learn how the stove reacts first so you know how to shut things down if you get a surprise. Good Luck.

 

[Jkusnierz]

When that is your first burn, then it is actually not a bad idea to get the stove slowly to new max temps as the paint has to cure. You may notice the smell and some "smoke" coming off the stove. Firebricks can also sometimes contain some moisture that may decrease the fire a bit. You are doing it right before the reloading. Open the air fully, wait a few seconds at least, open the door slowly. Then rake the hot coals towards the glass side, add the wood until you are almost reaching the burn tubes in the top. Wait until the fresh wood has caught fire, close door. Wait a few minutes until you have a good fire going and then reduce the air as I described. You should see flames in the top of the firebox above the wood when the air is fully closed.

Ask your friend how long the wood has been split and stacked. How many cords can you get from him?

This past Saturday i did my 3 primary burns tonight is just a see how i do kinda night. i cant get any from him this was just a help me out to get my self going. i have to order some cord this year and then next 15 years it will be under my control at my 3.5 acre lot is a solid stand of red oak. plus i have 60 acres at my work of oak and other decent hard woods.

 

[Jkusnierz]

Welcome to the forum. Regarding the thermometer placement - just make sure you follow the instruction manual. I have a Jotul F600 and it says to use one of the corners. I experimented a bit and found up to 50 F difference between different corners, so I picked the hottest one to guard against over-firing. Don't put it in the center of the top since that burns much hotter and you'll get false readings. No reason to move too fast trying to burn real hot fires this early in the season. Better, I think, to go slow and get a feel for the stove with various size loads and air flow settings. Too early trying to get a real hot fire and you risk getting into trouble. Better to learn how the stove reacts first so you know how to shut things down if you get a surprise. Good Luck.

Thank you and i will to keep it slow and steady

 

[Grisu]

Be aware that wood advertised as "seasoned" rarely is. I would ask the seller how long it has been split and stacked (unless you want to go for kiln-dried wood). Be there during the delivery, split a few pieces in half and push the pins of a moisture meter in the center of the fresh surface preferably along the grain. Under 20% is optimal, under 25% burnable. Above 25% should be stacked and dried in your yard for at least several more months. It will be up to you if you want to pay for seasoned wood then or only for green wood. Another option for this winter will be compressed wood logs like Biobricks or Envi-blocks.

Then get going on the wood for the following winters. I would recommend to cut first ash and softwoods as those have a chance to dry sufficiently over just one summer. The oak will need a minimum of 2 years to dry, many people here give it 3 or more. For optimal drying, stack it loosely raised from the ground with pallets or lumber, not more than 2 rows deep in a sunny and windy(!) spot. I recommend covering the top but keep the sides exposed. Here is an easy way of getting some nice drying racks: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/my-zero-tool-built-firewood-rack.114910/

 

[webby3650]

I am guessing that the wood isn't as seasoned as it should be. I've had 2 Oslo's in different houses. At the start with the first one, I struggled like crazy! Couldn't get it up to temp, dirty glass. After I got truly seasoned wood it came to life! After that I struggled to keep the thing under 700. You'll get the hang of it!

 

[begreen]

well i just checked the stove temp and i am finally going up in temp right around the 450-475°F mark and i have the draft at about half way closed

You will see better performance as outdoor are colder too. As the temp drops outside draft will increase. In the meantime take the air control down until the flames get lazy, then let the fire regain strength. Secondary combustion should increase. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes until the air control is set as low as possible without snuffing out the fire.

 

[firefighterjake]

Not much to add here other than to echo what others have said . . .

Try all four corners of the Oslo before picking one. Like Nick, I opted to put the thermometer on the consistently hottest corner originally to avoid overfiring the stove (although now I have this stove on the front due to my soapstone . . . and truthfully I don't use this thermometer as much as I do my probe thermometer on the stove pipe to run the stove.)

The Oslo is a good stove and heater . . . but in some ways it's like a locomotive . . . it takes a while to come up to speed, but once up and running it does very well. From a cold start it takes me anywhere from a half hour to an hour to bring it up to the point where the heat is cranking . . . in the winter though it's much quicker to bring up to temp.

Loading . . . one newbie mistake is loading too soon as folks often equate flames with heat when the reality is coals and a hot stove will radiate heat for a long time. Generally you want to load on to a bed of coals . . . and when you do this you're maximizing the time in between loads, preventing an excessive build up of coals (I generally load when the coals are about the size of oranges) and smoke as coals have very little smoke. However, it's not a bad habit to get into of opening up the air control before opening the door for a few seconds to a minute and then slowly open the door a crack. . . although with a good draft you may soon realize that at the coaling stage it may be OK to simply open up the air and then open the door to reload without any delay or having to open the door a crack first.

As you may have discovered . . . less air = more heat . . . once the stove is up to temp. It can be tough during this time of year, but when the weather turns cooler experiment . . . and see how low you can go. Generally I run my air control 3/4 shut, but oftentimes with good wood I can shut it all the way for a much longer and intense burn.

 

[branchburner]

I would recommend to cut first ash and softwoods as those have a chance to dry sufficiently over just one summer. The oak will need a minimum of 2 years to dry, many people here give it 3 or more.

Agreed, and worth repeating, that time is how long it has been split and stacked off the ground. I've seen oak in log length that's been down for years but seems as green as ever. I love red oak but now give it three years min.

 

[xman23]

When I used to arrive at the house and it was frozen at 45F. The goal was to get the Oslo to 700F ASAP. I recall being able to do it in 3 or 4 reloads and a half and hour or so. (best time) Here's my thoughts on the issues and methods I use.

Early season the draft is not so good. It will be easier needs when it gets colder outside.
With the air flow wide open, Start the fire with a lot of real dry thin kindling.
Fill fire box with as much thin, real dry wood as possible. The more wood surface area the better.
Re fill any time there is room with real dry slightly large pieces. The whole fire box should be a ball of flames.
Adding new real dry wood, should light almost as you close the door.
It takes some time to get the whole stove box heated.
If the whole box is ripping, the top surface temp will continue to climb.
A bed of coals will develop and are your friend. Now much larger real dry splits can be added.
Keep the box completely filled and rippin.
It now at 700F
Close the air down to control the temp. You will see secondary burn with the flames rolling forward on to the glass due to the air coming out of the burn tubes at the top of the stove.

Key word here is, real dry splits. Wet wood won't develop a enough heat to burn well. With Oak it's hard to tell if it's dry enough. Unless you have a dry piece to compare it to. I can tell by the weight and banging two pieces together. Taking off my pile that been drying for 3 - 4 years helps.