Jotul F 3 CB opinions

[colin.p]

Thanks for the replies. I will have my first normal fire tonight. I'm looking forward to it. The paint smell is still around, hopfully this with subside soon. So 400 - 600 F is a good ranage to run the f3. I have the ash pan, has anyone operated the stove with a cast plate installed, or better said without that ash pan option.

Thanks

Some people let the ash pan fill up and then leave it full all winter. They just shovel out the ash when needed. I tried that for a few weeks, but I then had to scoop out ash every day (a severe PITA), whereas using the ash pan, only a couple times a week to clean it out. So I went back to emptying the ash pan twice a week. It's all about personal preference, but I really like this stove. Easy as can be to operate it.

 

[YotulFrank]

Thanks,

So how long until the stink of the new stove stops, main it gives a good headache. Any suggestion on glass cleaning? Quite a heater for the size. I have a steel stove in the basement, it is interesting the difference in heat transfer between cast and steel. The yotul holds it temp much longer.

I hope the temp drops

 

[YotulFrank]

Suggestions for glass cleaning

I really like my stove, it is not too much for my home, and very easy operate. That said, what is the best way to clean the glass door? It's better than TV, watching the rolling fire. My wife thinks I'm crazy. She does not share the same enthusiasm.

Just put in a few sticks of rock maple, hopefully it will have some coals in the morning.

 

[Jtracy]

Ash Pan

Hi all! Would like your feedback on the ash pan and leaving ashes in the stove. I find that if I leave a hefty amount (3-4 " thick") of ash/build up IN the stove at all times, then there are more than enough embers in the morning for the fire to start up again - and there is still heat (however small) in the stove(like 8-9 hours later)....it's like the ash/build up buffers the heat from totally leaving the stove and protects the embers. Do you all find the same? With this, I am basically able to keep a fire going (or easy to get going) all day long.

One thing I find though, is that I can't necessarily get the stove to stay up to temps' consistently above 350 degrees or so.....I'm imagining that is why (?)....b/c I can't stuff it with wood...

So, it was a trade off!

Thoughts?

Stay warm~

Janet

 

[blacklocst]

I have a Jotul 600 CB and last night it was creeping up to 600 degrees and had to choke the air intake back on the stove with 3 or 4 " of ashes on the bottom. I think the trouble your having in trying to keep temps up in the stove might be the wood your using. Also before you add wood make room by using a poker and shimming the pieces back and forth with heat resistant gloves.

 

[colin.p]

Hi all! Would like your feedback on the ash pan and leaving ashes in the stove. I find that if I leave a hefty amount (3-4 " thick") of ash/build up IN the stove at all times, then there are more than enough embers in the morning for the fire to start up again - and there is still heat (however small) in the stove(like 8-9 hours later)....it's like the ash/build up buffers the heat from totally leaving the stove and protects the embers. Do you all find the same? With this, I am basically able to keep a fire going (or easy to get going) all day long.

One thing I find though, is that I can't necessarily get the stove to stay up to temps' consistently above 350 degrees or so.....I'm imagining that is why (?)....b/c I can't stuff it with wood...

So, it was a trade off!

Thoughts?

Stay warm~

Janet

Yes, I don't like taking too much ash out of the stove, and have found that a good layer of ash does indeed make it easier to get the stove going in the morning. Also, the temps don't typically get too high, probably because most of the wood I have is split large, so only one piece goes in without some major re-arranging. The stove temps usually stay below 500, however, if I put in a couple of ironwood, or apple sticks, the temp does shoot up.

 

[myzamboni]

I don't burn 24/7, and find that not emptying the ashpan causes the stove to put out less heat.

 

[YotulFrank]

Just great

The F3 is A1, I’ve had it for a few days, and it heats my home very nicely. It has shields on the back, would it be better to take them off. I have a huge brick flue behind the stove, no combustibles in the area. Do you think I will get more heat from the stove?

 

[colin.p]

I wouldn't remove the shields, as the stove was designed with those in mind. Also, you don't want to heat behind the stove, just out into the room and the shields help to do so. One thing as well, if you have insurance and the house burns down (even if it had nothing to do with wood heating) if you have tampered with the structure of the stove in any way, the insurance company may not cover you. Don't forget, insurance companies are not in business to "cover" you, they are in business to make "lots" of money, and they will try any way possible to get out of paying a claim.

 

[Jtracy]

I have a Jotul 600 CB and last night it was creeping up to 600 degrees and had to choke the air intake back on the stove with 3 or 4 " of ashes on the bottom. I think the trouble your having in trying to keep temps up in the stove might be the wood your using. Also before you add wood make room by using a poker and shimming the pieces back and forth with heat resistant gloves.

When I start a fire (paper, twigs, sticks, bark), I can very easily get the burn to 600 degrees QUICKLY...I then add gradually splintered pieces of wood and thicker branches before putting in a smaller "real " piece of wood...however, when it comes to even small thinner pieces of wood (14 - 17" in length), the temp goes down!...even with both dampers open! The wood is well over 1 year old - I can't tell you exactly what kind of wood - it is somewhat mixed - but there is def. oak in there...any other thoughts other than age of the wood? It is so frustrating!...

I would also appreciate suggestions on becoming more proficient with using the dampers - I have 2 dampers b/c there was such a strong updraft that I was burning wood every 10 minutes!...I try hard to figure out the recipe of when to close each damper in maintaing a temp (up to 400 degrees would be ideal b/c I have a first floor plan that is made up of 4 rooms...the rooms are approx 13 x 13 each....so can't get it toooo hot in the main room!

Thoughts?

THanks!

Janet

 

[blacklocst]

When I start a fire (paper, twigs, sticks, bark), I can very easily get the burn to 600 degrees QUICKLY...I then add gradually splintered pieces of wood and thicker branches before putting in a smaller "real " piece of wood...however, when it comes to even small thinner pieces of wood (14 - 17" in length), the temp goes down!...even with both dampers open! The wood is well over 1 year old - I can't tell you exactly what kind of wood - it is somewhat mixed - but there is def. oak in there...any other thoughts other than age of the wood? It is so frustrating!...

I would also appreciate suggestions on becoming more proficient with using the dampers - I have 2 dampers b/c there was such a strong updraft that I was burning wood every 10 minutes!...I try hard to figure out the recipe of when to close each damper in maintaing a temp (up to 400 degrees would be ideal b/c I have a first floor plan that is made up of 4 rooms...the rooms are approx 13 x 13 each....so can't get it toooo hot in the main room!

Thoughts?

THanks!

Janet

Janet, I don't know If you have kids or not but running a wood stove is like having a baby,

You have to feed the baby (only free range organic wood)

You have to change it's diapers (sometimes empty the ash pan)

You have to keep a close eye on them (knowing when to add wood & or when to open the ash pan door to give the fire a boost)

Being patient when you child cries or is fussy (bad draft , green wood, too much air, not enough air)

And last but not least tire them out so you can sleep through the night (burn hot to make a nice bed of coals so when you add your last load of wood for the night you can choke the air intake back so you can get a long slow burn).

PS I only have one damper and it's on the stove. Do you have your second one on the stove pipe or an additional one on the wood stove?

 

[YotulFrank]

Does anyone have a suggestion to slow the burn process, not including turning down the air intake on the stove. I was thinking about a key damper, would that be okay to install in the stove pipe. I'm burning maple, and it lasts about 2 -3 hours. The only other thing is that my flue opening is 8", I haven't put in a ss liner yet. I was thinking that when the flue heats up, it probably draws on the stove pretty good. I have 6 inch stove pipe to the chimney, adapted to 8" for the connection.

Thanks again,

 

[Haywire Haywood]

If you try to choke down a soft wood and make it last like it was oak or hickory, you are asking for creosote. Maple doesn't last as long as oak. It's just the way it is. Want a longer burn time, use larger pieces and denser wood.

About the ash pan, I feel like my stove doesn't burn as well when the pan is full because no combustion air can circulate through the grate and come up from below.

Ian

 

[YotulFrank]

What does the CB stand for? Jotul F3 CB

 

[Mtrettel]

Help with stove decision

I have an 1851 cabin, torn down, relocated and restored. No insulation at all. It is a weekend cabin, 400 sq ft down, and a sleep loft. Big stone fireplace gets the cabin warm (tolerable) after about 3 hours when we first get there on a 20-30 degree weekend. Will a jotul fc3b do the trick? Does it need a blower? The main problem us the open stove burns down in about 90 minutes, and I end up with no sleep. And it is tough to start in the morning.

Other models? Definitely want view window. Thoughts? Thank you

 

[Lysholm]

I know this post has been inactive for some years now but I replaced an Amity top loader, which is a slightly smaller stove when placed next to an F3 CB. The Amity needed to be overhauled but was replaced primarily because I damaged one of the front swing open doors(bent forcing a log that didn't fit while stove was hot), which cause an air leak that couldn't be overcome with re-roping, also the Amity was a traditional black cast iron finish, and the Jotul I purchased was brown Majolica.

A little background is in order, so please bear with me, my Jotul was built stateside in Maine(I believe), my parents have a Blue F3 CB, which was built overseas, also my family including the author has extensive experience burning wood over many decades as both a primary heat source for both home(s) and workshop(s) spaces, so I feel comfortable stating that I am quite proficient.

Firstly let me say that I find the overall casting and door operation of the Jotul to be more sophisticated and I find the door mechanism to be generally nicer and not as crude as most other stoves I've operated...that being said I wouldn't be caught dead buying another Modern Jotul!

Compared to the Amity this stove is terrible, the clean burn baffling cramps the fire box and you cannot maintain a coal bed, which is critical to keeping a stove lit particualarly overnight for continuous use, this is further hampered by the fact that this stove will not burn wood that is not both seasoned and kept absolutely bone dry.

Lastly, this stove is now on its 5th season and every year this thing sheds more of the majolica due to improper metal preparation, my parents stove built overseas is several years older and looks brand new, Jotul's answer via my dealer is...well nothing...buy touch up paint.

In conclusion I can comfortably say if you are considering a 3 cb...don't do it!, based on the way Jotul has stood behind this product i'd go a step further and recommend you stay away from Jotul and possibly all modern stoves starting with catalyst stoves forward. I think its safe to say this is another example of regulation putting guard rails on something and in the process forcing and industry to produce something that no one wants.

I am a competent cast iron welder, and my old stove has since been repaired, at the end of this season the Jotul will be replaced by an older 118 that I have from the 80's or the refurbed Amity, I plan to cut the Jotul in half and may even drop it off at the plant in Maine so I can personally give some unsuspecting slob an earfull!

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Yes, stay away from any advancement that burns cleaner and extracts more heat from the wood but requires a little larger stove to accommodate baffles and also requires that you plan a little and not cut your firewood the night before the weather turns cold. The paint issue I can see as a legit complaint.

Merry Christmas

 

[Little Al]

God Bless Godin .

 

[colin.p]

I know this post has been inactive for some years now but I replaced an Amity top loader, which is a slightly smaller stove when placed next to an F3 CB. The Amity needed to be overhauled but was replaced primarily because I damaged one of the front swing open doors(bent forcing a log that didn't fit while stove was hot), which cause an air leak that couldn't be overcome with re-roping, also the Amity was a traditional black cast iron finish, and the Jotul I purchased was brown Majolica.

A little background is in order, so please bear with me, my Jotul was built stateside in Maine(I believe), my parents have a Blue F3 CB, which was built overseas, also my family including the author has extensive experience burning wood over many decades as both a primary heat source for both home(s) and workshop(s) spaces, so I feel comfortable stating that I am quite proficient.

Firstly let me say that I find the overall casting and door operation of the Jotul to be more sophisticated and I find the door mechanism to be generally nicer and not as crude as most other stoves I've operated...that being said I wouldn't be caught dead buying another Modern Jotul!

Compared to the Amity this stove is terrible, the clean burn baffling cramps the fire box and you cannot maintain a coal bed, which is critical to keeping a stove lit particualarly overnight for continuous use, this is further hampered by the fact that this stove will not burn wood that is not both seasoned and kept absolutely bone dry.

Lastly, this stove is now on its 5th season and every year this thing sheds more of the majolica due to improper metal preparation, my parents stove built overseas is several years older and looks brand new, Jotul's answer via my dealer is...well nothing...buy touch up paint.

In conclusion I can comfortably say if you are considering a 3 cb...don't do it!, based on the way Jotul has stood behind this product i'd go a step further and recommend you stay away from Jotul and possibly all modern stoves starting with catalyst stoves forward. I think its safe to say this is another example of regulation putting guard rails on something and in the process forcing and industry to produce something that no one wants.

I am a competent cast iron welder, and my old stove has since been repaired, at the end of this season the Jotul will be replaced by an older 118 that I have from the 80's or the refurbed Amity, I plan to cut the Jotul in half and may even drop it off at the plant in Maine so I can personally give some unsuspecting slob an earfull!

Well I'm going on my 11th year of burning and I haven't done a darn thing to my F3CB, other than shovel out ash and wipe the viewing window. I certainly don't burn the best wood as I also burn pellets (to keep the crappy wood burning) but the thing still works flawlessly and has been doing it for the full 11 years.

Yes, I should have bought a bigger stove but I cannot complain about the little Jotul's performance. In short, because I live in a 120 year old very drafty farmhouse, the stove does struggle on occasion but it does exactly what it was designed for. Oh, and I have the plain black one, no fancy-schmancy colors for a non-sophisticate as myself.

 

[sunfish]

I've since bought a Jotul f400 since this thread was started. Moved the 118 into the shop. Love the 400, but it's too much stove for 1200 sq feet! I should have got the 3cb.