Jotul Oslo Door Ash Spilling-A Problem ?

[logbutcher]

The stove site had a thread about the Oslo front door holding too much ash then spilling out when it's opened. The poster didn't like the responses, some pretty interesting. This is a side loader like the Jotul Firelight that TreeCo has, but the Firelight has double doors and side loads.
We always side load , W to E, the front door opened once in awhile for glass cleaning or ash cleanout.
Is this a problem for the Oslo or Firelight ? How do you deal with it ?
One idea was to use a small paint brush to clear ash before opening the front; not bad.

 

[Edmccabe]

Ash spillage

My solution to ash clean out was a tool I cobbled together during a recent snow storm. The scoop allows me to sift the charcoal clinkers from the ash with no mess or dust as it is done inside the firebox about every 7 days of burning.


11th Commandment: Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wood!

 

[Zodiac45]

My solution to ash clean out was a tool I cobbled together during a recent snow storm. The scoop allows me to sift the charcoal clinkers from the ash with no mess or dust as it is done inside the firebox about every 7 days of burning.


11th Commandment: Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's wood!

Looks like a blueberry rake.

 

[Edmccabe]

Jotul Oslo Door Ash Spilling

Zodiac45

That certainly was its inspiration. It is all Stainless Steel with a birch handle.

Ed

 

[logbutcher]

Nice ash shovel Ed.
The Oslo front door ash problem is the design. I spoke with the tech crew @ Jotul in Portland, Maine. It is the way the door was engineered with a slot over and in front of the air box. There is unfortunately no user or solution if the stove is used 24/7. So every 1-2 weeks when the stove is cold I open the front door, the ashes spill out, they're cleaned up, the ceramic is cleaned, that's it. A PITA. It's impossible to brush the ashes out of that slot with a bed of live coals for the next heating cycle.

It is not the same design in the two part front door Firelight...unfortunately.

So, if you need to front load the Oslo, think seriously about another stove. Otherwise, one of best non cat wood stoves around.

 

[MJR]

This is my first season with an Oslo. It runs 24/7. I even go home at lunch to feed the beast. It has been eating mostly debarked hard maple (two year old tops and the bark popped off when spilt). It has been the sole heat source for the house. I cycled the furnace three times at the beginning of the season, changed the filter, and set the thermostat at 55F. It has not run sense. So I am burning some of the best possible fuel for ash content. At the beginning of the season I was burning cedar, spruce, and ash cant wood from my mill. It did produce a lot more ash. If I over load the stove, ash will build up at the door and the glass turns black. Every couple of days I get the little shovel and mix the coals with the ash (the shovel has little temperament left). The ash falls into the pan. While keeping the door open I take the ash pan out and dump it in the drive way. Every couple of weeks I will let the fire almost die out and clean the box out well (like today a 37F heat wave). Added a little cedar and the burn is back on. I also front load the stove (corner mounted) so that I push the ash back each loading. This helps keep the air intake cleaner. A little ash is no problem; it is a part of burning wood. Besides us middle aged men with beer guts welcome any hot ash jumping out at us……

 

[coog]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one here who is messy.I have both the Oslo and the Firelight and it is much easier to keep the front clear of ashes on the Firelight.

 

[Zodiac45]

Are these the single front door stoves that have the problem? I mean it's not a huge deal since all wood stoves are inherently messy. Reason I ask is I just ran into a used F400 Castine (single door) for sale at an extremely good price. I'm very temped too snag it for my middle chimney.

 

[coog]

Not really a problem.I used a Nordic QT in a fireplace for years.You just have to be more resolute about ash cleaning.I would jump on the Castine.I recently bought a brand new Jotul Lillehammer gas stove off of Craigs.We use it in our bedroom in front of the fireplace(gas only chimney).It is built as well as the wood stoves and warms the upstairs beautifully.

 

[Zodiac45]

Not really a problem.I used a Nordic QT in a fireplace for years.You just have to be more resolute about ash cleaning.I would jump on the Castine.I recently bought a brand new Jotul Lillehammer gas stove off of Craigs.We use it in our bedroom in front of the fireplace(gas only chimney).It is built as well as the wood stoves and warms the upstairs beautifully.

Coog, Yep I'm taking a ride over tomorrow too scope it out. Can't beat the price $250! The guy installed an OWB and says he doesn't need it anymore but he used it all last year and some of this. It's a fairly modern stove (non cat) as they are still making them so yep I'm going for it. It's about the perfect size for my two stove plan. At the moment the Glenwood in the kitchen is the major heater. I then have a center chimney and down at the other end of the house a 3rd chim with a Jotul GF300 Allagash gasser on it. The Glenwood and the Allagash work well but the propane is still pricey. I got the Allagash because it was easy for my old Mum too click it on or off. What I want is the second woodstove for the middle chim (already has a raised brick&slate hearth) and then just use the gasser for spring and fall when I need a little heat. I wanted a Woodstock Soapstone for the long burn time, but for $250 (1/10th of the woodstock) I can't really pass up this F400 Castine if it's in any kinda shape! Oh and I also have a Jotul 118 in the barn I should just use that but I think the Castine will have a longer burn.

MJR-- Funny about the debarked maple. Don't you just love it! I was in the woods cutting with a guy a couple years ago and we came onto a beautiful bunch of maple in a 2-3 year old staging yard. We're sawing away and I notice he's leaving all these barkless smooth dry gorgeous pieces. I ask him what's up and he says "oh anything without the bark is rotten" All I could do was smile and say "No worries, I'll take my chances with them.

 

[MJR]

The F400 might be very good fit for you. You must be cutting some shorter stuff for your cook stove. I remember that box not looking all that wide.

The thing with the double doors is it makes the stove big. To run the surface temp needed for secondary combustion takes a lot of wood. A lot of wood produces a lot of heat. If you run the stove cooler below the secondary combustion temperature the glass will turn black and you spent a lot of extra money for an efficient stove not being used. My F500 will keep my house at 72-74F with little issue at a surface temp of 400F. An F600 running at peak temp would cause me to run out of clothes to take off and would have to open the windows, wasting wood.

 

[Zodiac45]

The F400 might be very good fit for you. You must be cutting some shorter stuff for your cook stove. I remember that box not looking all that wide.

The thing with the double doors is it makes the stove big. To run the surface temp needed for secondary combustion takes a lot of wood. A lot of wood produces a lot of heat. If you run the stove cooler below the secondary combustion temperature the glass will turn black and you spent a lot of extra money for an efficient stove not being used. My F500 will keep my house at 72-74F with little issue at a surface temp of 400F. An F600 running at peak temp would cause me to run out of clothes to take off and would have to open the windows, wasting wood.

That's what I'm thinking and another reason for the F400 being the midsized model? I'm at around 2500sq feet (living area) with allot of rooms. The Glenwood pumps out the heat but constant tending. When I redid the grates on it I put the longer back plate that allows you to get a 20" stick in it but reality is I cut 16". I'll see tomorrow when I look the thing over. I really do want a stove that will hold a burn overnight and of course that means a big box but not overpowering with the Glenwood. (I don't ask for allot ) We'll see.

 

[coog]

I got my Lillehammer for $135 !Guy had it on C.L over a week and I was the only call.He said that in OK. nobody knew what one was.I heard they sell for over $3k in the store, and this one was still in it's wrapper.Sure love the burn time, as I am on NG.I'm sure that Jotul is perfect, as I have tried to burn them out and had no luck.Post a pic.

 

[MJR]

COOG – lets see, you have an F6, F5, and a lillehammer? If you don’t mind me asking how big is your house?

 

[coog]

Don't forget the Nordic! Actually in this house I have the Firelight and the Lillehammer.The Oslo is in my house in MN, the Nordic stored in the garage.
This house is 3500 sq/ft and would not be over-heated with all of the above stoves burning.Lots of windows and not too much insulation.

 

[coog]

Lillehammer

my gasser.

 

[MJR]

I enjoy seeing the porch with the wood. Never nice, I fully understand better now

 

[WidowMaker]

Don't forget the Nordic! Actually in this house I have the Firelight and the Lillehammer.The Oslo is in my house in MN, the Nordic stored in the garage.
This house is 3500 sq/ft and would not be over-heated with all of the above stoves burning.Lots of windows and not too much insulation.

====

Don't take this wrong, but that looks like a old school house...cept for the porch..

 

[coog]

We are always learning at my place.

 

[jim emerson]

Zodac said" Oh and I also have a Jotul 118 in the barn I should just use that but I think the Castine will have a longer burn. "

Would you concider selling the 118 , thanks