WhatStove?

Review of Jotul F 400 stove

Twin-door version

Keir Watson 15 years ago

We purchased our Jotul f400 in Dec 2003 - the two-door model (the latest version has only a single large door). It is the primary heater for our three bedroom house which is an open plan chalet bungalow conversion with pretty good modern insulation. It is sited in the open-plan living room, 6m x 7m, one part of which opens onto a first-floor landing. Two bedrooms and the kitchen lead off and are heated by leaving the doors open. Only the third bedroom is too far to benefit so has a storage heater.

The stove has a nice flat top where we keep a kettle ticking all winter - great for drinks, hot water bottles and topping up baths. We also cook some stews and griddle cakes.

Strengths:

The F400 is a pretty stove, and suits our 'modern-cottage' interior better than some of the more boxy stoves available. It is easy to light and once you are familiar with it easy to burn over night. It chucks out heat like there is no tomorrow (8kw), and would be suitable for a larger or less well insulated house than ours. It is easy to keep clean, and the ash only needs emptying every two to three weeks. It can burn large logs once there is a hot bed of embers, although it generally works best with several smaller pieces. We purchased the spark-guard that fits fairly well over the opening with the doors wide, and allows the stove to be run as an open fire without having to watch it constantly for sparks - which makes a nice change. The single lever air control is basic, controlling the flow of air from under the grate, and is sufficient for most eventualities.

Weaknesses:

The air wash isn't great; It is certainly best when the wood is perfectly dry and/or burning very hot, but we often want it just ticking-over so we don't over-heat, and then the doors smoke up within hours. On our two door model, when you open the second door there are always trails of smoke escaping into the room - not nice. Also, smoke sometimes puffs around the edge of the spark-guard which means you can't leave it fully unattended - some of this may be our flue and the prevaling wind, but my sense is that their are issues with the air-flow in the fire-box. As the Jotul 400 is designed for coal as well as wood, bottom-air is necessary, but this is not optimal for wood-only burning. Allowing the ash bed to build up helps improve the burn but reduces the air-flow.

Notes:

To keep the Jotul 400 burning at its best you need a good flue temperature to maintain a good draw - this happens when you run it fast and hot. The downside then is that you are likely to over heat the house. In an attempt to improve this I'm going to add some firebricks (the Jotul has cast-iron back and side plates) to provide insulation and try to raise the burn temperature without needing such a full load.

Would I buy a Jotul F400 again? Probably not. I know two families who have Clearview stoves which produce a beautiful flame picture in a wide open window that I have never seen sooted up - these stoves burn single pieces of wood effortlessly with a lugubrious flame. Then again, Clearview's boxy stoves are not a patch on the Jotul's elegant looks. It's a difficult choice!

Overall rating:

3.5 flames

Build Quality 5 flames (avg 3.9)
Quality of finish 4 flames (avg 3.8)
Value for money 4 flames (avg 3)
Ease of use 4 flames (avg 3.2)
Ease of lighting 4 flames (avg 3.7)
Firebox size 4 flames (avg 3.7)
How well does the airwash work 2 flames (avg 2.1)
Controllability 3 flames (avg 2.9)
Handle operation 4 flames (avg 3.6)
How likely are you to buy it again? 2 flames (avg 2.4)
What is your overall satisfaction? 4 flames (avg 3)