Review of Jotul F105 stove
A fine little stove
We’ve had the short leg version of the 105 installed for around 6 months and it has been used regularly for around 2-3 months now. We only needed to heat a small room and carefully considered smaller output models, ideally around the 4kW mark. We only want to burn wood, so excluded multi-fuel stoves, and the main purpose is to supplement central heating at the coldest times, or provide the main heating we want in the room we mostly use after work.
Whilst we have used stoves in the past, this was the first time we’ve installed one - this involved opening up an old fireplace to create a modest inglenook. The size of the stove was therefore very important, and so we wanted a wider rather than taller model, ideally not too deep, so the 105SL fitted the bill exactly and looks excellent in situ. Since we use it mainly in the evenings, it burns for about 4-5 hours, using 5-6 logs in that time. It is very easy to get going, one eco-firelighter on top of a couple of logs, kindling above and then, when the kindling has burned down sufficiently, another log on top to get things going properly. For a cast iron stove the heat output is felt surprisingly quickly, but also lasts nicely once the last wood has burned down. The single control makes life easy, but I’ve found that it can’t be closed down lower than about a quarter without the fire almost stopping. The only other minor annoyance is that, despite using well seasoned dry logs, the glass will always ‘mist’ up slightly, requiring a once or twice clean. The ash build-up also needs cleaning out about every 4 firings, but that’s quite easy to do (the stove has a small ash pan). Overall we are really happy with the stove’s ease of use, heat output and aesthetic appeal. Our previously cool room (even with central heating blasting away) is now transformed into a lovely place to be and it seems that our gas bill is also reducing because the thermostat is kept at a much lower temperature.