Review: Jotul F 400 Castine
Jotul F 400
Overall very pleased with the F 400 only problem is with the Ivory enamel which is very poor and flaking off. has anyone else had this problem.
Jotul F 400
Overall very pleased with the F 400 only problem is with the Ivory enamel which is very poor and flaking off. has anyone else had this problem.
I’ve been using wood stoves for 50 years and have to say I am very disappointed by this one. It eats up wood and needs to be run full throttle to realize much heat. But even when shut down it...
The reviews on this stove baffle me because the majority of complaints seem to relate directly to poor drafting as opposed to poor stove performance. This is my 14th year with this stove and I...
I do not write reviews normally, however I feel that there is no way all of these positive reviews are legitimate. I have used a few wood stoves for approximately 30 years and never had any...
We have heated with wood for 40 years, since 2010 with the Jotul f 400. We heat a well insulated 1700 square foot house. We are very happy with this stove. We love the glass to see the fire,...
I love my Jotul F400 wood stove. I live in the middle of Cincinnati Ohio in a big old brick house and the wood stove sits prominently right in front of the living room fireplace. I plumbed the...
A wonderful stove, even though a bunch of trolls seem to proliferate lies to the counter. Easy to use, very low emissions, great looking on my hearth and it provides a controlled burn with no...
The F 400 is simply a flawed design. As many previous reviewers have noted, it doesn’t draw well and belches smoke when the door is opened. I burn well seasoned hardwood and have good clean...
I upgraded in 2010 from a 1979 Vermont Casting Resolute with thermostatic air inlet damper because I wanted cleaner burns, a larger window and the beautiful cream color. Re-used old triple-wall...
I love this stove, lights easy and been heating my entire top floor for three seasons. I have broken the glass (ceramic actually) once but that was my fault. Burns all night if you know how to...
Installed this stove last year and have been very pleased with its performance. I see a lot of poor reviews on here but am thinking these people just didn’t do their homework when...
Hate this stove! I grew up with a Jotul and it was great. My husband got a cheap stove from Home Depot for downstairs we have had it for years, we wanted to get off oil so we bought a...
I have had the Castine stove for 3 years now. I have a small ranch about 1500 square feet and it heats the whole house with ease. It is easy to clean and the large viewing door is a favorite of...
I have owned this stove for almost 6 years. The stove puts off a lot of heat and we can heat the majority of our house with it. Last winter when the electricity was out we cooked Mac & Cheese...
I have had this stove for 8 years and overall am pleased with the performance. I had a Vermont Casting Vigilent previously and miss the damper lever which always allowed me to put in wood from...
I have heated with wood stoves for over 40 yrs. and have had 6 or 7 Jotul models. Each one is different and you need to learn how they work, it has been my experiance that most people simply vent...
This is our second Jotal in 11 years, they replaced the first one due to the cream paint flaking off, the present one is 5 years old has paint flaking off as well, and the pre heater baffle has...
The fist two years this stove was great. Loved it. After a bed of coals is established, it consumes single pieces of 14” cord wood just fine. One piece per hour. Then, at night, I bank...
I heated for years with a Vermont Castings Defiant woodstove. I replaced it beause I thought the stove he warped nd was drafting too much. (as it turned out it was overuse of gasket glue…...
Excellent stove… Like most you must have absolutely dry, preferably aged 1+yr hardwood. Green wood will not burn. With a good chimney and good wood, my stove heats the entire downstairs...
Has anyone who has this stove had a problem with the damper being extremely hard to open and close. I looked through the manual and got no help.
We’ve owned this stove for over ten years (the double door model). I grew up with wood stoves, mostly the stamped-steel, black Buck stove variety. Most reviews I have read here are from...
Anyone know how to fix a dropped door? The hinge pins are slack resulting in the door dropping about 3mm (1/8”). This causes the pivot lock on the far side of the handle to catch the burner...
Had this stove installed on 12-19-2012. This is an excellent stove and I have no complaints. This stove is easy to use, has a long burn time,( I get between 6-7 hours), and looks great. The...
As with any woodstove there are factors to consider. Quality of wood, draft, and of course user habits. I think it is a tad unfair to blast a stove or any product for that matter with out...
Yotul has been around since 1853, and make great stoves. Being an owner of the castine I can say that this stove is perfect. Do your research before purchasing a woodstove. There is alot to...
Love it!! We have owned several stoves and this is by far the BEST!! If someone is having problems with this stove, they either have draft issues or they just do not know what they are doing....
It took a season to learn to “work” with this stove. I now never have any trouble lighting (there are always coals from the previous burn), glass stays clear once it is sealed tight,...
I have owned, used, supplied and installed every single Jotul traditional cast iron stove from the F100 to the F600. Some of my customers who have purchased the F400 have complained about the...
I need to fix the draft adjustment (seems ‘off track’ — not connected to handle): On the schematic, it appears that the cover to the draft (#43) is held by two bolts (#31). ...
Correct my last post: In reference to both doors; never open the ash drawer door, it will create a scarey big fire almost instantly. I mispoke when I mentioned both doors. (was thinking about my...
This stove is perfectly fine. A lot of the reviews seem to be from folks who expect a stove to make up for other flaws in their house. In an insulated home that is reasonably airtight a 400-500...
F400 is designed with one of, if not the biggest viewing area in the industry for that size stove. To gain this, there is very little to hold in the smoke, so do open the door slowly. They have...
I should of read these comments 3 years ago. All the bad things said are true. 55,000 BTU output is a lie. Smokes every time the door is opened, no customer support,...
A very good Stove. My last stove was an ancient Vermont castings that was not up to the task due to age and size. I have a 2000 square foot cape with a walkout finished basement which is where...
We have had the stove now for just over two months and with the exception of this week ( new batch of wood) I have been very satisfied with it. It starts easily with a fire starting brick and dry...
stove heats our entire house: 2300 square feet. this is possible in part becasue of all the sealing an reinsulating that we did on our 40 year old house. The first 3 weeks of owning the stove...
We were a bit dismayed with some smoking during the first few days of use, afraid that we had made a purchase that we would regret. But within another couple of days, we were delighted with it. ...
Regretfully this stove has two serious design flaws. As mentioned in several comments, it smokes every time you open the door to add wood and it often burns out of control. I am extremely...
I’m in my third winter with my Castine. It’s in my office in the lower floor (basement) of my 2000 sq ft, 3-level house. We’re in Western Wisconsin, near Stillwater, MN, so it...
Bought my F400 in 2003. It worked pretty well until the past 2 years during which it developed puff back problems and occasional overfiring. Even with the damper open about 1/4, the secondary...
I have a F400 and it is the best money I have ever spent. I have no problems getting an 8 hr burn out of it and it does not smoke up my house. From what I am reading in this blog the people that...
I am sorry I purchased this woodstove. I went for the name and the stove’s good looks. It smokes even with kiln dried wood. And it does “take off” to a scary degree at times. We...
I now have the misfortune of living with a Jotul—the second in my life now, and am having the same experience as before. Impossible stove. Hard to light, takes off at random intervals,...
It’s pretty, but very temperamental. You need WELL seasoned wood or you’ll have a hard time keeping the burn going without the ash door being partly open. ...
This is the second winter that I’ve had this stove. My previous home had a Vermont Casting Resolute. My comparisons:
Fire starting:
The Jotul is easier to start because I can...
I’ve got a lot of experience w/woodstoves in general & this one in particular; it’s outstanding. House is 1,500 sq ft, gas heat never comes on if outside temperature >30º F.
I should have read the reviews before buying this stove. It is nearly impossible to get a fire started without constant attention. Smoke bellows out every time the door is open – whether...
I purchased the castine just before last years heating season. I also was getting smoked when opening the door while the fire was going.
This season its great, yes you do have to let the...
My number one frustration is tryng to contact Jotul. Their website has no contact location that I can find, If I’m mistake please let me know. Nothing more painful than purchasing...
I have had this stove for two years as primary heat. Glass broke once for no apparent reason and you can not open door during any time no matter how hot without smoke filling the room. Not real...
It’s 1 in the morning and I should be in bed but, I bought a Jotul F400 stove recently, and it doesn’t seem to be working correctly. I loaded 3 good size logs in it about 3 hours ago,...
It is usually very difficult to start a fire with this stove and requires super dry wood (seasoned 3 or more years for woods higher on the btu scale) and/or lots of kindling to operate...
Now that I’ve experienced a winter with this new stove, I still haven’t figured out how to solve the smoking problem. When I first start a fire or the outside draft is poor, my house...
I have a love-hate relationship with this stove. When it works right it’s great, but at times it will overheat, no matter what I do. Even with the doors shut tight, the primary air intake...
We’ve had ours for three winters now, and it is used constantly from about October to March, everyday. It heats our living room, but our house is big and four finished floors. The rest of...
I have to say that I’m very disappointed with the F400. Every time I open the door on the F400, smoke comes out into the room, no matter how slowly I open it. It sometimes “runs...
This stove is outstanding. I stoke with pinion at 9pm, and there are plenty of coals to restart at 6am. After 13 hours, there are still coals and can be babied to relight with kindling. When...
Try lighting a very high flame paper fire before atttempting to burn wood. I light the paper in several areas and let the flame get high. Close the doors and open the ash pan if necessary. You...
Awesome stove! I have experienced some of the problems listed in this blog, but it just takes some getting used to. I have had all Vermont Castings (2-resolute and a vigilant) and I have to say I...
Purchased 3 years ago. Firebox too small. Struggles to get temp in room (900 sf) to low 60’s when outside temp is in 30’s. All other factors seem ok, e.g. draft, seasoned wood,...
Smokes out my house every time I start a fire. BAD BAD BAD. gets hot in about 30 minutes. Very nice to look at. Will...
Super efficient stove that requires more operator exreience on the part of owners w/complaints as I experienced these as well. Its 10 degrees outside and my oil burner isn’t on yet (2000...
Very good stove. fire will not last more than 8 hours and the draft could be better when starting a fire. it appears that all new stove have a smaller firebox to allow for additional space for...
I am a little disappointed in my new Jotul 400. I can’t fit more than 3 pieces of wood in the box and there doesn’t seem to be enough of a draft to prevent smoke from coming ino the...
What a total waste of my tax rebate money. the glass has just broken for the second time, this gets a little expensive at 140.00 a piece. The coals fall out when you open the door, very little...
Nice heavy duty stove. Heats up my downstairs and half my upstairs to around 73 degrees. Right now, it’s about 30 degrees outside and I have the stove heating my whole house, without my...