I have an old hand me down Jotul and was thinking I might set up as a fancy chiminia on my (uncovered) patio. Away from any structures. Has anyone done this sort of thing? I was the thinking maybe pressure wash the outside and then fire it up to dry before applying some spray stove paint, to offer some protection against the elements. my brother in law suggested a wire brush on a drill instead of the pressure washer, which may make more sense. Do you think it will last a few years painted? Safety concerns etc? thank you! edit: darn you auto correct in the title. “Set up a” not “tuna.”
I brought my old smoke dragon outside to use as a maple sap evaporator in the spring. I can't speak to how that paint will hold up outside, as mine was pretty rusted already. As far as the elements go, you could always cover it with a cheap grill cover when not in use. I've noticed that rain water has found its way into my uncovered stove, causing a slimy mess with the ash and making cleanup even more of a chore. Then lighting it is even more of a hassle. (Folks might want to see this in the stove section of the forum)
I don't think regular high temp stove paint offers much rain or rust protection... Rust-Oleum makes a semigloss high temp black that would though I believe...
I’d just run it bare. I don’t think the paint would last too long without a fair amount of surface prep. I regularly drive buy a stove that has been outside for 5 plus years still looks the same to me.
I used to work with a character who was fond of saying, "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish"... among other gems. So the real question as I see it is Can you cook a Tuna on a Jotul as it sits on your patio? Or can you play an out of tune piano on a patio while getting toasty next to your Jotul? Or maybe can you tool around on the patio with your Tuna named Joe? These are the great mysteries of our time that have me lying awake at night.
All kidding aside, that does sound like it will be a really nice setup on your patio. Have you thought about putting a surround behind it to help radiate the heat outwards?
I’m painting it. We’ll see how long it lasts; but wasn’t a huge effort. Also, we’re putting in a wall to leave out some of the yard, so I have to relocate a Couple stacks to this new old 2x4 type rack.. I know it is not ideal to double stacking against the fence, but I figure there is no rush on the locust in back.
