I have a Jotul F600 stove ..The biggest they make...My damper control is right in front of the two glass doors. All the way to the left would be 0 ( closed)....and all the way to the right would be 10(open)...Here is my problem...When the stove is cold prior to a fire..the damper lever moves back and forth freely....When the stove gets going and heats up.. I only can move it about half way....10 down to the middle which would be 5....After that it seems to get stuck...Don't want to force it because I don't want to break it...Any thoughts as to what is going on???
I have a Jotul 500, same damper lever. It gets sticky for sure. I move it by tapping it with the end of a poker. Hasn't broken yet, been doing it a few years.
Could it be that the air valve needs to be cleaned out? Could be that as the heat expands the metal, the debris causes the parts to bind up. Remove the inspection cover and look at the air valve and air restrictor. (Parts 85/1 and 34/1). Looks like two bolts to remove the inspection cover (55/2)... https://jotul.com/us/products/wood-stoves/_attachment/29813?_download=true&_ts=14d7b1970ab
If it's similar to the Castine I have, remove part 28 listed above and examine how the air control place under it slides. Wondering if it's clogged with ash or maybe there's a bur in the metal. And of course, this'll be a lot easier on a cold stove!
