Harman magnafire insert install??

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toyotarider

Member
Nov 1, 2014
46
ruffsdale pa
so i have a chance to get a Harman magnafire insert for a good deal. I want to replace my jotul to burn coal. I believe the harmans flu is a 7" oval and my liner is 6" round. Csn i get an adapter to hook this up?
 
Well first off what liner do you have? Many liners will deteriorate very quickly when exposed to coal ash
 
Also i dont plan to burn coal constantly but would like to have long burn times if needed. I have unlimited supply of free wood. Or at least until i cut 10 acres of trees down haha I am just really not impressed with my jotul. Its extended as far out on to my hearth as it will go. I have an eco fan on top of it and it moves more air then the blowers.
 
Well that type of liner will collect coal dust in any spots where that inner liner is not laying down absolutly perfect and then there will be no way to get it out. It will eat the liner from between the 2 layers. What jotul do you have and what are your complaints. I would say that that harman would be a huge step down in performance form most jotuls. I work on quite a few of those units they are pretty good coal units but they are really pretty bad wood stoves. They were not designed for wood and don't work well with it.
 
C450 kennebec double door. My big complaint is i can barely feel blowers on high. Its messy shoveling out ashes. I hate not having a cleanout. And rope constantly falls off from double door. We have an older harmon elite in our cabin and the blower is amazing there. And we only burn a little coal overnight on the coldest nights and we need to open windows its so hot in there.
 
Yeah That jotul is a far better wood stove than that Harman. I would recommend learning to use the jotul properly before giving up on it. Have you checked out the blower to make sure it is installed and working properly. That is not a common complaint i have heard about jotuls at all. And if the rope keeps falling off then put it back on correctly and it will stay.
 
Yea blowers fine took apart many times checking it rope comes off from bumping it. I have it fully roxuled in with a sealed stainless and insulated block off plate. Ive tried every kind of wood. Even kiln dried oak thinking my wood was to blame. I am def ripping it out and putting on craigslist.
 
Yea blowers fine took apart many times checking it rope comes off from bumping it. I have it fully roxuled in with a sealed stainless and insulated block off plate. Ive tried every kind of wood. Even kiln dried oak thinking my wood was to blame. I am def ripping it out and putting on craigslist.
Did you buy the jotul new?
 
rope comes off from bumping it
Then it is not installed correctly.

Ive tried every kind of wood. Even kiln dried oak thinking my wood was to blame.
Did you ever test the moisture content of the wood? Most "kiln dried wood" is really only heat treated to kill any bugs so it can be transported across state lines.
 
Yea was a floor model the dealer had since they went to single doors. Dealer i bought from was pathetic to say the least.
Did you contact jotul to find another dealer or someone else to service it? I have worked on many of both of these stoves and honestly have yet to really hear a complaint about the jotul. And the liners on the harmans if they are used for wood are usually a total mess I really doubt that liner you have will hold up long at all hooked to that harman between the coal dust and the more vigorous cleaning that will be required from burning an inefficient wood burner
 
Rope was installed at factory
Ok but how did you put it back on after it came off?

Honestly you obviously have decided on this so i will quit trying. Just keep a close eye on that liner. It will deteriorate quickly.
 
Used rope cement from lehmans. Which sucks due to having to let it cool down and wait days to reuse it
Clean it toughly and then use high temp silicone it wont come off again.
 
If you have Roxul packed all around the insert, get rid of the Roxul from around the insert. Your insulating the heat in around the insert and not letting it get from around the insert.
If the rope gasket falls off, then it is not the insert or rope's fault, but poor adhesive or installation. Try good high temp silicone, holds much better than the "furnace cement in a tube" crap.
Make sure you clean the mating surface real good. Wire wheel & then clean with rubbing alcohol prior to adhering the new rope gasket.
 
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