Jotul system 18 -fixing

Hi,

I have a Jotul system 18 which is a wood fireplace insert. An inspector noted "possible corrosion" in the original liner (8" SS) so they jammed a smaller 7" dia. liner (corrugated SS) inside it. The new liner is friction fitted and there is a small amount of airspace between the old one and new one. I don't like this and now fires seem to emit smoke into the room -total height is about 10 1/2 ft from cone to top. Is the liner too small? How much would it cost (ballpark) to rip out the original liner (there are granite stones and morter up to the top and all around) and replace it with a new one. The unit is about 21 years old. Or do I just use the original one? How do I see if "possible corrosion" is "actual corrosion"


Thank you in advance

Gooserider, Craig,

Fist off I should clarify that the System 18 is not an insert perse but rather is part of a fireplace that was built "from the ground up" based on the System 18 Installation and Operating Instruction manual which I do have a copy of.

The flue collar is larger than the new liner that was dropped in because this new 7" liner fits snugly around the inside of the collar but the small gap that does now exist is not sealed in any manner. I suspect the collar is around 7 1/2 " dia. This has us concerned that creosote may find its way between the old and new liner.

The chimney is interior and of the fieldstone type. I believe the original 8" liner is cast but I am still waiting to hear back on that.

The new liner was pulled down with nylon rope from the interior so I suspect that it could be removed without too much difficulty.

The Jotul install manual specifies a minimum chimney height of 14 ft and up to 50 ft. It does not specify where the height measurement is taken from. I measured 10 1/2 ft from the flue collar up to the top.


Just wondering, is there some method of repairing a liner that has corroded rather than replace it? I am thinking of the scenario where this old liner may be cemented in and the cost of a major teardown?

Thanks for all the help!

Rob,

We have an operational System 18

Performance:

The system heats our 1050 sq foot cottage (southern ontario canadian winter - probably not much different than Vermont) without requiring any other heat source. The cottage is insulated fairly well, has a large surface area of windows, but these are double pane low e types. Not sure what the efficiency is but we burn about 1 face cord per typical winter week. After one days use, the windows do get a build up mostly near the top half because they are further away from the radiant heat of the hot coals and I do clean them daily. My rough estimate of efficiency is perhaps 50%. There is no after-burn technology in this older system. We burn wood seasoned for two summers- it burns much cleaner. The heat exchange works on natural convention. Perhaps some type of forced air fit could bump that up a bit, but it would also cool the firebox, so it is hard to say if this will make a big difference.

The top of the chimney is only 10 feet from the firebox which is less than specified in the manual -of which I do have a hard copy but no electronic file available. This combined with the reduced flue diameter requires me to usually have the air vents open to maximum. BTW: The following site does have a few diagrams from the original manual -select make and model.

http://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/68/catalogs/Wood-and-Coal-Stoves-Manufacturers-Cross-Reference.html

Details on repair:

We have our System 18 working properly now but at a cost of several thousand dollars. In our case, the dome that joins the firebox to the flue was displaced and a gap was allowing smoke to get into the heat exchanger and into the room. This was fixed, then a non insulated stainless steel flex liner was dropped inside of the original insulated stainless steel liner because there was corrosion. This did reduce the flue size from 8 inches to 7 inches. The greatest cost was due to the fact that the outdoor cedar siding had to be removed and the brick wall smashed through, in order to get access to the dome.