Jotul c550 Rockland: Installation tips anyone?

Well, at long last my Jotul 550 insert will be.... inserted this week. I made sure to specify to the installer that the stainless steel liner must be wrapped in insulation, since it's an exterior masonry chimney about 26' tall. He talked me out of a block-off plate at the damper level, because he said it's going to be pretty tight in there already, and he will be sure to insulate it well. I hope he's right.

Also, I will make sure that he uses the leveler bolt in the back of the firebox (which I saw in the installation manual, online) , since the floor of my fireplace seems to pitch down towards the front of the hearth.

I'm also asking that he stuffs insulation the ash dump at the bottom on the fireplace -- should I also put a piece of slate on top of the hole?. Just seems weird having an open hole there beneath the firebox, no?

Any other words from wisdom from those in the know? Once the 550 pound behemoth is in place, I don't plan on moving it. So now's the time to find out. Thank you!

Roxburyeric said:

Get the Block-off plate - very important and Jotul's manual tells you to do it. I think that is more important than the insulation. Also the block-off plate gets installed before the stove gets pushed into place so tight shouldn't be an issue. Tell the Installer it MUST be in - Blame the manual and Jotul warranty issue if he questions you changing your mind. Good Luck - you'll love the stove.

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Actually the Jotul manual states:

"A sealed block-off plate must be installed at the damper area of the existing fireplace, unless the liner is connected to the top of the chimney." In my case, the liner WILL be connected to the top of the chimney.

The manual reinforces this point stating later:

"A 6”, 7”, or 8” stainless steel liner, extending the full height of the chimney, is required for those installations where the flue tile is greater than 8” x 12” for internal chimneys, or 8” x 8” for external chimneys. In this case, a damper block-off plate is not required."

So Jotul is saying it's not required, with my installation. But is it still recommended?

Thanks -- that's what I suspected -- that a block-off plate is still a good thing.

And yet the Jotul authorized dealer is explaining to me the exact opposite. As it is, I had to argue about getting the SS liner insulated (he's charging me extra, but that's fair and to be expected). Not sure what I'm going to do at this point. I just wish dealers were more straight up, and not looking to do the job as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Meanwhile, the customer is left living with this less-than-optimal work for years to come.