Jøtul Tamarack Insert

I've been lurking here a few months, researching wood-burning inserts. We had a Jotul Tamarack insert installed last week, and it's working just great. Really heats the whole house well, and it's been a lot of fun to use so far.

Thanks to HearthNet for providing such a great resource.

Chris

>Dang, that pic looks like a pro shot!

LOL---thanks, but definitely not a pro. Just a very passionate amateur.

Chris

Mike Wilson said:

Sweet Stove! I have the Kennebec, in iron color. Same stove, different surround, photo below. Did you make that mantel shield yourself, and how does it attach to the surround? Also, does the extended surround you have make the original surround itself stick out further from the fireplace face than if the extension surround wasn't there? (did I make that clear? If the surround was flush against the fireplace face, and then you added the extension surround, would that cause the original surround to be out an inch or so further?)

Thanks, and good burning!

-- Mike

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We went back-and-forth for a long time, trying to decide between the Tamarack and the Kennebec. Would the keystone on the Kennbec's surround look odd since our fireplace already has a kind of keystone design---or would it fit right in? In the end, I'm glad we chose the Tamarack, but I think they're both really nice. Your Kennebec looks great with your fireplace and hearth.

I don't think the extended surround adds any depth because it just bolts onto the edge of the regular surround pieces. We had a good sized fireplace opening, so we needed the extension to fully cover the opening. The shield came with the unit---I didn't make it. The installers said that we were within 1/2 inch of the distance from hearth to mantle, so I probably don't really need it. The stones just above the unit do get pretty hot when the stove has been running for awhile, though.

BeGreen said:

christopher said:

I've been lurking here a few months, researching wood-burning inserts. We had a Jotul Tamarack insert installed last week, and it's working just great. Really heats the whole house well, and it's been a lot of fun to use so far.

Thanks to HearthNet for providing such a great resource.

Chris

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Beautiful install Chris. It looks wonderful. I really like the stone work. Did you do this all yourself? How large a house are you heating? How has the blower worked out? Is it fairly quiet?

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Thanks, but I can't take credit for any of it. The stone fireplace is original to the house (built 1934)---not sure about the mantle, etc. The house is about 1800 sq ft, and the heat seems to circulate through the first and second floors pretty well without much effort on our part. The blower works well, too, though the high setting has been too much heat so far. We've mostly had it on low for when the heat needs to be raised in the house, then turning the blower off altogether when the house is warm---the heat is enough to keep the house temp maintained without even using the blower. Temps are dropping here now, though---it's going to be in the teens at night the next few days.

The blower on low is almost inaudible. The higher setting is noisier, but not annoyingly so. We always have a humidifier running in the winter, anyway, so it's no big deal for us.

Chris

Mo Heat said:

I love the Tamarak. Yours looks really nice.

One question. What is the finish? Enamel or paint?

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Thanks---It's a "blue/black" porcelain finish. Everything, including all the surround pieces, is made of cast iron.

Chris

Here are some more "action" shots of the Tamarack on a cold (sub-zero) night.

Chris