I just had a jotel c450 wood insert placed in my house, it was a direct line instal to an exterior wall chimney which is about 24'. I've burned this for over a week and I cannot for the life of me get this to burn hot, I had to place the thermometor near the glass and it only registers in the high 200. When I open the door to reload I get a bellow of smoke that dissipitates in seconds but still enough to have the house smell like smoke. Overall, I cannot get the house thermometor to even move up a degree. The bottom floor of the house is 1400 SQF. Any suggestions will help
can not get my jotel c450 to burn over 300
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jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
Ok a few things here. You say a direct line install..... do you mean direct connect to the chimney? Or is there a full liner installed? Second, tell us about your wood supply. Did you get it or buy it from a supplier?
it is a direct connect to the chimney the wood was bought from a supplier about 4 months ago and a mix of wood allot of oak and maple, for the most the moisture reading 4 months ago was below 20. Please bear with me for I am new and still trying to learn.
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
Who took the reading on the wood? Most new folks find that when they are having your problem the wood is the first place to check. The second is the chimney. I personally am not a fan of the direct connect. Who was the dealer? Ace? You will not only be much happier with a full reline but when it comes time to clean it you wont have to uninstall it to sweep the chimney. 24 feet of exterior flue is going to take a ton of heat to get it to start drafting.
OK, Jotulguy is the man on the subject of Jotul stoves but a few questions. Tell us how you start a fire in the insert and then how you load the wood after the fire is started.
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
krex1010
Minister of Fire
If you have a direct connect install, which means that your chimney is not fully lined, I would say this is seriously hampering your stoves performance. The newer EPA stoves really should be installed with a full liner. Without a fully lined chimney they really have trouble establishing a strong draft, without the strong draft they burn like crap. And if you bought your wood then it is probably not really seasoned. Wet wood+bad draft=a poorly running stove that gives little heat. You really really really should fully line that chimney. The stove will run much better, it is safer, and you won't have to pullmthe insert every time you clean your chimney.
Yeah but I can get a wood stove up to five hundred degrees on the driveway with six feet of pipe stuffed in the top of it. We need to address how the OP is starting and feeding this puppy.
bugsb1 said:
Could you post a picture of where your thermostat is located and a picture of what the flames look like when you get it going?
krex1010
Minister of Fire
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
Well I had my neighbor stop by he has been dealing with wood stoves and this forum for awhile now. He stated that there is nothing wrong with the box and I'm getting an adequate draft and secondary burn. I just concerned that I cannot raise the temp in my house by even a degree. the blower is blowing today aound 250 and the room about 16X20 wich opens to the hall is only about 64 degrees with the hallway measuring at 60 after 4 hours of burning. I seem to be loosing heat someplace? I know that the installer did not install a block off plate and tied it into a chimney up to the first 45 degree bend where the clean out is located. question: other than safety reasons will the block off plate make a difference? and how important is it to put a lined piped all the way up since I have a good draft going. any help as to how to increase the heat. Also, some installers have mentioned that the stove needs a good 30 days to break in and this may be my problem is this a true statement?
Thank you for the help
Thank you for the help
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
I had this same conversation with a dealer in Md today. He has a customer with the same issue you have. The key points i conveyed to him were....... We really need to check the wood with a moisture meter, the draft is really what drives the burn, and there is a learning curve to using one of these epa inserts. #1 can you take a few samples of your wood to a local dealer to check the content? #2 Jotul recommends for best performance using a full insulated liner. The reason for that is keeping the flue exit the same size all the way up allows for hotter flue gases. The hotter the flue the better the draft. As a rule anything over 2 and 1/2 the cross section of the flue needs to be relined. Do you know the size of your flue tile? And lastly, its going to take you some time to get down what works for you in your situation.
On to the block off plate, If you do a search on this site I think the thread will sum up the answer. From what folks say on here it makes a huge difference. And most would highly recommend them.
On to the block off plate, If you do a search on this site I think the thread will sum up the answer. From what folks say on here it makes a huge difference. And most would highly recommend them.
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
Yes it was. I spoke with Bill about it. I know we can get this to work for you we are just going to have to do the things i mentioned in the post above.
I talked with Bill and will be doing all of that just going to have to drop the money. as for liners in this area, (about 20 miles from Waldorf) do they need to be insulated?
I suggest checking out this link and doing some reading. https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/65174/ It's a sticky found at the top of this forum.
pen
pen
krex1010
Minister of Fire
I may be wrong here but isn't a block off plate mandatory with a direct connect install? I thought that most codes required it. In the event of a chimney fire there is nothing to physically separate your chimney from the rest of tour home. I am pretty sure most manufactures require a block off plate with that kind of install. When it comes to warranty and insurance issues I think that not installing the stove as per the manufactures guidelines is asking for trouble.
jotulguy
Feeling the Heat
krex1010
Minister of Fire
I'll correct myself, I checked my pe manual and for a direct connect it doesn't say you need a block off plate, but you do need a clean out. Local codes may require it though and some brands may as well. Anyways if you are having issues with heat then a block off plate will likely help keep that heat from going upthe chimney and keep it where you want it.
krex1010
Minister of Fire
I remember reading that somewhere and now that i think about it, I think i saw it in a jotul manual.jotulguy said:
krex1010
Minister of Fire
Mike Wilson
New Member
I have been burning a C450 for 6 years now. Your problem is this:
1- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
2- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
3- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
When you have completed these tasks, insert seasoned wood, and you will easily cruise at 650 degrees, with peaks to 800+, and "burn times" of 8 hours.
Note, the difference between this stove with a liner, and without, is day and night. With a liner, it is a machine, period. It was designed for use with a liner, and cannot properly breath into any masonry chimney without one. A block off plate will not resolve your problem to any degree of satisfaction.
-- MW
1- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
2- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
3- You do not have enough draft, install a liner.
When you have completed these tasks, insert seasoned wood, and you will easily cruise at 650 degrees, with peaks to 800+, and "burn times" of 8 hours.
Note, the difference between this stove with a liner, and without, is day and night. With a liner, it is a machine, period. It was designed for use with a liner, and cannot properly breath into any masonry chimney without one. A block off plate will not resolve your problem to any degree of satisfaction.
-- MW
krex1010
Minister of Fire
I agree, pretty much every brands owners manual will state that they strongly recommend fully lining the chimney. The liner helps the stove burn as it was intended too, so it makes alot of heat, and a block off plate will keep that heat down where you can feel it.Mike Wilson said:
well I am looking for a good liner, any suggestions.. the chimney I beleive is lined with terra cotta would flex piping work or is there something better that anyone can recommend
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