Jotul C450 Insert Shim Question

[RSNovi]

My parents just had a Jotul C450 installed in their masonry fireplace. The whole wall and hearth is brick, but the hearth seems to be out of level with the horizontal bricks on the wall. Because of this, the top edge of the surround does not run even with the mortar line of the horizontal brick so it looks kind of goofy. I am wondering if we can shim the stove a little to even out the gap of the surround and mortar line.

Is the stove just sitting in the fireplace or is it fastened in? I am wondering if we could just jack one side of the front part of the stove an install a shim. Thanks.

Chris

 

[EJL923]

The stove is just sitting in there. The 450 should have leveling feet in the back of the stove, at least the 550 does, but not the front. Feel free to shim it, just make sure you are shimming under something solid and not a piece of sheet metal such as the blower path. Just use some flat steel stock. Also keep in mind that once you level out the top, the bottom of the stove may now look goofy with another uneven gap. There may be a compromise there.

 

[RSNovi]

The stove is just sitting in there. The 450 should have leveling feet in the back of the stove, at least the 550 does, but not the front. Feel free to shim it, just make sure you are shimming under something solid and not a piece of sheet metal such as the blower path. Just use some flat steel stock. Also keep in mind that once you level out the top, the bottom of the stove may now look goofy with another uneven gap. There may be a compromise there.

Thanks for the advice. I hear you on the tradeoff between top and bottom. When they just had regular fireplace doors on you could see a gap at the bottom, but now when you walk in you can really see the difference at the top because the black contrasts with the brick so much. I'll check it out further. Thanks.

 

[labrador]

i have the same problem withmy 550. I haven't done anything , for fear of cracking the cast iron face plate. Still get plenty of heat though. The gap at the top is about 1 1/2 inches from my brick face. Like to hear how you come out withthe project.

 

[Mr A]

You could use non-shrink grout to make a pad on the bottom to raise the hearth to level with the top horizontal bricks. The grout can be mixed with black color powder,. I have the same stove, my hearth sits 1" above the inside of the fireplace, there are no leveling jacks. I could probably weld on some nuts, and use a bolt to adjust up and down. I think leveling it out with grout would be easier and cheaper, as I would have to rent a welding machine.

 

[labrador]

I have shimmed-the front of the stove just about 1/4 of an inch in the front . That seems to work, it brings the stove closer to the front wall of the hearth.