Jotul Kennebec Blower 'Option' (?)

[kwburn]

Ok, I've searched the old posts and the best I can figure out is on the 2005 Kennebec the blower was optional and then on the 2006 & 2007 it was standard and pre-installed.

Can anyone confirm this to be accurate and also can anyone tell me the easiest way to tell if a new unit has the blower installed?
I have no idea how these things are packaged. Are they crated and boxed with detailed info on the outside somewhere that would say if the blower was installed or not? Or is this something that would require the units packaging to be ripped open to determine?

I may be able to pick one up at a very fair price and odds are it is an 06 but the dealer is under the impression that he'll need to order me the blower for the extra cost and was not aware it became standard at a certain point. They do not do a lot of Jotuls. No one likes a know it all customer but if there is a chance it already has the blower then I need to know so I can ask them to take a closer look at it.

 

[Shane]

Don't know specifically on this model but whenever any of the brands I used to sell made a running change like that it was usually noted on the box somewhere near the model & ser# sticker.

 

[stoveguy13]

If the blower is not included then it is as you suspect an older unit the unit changed last season and started to ship with a blower. what store was it that thought they had to order a blower?

 

[jjbaer]

Ok, I've searched the old posts and the best I can figure out is on the 2005 Kennebec the blower was optional and then on the 2006 & 2007 it was standard and pre-installed.

Can anyone confirm this to be accurate and also can anyone tell me the easiest way to tell if a new unit has the blower installed?
I have no idea how these things are packaged. Are they crated and boxed with detailed info on the outside somewhere that would say if the blower was installed or not? Or is this something that would require the units packaging to be ripped open to determine?

I may be able to pick one up at a very fair price and odds are it is an 06 but the dealer is under the impression that he'll need to order me the blower for the extra cost and was not aware it became standard at a certain point. They do not do a lot of Jotuls. No one likes a know it all customer but if there is a chance it already has the blower then I need to know so I can ask them to take a closer look at it.

The blower is hidden inside and attached to the ash-lip assembly. The ash-lip assembly can be seen here in the C450 manual on pgs 13-15 of this link:

https://www.hearth.com/~jotulftp/manual/wood/C450 Tamarack.pdf

The ash-lip sits at the front of the 450 on the floor and attaches with clips to the stove. I think my blower came separate and I had to screw it onto the back-side of the ash-lip assembly. It uses two motors I think, each having "squirrel cage" (long cylindrical) design and it plugs into he wall using a cord protruding from the ash-lip assembly. Bottom line: manual says it's an option but only way to tell is to open the box and see if it's already attached to the ash-lip assembly or if it's included in the box as a separate item, in which case you have to screw it onto the ash-lip. I say getting the blower is a must!

 

[My_3_Girls]

I know I heard the same story last year. Here's how it ended with me:

Yes, the older stoves came with the surround, but you had to order the blower
The newer stoves came with the blower, but you had to order the surround. No suprise,
the blower was the same price as the surround

Maybe just a line, but it's the one that I bit.

 

[jtp10181]

So... if he thinks he needs to order the blower let him. Let him know that if the unit comes with it, you will be returning the blower and expecting a full refund on it. Its the dealers job to do this work of figuring it out, not yours. If he sells you stuff you don't need he can take it back and refund you. If he called Jotul and gave them the model / serial they *should* be able to tell if it comes with a blower or not.

 

[BrotherBart]

Jotul's packing "crates" are a cardboard box slipped over the top of the stove on the pallet. Lift the box and look to see if there is a power cord. No cord, order a blower.

For sure don't have the thing delivered without looking at it at the store anyway. Cast iron stoves get broken in shipping all of the time and why haul it to your house just to have to haul it back. Or worse yet, get to sit with a paid for busted stove in the house and wait for a replacement casting. Like I did.

My adventure involved a broken stove being delivered and the dealer declaring bankruptcy without getting me the casting.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Wow... its 75 degrees outside and almost smells like fall... so I decided its time to start thinking about winter again and logon to Hearthnet!

Start with the basics... the Kennebec and the Tamarack are the same insert, with different surrounds. The Kennebec's is more of a classic panel look, with a keystone in the middle of the top pattern, while the Tamarack is a honeycomb pattern. Same actual stove unit on both though. In years past, you could buy either a Kennebec, or a Tamarack, and they came with their respective surrounds. The blower was optional on both. Now I see that the Tamarack name has been dropped, and its just called the Kennebec, which you can get with whatever surround you want, including the old Tamarack one. It is true that the surround costs the exact same as the blower, about 250 for each. My understanding is that you now get a stove with a pre-installed blower, and then have to pick your surround. Whatever you do, however, be certain to get the blower, it drastically increases heat output. Also, be sure to install a 6" flue through your chimney, it completely changes how the stove operates, and makes it a perfect heating machine, with good output and burn times. Any other questions, just ask.

-- Mike