Gas Jotul NG or Propane?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.

Steve Awodey

New Member
May 16, 2021
5
Pittsburgh
I bought a used Jotul GF 400 DV. The sticker underneath, on the burner, says Natural Gas. But there's also a Propane conversion sticker on the rear serial number plate. Is there any way to tell whether it's been converted (or maybe converted and then converted back) short of taking it all apart? The people I bought it from have natural gas at their house, so I assumed that's what they were burning, but I'm not certain. (The craigslist ad is gone, so I no longer have their contact info -- also, I guess it's possible they were trying to run it on natural gas even though it had been converted to propane). Can I try to burn propane and see if it works? What would happen then if it's set up for natural gas?
 
Last edited:
Here's the manual for that stove, pages 16-17 show the conversion procedure, according to the manual there should be 2 stickers applied to show the appliance has been converted. Otherwise you could pull the orfices and check their size.

If the appliance is setup for natural gas and you run propane you will get larger sooty flames, as the natural gas orfices would be too big and deliver too much fuel. There is potential for danger in this because there will not be enough air to burn the propane completely, producing a partially burnt propane (aldehyde) smell, as well as carbon monoxide.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Lennox65
Here's the manual for that stove, pages 16-17 show the conversion procedure, according to the manual there should be 2 stickers applied to show the appliance has been converted. Otherwise you could pull the orfices and check their size.

If the appliance is setup for natural gas and you run propane you will get larger sooty flames, as the natural gas orfices would be too big and deliver too much fuel. There is potential for danger in this because there will not be enough air to burn the propane completely, producing a partially burnt propane (aldehyde) smell, as well as carbon monoxide.

Thanks!
The problem is that it has *both* propane and NG stickers. I guess I'll have to break it down and check the orifices.