Hi all, I'm ready to order my fireplace insert tomorrow.

[Dave1442397]

I've been browsing the forums for about a week now, and have found lots of useful information.

I had talked to a co-worker who bought an Avalon insert back in '99. She loved it, so I downloaded Avalon's brochure and went to our local dealer in Medford NJ to look at wood burning fireplace inserts.

After seeing the Jotul C450 with the Tamarack surround, my wife decided she much preferred the look over the Avalon Rainier, and so did I.

Our house is a split level built in 1960, approx 3400sq ft with 7' 8" ceilings, and the fireplace is on the main living area level, so I'm hoping the insert will be able to heat the living area (fairly open plan) and also kick some heat upstairs to the bedrooms.

I'll head back to the dealer with the fireplace measurements tomorrow. According to the Jotul site, we should be ok with everthing but the hearth. Our current hearth is tiled. raised about 1" off the floor, but only extends 17" from the fireplace.

The floor is hardwood, so I'm not sure how much work is involved in replacing the hearth, but my wife would like flagstones.

What do you guys think? Is the C450 a good choice for us?

 

[wg_bent]

Sounds like you're convinced, and the Jotul is a great stove! Go for it!!

 

[titan]

I haven't heard anything negative about the Jotul 450,one of the best-looking inserts available IMO, install it and post pics please.

 

[begreen]

It's a great stove, you will be happy. Get it in enamel and it will stay sharp looking for years. Be sure your quote for the chimney install includes all the necessary steps, starting with getting the flue cleaned first. Will it be getting a full liner?

As to the hearth, perhaps you could just add a 4-6" tile border to the existing tiles? But if you want a new look, the flagstones would look great. It will be a bit of work, but definitely doable. Take some "before" pictures and post them here.

 

[MrGriz]

That's a great looking insert and I haven't heard any complaints about their quality here. Post some before pictures so we can see the transformation.

 

[ecfinn]

I'll head back to the dealer with the fireplace measurements tomorrow. According to the Jotul site, we should be ok with everthing but the hearth. Our current hearth is tiled. raised about 1" off the floor, but only extends 17" from the fireplace.

The floor is hardwood, so I'm not sure how much work is involved in replacing the hearth, but my wife would like flagstones.

What do you guys think?

I did basically what you're wanting to do with my hearth, but mine was probably a bit more complicated. You can see some before,during,after pics in the link in my signature. I had to cut carpet, remove hard-wood floors, install tile backer (2 layers) and then install the new tile. Let me know if you've got further questions and please post some pics so we can help with suggestions.

Eric

 

[Dave1442397]

Thanks all, things are busy at work right now (you mean they don't pay me to surf the net?) but I'll post some 'before' pics later on tonight.

 

[boostnut]

Dave, my next door neighboor and I have had that insert (C450 Tamarack) for 2 seasons now and we are both happy with them. I'm heating a 1500 sq. foot ranch without any problems to report. His house is closer to 1800 sq feet. Burn times are about 10 hours with good wood (I've been burning cherry, ash, white and red oak). The 1 and only complaint I have is the doors are tough to keep clean, seems other manufacturers designs lend themselves to more "self cleaning" doors. Aside from removing the doors and cleaning them by hand about once a month there has been no maintence in 2 years. I'd suggest going ahead with the Jotul, you'll be happy with their product. Aaron

 

[WarmGuy]

I enjoyed your filmstrip, Eric. How about a final shot with a nice fire burning?

 

[ecfinn]

I enjoyed your filmstrip, Eric. How about a final shot with a nice fire burning?

Thanks, and good idea. I've got some nice pics I can add to that...

 

[Dave1442397]

Ok, now that the Munchkin has gone to bed, I can post a couple of pics.

Here's the whole thing:

And a close-up:

The installation includes a cleaning and a full liner, with a new chimney cap. That's a good thing, because the old chimney cap is in pretty bad shape anyway.

 

[Dave1442397]

[quote author="Eric" date="1194035152I did basically what you're wanting to do with my hearth, but mine was probably a bit more complicated. You can see some before,during,after pics in the link in my signature. I had to cut carpet, remove hard-wood floors, install tile backer (2 layers) and then install the new tile. Let me know if you've got further questions and please post some pics so we can help with suggestions.

Eric[/quote]

Thanks Eric, that's a nice slideshow. The only thing I'd be concerned about is messing around with the floor, if it requires chopping some of it out. I know a couple of people who have the necessary skills, so I can always pull in some help.

 

[Dave1442397]

Dave, my next door neighboor and I have had that insert (C450 Tamarack) for 2 seasons now and we are both happy with them. I'm heating a 1500 sq. foot ranch without any problems to report. His house is closer to 1800 sq feet. Burn times are about 10 hours with good wood (I've been burning cherry, ash, white and red oak). The 1 and only complaint I have is the doors are tough to keep clean, seems other manufacturers designs lend themselves to more "self cleaning" doors. Aside from removing the doors and cleaning them by hand about once a month there has been no maintence in 2 years. I'd suggest going ahead with the Jotul, you'll be happy with their product. Aaron

That's good to hear, Aaron. I don't mind cleaning the doors every now and then if I have to.

My parents had a coal-burning stove/insert when I was a kid. I was only 7 when we moved out of that house, so I don't remember exactly what the setup was, but my Dad had to put a couple scoops of what they called 'slack' in there every morning to warm up the kitchen. I think slack was an Irish term for coke - it basically looked like small chunks of wet coal to me.

The comment about the doors just brought that back to me, as I remember the doors looking very sooty most of the time.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Dave, what is the measurement of your hearth, from the face of the bricks to the end of the grout line around those tiles?

-- Mike

 

[Dave1442397]

Dave, what is the measurement of your hearth, from the face of the bricks to the end of the grout line around those tiles?

-- Mike

Hey Mike, it's only 17", which I don't think will be good enough, right?

 

[Mike Wilson]

Well, technically no... but take a look at the numbers that are in the brochure in this thread... Look at the "B" dimension. It says 18 for the Kennebec, and for the larger flush mounted Rockland, it says 16 in the US, and 20 in Canada. That said, I think I read here that NFPA wants 18 now in the US, where they used to only want 16. FYI, the floor does get warm when you have secondary fire going for a long time, it radiates down from the baffles onto the floor.

-- Mike

 

[Gooserider]

The hearth will probably need extending, as the new NFPA regs do say 18" - however talk to your code inspector first! Given that the change in the codes is mostly to get rid of the US/Canada split as opposed to a major safety issue, and you already have an existing fireplace, he may be willing to "grandfather" you in if the insert mounts pretty close to flush with the fireplace opening....

Of course if you want a "new look" then it doesn't matter that much, you probably will be required to (and should) rebuild to the 18" spec or better.

Do you have any idea what the construction is on the existing hearth? What is under those tiles? Also is that a "real" hardwood floor, or is it one of the new floating type floors?

Do you want to end up with the new / extended hearth being flush with the existing floor? Same height as the existing hearth? Or cover over the existing hearth so that the new look is about 1/2" higher than what's there now?

This makes some difference as to what you will need to do in modifying your existing setup.

Gooserider

 

[fayman]

I just replaced my hearth tile 2 weeks ago, for the same reason. My original hearth was very similar to yours, as it was red brick, about 16-17". I just bought a new stove, so I needed an additional 4" of clearance.

I bought 4" natural tumbled stone tiles, which look similar to the flagstone, and it looks great against the wood floors. I had to cut back my wood floor 4", which was a piece of cake. Cut it back at just the depth of the finished wood floor, so you don't cut into the subfloor. Screw down the subfloor so it can't flex, then install your cement board (I used Hardy Backer..sp?) and tile away. I've had no problems at all with the floor flexing, where it extends beyond the old mortar backing and onto the tongue and groove subfloor. The Hardy Backer works great!

Just a note. Be sure to measure your side clearances on your fireplace opening! It looks like your wood trim cuts in over the brick, which narrows your total clearance across the front of your fireplace. It may have to be removed if it doesn't meet code.

Good luck!