Identifying Jensen Wood Stove

[avocadotom]

Greetings all!

I'm trying to identify the Jensen wood burning stove that is installed in the log cabin I purchased. Pictures are below.

The stove was manufactured in the early 1980s and is rated for both wood and coal. It's got an integrated fan and cooling jacket to circulate air through in order to heat up the room.

I have a few questions about general maintenance (e.g. the door doesn't close all the way due to a bad bushing) and possible upgrades too, but I figure the first step is figuring out what I have and determining if I can find a manual!

Thanks in advance from a first time poster and someone who is new to the site!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[EatenByLimestone]

That stove is not safe to run. You're missing a lot of floor protection around the stove and this is especially true if the door doesn't close.

I recommend having a sweep or other professional go over the entire installation inside and out as you don't know what other shortcuts might have been taken.

Why do you have bricks on top of the stove?

 

[avocadotom]

That stove is not safe to run. You're missing a lot of floor protection around the stove and this is especially true if the door doesn't close.

I recommend having a sweep or other professional go over the entire installation inside and out as you don't know what other shortcuts might have been taken.

Why do you have bricks on top of the stove?

Thanks for the quick response.

I should clarify about the door closing: The door does close and latch. However, when it is fully closed there is maybe a 0.001-0.005" gap between the door seal and the front of the stove: about enough that the corner of a single sheet of paper could slide into it from the top. The gap is noticeable only when there's a fire going because you can see the light of the fire when looking at the door seal and furnace interface. (And because the latched door has the slightest play when closed).

The bricks are on top of the stove just because I was measuring the distance around the stove pipe and wondering if it made made sense to try to capture some of the radiant heat coming off the pipe with bricks or another thermal mass. Just idle curiosity and I figured I'd post here before doing anything along those lines.

Regarding calling a sweep or another professional: that makes a lot of sense. I will tell you, however, that the response I'm likely to get is: "How often do you use this cabin and the wood stove?" and when I tell them I only use the wood stove 3-5 weekends a year and that it's been installed like this since the cabin was built, they're going to say that I could do a lot of work but that they recommend I just keep using it as it is because it's safe enough.

I say this given that it's the response I get from a lot of contractors in the service area (which is pretty rural): "If it ain't broke, and it's been working as it is for a couple of decades, it's not work messing with unless you want to spend money for the sake of spending money," 🤷‍♂️

 

[bholler]

Thanks for the quick response.

I should clarify about the door closing: The door does close and latch. However, when it is fully closed there is maybe a 0.001-0.005" gap between the door seal and the front of the stove: about enough that the corner of a single sheet of paper could slide into it from the top. The gap is noticeable only when there's a fire going because you can see the light of the fire when looking at the door seal and furnace interface. (And because the latched door has the slightest play when closed).

The bricks are on top of the stove just because I was measuring the distance around the stove pipe and wondering if it made made sense to try to capture some of the radiant heat coming off the pipe with bricks or another thermal mass. Just idle curiosity and I figured I'd post here before doing anything along those lines.

Regarding calling a sweep or another professional: that makes a lot of sense. I will tell you, however, that the response I'm likely to get is: "How often do you use this cabin and the wood stove?" and when I tell them I only use the wood stove 3-5 weekends a year and that it's been installed like this since the cabin was built, they're going to say that I could do a lot of work but that they recommend I just keep using it as it is because it's safe enough.

I say this given that it's the response I get from a lot of contractors in the service area (which is pretty rural): "If it ain't broke, and it's been working as it is for a couple of decades, it's not work messing with unless you want to spend money for the sake of spending money," 🤷‍♂️

It absolutely is not safe enough. It isn't even remotely safe. The argument that it's worked like that for years just doesn't hold up. Especially when you know about pyrolysis

 

[avocadotom]

It absolutely is not safe enough. It isn't even remotely safe. The argument that it's worked like that for years just doesn't hold up. Especially when you know about pyrolysis

Thanks.

I'm familiar with pyrolysis. And note, I did not say that I thought it was safe, but I merely conveyed the response I expected to receive from contractors in my area (Fayette County, PA) based on previous experience.

I see that you are from Central PA. If you have recommendations on sweeps in Fayette or Somerset counties, I would certainly appreciate it.

 

[appointed EPA deviant]

Cool old stove. Is there a blower mounted under it to circulate air out of the plenum?

 

[avocadotom]

Cool old stove. Is there a blower mounted under it to circulate air out of the plenum?

Thanks!

I haven't taken the side access ports off to full examine it. I can't imagine that there is more than one blower, but the air is pulled in from the two sides and blown out the top and and sides of the front, so there has to be some interesting baffles in it to get that airflow...