Jotul 118B

[Real1shepperd]

I just acquired two of these: one blue and one red. A friend is getting the red one, and I'm keeping the blue one. Neither stove has any cracks in the castings. Both stoves need the inner firebox shields replaced. I've read about these stoves until my eyes bled. I have used a fluorescent drop light in a dark room to test for leaks in the stove's cement. The blue one is tight. The red one gets attention later on for my friend. The blue stove was out in a barn and used lightly to keep chickens warm in the worst weather.

The top cover of the inner firebox looks almost new... probably a replacement. The sides are shot, and I've found replacements. However, due to trade tariffs, they are at least $200 each—a tough pill to swallow. I am curious about fire bricks. Is it usual to put fire bricks in the bottom for some gain? If so, there must be a 'kit' with bricks shaped to fit?

The ID plate is intact on the back. The stove was UL and made in 1979.

Kevin

 

[begreen]

Nice find. Post some pictures if you get a chance. The side burn plates are essential protection for the side wall castings.

 

[Real1shepperd]

Thanks! Maybe going to the stove dealer across the border today to see about a pipe to the FSP and fire-retardant flooring under the stove.

I can't seem to break $199ea on the side burn plates. That certainly lessens the 'deal' on these two stoves. The red one is the looker, but I let my friend pay for that one. I've covered and put the red one under my lean-to for now. I'll post some pics of the blue stove as I progress with it. One side was facing mostly an open door in the chicken barn. Wind could blow rain in, so there's some surface rust I have to work on.

It looks like someone was going to re-spray the whole stove, hit a section on top, had a horrible match, and just left it. I'm hoping I can remove that spray paint. If they used high-temp paint, maybe not.

Kevin

 

[Real1shepperd]

The stove people were not much help at all. They refused to sell me anything because it's not a modern EPA stove. I mean, I don't blame them, but there should be a way to install this stove properly.

The Jotul US manual says 36" to a combustible surface from the side of the stove. I can do that if I have to. However, the FSP opening size is 8" and 2 feet from the combustible wall to center. I know I can use double-wall pipe there to a combustible surface. They probably had a Blaze King in before or something similar.

I was thinking about coming down from the FSP with double-wall pipe and going into a double-wall cleanout tee. Then face the tee towards the stove outlet (the 118B only exits on the side & back). The stove outlet is 6". I don't know the best point to reduce the 8" piping to 6". What about from the tee's inlet to the stove?

According to their US diagram, I'd need a minimum 30" x 55" hearth under their stove.

Kevin

 

[begreen]

What is a FSP? Post some pictures that show the install location and chimney connector.

 

[stoveliker]

Factory specified parts, I think

 

[begreen]

It sounds more like some sort of chimney system? 8" diam. and 2 ft from the wall. I'm familiar with DSP, but that is stove pipe. It sounds like he is thinking of extending the cleanout tee to achieve the 36" but it would help to have some visual verification. There may be a possible way to reduce the clearance down to 18" or 12".

 

[Real1shepperd]

Thanks, all. It's an old term, I think, from when I did this decades ago. Finish Support Package. Here's a good pic below of one and what's in my ceiling. Attached to a joist box in the attic. Then they ran double-wall insulated up through the roof with a jack and a cap.

It was installed with an airtight stove that had a built-in shield and could be brought closer to the wall. I have to use what is there, and the center of the FSP is two feet from the combustible wall. My thought is to come down from that with a double-wall indoor pipe and, at the bottom, install a cleanout tee. That way I can face the tee towards the Jotul side outlet and just run a length to give me the old Jotul 36" from the wall clearance they want.

Another way would be to build a metal shield on the combustible wall with a 1" air space. It's not the end of the world to have the Jotul side 36" from the combustible wall. I could always do the shield later if I end up hating walking around the Jotul.

What is the conventional wisdom on reducing the 8" FSP opening to 6" for the Jotul? I could reduce it up at the FSP rather than closer to the stove. That would save me some piping cost, although I'd still use double-wall piping because of the distance to the combustible wall.

Kevin

 

[begreen]

Yes, reduce it at the support box and run 6" to the stove.

 

[Real1shepperd]

Brilliant, thank you! That seems to make the most sense from what I remember about flow & draft.

The woman at the woodstove store did offer me a little Lopi for $3,600... lol.

Is there any reason not to line the bottom with firebricks? Is any gain negligible? Since these Jotul inner firebox steel panels are so outrageously expensive, I was thinking, at the very least, it would preserve the bottom plate?

Kevin

 

[Real1shepperd]

I decided to go ahead with this project. I saw a vid where the owner put down concrete backerboard and 12 x 12 concrete pavers on top of that. Mortar the joints, and you have a hearth. Nothing fancy, but I don't want premade or mason fancy. I'll have to go to the next town over (60 miles) to get the piping supplies or order them online. I'd rather get them in person, but we'll see.

First pics will be as is. Next will be cleaning it up. After that, the newly installed inner firebox sides. If it gets boring or you have questions/suggestions, let me know!

Kevin

 

[D. Hermit]

Im just here for the photos of the blue one....

 

[Murray01]

I ran into an issue with my stove and chimney. I had a 7” flue collar reduced to fit into an existing 6” chimney. The WETT inspector on a pre inspection tour said it would not pass an inspection. His reasoning was the stove wasn’t tested that way therefore he could not approve installation. He challenged me to check the operators/installation manual, sure enough stated right in the manual that the chimney must be the same size as the stove collar from flue collar to chimney cap.

This was with a Blaze King Princess, manufactured in 1999 and also one made in 2025.

I don’t know if this is a BK thing or a Canadian thing, it might cause you grief down the road if insurance requires an inspection. I don’t know.

 

[Real1shepperd]

Im just here for the photos of the blue one....

I'll see if I can get some pics today. I was waiting for the new month before I ordered the side plates.


Kevin

 

[Real1shepperd]

I ran into an issue with my stove and chimney. I had a 7” flue collar reduced to fit into an existing 6” chimney. The WETT inspector on a pre inspection tour said it would not pass an inspection. His reasoning was the stove wasn’t tested that way therefore he could not approve installation. He challenged me to check the operators/installation manual, sure enough stated right in the manual that the chimney must be the same size as the stove collar from flue collar to chimney cap.

This was with a Blaze King Princess, manufactured in 1999 and also one made in 2025.

I don’t know if this is a BK thing or a Canadian thing, it might cause you grief down the road if insurance requires an inspection. I don’t know.

I know it's important to reduce to the stove right at the FSP. I'll read the manual for the Jotul again and see if I can find that about using 6" all the way through to the roof. Thanks for the heads up. It would be the same difference to dump the stove exhaust into an old lined brick chimney.

Kevin

 

[begreen]

The manual is fairly vague about venting options. It lists the flue dimension as 125mm or ~5". If going to 8", find out the WETT ruling on size increasing to see if there is an accepted area multiple, like 2 or 3x. Five inch diameter = 19.7 sq in area. Eight inch = 50.3 sq in which is 2.65 times the area.

 

[Real1shepperd]

The manual is fairly vague about venting options. It lists the flue dimension as 125mm or ~5". If going to 8", find out the WETT ruling on size increasing to see if there is an accepted area multiple, like 2 or 3x. Five inch diameter = 19.7 sq in area. Eight inch = 50.3 sq in which is 2.65 times the area.

The factory increaser right on the stove is 6". It's even painted the same color. The Jotul manual says a 6" chimney should be used. It doesn't say "must," which is a completely different term in most instructions. It says the stove is provided with part #27: "The heater is delivered with a 5"----6" adapter which may be attached to the smoke outlet."


Kevin

 

[Real1shepperd]

This is all I could find: "Code limits: Building codes like NFPA 211 limit size increases. Roof exits allow a flue up to three times the cross-sectional area of the stove collar, while exterior wall exits limit increases to two times that area due to weaker drafts."

Conventional wisdom says to decrease right at the FSP, as you said before. Using double-wall pipe from the stove will allow the gases to stay heated longer up into the 8" double-wall insulated in the attic to out the roof. The only thing really to be concerned about is the draft itself. And I won't know that until I actually use the stove in a full session, from startup to extinguishment. The smoke vent terminates right up near the roof pitch and is higher. I think I have a shot at good drafting... We'll see.

The simple cross-sectional area of 6" pipe is 28.26 sq/in, and the cross-sectional area of 8" pipe is 50.24 sq/in. This doesn't include pipe thickness, but I don't think it would change much or affect the ratio. It's less than two times the diameter of the stove collar. I think I'd be OK with any code requirement I've seen so far.

I think Canada's stove regulations and codes are more stringent than in the US from what I've seen. For example, they demand that your hearth is made with a layer of fireproof material and the hearth itself has to be at least 4" thick. And if I remember correctly, you have to have air channels under the hearth like you do the walls.


Kevin

 

[Turbo89]

118s are good looking stoves, run the smaller brother 602 in my cabin. I replaced the side plates a few years ago on that, and remember those being pretty costly at the time. My 602 steps up to 6” immediately on the stove.

I’m trying to attach an old Jotul manual (I’m pretty sure I got it in here), it has some very generic install guidance that could be helpful.

 

[begreen]

The factory increaser right on the stove is 6". It's even painted the same color. The Jotul manual says a 6" chimney should be used. It doesn't say "must," which is a completely different term in most instructions. It says the stove is provided with part #27: "The heater is delivered with a 5"----6" adapter which may be attached to the smoke outlet."


Kevin

Yes, it turns out that I have 4 copies of the manual from the various iterations of the F118. I was reading the international manual for this stove as I looked for what would provide the best information to the inspector. Not much info there, at least in the English section. This paragraph on page 7 of the 2008 US manual would be the most helpful in covering the 8" chimney question:

"The fireclay flue liner must have a nominal size of 8” X 8” (20 cm x 20 cm), and should not be larger than 8”X 12” (20 cm x 30 cm). A round fireclay liner must have a minimum inside diameter of 6” (15 cm) and maximum inside diameter of 8” (20 cm). A larger chimney should be relined with an appropriate code approved liner."

 

[pearlibis77]

118s are good looking stoves, run the smaller brother 602 in my cabin. I replaced the side plates a few years ago on that, and remember those being pretty costly at the time. My 602 steps up to 6” immediately on the stove.

I’m trying to attach an old Jotul manual (I’m pretty sure I got it in here), it has some very generic install guidance that could be helpful.

That old manual may be more useful than the newer generic chimney stuff, especially since Jotul already supplied the 5-to-6 adapter. Those side plates have apparently never been a bargain.

 

[bigealta]

No need to line bottom with firebrick. Manual says you can put sand in the bottom.
After a few fires the ash will cover the bottom to the top of the swiggle steel ribbons, so i just have ash in the bottom of my 118 clone.

And i have the same set up you are talking about. 5" to 6" adapter to 4Ft of 6" single wall into 8" ceiling box. Works fine till the wind blows from the NE. My my chimney is extremely short though. Maybe about 10ft from the top of the 118. This means no fires on NE wind days which thankfully is fairly uncommon. If i was using this house more i would definitely have raised the chimney height years ago and changed from the ceiling box up to 6".

You can cut plates for the side from steel plates, i did that for a buddy with a 602. Same idea with the 118.

 

[bigealta]

you can also try to find a beat up clone for cheap that might have decent side plates in it and just take those plates.

 

[Turbo89]

you can also try to find a beat up clone for cheap that might have decent side plates in it and just take those plates.

This is a good idea, also check out eBay, i saw some for the 602 on there, but I ended up going a different route.

 

[Real1shepperd]

118s are good looking stoves, run the smaller brother 602 in my cabin. I replaced the side plates a few years ago on that, and remember those being pretty costly at the time. My 602 steps up to 6” immediately on the stove.

I’m trying to attach an old Jotul manual (I’m pretty sure I got it in here), it has some very generic install guidance that could be helpful.

Thank you. I have the US manual, for what it's worth.

Kevin