Jotul 550 Rockland Comments
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No danger of cooking the blowers themselves? They are electric motors with plastic parts and plastic insulation on their coil windings, not to mention plastic insulation on their wiring. i just don't know how hot it might get underneath the firebox with no air moving.
Good to know! I'd rather not have to get up out of a nice warm bed again and wrestle the generator up to the house, crank it up, and run an extension cord. ;-)
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
I find that the Rockland runs hot overall, I would not want to run full loads of wood in there with the blowers off. The temps get too hot on stove top for my comfort. I connect in to generator when no power.
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Yes, but what does that really mean? There's no damper, no way to shut off the air, no effective way to "have the draft under control." It is whatever a 23" stainless liner in a masonry chimney produces, no more, no less. Either it's not enough, enough, or too much, and there's not a thing I can do about it.
Yes there are lots of things you can do about it. You can restrict the liner at the top. You can restrict the intake. You can install a damper etc.
I'd be interested to hear your suggestions for installing a damper. I had thought about putting one in the flue just above the stove, and creating some kind of linkage that would allow me to control it. I never liked the idea of not having a controllable damper.
I have done it several times. But it is going to vary greatly depending on the situation
But it's not a bad idea, something I shouldn't do? 'Cause looks to me like the best possible option. Restricting the flue outlet at the top of the chimney is difficult, dangerous, and not adjustable. Restricting the airflow looks complicated, at best, and probably also not adjustable. A flue damper has worked perfectly in every other stove I've owned or lived with. It restricts the exhaust right at the top of the stove, which in my experience retains a lot more heat in the stove to be collected and used.
How is restricting the top dangerous? You don't need anything adjustable you just need to get to the specified draft range. Yes I think the damper is the best way but it is by far the most complicated option. For one it absolutely can't go in the liner it needs to be in a peice of rigid stainless pipe. Then you need to fabricate a linkage.
Restricting the flue outlet is difficult and dangerous because the chimney is 26" tall, has a metal cap on it, and the roof is slippery metal. I'm thinking putting in a foot of rigid stainless with a damper in it between the stove and the liner and fabricating a linkage sounds like much more fun.
A little off topic but does anyone know what size door gasket this unit requires? I've managed to lose my manual.
Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
Awesome, thanks!! All the gasket I see online are in 1/8 inch increments. How does .360 convert to that?
Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
It's a low density gasket. If no oem gasket available, Woodmans is selling this one as a replacement. Use red or black RTV silicone for the adhesive.
https://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/787300/products/Stove-Gasket-White-Rope-38-x-6-feet.html
https://www.woodmanspartsplus.com/787300/products/Stove-Gasket-White-Rope-38-x-6-feet.html
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
Welcome and don't take this the wrong way but, if your other stove wasn't broke why did you replace it? Why did you change out your stove that you were so happy with? Wanting a different look, smaller, neater appearance I can understand that. If the Jotul stove was installed correctly; chimney liner, etc. I suspect your trouble stems from wood not properly dried down to at least 20% or less. You need a moisture meter and a stove thermometer. Hard to get the best result without these two inexpensive items.
I have the same stove/insert and am very happy with it. Took me a season to really get the hang of operating it. I don't try to heat the entire 2400 sq ft house only the family room of about 1000 sq ft. I know, overkill. But Mamma was cold so.......PS the burn will not last overnight. Best I have ever done is about 7 hours; lighting to coals needed to start up another burn cycle. Took a while to get my wife to understand we were not going to see big flames (like a fireplace) the entire burn cycle.
Firewood is usually the culprit for the problems you describe. For me, I solved this by acquiring 8 cord of red oak, hickory, ash and hard maple, split, stacked on pallets and top covered that is now 4 years old. Burns like a champ. Not everyone has the room for 8 cord but you need to count on storing any wood at least 2 years before you try to burn otherwise you will be disappointed in the performance of the stove. I tried so-called "seasoned, ready to burn" firewood from local dealers but was always disappointed. Maybe dry enough for a wood pit in the yard but not for a EPA stove which required really dry wood for best results.
Recommend you try to get 3 years ahead on your firewood needed, replacing what your burn each year, then you will always have dry wood to burn. Also, have realistic expectations for your stove. Not sure if that insert is made to heat the entire house as a primary heat source. But in NC where you are it could. Best of luck to you!
I have the same stove/insert and am very happy with it. Took me a season to really get the hang of operating it. I don't try to heat the entire 2400 sq ft house only the family room of about 1000 sq ft. I know, overkill. But Mamma was cold so.......PS the burn will not last overnight. Best I have ever done is about 7 hours; lighting to coals needed to start up another burn cycle. Took a while to get my wife to understand we were not going to see big flames (like a fireplace) the entire burn cycle.
Firewood is usually the culprit for the problems you describe. For me, I solved this by acquiring 8 cord of red oak, hickory, ash and hard maple, split, stacked on pallets and top covered that is now 4 years old. Burns like a champ. Not everyone has the room for 8 cord but you need to count on storing any wood at least 2 years before you try to burn otherwise you will be disappointed in the performance of the stove. I tried so-called "seasoned, ready to burn" firewood from local dealers but was always disappointed. Maybe dry enough for a wood pit in the yard but not for a EPA stove which required really dry wood for best results.
Recommend you try to get 3 years ahead on your firewood needed, replacing what your burn each year, then you will always have dry wood to burn. Also, have realistic expectations for your stove. Not sure if that insert is made to heat the entire house as a primary heat source. But in NC where you are it could. Best of luck to you!
All good thoughts. Thanks. I'm going to work at getting at least a season ahead on the wood this year, and hopefully two seasons next year. I cut it all myself, so it's a lot of work!
