Jotul 8 - Convert from Back to Top Vent

[Ocduff]

Hi all - bought house with a 1985 Jotul 8 (draft wheel below door, center) in great shape. Just got thumbs up from chimney sweep, FWIW.

The exterior chimney has a 7" stainless liner from 2007, and the stove currently sits proud of fireplace (60" wide!) with a T cleanout connection to liner.

Problem is, the stove sits out on hearth with only 10" from door to end of brick floor hearth. Needs to be 18" for code.

A few questions - why did they install it this way? For extra heat output? Moving it in would solve a lot of space issues (i.e., give us more space and move stove even farther away from combustibles).

Existing fireplace is massive and has large wrought iron steel back plate. I think I only need 8" clearance from it.

So, in effort to be to code and meet insurance requirements I am curious if and how to convert to top venting. Is it as simple as removing top opening, capping the back Vent opening (does that same cap from top become used to block off back?), then moving stove back and connecting appropriate pipe?

Any disadvantages here? Besides not being out in room a bit for extra heat output?

Alternate is to put a giant stone hearth pad (a hearth extender does not meet code requirements) under stove but that's not ideal for space issues in the room - would make the room small.

Appreciate thoughts here - just trying to be by the book here. Maddening that people didn't do this right the first time.

 

[Ocduff]

Stove and hearth in question.

There needs to be 18" in front and 36" from combustibles.

 

[Ashful]

They may have found the same thing I did, when I ran two Jotul Firelight 12’s in my fireplaces: the vast majority of heat you produce from that stove will be sucked up by all of that stone, if you push it back into the fireplace. My situation was so bad that I was ripping thru 10+ cords per year, and still not putting that big of a dent in my heating bill.

I switched stoves, and now I burn probably less than 6 cords per year, while simultaneously saving more oil. This is because the new stoves are convective jacket designs, and radiate very little heat off back, sides, and top. Instead, almost all radiant heating is off the front into the room, and the heat off the other faces is captured and moved by air flowing between the firebox and convective jacket. The stone of my fireplace no longer soaks up the majority of the heat I’m making.

If your fireplace is on an exterior wall, I’d very strongly suggest you dump the Jotul and find a convective stove, if you want to get actual heat from the stove. Top pics for me would be a BK Ashford or PE Alderlea, because both get top reviews from users here, both fit my cosmetic wants, and both companies have excellent reputations. I went with the Ashfords, myself.

 

[Ocduff]

Those are nice looking stoves you mentioned. Maybe in a few years when we have some cash.

I'm trying to get to code with what I've got at the moment. What I have works and is in good shape. It will heat our well insulated house.

I think if door opening is 8" I have just put down a hearth pad protector and that will get me by until we make some decisions about where to go next.

As of now I have no complaints about this stoves performance or ability. I may have to push it back to get it to code and that may force the issue of finding an insert. I don't like the idea of blowers and a unit to maintain and fix that's more akin to an appliance.

This woodstove is so simple to use and puts out massive amounts of heat. Again, just want to get options to get it to code.

 

[begreen]