Jotul c550 mantel clearance quandry

[jadm]

Just put a down pymt. on Jotul 550 insert and waiting for more clearance info - specifically measurements from hearth to mantel. The brochure is hard to understand - even my experienced carpenter was puzzled.

Where, exactly, do measurements begin and end?

I have an existing masonary fireplace that is 12" off of my floor.

From my floor to the bottom of my mantel it is 54".

From my floor to the top of my mantel it is 60 1/2".

If I measure from the top of my hearth (12" above floor) then my measurements change to 42" to bottom of mantel and 48" to the top.

My mantel is 2 3/4" at the bottom and 7 1/4" at the top. (width - how much it sticks into the room)

It is 4 1/2" tall.

I checked out the manual instillation on line but it didn't clear this up for me.

Tried to find an email address for Jotul so I could shoot my questions at them but couldn't find one so I am resorting to this forum in hopes someone knows how these measurements need to be taken or knows how to contact Jotul so I can contact them.

Thanks!

 

[soxfan13]

It is my understanding ( I hope I am right) that the mantel clearance would be from your hearth and not from the floor. The measurement online for the 550 says 51.75" to the one inch trim on your mantel. With mantel shield the distance can be 15" less, I think.

I also would like to know how to get in touch with Jotul. Any costumer service # or email?

 

[jgoodnow]

I Googled Jotul Gorham ME and came up with:

Jotul USA Inc
55 Hutcherson Dr
Gorham, ME , 04038-2644
Phone: 207-797-5912

They don't make it easy to find their phone number. It doesn't appear to be on their brochures, manuals, or web site.

 

[jgoodnow]

I have studied the Jotul manuals carefully and I think I understand them (I own a C 450 Kennebec insert).

The clearances in question are depicted in Figures 6 & 7 on page 9 of the 550 manual.

The vertical distances are from the hearth surface, not the floor. The insert sits on the hearth surface.

Without the shield, you cannot have any trim until you are at least 51 3/4" up from the hearth surface. At that point you can have trim which protrudes 3 1/2" from the vertical face of your fireplace. Note: since the 1" height and the 3 1/2" height are the same, i.e. 51 3/4", there is no height or range of heights below 51 3/4" where you can have trim which protrudes up to 1". In other words, you must have no protruding trim below a height of 51 3/4".

From 51 3/4" to 53 1/4", you can have trim protrude up to 3 1/2".

From 53 1/4" to 54 3/4", you can have the trim protrude up to 5 1/2".

From 54 3/4" to 56 1/4", you can have the trim protrude up to 7 1/2".

From 56 1/4" to 57 3/4", you can have the trim protrude up to 9 1/2".

From 57 3/4" and on up, you can have your trim protrude up to 11 1/2".

At no point can you have your trim protrude more than 11 1/2" (ceiling notwithstanding).

The pattern here is that for every 1 1/2" in rise, you can have your trim protrude another 2".

By trim, I mean either your top trim or your mantel structure.

Hope this helps. The 550 looks like a nice unit.

 

[bluesisgreat]

I think you already got your answer from the previous post, but I just like to add that reading the actual manual, rather than the brochure, is the way to go.

I personally found Jotul manuals the clearest of all the ones I looked at. They have clear drawings, and they even go into the details of scaling the mantle cleareance with the mantle width - which makes a lot of sense.

 

[jadm]

Therm - Thank-you for breaking that down for me and getting their phone number too. That is an awfully high clearance compared to what is required for my current unit! I am glad I have a good carpenter who can do the adjustments needed here.

Again, thanks.