Jotul c550 Rockland tips thread

[Ctwoodtick]

Very nice, sounds like you know how to do things correctly.

 

[Maine_girl]

I am new, and keep checking this thread. This is my first season with the 550 and I want to love it but so far, don't. I'm wondering if i got the wrong insert (should have gone bigger with another company?). I just had a service call today and they found about a 4 inch gap where the installers missed with insulation so they filled that and I hope that will make a difference. It's been pretty cold, and I know there are many variables that contribute to heat output, but i'm generally feeling disappointed with the 550 and what we're getting from it.

The insert is in our living room on the first floor of our 3 floor 1916 concrete house. The first & second floors are about 1200 SQ each. The ceilings are 8 ft. The living room has 5 windows, one almost the whole wall. There are two openings (no doors) into the living room - one into the kitchen and one into the front foyer. My main complaint is that even with good, dry hardwood, we can't get the living room up above 71 degrees - with the kitchen and dining room obviously cooler. Should we be getting more out of the 550 or am i expecting too much?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Hi Mainegirl my suspicion is that you may be expecting a bit too much from this unit. Disclaimer- this is the only wood stove I have had, so nothing to compare to.
I’m curious where it was installer missed the insulation. Block off plate area?
I heat my house with the 550 pretty well when temps are about 10 and above. The area it heats is two floors. Each about 800 sq feet. Ceilings 8 ft. In this very cold weather, I have to close my bedroom door and put on the electric heat, as the house will get too cold overnight in spite of me packing stove.
Originally I wanted a free standing stove, but got voted out of that. I think freestanding would have pumped out heat, probably too much for my needs, stove is in a fairly small den.
Also, you are well up north. I’m no expert but I would figure you may be a 2 woodstove person. Either that or finding a freestanding stove with very large firebox to put on hearth of your existing fireplace.

 

[jatoxico]

Hi @Maine_girl . Its hard to tell froma single post if you're asking too much of the 550 or any unit. The thing we can do is figure out a little if you're are getting the performance it's capable of.

First off if you don't have one, you need a stove thermometer so you can tell what temp you're running at. Placed in the vent a few inches back you should see minimum temps of 550 but 650-700 at times when you want some real heat is achievable.

Second is this an interior or exterior wall chimney. They all should have a well insulated firebox/smokeshelf and block off plate but even more important on an exterior wall install. Heat from insert can be lost to outside and dramatically decrease output to the home.

Last thing is the wood. Many, many people join the forum insisting their wood is good and dry but few end up being right. Wood takes on avg 2yrs to dry after being split and allowed to dry in a good location. Some species and environments can cause that time to be a bit shorter but oak by me is useless until year 3. The wood should be <20% and should burn so that the firebox stays clear even with the air turned down while giving nice secondary burn with no smoke from chimney.

Lot's more to talk about as far as operation but that's where I would start.

 

[Maine_girl]

Thanks for your response @jatoxico. Full disclosure, I am a total rookie when it comes to all of this although I did grow up with wood heat 24/7 and a wood burning furnace. I do have a stove thermometer that is placed in the vent. I also have an IR thermometer. I don't have a moisture meter for the wood and, while it seems pretty dry, I'm not certain of the species and I'm nearly positive it's not 3 yrs seasoned and may not even be 2 full yrs. The chimney is on an exterior wall. I did not watch the insert install but I know there is not a block off plate but there is insulation up top, but not on the sides and back of the insert. I am not 'handy' or knowledgeable enough (yet) to do this myself so would need to ask help or hire someone. I guess I could call back the guys I bought it from and ask them to come out and do the work for me...? I wish I'd known all of this prior to the initial install.

 

[jatoxico]

Thanks for your response @jatoxico. I do have a stove thermometer that is placed in the vent. I also have an IR thermometer.

I'm not certain of the species and I'm nearly positive it's not 3 yrs seasoned and may not even be 2 full yrs.

I know there is not a block off plate

This is how it goes for a lot of folks starting out especially with the newer stoves.

Wood might be OK depending on species but if you're not seeing pretty high temps when wanted and/or other signs of wet wood like slow to catch, need to leave door open, dirty glass etc etc then may have to take some steps to address that.

What kind of stove top temps are you seeing?

Most of the stove shop installers I've heard of just want to insulate up top. Just pulling off the surround and adding some Roxul insulation down below around the liner would help greatly and for minimal money. Getting the surround off should not be too tough. If you're not at all inclined maybe the shop can come and do that.

 

[dtrykow]

Hello Everyone. Just had a 550 Rockland installed last week. Nice looking stove.Big selling point with My wife (Happy Wife is a happy life). Anyway I was burning a Lopi Declaration double door, same as a Travis Elite 33, for about 10 years. 4-5 cords a year. Had multiple problems with it from the start like top damper sticking, thermo disk failer, and the ever popular blower fan issues. The last straw was when I pulled off the front grill to replace the fans and I noticed the top firebox weld was cracked 13” and pulled away. Shined a light up thru and confirmed it. Done!! So here I am. First thing is the firebox is smaller-narrower or shallower than the Lopi(.9 cu smaller). My big all nighters have to be split down. I burn mostly slabwood. For those of you that aren’t familiar with that term. It’s the half round half flat pieces from the outside of the logs. Generally the first cut and they go from thin to thick. Interesting unit. Definitely runs hotter. Lights easy. Loading with the one door is new for me. In Jøtul defense, every single Insert runs these cheap China fans. Can’t get around them. Don’t forget we’re basically asking for these fans to run 3 to 4 months straight. I’m in New England and I light my stove December 1 and run it till April. And they run in a dirty abrasive environment. For those of you that want to retrofit and have a little creativity, I found a website online called Fireplaceblowersonline.com. They have a FK15 blower for $65. Plus shipping. Exact size. Mounting is different. I bought two of these and was in the process of installing them in the Lopi when I saw the crack. I did run these fans for a short time and their super quiet. Excellent site and thread.
I’ll keep you posted. Dave T.

 

[Soundchasm]

In Jøtul defense, every single Insert runs these cheap China fans. Can’t get around them. Don’t forget we’re basically asking for these fans to run 3 to 4 months straight. I’m in New England and I light my stove December 1 and run it till April. And they run in a dirty abrasive environment. For those of you that want to retrofit and have a little creativity, I found a website online called Fireplaceblowersonline.com. They have a FK15 blower for $65. Plus shipping. Exact size. Mounting is different. I bought two of these and was in the process of installing them in the Lopi when I saw the crack. I did run these fans for a short time and their super quiet. Excellent site and thread.
I’ll keep you posted. Dave T.

Thanks Dave. If I read this correctly, are you saying the FK15 blower is the same size as blower for the Rockland, but different mounting?

 

[dtrykow]

Hey Soundchasm: Sorry for the late response. yes I think they are. When you go on Fireplaceblowers website they have a drawing of the dimensions. They also added left and right bundled pairs now. The FK15 only comes in Left hand. Good luck. Dave T.

 

[Soundchasm]

Hey Soundchasm: Sorry for the late response. yes I think they are. When you go on Fireplaceblowers website they have a drawing of the dimensions. They also added left and right bundled pairs now. The FK15 only comes in Left hand. Good luck. Dave T.

Thank you and no worries. Very few things on my agenda are ever in immediate danger of being accomplished! As soon as it warms up a little, I'll do the prep work and pull the trigger. My 7-year-old fans have been chirping for several years, but this winter has been bad.

Meanwhile, on the 1978 Nashua, it's just business as usual... According to my calculator, that's 40 years!!

 

[Toomb]

Thanks for the tip about fireplaceblowers outlet.........good deal.

 

[dtrykow]

No problem guys. Dave T.

 

[Berl2169]

Greetings everyone......new to the thread and I’ve read all 25 pages now. I ran across a pretty good deal with one of these 550’s a couple weeks ago so I’ve been trying to read up on all the details and issues. The stove is described as gently used, and tomorrow will be the first time I get to lay eyes on it. The guy wants $2k for it, and a new one runs around $4200 here. The gentleman basically said he quit getting satisfaction out of building fires....nothing wrong with stove.

Here in my area I have 2 places that sell stoves/inserts. I’ve been inquiring of whether or not I can install this insert without the ss liner as I have a friend that has an old country flame insert installed this way, which is where the idea come from. Both locations say they have about a 80% success rate with that type of installation, and basically depends on draft, but do highly recommend a liner, an extra $1000 bucks or better in their pocket!! I don’t really want to go into the added expense if I don’t have to. I currently have a 21’ chimney (inside wall) with a 11”X11” clay flue and cinder block housing all the way up to roof line. 2800 sq ft single level house with basement. The damper I have is 35” X 4 1/2”

I don’t see myself burning 24/7 like some of you have to but I’d say I would be burning 3-4 times a week Nov-Feb. I’m all electric house and even though this winter (which is pretty much done) wasn’t as cold as it usually is, I still have electric bills that can reach close to $400/month. Heat pump doesn’t fair too well in climates below 28 degrees so I want a supplement.

Sorry for the long post here but I’ve been waiting for an incredible 25 pages now to ask all of you! Thanks in advance for any and all opinions

Anyone see any issues with this?

 

[dtrykow]

Good Morning:
Reading the Owners manual it states that you "should" have a SS liner. It doesn't say the minimum length of pipe required. Your 11x11 flue is too large to get the draft going. You need good draft and the SS pipe heats up fast and draws a lot of air for the stove. $1,000 Well worth the expense now. And I would guess that your 3-4/week will increase once you see how easy this stove is to run and the heat it throws. It's addicting. Go to www.jotul.com find the Rockland 550 insert, scroll down and click on Documentation then the PDF manual. Enjoy. Dave T.

 

[Toomb]

I think you can do better than $1000.00 on the liner. I think i paid $800.00 for a kit 2-3 years ago. Regardless , you really need the liner. Internal chimney in texas?...... i would not bother insulating, but others may have a different opinion. Not sure what the wood supply is in Texas, but you could really reduce those heating bills.

 

[Berl2169]

So I installed the insert today and just got the time to fire it up about an hour ago. After about 20 min or so it was throwing some good heat out. I do believe the liner will have to be installed......with air wide open and door cracked it produces a good fire. Soon as that door shuts and seals the flame goes out within a couple minutes. Every time I open the door (air full throttle & slowly open door) I get smoke that comes out.....the wife REALLY X10 hates that part. The guy that I bought it off of mentioned he has a liner so I might be able to get it from him cheaper and install it myself with a block off plate.

Manual said no bigger than 8x12 chimney which mine happens to be just a shade bigger in sq inches......wouldn’t have thought 25 sq inches would’ve been a big deal.

Wood supply isn’t very good in these parts. A cord of oak will cost me at least $300. I bought a cord of pinion and cedar this year for $310. I’m hoping that early this year I’ll take a trip to the nearest forest and buy a firewood permit $15 for a 5 cord max.

 

[Soundchasm]

So I installed the insert today and just got the time to fire it up about an hour ago. After about 20 min or so it was throwing some good heat out. I do believe the liner will have to be installed......with air wide open and door cracked it produces a good fire. Soon as that door shuts and seals the flame goes out within a couple minutes. Every time I open the door (air full throttle & slowly open door) I get smoke that comes out.....the wife REALLY X10 hates that part. The guy that I bought it off of mentioned he has a liner so I might be able to get it from him cheaper and install it myself with a block off plate.

Manual said no bigger than 8x12 chimney which mine happens to be just a shade bigger in sq inches......wouldn’t have thought 25 sq inches would’ve been a big deal.

Wood supply isn’t very good in these parts. A cord of oak will cost me at least $300. I bought a cord of pinion and cedar this year for $310. I’m hoping that early this year I’ll take a trip to the nearest forest and buy a firewood permit $15 for a 5 cord max.

Congrats! It's hard for me to imagine running w/o a liner. That's (to me) one of the main safety features in case of a chimney fire. However unlikely, chimney liner blocks can crack and now the fire can escape the chimney. I'd gladly add the grand to the payback period for piece of mind.

One other thought, when you sweep the chimney once per year, won't all that creosote be falling directly on the stove top, to the sides, and behind the stove? I'd hate that! With a liner, it'll all end up back in the stove.

When I first got my stove, I swore it came with a self-extinguishing feature. Turns out I had to make a mega-adjustment to my definition of "dry". Now, with fuel under cover for two years, I pretty well don't need kindling.

Blockoff plate and lining with Roxul is mandatory to get the best heat out of this insert.

 

[Berl2169]

So I know my next statement will make most cringe, but I’ll say it anyway. Lol. I’ve lived in this house for 9 years and I just swept my chimney (soot eater system) for the first time prior to installing this insert and maybe got half a milk jug out of it. I’ve typically burned a cord a year on avg but maintained hot fires to get anything out of it. Good friend of mine has had a country flame insert for 25 years and never has had it swept and when we pulled his out a couple months back you could still see the original color of his clay flue. Prolly worth mentioning though, that CF insert isn’t designed for an insert. It has a wide rectangle flue opening that allows for more flow.

The previous owner is going to give me that 35’ liner so that’s good news. Supposed to be in 70’s this weekend so tonight will be last fire till then. Hard part is I’ll just have about 3” of gap between lintel and top of insert to connect.

BTW my wife said it’s too hot in our house now and she’s the most cold nature’s person I know. So I think she’s trusting my judgment with this purchase, she never once said that with just regular fireplace.

So is there any minimum requirements to bldg the block plate as far as materials go? Never heard of roxul till this thread but I’m assuming that’s insulation that’s laid on top?

 

[Soundchasm]

I'll let someone qualified to answer the technical questions, but Roxul is spun rock (I think lava). Maybe 3" thick is common. Cut to shape with a bread knife.

I wedged plenty around the liner going up the flue to keep heat back down on the appliance.

Then I put Roxul behind and to the left and right of the stove against the walls. FINALLY the 550 began to make heat!! Can't believe how much wood I WASTED before the insulation - several cords, no doubt. But my masonry work is massive. Once you focus all available heat back on the stove things really look up.

I had a good 40 degree installation prior, and now I have a single digit installation.

 

[Berl2169]

Good deal I’ve read some other threads where 24 gauge was sufficient.

I’ll just buy some of that stuff at Lowes and use it all up.....it’s too expensive not to use it. Lol Thanks to all for the replies and advice. It’s in the teens here and heater hasn’t come on since about 5!![emoji106][emoji16]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Soundchasm]

Regardless of what you might read, you'll want a mask and gloves when you cut and handle that stuff. Since I have no mechanical skills, I skipped the 24 ga. and only used Roxul.

BTW, there's probably a clearance that needs to be maintained around the stove for air space, and that's so the stove can still cool naturally in case you lose electricity and can't run the fan. It will get *warm* w/o a fan... So in lieu of a specific, don't come into contact with the stove.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Regardless of what you might read, you'll want a mask and gloves when you cut and handle that stuff. Since I have no mechanical skills, I skipped the 24 ga. and only used Roxul.

BTW, there's probably a clearance that needs to be maintained around the stove for air space, and that's so the stove can still cool naturally in case you lose electricity and can't run the fan. It will get *warm* w/o a fan... So in lieu of a specific, don't come into contact with the stove.

Any health problems you’re aware of with roxul aside from resipiratory irritation that I see on the web? A mask is a good idea, agreed.

 

[Soundchasm]

Any health problems you’re aware of with roxul aside from resipiratory irritation that I see on the web? A mask is a good idea, agreed.

My impression is that once it's in place it's utterly inert. But when you work with it, you will see the fine dust in the air given correct lighting.

 

[Tim3345]

Hi All, I've been following this thread for a while. Over the past months I've been burning really heavy, I've been shoveling out the ashes, and not paying to much attention to getting all the ashes out. Tonight I spent a few extra minutes with a brush getting out everything from all the nooks and crannies. There was a lot more very fine ash then I realized in the stove. This is the Wow moment - Like others mentioned, the ash insulates the bottom of the stove and the fan's auto feature takes longer to come on. After brushing everything out - the fan came on very very quickly on auto, and wow - tonight the heat output was phenomenal! Every part of the surround was extremely hot, including the left pane (typically my right pane, near the hinges get hotter than the left).

Anyways though I would share my observations - thoroughly cleaning the ashes definitely increase heat output.


Stay warm Rockland friends!

- Tm

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Hi All, I've been following this thread for a while. Over the past months I've been burning really heavy, I've been shoveling out the ashes, and not paying to much attention to getting all the ashes out. Tonight I spent a few extra minutes with a brush getting out everything from all the nooks and crannies. There was a lot more very fine ash then I realized in the stove. This is the Wow moment - Like others mentioned, the ash insulates the bottom of the stove and the fan's auto feature takes longer to come on. After brushing everything out - the fan came on very very quickly on auto, and wow - tonight the heat output was phenomenal! Every part of the surround was extremely hot, including the left pane (typically my right pane, near the hinges get hotter than the left).

Anyways though I would share my observations - thoroughly cleaning the ashes definitely increase heat output.


Stay warm Rockland friends!

- Tm

This is true for sure. Do keep a good inch or so on stove floor though. This is per manual. Like you, I have found the auto fan setting dependent on amount of ash. I switch fan on manual setting once the stovetop then gets to about 400. I switch over to auto after a while so it shuts off in the wee hours of the morning. Measuring temps on this insert is tricky though so I guess you have to do what you’re comfortable with.