New Castine owner! Now to hook it up...

[Skier76]

We pulled the trigger this weekend and bought a matte black Castine. I'll pick it up this weekend or next and hopefully mentally engineer a way to get it inside. Luckily, the stove will be installed on the lower level which is a walk out to the backyard. My wife would gladly help, but she just had ACL surgery on her knee Monday.

So...according to the ol' manual: (broken link removed to http://www.jotul.us/FileArchive/Technical) Documentation/Wood Stoves/Jøtul F 400 Castine/Manual_F_400_USA_P02_150508.pdf

the top exit is 29.5" high. The current hearth has the exit thimble at 38.5" Obviously, I'm not going to need much pipe. Any suggestions on what to use for bends? The Castine has a 6" exit, chimney pipe is 8".

I've included some pics: The old setup with pipe (during our "move in time"...excuse the mess). The current set up; sans old pipe(and after a few hours with uric acid and a brush to clean up the cement from the home brew hearth install done by a previous owner) and a shot of the old pipe disconnected.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

You arent planning on re using the single wall are you? if so, new pipe will only be about 20 bucks. You just need a 90, a split 12 and some snips. The castine is a great stove, however its a bit draft sensitve. Make sure all your connector joints are super tight and you have the proper hight and diameter chimney. If i remember correctly,. i think the manual says 15'
gratz!

 

[begreen]

Toss out the old pipe. Top exit (as opposed to rear-exit as is currently shown) for the Castine. The F400 is great heater and has nice looks, but it is a bit draft sensitive. Top venting will help. If this is a basement installation with an exterior flue I would use double-wall pipe to connect the stove to improve draft a bit more.

Edit: Synchro post with MSG.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

o hell, i just looked at your other post, is that 8" ID chimney?? If so, you might have a hard time with that castine without a reline. Im not trying to plant bad seeds with your new purchase, but i have seen enough of these castines installed this way and they do not like it. If you are not planning on relining, you might go up to the oslo, its alot more draft freindly, and will work pretty well on 8".

 

[Skier76]

Thanks guys! Is a "split 12" just a section of 12" pipe?

Old pipe is getting tossed. Just put in few pics for comparison.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

pipe comes in split pipe and fixed pipe. split is easier to cut IMO.

 

[Skier76]

Thanks BeGreen and MSG. I'll be sure to look into the double walled interior pipe as an option. I'll just make sure I grab a good pair of snips before I do the install.

 

[begreen]

You don't cut interior, double-wall connector pipe at all. It must be ordered to length - double-wall, Selkirk DSP pipe. Measure up carefully because you may be able to use the DSP stove adapter (part 266243)and then a 12" + 24" length to make it to the top elbow. If not, they make a double-wall adjustable that goes from 12-18". Download the DSP catalog from Selkirk's site for parts list.

(Edit: reread the current heights. Depending on where the 38.5" was measured from, maybe all it needs is a stove adapter, then an elbow? If needed they make a 6" length. The 6-8" increaser is going to move the stove into the room. Maybe consider installing it on a diagonal, corner style? Check the catalog for dimensions of all parts.)

This installation is going to need all the help it can get to not be a smoker. Oversized, 8", short pipe + 90 into a tee + outdoor pipe + cold building/stove + F400 is not a great combo. These stoves work best when top vented, straight up through the roof.

 

[gpcollen1]

Hey Skier

Did I miss something - where does that 8" pipe go?? what kind of chimney is installed?

I have a Castine and can attest to the sensitive draft issues - not at all a knock on the stove. Good wood and a tall enough stack are critical. I installed Duraliner in my existing exterior chimney for mine and it works pretty well, though I may add 2 feet this year.

 

[Skier76]

8" pipe goes out through the wall, makes a 90 degree turn, then up. It's a metalbestos chimney..old school. Not an ideal set up, but after the $4500 estimate for the pellet stove, I'll make it work. (and that doesn't include the 1 or two tons of pellets I would have had to purchase.)

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I think what we are all trying to tell you, in this thread, and your old chimney thread, is that the castine is not the proper stove for this chimney. You need to go up to the oslo if you want a decent shot of the stove working properly on that oversized, exposed chimney. The castine has a proven track record of operating properly on well designed chimneys that go strait up with a 6" system. It has a very poor record on installation like you have. We are all just trying to help you before you get that stove delivered and its not returnable. You had mentioned in your old chimney thread that the dealer came out and told you it wouldn't work. We are all just trying to avoid a future "why wont my stove work" thread later in the season. At that point, you own the stove and you will be redoing the chimney system.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

you cant cut double wall pipe and have it mate properly to another section of double wall, and you void its listing. They have adjustable sections for double wall. Single wall you use a slip joint and cut the pipe to fit.

 

[Skier76]

I believe the double wall holds the heat better...but someone with more insight can chime in or correct me.

MSG, I totally understand and I really appreciate all the insight you and the others have given me. I'm taking a calculated risk and I'll be the first one to admit it if the house stinks like smoke all winter. ;-) Stove is paid for and set to be picked up at the end of this week. I'm pretty sure we're at the point of no return. :coolcheese:

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

Skier, good luck! i hope it works well for you. If it doenst, there are some modifications you can do with the chimney next season. Make sure that wood is dry, dont mess with the damper to try to choke the stove down, burn that baby wide open. Make a very hot kindling fire with paper and sticks before you try to light the main burn.
Stay Warm!
-MSG

 

[Skier76]

Skier, good luck! i hope it works well for you. If it doenst, there are some modifications you can do with the chimney next season. Make sure that wood is dry, dont mess with the damper to try to choke the stove down, burn that baby wide open. Make a very hot kindling fire with paper and sticks before you try to light the main burn.
Stay Warm!
-MSG

Again, you've been a huge help! And I appreciate all the advice. If it doesn't work out...I'll be sure to ask for some additional options; and you'll be more than welcome to say "I told ya so". :lol: Either way, I'll keep you posted. It's only fair.

Great tips on the kindling fire! I have a bunch of pine I can chop small just for that. And I have a window right near the stove that I'll open as well. Trail and error...I'll hammer out some sort of system.

 

[gpcollen1]

How high does that Metalbestos chimney go? What we are saying is that it is designed for 6" with a minimum of 15' in height. Mine is just about at that and double walled and I think it could actually use a few more feet of stack as compared to how it ran when it was in my other fireplace with a 20' stack.

Instead of waiting for an I told you so, I would do it right from the start. If that stove does not have good draft , even with perfect wood, it is going to burn slow and lazy. If the wood is marginal, the stove will be a nightmare...

I am in Western CT if you need any help...

 

[Skier76]

Thanks for the offer! The stove is going in our weekend house up in Soutern VT.

 

[Frostbit]

Best of luck getting the Castine in place, plumbed, and fired. It is a great little stove. Mine has been in place since last December, and has worked as advertised.

That said, and having had the experience of using it for a full Arctic winter, if I were to do it again I would buy the Oslo. First, for its larger firebox capacity, hence, more wood load and longer burn times, and Two, the side loading door.

Again, nothing wrong with the Castine. I love mine for what it is. I am looking forward to the start of burn season, which from the looks of things here may begin next week. I still have a lot of cutting, splitting and stacking to do!

 

[Skier76]

Wow! That's an early start to the season! But given your location....totally understandable.

 

[gpcollen1]

Best of luck getting the Castine in place, plumbed, and fired. It is a great little stove. Mine has been in place since last December, and has worked as advertised.

That said, and having had the experience of using it for a full Arctic winter, if I were to do it again I would buy the Oslo. First, for its larger firebox capacity, hence, more wood load and longer burn times, and Two, the side loading door.

Again, nothing wrong with the Castine. I love mine for what it is. I am looking forward to the start of burn season, which from the looks of things here may begin next week. I still have a lot of cutting, splitting and stacking to do!

Just understand that there is a big difference between a 24/7 burner and an occasional weekend burner. My Castine is my #2 stove and it is mighty easy to keep it ripping on weekends. Overnight and all day burns are another thing as 8 hours is max here - and I do mean MAX!

 

[Skier76]

Good point! This certainly will be a "weekender" stove. I better get some kindling ready.....going to need lots of that!

 

[Wet1]

As I mentioned before, use two dbl wall 45° elbows together rather than a single 90°. They will flow better than the single 90° and you're going to want all the draft you can get with that stove.

Another vote for going with the larger stove while you still can...

 

[chad3]

Haven't heard the word yet, Oslo. If the Castine doesn't cut it, one size up. I've been very happy with the Oslo in a 1400 cape. Run what you can.
Chad

 

[Skier76]

400lbs is HEAVY!

But is sure looks good on the nice cleanedup hearth!

 

[Skier76]

Skier....you dumb___! Why would you attempt to haul that yourself? The closest Jotul dealer in Tax Free NH doesn't cross into VT for deliveries.

Here's some of the move. Luckily, the monsoon ended shortly after we got to the stove store. I took a pic of it on the trailer while my wife ran into the grocery store. At the house, hooked it up to the ATV...and then hauled it to the backyard and tarped it again for the night.

Luckily, we didn't have too far to go. We supported the trailer, then moved the stove off of that right onto my Crafsman ATV jack. We used that to wheel it to the door, then managed to heave/musle it into the threshold. We were able to slide it across the floor...then one last heave onto the hearth. Holy ____ that thing weights 10x more than it looks like it should. My good buddy came to help me...not a one person job!