New guy with some Jotul 602 questions

[pfettig77]

Hi all. I've been reading a lot of the tips and tricks on this website for a couple months so I decided to join the conversation. I tried to search all the forums before I asked my questions, but if my questions have already been answered, feel free to redirect me. I've been heating my house in NW Wisconsin for 9 winters (7 of them have been with only the woodstove) with a Quadrafire Cumberland Gap and I really like it. I recently bought a 602 to heat our entryway/mudroom which is open to the house and seems to always be sending cold air in. I may have been a little hasty in buying it because it has some (hopefully solvable) issues.

One is that the door doesn't seem to want to shut enough to latch it. Everything is straight and true as far as the casting goes and the gasket looks perfectly normal. Any ideas?

I have a pdf file of for the old stoves. Is it correct that I can divide the clearances in half with a properly built non-flammable wall and a 1" space behind?

Does anyone know how far back or forward the top baffle plate should sit? What is it supposed to sit on? Right now it's resting in there at an angle with one side sitting on the side burn plate hangers. Thanks!

 

[webbie]

Baffle should rest against the rear of the stove. I think there is a dip in (curve) which sits into a small cast shelf in the rear casting.

In terms of the door latch, you can either remove the heavy spring steel U and pack it out with a couple washers or else bend it outward so that the latch catches it. The gasket should compress after a while - maybe it was put in with too much glue, etc....or, the older gaskets can turn rock hard. Either way, you should be able to adjust the catch.

As far as clearances, a sheet of metal spaced 1" off the wall will reduce clearances by 2/3. Most cement boards are rated to reduce it to the original wall by 50%. Here are some NFPA charts
https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/nfpa-wall-clearance-reductions/

 

[pfettig77]

Wow! That was quick and informative. Thanks. I read that clearance page on here before but the link for clearance reductions was broken. I was thinking about bending the steel U but I thought maybe it was cast and I didn't want to break it. I'll try that.

 

[begreen]

Does the door close flush with the stove body? Before adjusting the latch be sure that the door is not bumping into something like the baffle. If so the baffle is not set properly.

 

[pfettig77]

I just went and looked at it. It doesn't close quite flush, but there's nothing in the way. The hook is permanently attached and I'm afraid to bend it on the stove. The gasket is pretty hard and I will replace it, but it has a deep groove so I'd be surprised if the depth of the gasket is preventing it from closing. The gasket looks small - do I need to buy a certain size/diameter?

 

[begreen]

It could be that someone put in too large a gasket or if it is very stiff, maybe they used too much adhesive. I think this stove takes a 3/8" gasket.

 

[pfettig77]

OK. I'll just redo it. Replacing it isn't a bad idea anyway.

 

[webbie]

It may be that you need to lift the door a bit - etc.
Remove the door pins and press the door against the front....and see it is seems to fit and where the hinges are. Some small washers can lift it up a bit.

And, yes, that U is made out of steel and made to be bent.

 

[pfettig77]

Thanks - I'll try those things.

 

[defiant3]

Hold up! Not to be disagreeable at all, but I seem to recall that 3/8" gasketing on an old 602 would be problematic? Not a big deal, but if 3/8" does the same thing that is happening now, don't be afraid to go to 5/16" or even 1/4" if that's what works.

 

[pfettig77]

OK - I'll look at the smaller ones. The groove is pretty small. Hopefully I can find a place near here with different size gaskets like that. The local big box (Menards) only seemed to have big honkin' gaskets.

 

[webbie]

Hold up! Not to be disagreeable at all, but I seem to recall that 3/8" gasketing on an old 602 would be problematic? Not a big deal, but if 3/8" does the same thing that is happening now, don't be afraid to go to 5/16" or even 1/4" if that's what works.

Yes, it would be 5/16" if a loose fitting type - the original was harder asbestos which was 1/4" or so.....

Sometimes glue is spread too heavily or the gasket gets too old or hot and gets rock-hard.

 

[pfettig77]

OK. Thanks.
I don't know if I should have started a new thread for this (feel free to let me know), but at the joints there is some material flaking out from narrow gaps where the pieces meet (on the outside). Could that be the cement and if so, what should I do?

 

[begreen]

In a dark room put a bright light inside the stove and look for light leaks at the seams. If they show up seal with furnace cement or consider a rebuild this summer. It's about a 2 hr. job for this little stove.

 

[pfettig77]

Right after I bought it I tried that in my pitch black basement using my super bright tactical flashlight and didn't see any light. Maybe I'll try it again and have my wife inspect the back and other parts I can't see.

 

[pfettig77]

I know this has been brought up before, but I REALLY only want to punch one hole in my ceiling. If I'm reading everything correctly, these should be the clearances from the wall to the stove using the old 602 manual (for my older 602). The black is the spacing if there's no wall protection. The blue is the spacing if there's some type of cement board wall protection and the red is the spacing if there's 24 gauge steel. Does this all look correct? It's a pretty small space in a pretty small room so I want to put it as tight into the corner as possible.

 

[pfettig77]

I posted this picture as a new thread but didn't get any bites. Here's what I wrote:

I know this has been brought up before, but I REALLY only want to punch one hole in my ceiling. If I'm reading everything correctly, these should be the clearances from the wall to the stove using the old 602 manual (for my older 602). The black is the spacing if there's no wall protection. The blue is the spacing if there's some type of cement board wall protection and the red is the spacing if there's 24 gauge steel. Does this all look correct? It's a pretty small space in a pretty small room so I want to put it as tight into the corner as possible.

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure where these numbers are coming from. The closest you can reduce the clearances down to are 12" rear and sides with NFPA wall shielding. A proper shield needs to have 1" spacing behind it and to be off the floor by 1" and open at the top for good ventilation behind the shield. It doesn't matter if the shield is made out of steel or cement board. The rules are the same.

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/stove_wall_clear

 

[pen]

Is this what you are looking at?



Does this manual fit your stove?

(broken link removed to http://jotul.com/us/guides/_attachment/12835?_ts=13e1d3d1aec)

Also, any reductions from the maximum as you mention with sheet metal or a wall protector would require an air space behind them,,,, were you planning on that?

 

[pfettig77]

Yep, that's the manual I used. I just took the 32" and the 24" and reduced them by 50% and 66% (depending on the shield material) because I thought that's how it worked. I was planning on the 1" gap behind and at the bottom. I just wasn't sure if there was a minimum that you couldn't go beyond (like the 8" behind and the 10.6" to the side).

 

[pfettig77]

I just took the 32" and the 24" and reduced them by 50% and 66% (depending on the shield material) because I thought that's how it worked (see the second post above). I do know about the 1" gap behind and at the bottom. I just wasn't sure if there was a minimum that you couldn't go beyond (like the 8" behind and the 10.6" to the side). I'm using the older 602 manual to get the original numbers. I'm glad I asked because it looks like I'm not quite getting this.

 

[mass_burner]

Hold up! Not to be disagreeable at all, but I seem to recall that 3/8" gasketing on an old 602 would be problematic? Not a big deal, but if 3/8" does the same thing that is happening now, don't be afraid to go to 5/16" or even 1/4" if that's what works.

I have a old 602 that was never used and the gasket is very small, like the thickness of a pencil.

 

[mass_burner]

Does the door close flush with the stove body? Before adjusting the latch be sure that the door is not bumping into something like the baffle. If so the baffle is not set properly.

Is it normal for the latch to need a slight bump down to seat firmly. I have no smoke or draft issues and am very happy with the stove's performance so I thought it was normal or would loosen up over time.

 

[pfettig77]

Is it normal for the latch to need a slight bump down to seat firmly. I have no smoke or draft issues and am very happy with the stove's performance so I thought it was normal or would loosen up over time.

I have to push on mine so hard that the stove moves (or grab the firebox for leverage). Yours is downright loose compared to mine.

 

[pfettig77]

I have a old 602 that was never used and the gasket is very small, like the thickness of a pencil.

I actually found the info in the new manual. It says 1/4". Assuming that the old ones are the same size, that's what I'll go with.