Hi,
I recently removed a 1970's era "slam door" type wood insert from our basement fireplace. This is an internal chimney type setup so no exterior exposure of the masonry. I replaced it with a Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland CF which is an EPA insert that was eligible for the IRS credit. We have lived here more than 10 years and never used the old insert because I had it inspected and the chimney sweep said it was dangerous. Here's a pic of the old unit...
![[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_0989-webp.345312/ "[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland")
I chose the Jotul because it fit our fireplace, met the IRS/EPA guidelines and we liked the flush mount and the look of the face. We are not using this as primary or even secondary heating. We have a fairly new heat pump/propane furnace combo and a fairly new propane insert on the main level of the home so this unit was bought to A.) fill the hole that the old one left behind, B.) act as an insurance policy in case of power outage/SHTF, C.) augment our primary and secondary on those ultra cold days here in Central Virginia.
Today was my 4th burn on the new unit. I am learning as I go and this forum has been very helpful. The Jotul has a temp sensor built into the unit at the top to measure the catalyst temp. The manual says secondary burn occurs from 500 F to 1100 F. My first 3 burns were successively larger as suggested in the manual for break in.
Here's a couple pics from today's burn. Note that our fireplace masonry has these sort of built in vents. These are completely separate from the blower system built into the Jotul. I think they were called a heatilator system back in the day. They do not have any sort of powered fan but they draw air from the side of the chimney and move it around the back of the firebox which is separate from where the insert is housed. As you can see they are quite effective because the temp delta is more than 40 F and it's all passive heat.
![[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_2295-webp.345313/ "[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland")
New unit in the fireplace. Note the temp unit on the bottom right for the catalyst temp.
![[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_2297-webp.345314/ "[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland")
67 F at the inlet
![[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_2301-webp.345315/ "[Hearth.com] New wood fired insert in my older home - Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland")
112 F at the outlet of the vent above the mantel.
All in I have $7,500 in this unit and the installation. I paid just over $4,000 for the Jotul. I had gotten quotes from several places for the unit and found a couple dealers in WV that were quite a bit better than what I could find locally so I bought one there and went to pick it up myself. I'm happy to share that info with anyone who wants to send me a note.
Thanks for reading and please share any advice you have for me.
I recently removed a 1970's era "slam door" type wood insert from our basement fireplace. This is an internal chimney type setup so no exterior exposure of the masonry. I replaced it with a Jotul C 550 V2 Rockland CF which is an EPA insert that was eligible for the IRS credit. We have lived here more than 10 years and never used the old insert because I had it inspected and the chimney sweep said it was dangerous. Here's a pic of the old unit...
I chose the Jotul because it fit our fireplace, met the IRS/EPA guidelines and we liked the flush mount and the look of the face. We are not using this as primary or even secondary heating. We have a fairly new heat pump/propane furnace combo and a fairly new propane insert on the main level of the home so this unit was bought to A.) fill the hole that the old one left behind, B.) act as an insurance policy in case of power outage/SHTF, C.) augment our primary and secondary on those ultra cold days here in Central Virginia.
Today was my 4th burn on the new unit. I am learning as I go and this forum has been very helpful. The Jotul has a temp sensor built into the unit at the top to measure the catalyst temp. The manual says secondary burn occurs from 500 F to 1100 F. My first 3 burns were successively larger as suggested in the manual for break in.
Here's a couple pics from today's burn. Note that our fireplace masonry has these sort of built in vents. These are completely separate from the blower system built into the Jotul. I think they were called a heatilator system back in the day. They do not have any sort of powered fan but they draw air from the side of the chimney and move it around the back of the firebox which is separate from where the insert is housed. As you can see they are quite effective because the temp delta is more than 40 F and it's all passive heat.
New unit in the fireplace. Note the temp unit on the bottom right for the catalyst temp.
67 F at the inlet
112 F at the outlet of the vent above the mantel.
All in I have $7,500 in this unit and the installation. I paid just over $4,000 for the Jotul. I had gotten quotes from several places for the unit and found a couple dealers in WV that were quite a bit better than what I could find locally so I bought one there and went to pick it up myself. I'm happy to share that info with anyone who wants to send me a note.
Thanks for reading and please share any advice you have for me.
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