Blow torch effect on Jotul Stove

[Patty Reve]

I read some very old posts on this forum about problems with a blow torch effect on Jotul stoves. The first post was in 2005. We replaced a wood stove with a propane stove in September and finally got the installation of the gas line, etc completed on December 1. On December 3, having left the stove set on thermostat, we returned home from an errand and discovered the flames about 4 times higher than normal and a roaring sound coming from the stove. The folks in this forum correctly labeled it a blow torch sound. We have made numerous calls to the stove store, and finally went in yesterday to speak with them directly. They listened to the information I obtained from the forum, called Jotul and confirmed that a new burner needs to be installed, just as the people in this forum indicated. My concerns are: 1) that this is still a problem 9 years after the first post here 2) Jotul has made no effort to contact their dealers about this potential issue so they can be prepared to deal with customers on this 3) why in the world Jotul hasn't fixed this issue on new stoves since 2005. Surely they can do this at the manufacturer's level. I am wondering if there are any others experiencing this same issue. I have now filed a complaint with the U S Consumer Product Safety Commission.

 

[DAKSY]

The blow-torch effect is caused by a misaligned burner orifice. It happens during shipment, which
Jotul doesn't have any control over once it leaves their warehouse.
It should have been taken care of when the gas valve was converted, as the problem doesn't
manifest itself burning natural gas, only propane. The repair may sound like it's Jotul's responsibility,
but, since it doesn't occur til after the conversion, I'd place the blame on the installation or the conversion tech.

 

[Patty Reve]

Thanks, Daksy, for the reply. I may have been misleading. This was not a conversion. We took out a wood stove and put in a brand new Jotul stove. Yes, there was an initial installation problem in that the pilot light was not aligned properly and the stove would not stay lit. A technician fixed that, but it was about a week later that the blow torch problem emerged. Jotul has admitted that there is a problem with the burner and offered to the dealer that they would send a new one out. The technician has the same stove with the same problem, so there will be two new burners. I will mention the misalignment of the burner orifice to the technician when he returns, but it appears that Jotul is taking responsibility for this issue. Since I saw comments in this forum from 2005 through 2011 in which people were mentioning the same problem, I decided to write. I do think Jotul should have fixed this by now.

 

[DAKSY]

Yes, it WAS a conversion. Jotul does not sell LP stoves. Jotul sells NG stoves that can be converted to LP when required.
The gas line coming in thru the bottom of the stove has a brass elbow, that the burner orifice is attached to.
That elbow is held in place with a retaining nut. The cast iron burner pan is actually quite heavy for it's size &
during a normal shipment, because it is attached to the orifice, the normal jostling during shipment &
delivery it can cause that retaining nut to move.
A good installer will check the alignment at install as a normal part of the process.

 

[Patty Reve]

Yes, it WAS a conversion. Jotul does not sell LP stoves. Jotul sells NG stoves that can be converted to LP when required.
The gas line coming in thru the bottom of the stove has a brass elbow, that the burner orifice is attached to.
That elbow is held in place with a retaining nut. The cast iron burner pan is actually quite heavy for it's size &
during a normal shipment, because it is attached to the orifice, the normal jostling during shipment &
delivery it can cause that retaining nut to move.
A good installer will check the alignment at install as a normal part of the process.

OK. Thanks. I will inquire about this when they return.

 

[49er]

OK. Thanks. I will inquire about this when they return.

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

 

[Patty Reve]

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

A technician from the stove store came out and in thirty minutes made an adjustment, but I don't really know what he did. We have not had a single problem since then. However, the technician himself has a stove like ours, about the same age, and it does the same thing. When he discussed it with Jotul and they told him that a burner mechanism needs to be replaces and asked if he wanted one, he told them he needs two, one for us and one for himself. We have not heard another word. I suspect it will take a while for the part to arrive. In the meantime, I am able to sleep at night.

 

[49er]

Thanks for the reply Patty, perhaps the technician adjusted that burner orifice that DAKSY mentioned? We have a 3 year old Jotul Sebago that has the blow torch problem every now and then also. It can be fine for a few days or weeks but then will start to act up, most often it's the first start in the morning after having the heat off all night. I've checked the burner alignment and played with the ember placement but have not been able to find a permanent fix yet. It's certainly a frightening situation when it happens!
Please keep us informed about the replacement burner that Jotul is recommending.

By the way, which model stove do you have?

 

[Patty Reve]

It's an Allagash. Not a very large stove. Beautiful to look at, for sure. I will post again if something else happens. Thanks for following this. One thing that surprised the technician, whose own stove had been doing this, was when I commented about the first time it happened to us. We had been out for about two hours, came home to this sound of a blow torch, but also the flames were 3-4 times the size they were supposed to be. The combination was very frightening. His had never had larger flames and that was a bit alarming to him as well.

Over and out for now.