Issue with Jotul Rockland C550

[cmjb13]

Purchased a Jotul Rockland C550 last year to reduce our use of oil. Fireplace room has 2 entrances on opposite wall with an imperial room to room fan mounted in each entrance corner (see attached picture) The fan is facing outward to try blow hot air into the adjacent living room. While the fireplace room gets warm, not super hot, the adjacent family room does not get much warmer even with both fans running. I have also tried an oscillating fan on a high shelf pointed away from the fireplace room, to no avail. I tried facing an oscillating fan on the floor just outside the fireplace room, facing the fireplace room which does not seem to have made any difference. I have also hung a sheet around the staircase entrance so the hot air is directed into the adjacent family room and not wasted up the staircase to no avail (see attached picture for 1st floor layout)

Fireplace room does not have a ceiling fan at this time, but may possibly in the future. While I realize the insert is meant to supplement normal HVAC heating (oil in my case), the goal when this was purchased was to reduce our dependency an oil. I'm starting to wonder if its any cheaper to run the fireplace blowers plus 3 fans for a negliable increase in temperature for hours at a time vs traditional oil furnace that heats the house from 60-70 in 1 hour

Is there anything I can do to get the warm air spread into adjacent rooms?

 

[begreen]

How tall is the ceiling in the fireplace room?

For better heat circulation turn off the little fans. Moving cold air towards the warmth is more efficient. To do this, take a box or 12" table fan and put it on the floor at the opening between the living room and the fireplace room, pointing toward the fireplace. Run it on low speed. That should set up a convection loop where the cooler air being blown into the fireplace room is replaced by warm air that is pulled through the kitchen and around through the living room.

 

[cmjb13]

How tall is the ceiling in the fireplace room?

For better heat circulation turn off the little fans. Moving cold air towards the warmth is more efficient. To do this, take a box or 12" table fan and put it on the floor at the opening between the living room and the fireplace room, pointing toward the fireplace. Run it on low speed. That should set up a convection loop where the cooler air being blown into the fireplace room is replaced by warm air that is pulled through the kitchen and around through the living room.

The ceiling with the fireplace is about 9-10 feet tall, so it's not a cathedral ceiling

I had placed 2 different fans directly underneath the small mounted fans facing towards the insert and it really made no difference. Then again, I believe i had them on in conjunction with the mounted fans. What I read online was that with the hot air rising, the room to room fans would push out the warm air. With 2 fans facing the fireplace room blowing cold air, it would circulate the warm air better.

The purpose of buying the mounted fans was on a suggestion from the fireplace shop and they had good reviews (they were not cheap even though I got them on ebay) The fireplace shop also told me to mount a fan in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room to draw the warm air into the room. I have not yet done that since I wanted to see how these 2 imperial fans worked first before I purchased additional ones.

So these wall mounted fans are basically a waste?

 

[webby3650]

Have you been using well seasoned wood? New stoves can be less than impressive with under seasoned wood.

 

[cmjb13]

Have you been using well seasoned wood? New stoves can be less than impressive with under seasoned wood.

Since this is our first experience with a fireplace, the wood that was delivered a few weeks ago has been hit or miss.

Some wood seems to catch fire immediately and others just seem to just glow. I do not see any wood that is bubbling which would indicate water inside.

 

[webby3650]

The ceiling with the fireplace is about 9-10 feet tall, so it's not a cathedral ceiling

I had placed 2 different fans directly underneath the small mounted fans facing towards the insert and it really made no difference. Then again, I believe i had them on in conjunction with the mounted fans. What I read online was that with the hot air rising, the room to room fans would push out the warm air. With 2 fans facing the fireplace room blowing cold air, it would circulate the warm air better.

The purpose of buying the mounted fans was on a suggestion from the fireplace shop and they had good reviews (they were not cheap even though I got them on ebay) The fireplace shop also told me to mount a fan in the doorway between the kitchen and dining room to draw the warm air into the room. I have not yet done that since I wanted to see how these 2 imperial fans worked first before I purchased additional ones.

So these wall mounted fans are basically a waste?

Yes, a waste.
You need a small box fan on the floor forcing the heavy, dense, cold air into the stove room.

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

the wood that was delivered a few weeks ago has been hit or miss.

If wood was recently delivered, you likely have identified your problem source. Check moisture content on freshly split face. If over 20% that's likely the cause.

 

[begreen]

Try again as advised with a single fan. Put a thermometer on the kitchen counter before you start and note the temp. Then start the single fan. Check kitchen temp an hour later.

 

[jatoxico]

Forgetting about your house and the layout and the fans and the rest of it. The question is are you running the stove correctly? For starters you'll need to know what your stove top temps are which should be at least 500 peak if not more. When the stove is running at good operating temps with primary air appropriately set a block off plate and insulation will make sure the maximum available heat makes its way into the room.

 

[begreen]

This is a Jotul insert. It's harder to get a good temp reading, but try on the front face above the door. If the insert is installed in an outside wall fireplace and has no block-off plate or insulation behind it, some heat is being lost to outdoors.

 

[jatoxico]

I have my thermometer in the vent about 3" back in the center on my 550. It's readable, also have the laser to shoot the flue or whatever but don't need or use that much anymore. Just saying almost any stove running right should be a net gain, how the heat moves in the house is what it is but my 550 keeps my 3000 some odd feet comfortable when it's running.

 

[begreen]

Good to know. So you see it diagonally thru the convection slot? Do you take temps with the blower off or on?

I'm sure you've posted this before, but did you end up putting a block-off plate in?

 

[jatoxico]

Shoot the flue diagonally the thermometer is visible but at night I need a small penlight to see the needle. Have block off plate and insulation. Thermometer readings are taken either way, fan on fan off is still giving the stove top temp. Thermometers don't record wind chill.

 

[begreen]

I thought you had the bo plate but read so many threads I forget.

On our stove I note that the bimetalic stovetop thermometer is definitely affected by the blower. Normally it reads within 5º of the IR reading. With the blower on it will read less than the IR reading. How much less depends on the blower speed setting.

 

[jatoxico]

Hmm the contact of the magnetic must not be too good or it's not shielded well enough so you're not measuring the stove top but the air immediately around the contact.

 

[begreen]

Yes, likely the shielding. It was designed for early VC stoves without blowers.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Just wanted to encourage you that I don't think your purchase of the fans was a waste. I think it's the same type we have. They're quiet and move about twice as much air as other fans we considered.

You've gotten good advice about making sure the stove is putting off good heat, but then I think it is really key to move cold air out of the rooms you want to heat.

Our house is a raised ranch with the fireplace insert in the finished basement on the west(ish) exterior wall. Our master bathroom is up the stairs down a hallway, and basically around a 180 degree turn. It gets cold in there, but if I want to warm it up, I'll simply put one of those circulator fans on the floor and blow the cold air out. It makes a noticeable difference in just a few minutes.

I actually took one of our little fans to my mother's house when we visited recently. She heats with a little Lange in the living room of one end of a ranch, and the baby was going to be sleeping at the other end around an angle. Whenever the baby was between naps, I'd open the door and blow the cold air out. Within ten minutes you could feel the difference with bare feet on the carpet. My mother was so impressed that she found a little desk fan and put it blowing air out of a corner study that is adjacent to the stove room but usually runs at least fifteen degrees cooler. She was amazed by the results.

Just keep playing with your configuration. Even if you don't use the mounting bracket up high you've got some high-powered, low-noise fans that should help distribute heat if your stove is really putting it out. Do you have a moisture meter to check the content of your wood? It might be wetter than you think, and that can lead to disappointment at the beginning.

 

[rkofler]

You have already received some great advice that I can simply backup. A stovetop thermometer helps tremendously. Place it in the slot where the air blows out, just push it in about as far as your fingers can reach. I placed mine upside down as I think it is easier to read, might need a small flashlight to shine in. As you gain experience, knowing the temp will help you know when to adjust air control. My opinion, the Jotul loves to run hot! I comfortably run around 700 degrees without any concerns. Then crank the fan and let all that hot air spill out into the house.
I have a ranch, so spreading the heat to the bedrooms is not easy. Without a doubt the best solution, as has already been suggested, small fan on the floor blowing cold air toward stove room. Keep it on low as you don't want to create a draft.

 

[bobbyblades]

Purchased a Jotul Rockland C550 last year to reduce our use of oil. Fireplace room has 2 entrances on opposite wall with an imperial room to room fan mounted in each entrance corner (see attached picture) The fan is facing outward to try blow hot air into the adjacent living room. While the fireplace room gets warm, not super hot, the adjacent family room does not get much warmer even with both fans running. I have also tried an oscillating fan on a high shelf pointed away from the fireplace room, to no avail. I tried facing an oscillating fan on the floor just outside the fireplace room, facing the fireplace room which does not seem to have made any difference. I have also hung a sheet around the staircase entrance so the hot air is directed into the adjacent family room and not wasted up the staircase to no avail (see attached picture for 1st floor layout)

Fireplace room does not have a ceiling fan at this time, but may possibly in the future. While I realize the insert is meant to supplement normal HVAC heating (oil in my case), the goal when this was purchased was to reduce our dependency an oil. I'm starting to wonder if its any cheaper to run the fireplace blowers plus 3 fans for a negliable increase in temperature for hours at a time vs traditional oil furnace that heats the house from 60-70 in 1 hour

Is there anything I can do to get the warm air spread into adjacent rooms?

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/jotul-c550-rockland-tips-thread.21774/page-19#post-1622356

i got a bigger fan

 

[edthesweep]

Yes, likely the shielding. It was designed for early VC stoves without blowers.

How do I get a cool moving profile pic like that awesome secondary combustion you have in urs?

 

[begreen]

It's an animated gif

 

[edthesweep]

how do i record one?

 

[gmhowell]

Do you have a SS liner in your flue?

 

[2fireplacesinSC]

Is there a block off plate? If not, you could be losing a lot of heat up the chimney, giving you less than expected heating.