Jotul Chimney Drying Rack?

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Dec 29, 2018
8
Sierra Foothills
I bought a house about 8 months back and it came with this cool first series Jotul #8. Once I got the clog out of the chimney it started running great ;) What I can’t figure out is, what is this half circle chimney mounted rack? It’s not hot enough to boil water, but it doesn’t seem like a great place for anything flammable... I believe it’s a single wall chimney. Is it intended for drying clothes or shoes? That’s my best guess. Thanks for your help!

 
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It looks like the stove pipe transitions at that rack, maybe to double-wall? Wondering if it is some sort of stack-robbing, heat-scavenging, bun warmer?
 
It does balloon out at that section which is about 14 inches long, then goes back to the same size as what comes out of the stove. The outside wall of the chimney at that section is still quite hot! Wish I had an accurate way to measure but I’m a newbie. So I am guessing a heat scavenger is just a useless accessory or is it used to spread the heat out? Thanks!
 
It looks like there is a second half missing. There used to be racks like this that went on the stove pipe for kitchen warmers and bread dough rising. Hear is an example of one called the "Woman's Friend".

[Hearth.com] Jotul Chimney Drying Rack?

The pipe above this rack looks to be a larger diameter than the 6" stove pipe coming off the stove even past the elbow.
 
Wow that looks just like it! Cool. Here is the back of mine, the clamp looks original but there are punch outs on each end where another half circle could possibly have bolted in.
[Hearth.com] Jotul Chimney Drying Rack?
 
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You could put mittens and gloves on it as well. Nice old stove! I really like the old Scandinavian designs. Like Begreen said, it will take heat out of your pipe, which is the point, but you don't want to lose too much heat. Creosote will condense on any surface under 250 f.

You can get a magnetic surface thermometer to know the stove pipe temperature, or an IR thermometer gun is handy if you don't like to get close. It seems Condar is the most accurate brand of surface thermometer. It looks like you already have something on the single wall pipe coming out of the stove top.
 
I bought a house about 8 months back and it came with this cool first series Jotul #8. Once I got the clog out of the chimney it started running great ;) What I can’t figure out is, what is this half circle chimney mounted rack? It’s not hot enough to boil water, but it doesn’t seem like a great place for anything flammable... I believe it’s a single wall chimney. Is it intended for drying clothes or shoes? That’s my best guess. Thanks for your help!

I think that's pretty cool. I'd leave it on and use it.

I can't imagine it steals enough heat from the stack to make any difference. But I'll wait to see if the experts correct my thinking.

It looks like cast iron, so it would conduct heat more gently than steel.
 
I think that's pretty cool. I'd leave it on and use it.

I can't imagine it steals enough heat from the stack to make any difference. But I'll wait to see if the experts correct my thinking.

It looks like cast iron, so it would conduct heat more gently than steel.

In theory it should only rob heat during a cold start since it will continue to hold heat after that.
 
My dad has never seen anything like it, but his guess was it's probablty for drying socks, keeping bread dough warm while rising, that sort ot thing. I was thinking it could hold your cast iron cookware when not in use.
 
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LOL, fortunately I weld. And vote. I would love to have a vintage original though. If Jotul made them nothing comes up online, They would be relatively easy to make though.
I'd love to see an original piece of art like that. If you can fashion the number "3000" into it, even better.