Jotul F100 wood stove questions - clearances

[RIMatt]

Hi all, I'm thinking about getting a Jotul F100 in the future to heat an open concept area of my house. This would be used as a supplemental heat source and used mainly on nights and weekends. The area is about 600-750 sq feet and features a dining room, kitchen and living room all of which is open. I've checked the clearances of the stove for an installation sitting outside of the fireplace. I think I meet all but one which is the lower trim of the mantel. From the floor to the bottom of the lower trim I measure 38". Given that the stove is 22.5" and there needs 17" from the top of the stove to the bottom of the lower trim that gives 39.5" of clearance. The lower trim juts outs 1.5" and the top of the mantel juts out 4".

Can anyone suggest something to make this stove fit the requirement? I was thinking a 22ga piece of sheet metal on the bottom face of the trim and then painted with rust oleum high temp paint? Would this work?

Thanks for any feed back.

 

[RIMatt]

Also looking into a hearthstone craftsbury which I think would fit my fireplace.

 

[begreen]

Yes, you could fabricate a mantel shield that could be attached to the underside of the lintel or to the underside of the bottom mantel trim with 1" spacers.

What is the fireplace opening height? The Hampton H200 (and maybe the H300) could fit.

 

[RIMatt]

I will take some more measurements this afternoon. The H300 looks nice. The craftsbury also looks nice. Is one stove preferred over the other?

 

[begreen]

I think the Craftsbury looks great, but the Hampton is a bit more solid and robust in areas like the latch and hinges.

 

[RIMatt]

Thanks begreen. I appreciate the input. I glanced at the manual for the H200 but I don't see any information about clearances from a mantel for a masonry fireplace. Is it somewhere else in the manual or is it extracted from the alcove measurements?

 

[begreen]

It's in there, search on 'mantel'. Mantel shelf height minimum is 48" I think.

 

[RIMatt]

Ah ok. I found it. Yes it is 48" for minimum mantel shelf height. It doesn't list any thing about the bottom trim clearance though. Is that not a concern with the Hampton H200?

 

[begreen]

Can't say. You can call Regency support and ask. I think I would shield it.

 

[RIMatt]

I re-measured the mantel height from the floor. I’m at 46” not 48” so the H200 is a no go. I think I’m going to move the bottom trim up 2” and that will make the clearances for the jotul f100 and the craftsbury good. Any other suggestions? By the way, the dimensions of the firebox are:

Height - 29" in the front and 32" in the back
Width - 48" front 36" back
Depth - 21" and 16 7/8" hearth

Floor to bottom trim = 38"
Floor to bottom mantel = 46 3/8"

 

[RIMatt]

Alrighty, I moved the mantel up a bit and now have 40" from floor to bottom trim and about 49" to the mantel shelf. The jotul F100 will fit just fine with these specs. I do like the look of the stove and the large fire viewing window. The short burn times seem to be a problem with this stove, but I am using it mostly for ambiance and supplemental heating nights and weekends. Is there a stove with similar clearance specs, a bit longer burn time or more BTUs, but also aesthetically pleasing? I've read an old thread on here that mentions a quadrafire yosemite but looking at the quadrafire website they don't seem to make that model any more?

Thanks all.

 

[BobMcG]

Alrighty, I moved the mantel up a bit and now have 40" from floor to bottom trim and about 49" to the mantel shelf. The jotul F100 will fit just fine with these specs. I do like the look of the stove and the large fire viewing window. The short burn times seem to be a problem with this stove, but I am using it mostly for ambiance and supplemental heating nights and weekends. Is there a stove with similar clearance specs, a bit longer burn time or more BTUs, but also aesthetically pleasing? I've read an old thread on here that mentions a quadrafire yosemite but looking at the quadrafire website they don't seem to make that model any more?

Thanks all.

They stopped making the Yosemite about 18 mos. ago.

Bob

 

[begreen]

The Jotul F400 looks like it will fit with the short leg kit. Bigger firebox and window on that stove.

 

[RIMatt]

@begreen I just looked at the clearances for the mantel and I don't think that's going to work. The lower leg kit reduces the height of the stove by 2 1/4" so given the height of the stove at 28.5" I wont be able to fit it.

Mantel and Trim Stove to 1" thick or less, side trim - 13" this is ok.
Clearances Stove to 1" thick or less, top trim - 23" + 26.5(low leg kit) = 49.5" I'm at 40" from floor to bottom of top trim (unpainted wood in picture)
Stove to mantel- maximum mantel depth 12" - 25" + 26.5(low leg kit) = 51.5" I'm at 49" from floor to bottom of mantel.

This is a bummer because the F400 is a beautiful stove and would be plenty to heat my area of 650-700sq ft and longer burn times would be a plus.

Next I'll check the 3 cb. Havent checked but maybe there is a low leg kit for that stove... I'll keep you updated.

Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

I was thinking of the F400 with the short leg kit and the Jotul heat shield installed. Ask your Jotul dealer.

 

[RIMatt]

@begreen Is the heat shield removable when not in use during the warm weather? I could get on board with this and hopefully get the wife approval too.

 

[begreen]

Yes, it could be made removable. Or depending on the mantel design one could be fabricated to be quite discrete and inoffensive. Or the mantel could be made of a non-combustible material.

 

[RIMatt]

I wondering if I could find a metal fabricator in my area to make something for the mantel. I would then need 1" ceramic spacers to have the metal attached the wood mantel correct?

 

[begreen]

Yes, if the mantel material is combustible then the shield would be attached to the underside on 1" spacers and it would extend an inch beyond the mantel. It's just a sheet of metal cut to fit. Could have the front edge angled up slightly and could be painted black or brown to make it more discrete or made out of copper if you want to get fancy.

 

[RIMatt]

Ok so now I’m considering the F 3CB stove which is rated for 1300sq feet which should be plenty for the 750 I’m looking to heat. I have two really big picture windows installed in the 1950’s so not exactly energy efficient. I insulated the house myself so I know that I have decent insulation. The clearances will need to be met with a heat shield. The manual doesn’t say what the clearances are for a mantel with a heat shield so does anyone know what the reduction calculations are for a heat sheild?

 

[begreen]

The F3CB is a nice little stove, but if you can go larger, do. Having owned both I really appreciated the larger firebox and bigger window on the F400. I also like the air control better on the F400. The F3CB is a willing little heater and looks sharp, but it will need more frequent reloads and it's fairly hard to get an overnight burn in it. Go to a Jotul dealer that has both on the floor and check them both out.

 

[RIMatt]

Would the 400 be too much for 750 sq feet? It’s tough to tell. But I don’t want to be sweated out of the room. But the longer burn would be nice. But for supplemental heating nights and weekends the 3 CB might do the trick. Decisions decisions.

 

[begreen]

You control the heat by the size of the fire you make, the species of wood, and the air control setting.

 

[RIMatt]

Thats true. Just have to make sure I keep it hot enough to get a clean burn.

 

[begreen]

If the place is getting warm enough, either use a fan to move the heat to another area or let the fire go out.