Installing the Jotul Sebago Free Standing Gas Fireplace

This post is step-by-step how we put in a Jotul Free Standing Direct Vent Fireplace with horizontal through-the-wall termination. That means the pipe goes out the back of the stove through the wall. On the other side of the wall it has a snorkel termination.

When we had the house built, there were so many choices to make, we decided that the fireplace was one we could put off. Then we were given a Whole House Generator. It runs off natural gas, so Cliff decided to have the gas for the fireplace installed at the same time.

When we had gas run to the generator, we had them bring the gas up where the fireplace will be. When the fireplace came in, we were all ready to have it installed.

We ordered the stove from Etowah Fireplace. Cliff changed his mind to have them install it, too. They removed it from the crate on their trailer.

Then the two installers moved it to the hand truck and strapped it down. Do you notice the motor on the back of the hand truck?

The hand truck climbs stairs! Those little feet lift the hand truck up one step at a time.

I had already measured and marked where we wanted it and the installer agreed that location will work. He used this little vibrating tool to cut through the drywall.

When he peeled the drywall back, there was a stud and wires exactly where we want the vent.

Not a problem. He cut through the 2×4 and moved the wires out of the way.

He made sure the thimble will fit.

Then he drilled through to make a guide outside.

You can see where the hole he drilled came through. The installer measured from there and penciled out where to cut the vinyl siding.

He removed the siding where the vent will go. He marked a square where the thimble will go through the wall. He left the rest of the Tyvek.

He cut through. The squares lined up perfectly.

Then he attached the outside piece of the thimble.

He slide the snorkel vent into place to make sure it fit. It did.

This is a DuraVent 46DVA-SNK14 Snorkel Termination Cap

DuraVent 46DVA-SNK14 Snorkel Termination Cap

Use for horizontal through-the-wall termination when a vertical rise is desired in the system to meet appliance manufacturer recommended minimum heights.

Next the installer put some sealant where the Tyvek and thimble meet.

Next he cut some vinyl siding trim to frame where he cut out the siding. He had some green that was very nearly identical to our siding. The rest of our trim is white, but I think the green will look much better.

He pushed the trim over the siding and fit the vent back on the wall. He nudged it until everything was perfectly square.

He screwed the vent to the wall.

Then he added a line of sealant all the way around.

The installer brought two lengths of pipe to run to the wall. This is the shorter of the two.

He attached the inside part of the thimble to the wall. The two pieces, outside and inside, fit together.

Originally we said we wanted it to be as close to the wall as possible. When we realized how very close that is, we decided it would be better to have it away some so we could reach the controls on the back of the stove more easily. So we used the longer length of pipe.

The installer threaded the thimble cover over the pipe.

He pushed the fireplace up to the hole and slid the pipe into the thimble. Then he pushed the thimble cover into place and screwed it to the wall.

This package holds the fire logs. Jotul Sebago comes with a five-piece set of fire logs.

The owner’s manual says;

To install the log set, remove the packaging and place the parts on the locator pins inside the firebox as illustrated. Do not handle the log set with your bare hands. Always wear gloves to prevent skin irritation from the ceramic fibers.

He’d evidently done it enough that he just unpacked them and put them right together inside the firebox. With bare hands.

The manual says;

The ember stones realistically simulate glowing coals when the burner is operating. These should be spread evenly over the burner plate and around the logs.

You do not need to use all of the ember stones. With some experimentation, you will find the arrangement and quantity of embers that works best with your stove. Depending upon the characteristics of your installation, it is possible that too many ember stones can promote sooting on the logs. Adjust the quantity of ember stones as appropriate to maintain the best overall flame picture and burner performance.

The installer used less than half the stones they gave us, but he left the rest in case we want to add more later.

He put in the glass, put on the doors and put on the screen protection over that. The screen is just to keep little fingers away from hot glass, but for now, we will leave it all together.

They put on the gas line and attached it to our gas line. He wanded it with the gas leak detector. That little thing can tell if there is any gas leaking from the connections.

After he bled the air out of the gas line, he started the pilot and lit our fire.

So here it is. For now we just have it sitting on pieces of tile. I will let you know when I put in the mantel and build a better hearth.

Hearth Requirements

The installation instructions say that the fireplace cannot be place directly on carpeting, vinyl, linoleum or Pergo. We got some tiles that look almost like the wood of the floor. We could have used; “metal, wood, ceramic, stone, or a listed hearth pad.” It had to be at least 27″ wide and 14″ deep. We plan to fit it to the mantel once we finish, but for now, it is just tiles on the floor.