30 minutes for the stack temperature to become steady. Wait for 15-30 minutes, (after
closing the draft bar to 1/2 open), and see where the stack temperature settles. Avoid
opening the lid to see what’s going on inside the furnace, as this interferes with the
temperature settling to the desired level. To have a clean burn, the stack temperature
should be about 150-250° degrees F. If after 15 -30 minutes the stack temperature is
250° degrees F or higher, the furnace getting too much air for the fuel you are burning.
Adjust the draft bar to let less air into the stove until the stack temperature levels off at
200 degrees F. Once you have the draft bar set so that the stack temperature is about
200°F on the thermometer, it will stay there until the furnace runs low on fuel. The stack
temperature will tell you exactly what is going on in the furnace. When the stack
temperature is running around 200°F, the furnace is operating at its optimal level.
When the stack temperature drops below 200 F, its time to add fuel.
CONGRATULA TIONS
You have just started your Sedore Furnace from a cold start. When
using hardwood as a fuel, you can expect a load to last anywhere between 12-20
hours, (the better your draft is, the longer the burn.) Sometimes your first load may
burn quicker, as a good bed of coals must be established to have the furnace operate
to maximum efficiency.
When starting your furnace for the first time, open the doors and windows, or have some
other form of ventilation, as there will be some smoke and fumes coming off the furnace.
This is normal when you light your furnace for the first time. New paint will release smoke
and fumes when it’s first heated. Open a window or door for ventilation and it will clear up
shortly. This will only happen the first time you light a new furnace.
Remember, the Sedore Furnace burns differently than others. If you’ve been
accustomed to the conventional stove, you would be putting paper on the bottom of
the stove, kindling on the top of the paper, and larger wood on the top of that. You do
it that way, because the air-flows upward, from intake point to the exit. (Air comes in
through an opening near the door and exits through the stovepipe on the top), so the
air flow direction flows upward, meaning anything that is in the stove will be on fire at
the same time. The result is unbearably high heat for a short period of time, and then
the heat dies down until you refuel again. A lot of heat is lost up the chimney and the
stack has to stay hot all the time to avoid creosote build up.
6
This new furnace works on an entirely different principle. The front chamber creates a
"down-draft" when the lid is propped open, and this is why you light you’re fire the
opposite way from a conventional stove. With this furnace, the whole fuel load is
never on fire. After starting and filling it to the top, only the bottom rows will burn,
because the "air-flow" range goes directly across the bottom of the stove when the lid
is down. All the burning is done at the bottom of the fuel pile. After one row is burned,
the next one will drop down to the burning area. The result is a steady, even heat,
that tends itself for anywhere between 12-20 hours on just one load, (see section on
fuels). You will get the same amount of heat from the furnace, regardless of the
quantity of fuel in the front chamber.
