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Revised: 14/11/2011 

 

    Printed: 20/03/2013 

8

TABLE 1: FIREWOOD SPECIES AND THEIR PROPERTIES 

 

Firewood  

Species 

Forest Type 

Heat 

Avail. 

Per Unit 

Volume 

(%) 

Density 

(Dry Air) 

Ib/ft3/ 

Kg/m3 

Splitting 

Ignitability 

Coals 

Sparks 

Avail. 

Mallee Roots   

Mallee 

100 

N.A 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

Belah, Buloke 

Mallee 

Box-Ironbark 

100 

70 /  

1121 

Good 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Limited 

Grey 

Box 

Box-Ironbark 

100 

70 /  

1121 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

Black 

Box 

Box-Ironbark 

97 

69 /  

1105 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Limited 

Red  

Ironbark 

Box-Ironbark 

97 

69 / 

1105 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

Yellow 

Box 

Box-Ironbark 

91 

65 /  

1041 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

Red 

Box 

Box-Ironbark 

91 

67 /  

1073 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

Yellow 

Gum 

Box-Ironbark 

90 

60 /  
993 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Few 

Good 

River 

Red Gum 

River 

Red Gum 

80 

56 /  
897 

Difficult 

Poor 

Excellent 

Moderate 

Good 

Blue 

Gum 

Foothill 

80 

61 /  
977 

Fair 

Fair 

Good 

Few 

Good 

Red 

Stringy Bark 

Foothill 

72 

54 /  
865 

Good 

Good 

Good 

Few 

Good 

Messmate 

 

Foothill 

68 

45 /  
721 

Good 

Good 

Good 

Few 

Good 

Mountain 

Ash 

Mountain 

53 

42 /  
673 

Excellent 

Excellent 

Fair 

Moderate 

Good 

White Cypress 

Pine 

Box-Ironbark 

60 

42 /  
673 

Good 

Excellent 

Poor 

Many 

Limited 

Radiata 

Pine 

Foothill 

Plantations 

 45 

32 /  
512 

Fair 

Excellent 

Poor 

Many 

Good 

 

KNOW YOUR WOOD 

A piece of dry wood produces an incredible amount of heat when burnt correctly.  A piece of dry wood, however is also 
like a sponge and can absorb up to 70% of its weight in water if exposed to the elements.   
 
The fact that all wood heaters rely on dry fuel to perform at their best cannot be over-emphasized as it is critical to your 
heater’s performance.  The relevant moisture content (wetness) of wood is indicated in the following table. 
 

Moisture Content 

Fuel Suitability 

Below 10% 

Very dry.  Wood burns but less efficiently as some moisture is needed for 
ideal combustion. 

10% - 18% 

Ideal.  Wood burns efficiently and economically 

18% - 25% 

Wood will burn, but less efficiently 

Above 25 % 

Wood too wet to burn efficiently 

 
It is extremely difficult to light, let alone maintain, a fire using wet or green wood.  A firebox filled with 20kg, wet or green 
wood could contain up to 10 litres of water. As a result, the heater would naturally perform very poorly as most of the heat 
generated would be directed to vaporizing the water.  Be aware that if you purchase wood with 50% moisture content, the 
50% of the money you paid for the wood, in fact, purchased water. 
 
Ideally,  firewood  should  be  organised  in  the  spring  and  under  cover  by  mid-autumn.    If  you  obtain  next  year’s  wood  in 
spring, it should be open air dried over summer for a minimum of six months.  The wood should then be stacked under 
cover in such a way that air can flow between the pieces.  A plastic sheet or tarpaulin is not sufficient, as condensation 
may account for a high moisture content in the wood. 
 
It is important to select firewood that will build a good base or bed of coals.  It is actually the coals and not the flames, 
which form the hottest part of the fire and provide the heat source for your heater. 
 
Dry hardwood has over twice the density of pine, so double the volume of pine is required to provide the same amount of 
heat.    Firewood  that  has  had  the  bark  removed  produces  less  ash.   The  table  above  provides  a  good  indication  of  the 
properties of various common type of firewood. 
 
 
 

 

Summary of Contents for 1600

Page 1: ...IONS Serial Number of Heater ____________ Model ___________________ ARROW WOOD HEATERS ARE AUSTRALIAN OWNED AND MANUFACTURED BY SHAMIC SHEETMETAL SHAMIC SHEETMETAL SHAMIC SHEETMETAL SHAMIC SHEETMETAL AUST PTY LTD PO BOX 8 KILSYTH VIC 3136 PH 03 9737 5300 FAX 03 9761 6455 www shamicheating com au ...

Page 2: ...LED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AUSTRALIAN STANDARD AS 2918 AND THE APPROPRIATE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LOCAL BUILDING REGULATORY AUTHORITY WARNING BURN ONLY HARDWOOD WARNING DO NOT USE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS SUCH AS PETROL KEROSENE OR ENGINE OIL TO START OR REKINDLE THE FIRE CAUTION MIXING OF APPLIANCE OR FLUE SYSTEM COMPONENTS FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES OR MODIFYING THE DIMENSIONAL SPECIFICATIONS OF COMPONENTS MAY RE...

Page 3: ... or masonry fireplace connected to a chimney both of which shall be inspected for soundness and thoroughly cleaned before the heater is installed After removing the packaging slide the heater into the fireplace opening A flue system shall be connected to the heater providing free and effective discharge of combustion by products outside the building and any enclosed or confined space Arrow models ...

Page 4: ...ntrol to desired level As well as keeping recommended firewood sizes in mind the way you load the fuel will affect the operating characteristics of your Arrow heater Always ensure adequate air is provided for combustion and to reduce creosote a smaller intense fire is preferable to a large smouldering one If a large log is placed across the width of the firebox more often than not the wood will sm...

Page 5: ...t least 2 3 full set the air inlet control to high and let the heater operate in this manner for at least 90 minutes Note Ensure that the heater fan is switched to high during this procedure failure to do so may result in excessive deflection of the heater top panel or damage to the fan wiring Paint curing To prevent discolouration of the high temperature paint do not burn a large fire until the p...

Page 6: ...sh being most effective If you experience heavy tar like deposits then inspect your fuel and review your operating methods Wet or green wood will cause heavy creosote deposits on the glass as well as the flue system and will severely restrict your heaters performance WARNING DO NOT OPERATE THE HEATER IF THE DOOR GLASS IS CRACKED Door glass seal Before lighting the first fire of the heating season ...

Page 7: ...rest on the floor of the firebox 3 Lower the front of the baffle until it clears the support brackets remove it from the firebox The baffle plate should be removed and inspected annually and flaky deposits shaken or brushed off The most convenient time to maintain the baffle is when the flue is being cleaned Flue system Under normal conditions using dry hardwood and employing correct operating pro...

Page 8: ...be over emphasized as it is critical to your heater s performance The relevant moisture content wetness of wood is indicated in the following table Moisture Content Fuel Suitability Below 10 Very dry Wood burns but less efficiently as some moisture is needed for ideal combustion 10 18 Ideal Wood burns efficiently and economically 18 25 Wood will burn but less efficiently Above 25 Wood too wet to b...

Page 9: ...that sold you the heater 5 Advise them of the specific problem 6 Provide the details that your retailer requests to complete a Warranty Claim Form This must include the heater model serial number and installation compliance certificate if applicable in your State 7 Your retailer will forward your claim to Shamic Sheetmetal Aust Pty Ltd the manufacturer of the above heater brands 8 Shamic will cont...

Page 10: ...f Building Codes Since building code requirements vary users should determine in advance whether there are any building code restrictions on the installation or use of the heater Shamic makes no representation of warranty regarding building code compliance and shall not be responsible for compliance therewith g Shamic will only accept claims under this warranty in strict accordance with the condit...

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