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TROUBLESHOOTING
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty with the installation, chimney or
fuels, so please check back through these instructions carefully. If necessary seek specialist
advice.
Smoke from the chimney:
It is quite normal for a little smoke to be emitted from the chimney
when the fire is cold, so start the fire using only a very little fuel. When using wood always ensure
that the primary control
❶
is completely closed and adjust the burning rate using the airwash
❷
control. Use only very dry wood or smokeless fuels.
Poor Heat Output:
A stove can heat a typical room of about 12m
3
volume for each kW of
output, so a 5kW model can heat up to (12 x 5) 63m
3
, a room of about 5m square. The actual
size depends on the insulation and air-change ratio of the room. To attempt to heat a larger
room will result in excessive fuel consumption and damaging overheating.
Lack of Controllability:
Wood and some other fuels may burn excessively until the gasses in
them have been used up. You can reduce this effect by making sure that the fire is set to ‘low’
for a while before refuelling and checking that the door seals fully.
Condensation:
Condensation onto cool surfaces inside the stove can be severe if fuel is in any
way damp, use only very dry fuel.
Over-Firing:
It is possible to leave the fire too long with the controls set too high leading to ‘over-
firing’ seen as glowing metal parts, excessive chimney temperature and risk of parts failing or
chimney fires. Always set controls to the lowest practical setting. A chimney thermometer, from
your local stove shop, can help.
Smoke Coming Into Room
Fumes are poisonous – smoke emission must never be tolerated, causes might be:
⚫
New stove: There is often a smell and sometimes visible fumes as the paint cures. This normally
stops after an hour or so and we advise that you open a window when firing up a new stove
for the first time.
⚫
Inadequate seals: Are all flue pipes and connectors absolutely gas tight? Even the tiniest crack
or gap can
spoil the draught. Does an inset appliance fully seal against the fireplace?
⚫
Blocked throat plate: Has soot or ash collected on the throat plate above the inner back part of
the firebox?
⚫
Unsuitable, blocked or un-swept chimney: The first requirement for correct operation is a sound
chimney. Check the requirements earlier in this document and in case of any doubt
engage a professional
sweep or chimney engineer.
⚫
Poor air supply: Lack of air to the fire is a common cause of smoking and poor performance.
Air supply
problems may be worse in certain wind conditions (often incorrectly
ascribed to ‘downdraft’ which is in
fact very rare), where air can be sucked out of the
room. The answer is to fit an air vent, as near to the fire
as possible, facing into the usual
wind direction.
