Columbia Installation and Operation Manual
17
4.3 Maintaining Wood Fires
4.3.1 General Advice
Wood heating with a space heater is very different than other forms of heating. There will
be variations in the temperature in different parts of the house and there will be variations
in temperature throughout the day and night. This is normal, and for experienced wood
burners these are advantages of zone heating with wood.
Do not expect steady heat output from your stove. It is normal for its surface temperature
to rise after a new load of wood is ignited and for its temperature to gradually decline as
the fire progresses. This rising and falling of temperature can be matched to your
household routines. For example, the area temperature can be cooler when you are active,
such as when doing housework or cooking, and it can be warmer when you are inactive,
such as when reading or watching television.
Wood burns best in cycles. A cycle starts when a new load of wood is ignited by hot coals
and ends when that load has been consumed down to a bed of charcoal about the same
size as it was when the wood was loaded. Do not attempt to produce a steady heat output
by placing a single log on the fire at regular intervals. Always place at least three, and
preferably more, pieces on the fire at a time so that the heat radiated from one piece helps
to ignite the pieces next to it. Each load of wood should provide several hours of heating.
The size of each load can be matched to the amount of heat needed.
When you burn in cycles, you rarely need to open the stove’s loading door while the wood
is flaming. This is an advantage because there is more chance that smoke will leak from
the stove when the door is opened as a full fire is burning. This is especially true if the
chimney connector has 90° elbows and if the chimney runs up the outside wall of the
house.
IF YOU MUST OPEN THE DOOR WHILE THE FUEL IS FLAMING, OPEN THE AIR
CONTROL FULLY FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN UNLATCH AND OPEN THE DOOR
SLOWLY.
4.3.2 Ash Removal
Ash should be removed from the firebox every two or three days of full time heating. Do
not let the ash build up in the firebox because it will interfere with proper fire management.
The best time to remove ash is after an overnight fire when the stove is relatively cool, but
there is still some chimney draft to draw the ash dust into the stove and prevent it from
coming into the room.
After ashes have been removed from the stove and placed in a tightly covered metal
container, they should be taken outside immediately. The closed container of ashes should
be placed on a non-combustible floor or on the ground well away from all combustible
materials pending final disposal. Ashes normally contain some live charcoal that can stay
hot for several days. If the ashes are disposed of by burial in soil or otherwise locally
dispersed, they should be retained in the closed container until all cinders have thoroughly
cooled. Other waste shall not be placed in this container.
NEVER STORE ASHES INDOORS OR IN A NON-METALIC CONTAINER OR ON A
WOODEN DECK.
