9
Operating Instructions
8. What can cause a poor draft?
The most common factors for poor draft are:
a) Air supply
b) Environmental conditions
c) Cold chimney temperature
d) Poor chimney installation and maintenance
e) Atmospheric pressure
a) Air supply – Inside the home, normal household appliances such as clothes dryers and forced-air
furnaces compete for air, resulting in air starvation to the fi re. This creates a condition in the house
known as negative pressure. When a house experiences negative pressure, the combustion gases
can be drawn from the chimney and into the house. This condition is commonly referred to as down-
drafting. Increased amounts of insulation, vinyl windows, extra caulking in various places and door
seals can all keep heat in but may also make a home too airtight. An easy way to stop negative
pressure in a home is to crack a window in the room containing the stove.
b) Environmental Conditions - High trees, low-lying house location such as in a valley, tall buildings or
structures surrounding your house and windy conditions can cause poor draft or down-drafting.
c) Cold Chimney Temperature - Avoid cold chimney temperatures by burning a hot fi re for the fi rst fi fteen
to forty minutes, being careful not to over-fi re the stove. If any part of the chimney or parts of the
stove start to glow, you are over-fi ring the stove. Where possible, install a temperature gauge on the
chimney so temperature drops can be seen.
d) Chimney Installation and Maintenance - Avoid using too many elbows or long horizontal runs. Too short
a chimney can cause diffi cult start-up, dirty glass, back smoking when door is open, and even reduced
heat output. Too tall a chimney may prompt excessive draft, which can result in very short burn times
and excessive heat output. If in doubt, contact a chimney expert and/or chimney manufacturer for
help. Clean chimney, rain caps and especially the spark arrestor regularly, to prevent creosote build-
up, which will signifi cantly reduce chimney draw and possibly a chimney fi re.
Note
: These instructions are intended as an aid and do not supercede any local, provincial or state
requirements. Check with offi cials or authorities having jurisdiction in your area.
A
IR
C
ONTROL
:
The air wash and pilot air (control the amount of air to the fi re) are controlled by the rod located on the
right side of the unit. To increase your air, pull the rod out and to decrease, push the rod in. All the units
have a secondary air that fl ows through the tubes at the top of the fi rebox, just below the baffl es.
Pull this control all the way out when fi rst starting the stove.
Once the fi re has been established you may adjust this control
to set the burn rate of the fi re. If this damper is closed at
fi rst start-up, the fi re will burn very slowly and could soot the
appliance.
When shutting down the stove, fully open the air control. This
allows the chimney temperatures to remain as high as possible
for as long as possible. Cold chimney temperatures create
creosote.
Figure 3: Air Control Rod.
