Hearthstone
Clydesdale Fireplace Insert Model 8491
Page 22 of 35
critical factors to consider when purchasing wood for
your Fireplace Insert.
The following is a list of wood species and their
relative BTU (British Thermal Unit) content. The
higher the BTU content the longer the burn.
Firewood with higher a BTU content is generally
considered ideal for a wood stove.
HIGH:
Apple, Black Birch, Hickory, Locust, White
Oak, Black Beech, Mesquite
MEDIUM HIGH:
White Ash, Beech, Yellow Birch,
Sugar Maple, Red Oak
MEDIUM LOW:
Black Ash, White Birch, Grey Birch,
Elm, Norway Pine, Pitch Pine, Black Cherry, Soft
Maple, Tamarack
LOW:
White Pine, White Cedar, Balsam Fir, Spruce,
Aspen, Basswood, Butternut, Hemlock
Moisture content also plays a key role in the
performance of your stove. Wood freshly cut from a
living tree (green wood) contains a great deal of
moisture. As you might expect, green wood has
difficulty burning and should be seasoned before
using it in your wood stove. To properly season
green wood, it should be split, stacked and allowed to
air dry for a period of one year.
Stack the firewood on skids or blocking to keep it off
the ground, cover only the top of the stack. Plastic or
tarps that cover the sides of the wood pile trap
moisture and prevent the wood from drying. As for
stacking, an old Vermonter said, "The spaces
between the logs should be large enough for a
mouse to get through, but not for the cat that's
chasing it."
Do not store Firewood within the Fireplace
Insert's specified clearances to combustible
materials.
Hearthstone’s Thermo-Ceramic
Baffle System
To enhance the combustion efficiency and reduce the
particulate emissions of the fire in your stove,
Hearthstone has developed an advanced THERMO-
CERAMIC baffle system. This system uses a
lightweight, durable ceramic material above the
secondary air tubes to maintain high temperatures in
the secondary combustion area to promote low
emissions and high efficiency combustion. This
material will not corrode, rust, dissolve, or lose its
strength, however it is vulnerable to puncture or
breakage due to rough handling.
Please Exercise Care When Loading Wood or
Cleaning Your Insert, To Not Damage the Thermo-
Ceramic Baffle
Located directly above the air tubes in the top of the
firebox, this white sheet of material will break if wood
or cleaning brushes impact it. Use care when loading
and cleaning your stove to not break this material. If
the baffle is fractured or a hole is punctured, the
stove will function improperly. You must replace the
board through a qualified Hearthstone dealer.
Building a Fire
Once you understand the controls of your wood
Fireplace Insert and have chosen the appropriate
firewood, you are ready to start a fire.
Breaking in Your Wood Fireplace
Insert
It is imperative that you “break in” the Fireplace Insert
slowly. Cast iron must be "seasoned"; over-firing a
new Fireplace Insert may cause castings to crack or
may damage other Fireplace Insert parts. Moisture in
the soapstone bricks lining the firebox must be driven
out slowly to minimize the “shock” to the stone at its
first exposure to high firebox temperatures.
When you light your first fires, the Insert will emit
some smoke and fumes. This is normal “off-gassing”
of the paints and oils used when manufacturing the
Fireplace Insert. If you find it necessary, open a few
windows to vent your room. The smoke and fumes
will usually subside after 10 to 20 minutes of
operation. The odor and smoke will end once the
Fireplace Insert is “cured”.
The first fires may also produce other odors from
“impurities” that exist in the area immediately
surrounding the Fireplace Insert. Some of these
impurities are residues of cleaning solvents, paint
solvents, cigarettes, candle soot, pet hair, dust,
adhesives, a new carpet, and new textiles. These
odors will dissipate over time. You can alleviate
these odors by opening a few windows or otherwise
creating additional ventilation around your Fireplace
