HearthStone
Quality Home Heating Products Inc
®
Bennington Model 8350
16
C
HOOSING
F
IREWOOD
Your Bennington Wood Stove is designed to only burn
firewood-also known as cordwood.
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CAUTION:
DO NOT USE CHEMICALS OR FLAMMABLE
FLUIDS SUCH AS GASOLINE, NAPHTHA,
KEROSENE, CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID OR
ENGINE OIL TO START A FIRE. DO NOT USE
CHARCOAL, PELLETS, COAL, ARTIFICIAL
LOGS OR ANY OTHER MATERIALS AS FUEL;
THEY ARE NOT SAFE. DO NOT BURN
GARBAGE.
The quality of your firewood affects heat output, duration
of burn and performance of your stove. Softwoods
generally burn hotter and faster, while hardwoods burn
longer and produce more coals. Density and moisture
content are two critical factors to consider when
purchasing wood for your stove.
The following is a list of wood species and their relative
BTU (British Thermal Unit) content. The higher the BTU
the longer the burn. Firewood with higher BTUs is
generally considered more ideal for a wood stove.
HIGH:
Apple, Black Birch, Hickory, Locust, White Oak,
Black Beech, and Mesquite
MEDIUM HIGH:
White Ash, Beech, Yellow Birch,
Sugar Maple, and 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, and 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 s plit, stacked and allowed
to air dry for a period of one year.
Stack the firewood on skids or blocks to keep it off the
ground, cover only the top of the stack. Plastic or tarps
that cover the sides of the woodpile trap moisture and
prevent the wood fro m 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."
Firewood should not be stored within the stove's specified
clearances to combustible materials.
B
UILDING
A F
IRE
Once you understand the controls of your wood stove and
have chosen the appropriate firewood, you are ready to
start a fire.
B
REAKING
I
N
Y
OUR
W
OOD
S
TOVE
It is imperative that your stove be "broken in" slowly.
Cast iron mu st be "seasoned"; over-firing a new stove
may cause castings to crack or may damage other stove
parts. Also, the asbestos-free furnace cement must be
cured slowly to insure adequate sealing and bonding.
The firebrick on the back and left side in your firebox is
intended to prevent thermal stress; leave it in place in the
firebox at all times.
When you light your first fires, the wood stove will emit
some smoke and fumes. This is normal “off-gassing” of
the paints and oils used when manufacturing the wood
stove. 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 stove is “cured”.
The first fires may produce other odors from impurities
that exist in the area immediately surrounding the stove.
Some of these impurities can be cleaning solvents, paint
solvents, cigarettes, smoke, 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 stove. If any odor persists, contact your
dealer or an authorized service technician.
B
UILDING
A B
REAK
I
N
F
IRE
1) Open the door and place five or six double
sheets of tightly twisted newspaper in the
center of the firebox. Arrange kindling in a
crisscross pattern over the newspaper.
Kindling should be approximately ten
pieces, 1/2" (13 mm) in diameter and 10" to
18" (254 mm to 457 mm) long.
2) Fully open the primary air control by
pushing the lever to the down.
