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The stove door should normally be opened gently the first 2 - 3 centimetres, then you should
wait until the pressure has equalised before opening the door all the way. This technique will
prevent smoke from getting out, particularly when there is a poor draught.
The stove door should never be opened when the stove is being fired vigorously.
Once the wood has burned out, it becomes glowing charcoal. If a good layer of embers has
already formed on top of a sufficient layer of ash, the stove can keep warm for a very long
time, not least due to the favourable qualities of the cast iron.
We would strongly recommend that you do not leave your stove alit at night. It
harms the environment and constitutes very poor use of the wood as the gases
in the wood do not ignite at the low temperature, but settle as soot (unburned
gases) in the chimney and stove. Extreme conditions, such as poor draught in the
chimney, large quantities of wood or wet wood, may in the worst-case scenario
cause an explosive ignition.
When firing in the summer period, when there is minimal need for heat, the combustion
will be poor. The stove provides too much heat so the combustion should be reduced.
But always remember to make sure that there are lasting flames until the wood be-
comes charcoal. If you want a weaker fire, stoke up using less wood.
If you fire the stove using wet wood, a lot of the fuel’s thermal energy will be spent
forcing the water out of the wood, without releasing any heat to the stove. This
incomplete combustion results in a layer of soot being left in the stove, pipe and
chimney.
Comparison between firing with wood and oil:
Type of wood (moisture content 20%)
No. of cubic metres per 1000 litre oil
Oak
Beech
Ash
Sycamore
Birch
Elm
Common spruce
Silver fir
7.0
7.0
7.2
7.5
8.0
8.9
10.4
10.9