5
Flue Draught
The flue has two main functions:
1)
To safely remove smoke, gases and fumes from the
appliance.
2)
To provide a sufficient amount of draught (suction) in
the appliance to ensure the fire keeps burning.
Draught is caused by the rising hot air in the flue when the fire
has been lit.
The position, height and size of the flue can affect the
performance of the flue draught. Refer to installation guide
for details on flue installation.
Factors affecting the flue draught include:
•
Insufficient flue height
•
Trees or other buildings nearby causing turbulence
•
High and gusty winds
•
Outside temperature and weather conditions
•
Blocked flue
For advice on the correction of persistent flue problems
consult your supplier/installer for more detail.
Depending on the type of wood burnt and frequency, the
ashes will need removing every 2 to 6 weeks.
Excess ashes should be removed when necessary, placed in a
non-combustible container with a tightly fitting lid and moved
outdoors immediately to a location clear of combustible
materials.
Leave a small amount of ash, approximately 10mm thick, in
the bottom of the firebox. This helps to insulate the base of
the firebox.
If a flue/chimney fire occurs:
•
Shut air slide control fully to smother the fire
•
Do not use the appliance after a flue fire until an
accredited installer has assessed the cause and any
resultant damage.
•
The appliance, when cool, can be cleaned with a damp
cloth.
•
Over the years, the black paint will fade and can be
touched up with Stove Bright metallic black paint.
•
To clean the glass, we recommend using a household
window cleaner or general purpose cleaner with a soft
cloth.
•
Do not use abrasive cleaner or scourer pads.
•
Check inside of flue prior to each season for any build-
up of creosote (wood tar). To do this:
o
First remove the upper and lower baffle plates
(refer to “
3. Replacement of Baffle Plates
” under
Maintenance & Servicing section).
o
Using a small mirror and torch hold the mirror on
an angle below the flue with the torch shining at it
and look for black creosote build-up. If only a fine
black powdery layer then that is normal, but if
built up layers of creosote can be seen, then the
flue needs cleaning.
o
Refit the baffle plates if no cleaning is required.
•
To clean the flue:
o
A flue cleaning brush can be purchased from most
wood heater retail outlets or large hardware
stores.
o
The objective is to pull the brush down through
the flue.
o
With the baffles removed, tie a rope to one end
of the brush, and drop the rope from the top
(outside on top of the roof) down the flue.
o
Grab the end of the rope inside the firebox and
pull the brush through.
o
Check the inside of the flue with the mirror
and torch. Repeat if necessary.
o
Once clean, remove any excess creosote from
the firebox and replace the baffle plates.
•
Alternatively, get a flue cleaning service to do the job
for you (it’s a dirty
job).
•
Check flue integrity by checking that the 900mm
flue sections have not separated at the joins.
7. ASH REMOVAL
8. FLUE/CHIMNEY FIRE
9. CLEANING PAINT WORK & GLASS
10. CLEANING THE FLUE
