NESTOR MARTIN WOODBOX MQ33, Instructions Manual, Page: 10 / 26

10
FUELS
APPROVED FUELS
Your appliance has been designed to burn the following approved fuels:
Recommended solid fuels: beech wood, birch, oak, ash, hornbeam and wood from fruit trees.
Non-recommended solid fuels: conifer, damp wood, chemically treated wood, shavings, wood
pellets, coke. It is prohibited to burn refuse or fl ammable liquids (petrol, solvents or motor oil) inside
the stove.
CHOICE OF WOODS TO BURN
The best wood to burn is very dry wood which will be easier to light and will cause less tarring/sooting in the
chimney. Ideally the wood will have been left to dry for 18 months, and even in that case the logs will still
have a moisture content of 20%!
Damp wood not only has a lower calorifi c power, which lowers the combustion temperature, and therefore
is less effi cient, it is also diffi cult to light, extinguishes easily and gives off smoke. Above all, the use of
damp wood can lead to soot being deposited in the smoke ducts (tarring and sooting) of the chimney.
Some woods are more reactive than others. Those that are best are hornbeam, beech and oak. Aspen,
birch and lime tree burn well but do not last as long. After them are soft leaves and conifers. The diameter
of the log is important for the heat. However, this classifi cation is only an indication as the best fi re wood is
always the driest.
Wood provided at a ready-to-use length, stored immediately in a well aired place, dry quicker than those left
in steres. Blocks dry quicker than logs. Wood chucks that are too small to be split must be drained. To do
this, remove a portion of the bark.
Drying the wood will take between 18 months and 2 years. This time can be shortened (12 to 15 months) if
the wood is cut to a ready-to-use length and immediately stored in a well aired place
TARRING AND SOOTING
When the smoke reaches a low temperature in the chimney, part of the water vapours that it contains
condense. The heaviest components of this are deposited on the inside of the fl ue. This is TARRING. The
mix oxidizes in contact with the air and forms brownish marks. This is SOOTING.
To avoid this inconvenience four things must be done: use only dry wood, connect the stove to achimney
with thick sides and at an even section (the bushel 20 x 20cm system is often used) and make sure that the
connecting tubes are as short as possible.
The chimney fl ue must be inspected frequently during the heating season (i.e. summer months) to determine
if a buildup of creosote is forming. If a creosote deposit of 3 1/8” (3mm) or more forms, it must be removed
to reduce the risk of chimney fire.