Stratford
Fireplace Installation and Operation Manual
14 __________________________________________________________________________
The paint coating on your fireplace is very thin. Its VOC content (Volatile Organic Compounds) is very low.
VOCs can be responsible for smog, so all the paint used during the manufacturing process meets the latest
air quality requirements regarding VOC reduction or elimination.
The air tubes are stainless steel, which can also be recycled.
The C-Cast baffle is made of an aluminosilicate fibre material that is compressed with a binder to form a
rigid board. C-Cast can withstand temperatures above 2,000 °F. It is not considered hazardous waste.
Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
Moulded refractory bricks are mainly composed of silicon dioxide, also known as silica, a product processed
from a mined mineral. It is most commonly found in nature in the form of sand and clay. Disposal at a
landfill is recommended. The steel mesh contained in some refractory bricks can be recycled.
The door and glass gaskets are fibreglass which is spun from melted sand. Black gaskets have been dipped
into a solvent-free solution. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
The door glass is a 5-mm thick ceramic material that contains no toxic chemicals. It is made of natural raw
materials such as sand and quartz that are combined in such a way to form a high temperature glass.
Ceramic glass cannot be recycled in the same way as normal glass, so it should not be disposed of with your
regular household products. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
3
FUEL
3.1
MATERIALS THAT SHOULD NOT BE BURNED
•
GARBAGE OF ANY KIND,
•
COAL OR CHARCOAL,
•
TREATED, PAINTED OR COATED WOOD,
•
PLYWOOD OR PARTICLE BOARD,
•
FINE PAPER, COLORED PAPER OR CARDBOARD,
•
SALT WATER DRIFTWOOD,
•
MANUFACTURED LOGS CONTAINING WAX OR CHEMICAL ADDITIVES,
•
RAILROAD TIES,
•
LIQUIDS SUCH AS KEROSENE OR DIESEL FUEL TO START A FIRE.
3.2
HOW TO PREPARE OR BUY GOOD FIREWOOD
3.2.1
WHAT IS GOOD FIREWOOD?
Good firewood has been cut to the correct length for the fireplace, split to a range of sizes and stacked in
the open until its moisture content is reduced to 15 to 20 per cent.
3.2.2
TREE SPECIES
The tree species the firewood is produced from is less important than its moisture content. The main
difference in firewood from various tree species is the density of the wood. Hardwoods are denser than
softwoods. People who live in the coldest regions of North America usually have only spruce, birch and
poplar, other low-density species to burn and yet they can heat their homes successfully.