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Quadrafire • Expedition II AU Owner’s Manual_Rev B • 2020 - ___ • 03/21
NOTICE:
Improper operation can turn any wood appliance
into a smoldering environmental hazard.
F. Burning Process
In recent years there has been an increasing concern
about air quality. Much of the blame for poor air quality
has been placed on the burning of wood for home heating.
In order to improve the situation, we at Quadra-Fire
have developed cleaner-burning wood appliances that
surpass the requirements for emissions established by our
governing agencies. These wood appliances, like any other
appliances, must be properly operated in order to insure
that they perform the way they are designed to perform.
Improper operation can turn most any wood appliance into
a smoldering environmental hazard.
Air quality is important to all of us, and if we choose to use
wood to heat our homes we should do so responsibly. To do
this we need to learn to burn our appliances in the cleanest
way possible. Doing this will allow us to continue using our
wood appliances for many years to come.
G. Automatic Combustion Control (ACC)
When using the Automatic Combustion Control (ACC)
system, you do not have to continually monitor the fire.
Once you set the ACC system it will control the fire for you.
Follow the instructions below to learn how to operate your
stove with ease.
1. Kindling or First Stage
It helps to know a little about the actual process of burning
in order to understand what goes on inside a appliance.
The first stage of burning is called the kindling stage. In this
stage, the wood is heated to a temperature high enough to
evaporate the moisture which is present in all wood. The
wood will reach the boiling point of water (212°F) and will
not get any hotter until the water is evaporated. This process
takes heat from the coals and tends to cool the appliance.
Fire requires three things to burn - fuel, air and heat. So, if
heat is robbed from the appliance during the drying stage,
the new load of wood has reduced the chances for a good
clean burn. For this reason, it is always best to burn dry,
seasoned firewood. When the wood isn’t dry, you must
open the air controls and burn at a high burn setting for a
longer time to start it burning. The heat generated from the
fire should be warming your home and establishing the flue
draft, not evaporating the moisture out of wet, unseasoned
wood, resulting in wasted heat.
2. Second Stage
The next stage of burning, the secondary stage, is the
period when the wood gives off flammable gases which
burn above the fuel with bright flames. During this stage of
burning it is very important that the flames be maintained
and not allowed to go out. This will ensure the cleanest
possible fire.
3. Final Stage
The final stage of burning is the charcoal stage. This occurs
when the flammable gases have been mostly burned and
only charcoal remains. This is a naturally clean portion of
the burn. The coals burn with hot blue flames.
It is very important to reload your appliance while enough
lively hot coals remain in order to provide the amount of
heat needed to dry and rekindle the next load of wood. It is
best to activate the ACC before reloading
(Figure 2.2)
. This
livens up the coal bed and reduces excessive emissions
(opacity/smoke). Open door slowly so that ash or smoke
does not exit appliance through opening. You should also
break up any large chunks and distribute the coals so that
the new wood is laid on hot coals.
Figure 2.2
ACC Start-up Air
Control
To activate:
Push back until it stops and then pull forward until it stops
H. Burn Rates and Operating Efficiency
This wood appliance has a manufacturer-
set minimum low burn rate that must not be
altered. It is against federal regulations to
alter this setting or otherwise operate this
insert in a manner inconsistent with operating
instructions in this manual.
WARNING
!
For maximum operating efficiency
• Burn dry, well-seasoned wood.
• Follow these burn rate instructions below.
Burn Rates
1. Starting a Fire:
- Load appliance with wood and start fire (reference
Quick Start Guide
on
page 7
).
- Activate ACC.
2. Reloading:
- Add wood as needed.
- Activate ACC.
3. Adjusting the Burn Rate:
The Expedition II Insert is designed to optimize efficiency at
all times. Since there are no user controls to adjust the burn
rate, the easiest method is to learn how many logs you need
at a time for the amount of heat desired. In addition to the
amount of wood and the size of the logs, take the time to
experiment with split and unsplit logs as split logs will burn
faster than unsplit logs.