DELTA FUSION Owner's Manual
7
RSF Woodburning Fireplaces
OPERATION
AIR CONTROL
The bi-metallic coil is a unique feature built into your DELTA FUSION fireplace. It serves as a fully automatic
combustion air control.
As the fireplace heats up, it will activate the bi-metallic coil. This will automatically begin to shut down the air entering
the firebox, slowing the combustion process. This will save you wood, reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and
prevent the fireplace from overheating and causing potential damage to the firebox.
IMPROVING EFFICIENCY
The location of your fireplace will affect how efficiently it heats the home. Your fireplace should be located in part of
the house you want to be the warmest. Trying to heat the main floor with a fireplace in the basement will generally
overheat the basement and waste fuel. Certain RSF options offer the ability to move heat from the main floor to the
basement. This allows you to efficiently heat your primary space while also heating the basement as a secondary
space.
The efficiency will also be influenced by the draft in the chimney which will be influenced by various factors (refer
to "Importance of draft" below) and by the amount of wood burning at any point (see "Burn Time vs Heat Output"
below). The efficiency will also be influenced by the quality of the wood (refer to "Fuel" below).
All of these factors must be taken into account and optimize so you can recover the maximum heat from your
DELTA FUSION.
IMPORTANCE OF DRAFT
Draft is the natural force which pulls air from the fireplace up the chimney. The strength of draft in your chimney
depends on a variety of factors, including chimney height, nearby obstructions, altitude, etc.
Excessive draft can result in a hotter fire than intended or reduced burn times as more air is pulled through the
fireplace. It will also result in less heat recovery since the heat will not have as much time to radiate into the room
before being sucked into the chimney.
Weak draft can result in smoke entering the room and difficulty lighting or operating the fireplace. Weak draft is
often incorrectly associated as a blockage in the air intake for the fireplace. Adding chimney height is the most
common solution. See Table 2 for minimum chimney height recommendations.
BURN TIME VS HEAT OUTPUT
The faster your fireplace burns the more heat it will create; however, faster fires result in much more hot air flow up
the chimney which means you are sacrificing efficiency. Fast burning fires (lots of air) go through much more wood
than slow burning fires. The DELTA FUSION burns at a fixed rate depending on the heat inside the firebox. It will
burn quickly during light up and then gradually slow down to offer the best efficiency and emissions reduction.
FUEL
All modern high efficiency fireplaces and woodstoves are designed to burn best with seasoned cordwood. Seasoned
wood can be defined as wood that has been cut, split and let dry under cover for a minimum of 6 months, preferably
a year or more. Dry seasoned wood generally contains less than 20% moisture content. Attempting to burn fuel
with a high moisture content will be difficult and result in lower efficiency, increased creosote buildup and dark
deposits on the glass. It is possible to burn a very large amount of wood, and get very little heat if the wood is wet.
The type of wood you select is also important. All types of wood give off more or less the same number of BTU’s
per pound. Since softer woods are less dense than hardwoods it is possible to put more weight of hardwood in the
firebox; in other words all woodburning appliances will burn longer and more evenly with hardwoods. Never burn
scrap, garbage, treated wood or driftwood as they produce much more pollution and can corrode the firebox and
chimney as well. Burning large amounts of paper, cardboard, mill ends or construction waste can easily over fire
and damage the fireplace or even ignite a chimney fire if the flue is dirty.
