OPEL C Owner's Manual
10
RSF Woodburning Fireplaces
Below 175°C (350°F): not enough heat is generated from the fire, add more wood, open the air control and
keep the bypass opened.
Between 175°C (350°F) and 700°C (1300°F): the temperature is just right for the catalyst, add more wood as
necessary and keep the bypass closed except for reloading.
Above 700°C (1300°F): too much heat is generated from the fire, do not add more wood, close the air control
and let the fire die down to allow the temperature to drop within the normal operating range.
Try to
AVOID OVERHEATING THE CATALYST
as much as possible. Every time you do so, you reduce its
useful lifetime.
ADJUSTING THE BURN RATE
To get maximum efficiency out of your fireplace you will want to adjust the amount of combustion air entering the
firebox at the appropriate times. Gauge how much to close the combustion air by how the fire reacts once the
combustion air control lever has been moved. If the fire goes out and begins to smolder, there’s too little
combustion air entering the firebox. If there’s no change to the burn pattern, you can continue to close the
combustion air further. Eventually you should be able to close the combustion air all or most of the way. There
should always be visible fire inside the firebox at every step of the process.
REFUELING
Have your next wood load ready when you open the door. The temperature of the catalyst will decrease as the
the door is open, so decreasing the amount of time the door is open will allow the catalyst to remain hot. Do not
rush.
Pull the bypass handle all the way out, into the open position and turn off the central heat and internal blowers, if
installed. The blowers may cause smoke to spill out of the fireplace if they are running.
The door should be opened slowly to keep smoke from spilling into your room. If you have a problem with smoke
spillage, check to see that all kitchen and bathroom fans have been shut off. They can cause negative pressure in
the house which pulls smoke out of the fireplace.
Once the wood has been loaded, close the door and close the bypass when the wood is well lit.
TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS
If smoke comes into the house when the door is opened:
You may have opened the door too quickly and created a suction of air into the room, this can be avoided by
opening the door more slowly.
Ensure your chimney is clean and your chimney cap is not plugged. Chimney caps with screens are more
likely to become clogged with creosote buildup.
Make sure you have adequate chimney height for your system. Refer to the Chimney section of this booklet
and make sure to take altitude, and number of elbows into consideration.
If you have purchased the central heat kit option or the circulating internal blower, make sure the blower is off
before opening the door.
Check to see if other fans in the home are running, particularly a kitchen range hood, or bathroom exhaust
fan. This can affect the pressure in the home.
Try opening a window near the fireplace a little, this will equalize the pressure in the home and should correct
a draft problem. Once proper draft is established the window can be closed.
Make sure you’ve used enough kindling to establish a hot fire quickly. The most likely time that smoke will
enter the home is during the lighting process.
