OPEL C Owner's Manual
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RSF Woodburning Fireplaces
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
The OPEL C fireplace is environmentally friendly as well as efficient. It is approved by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at an emission rate of 2.5 grams per hour.
THE COMBUSTION CONTROL SYSTEM
Since the door(s) is sealed, all combustion air must come through the OPEL C's draft control. This control has a
bimetal coil to allow more air when the unit is cold, and less air when the unit is hot, guarding against overheating.
It can be controlled either manually with the lever that is located on the right below the door, or automatically with
an optional electric wall thermostat.
For the first few days, it is best to operate the fireplace with the manual control fully open (moved to the right as
far as possible). Just control the fire as you would any normal fireplace, using one or two logs at a time for a
smaller fire, or more logs for more heat. Once you become familiar with operating the fireplace with the control
open, you can start experimenting with lower settings. Remember: when the fireplace is hot, the control will not
need as much movement to reduce the fire as when it is cold. The bimetal coil will already have shut the damper
part way. See the "OPERATION" section for the details.
CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR
The OPEL C is equipped with a catalyst. It ignites creosote-forming gases in wood smoke at significantly lower
temperatures. As a result, you get less creosote and more heat from your fire at low to medium burn rates. Less
fuel goes up your chimney in the form of smoke.
If the smoke that passes through the catalyst is not hot enough (at least 150°C-300
°
F), it will accumulate soot,
reduce performance and increase the maintenance required. Opening the bypass allows smoke to exit the
chimney while bypassing the catalyst. The bypass should always remain open when lighting a new fire or
reloading a fire.
DO NOT
burn chemical chimney cleaners, as they can contain contaminants that will render the catalyst
inoperative.
See the "OPERATION" section for the details.
OPTIONS
There are many different ways you can finish your OPEL C
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fireplace. You can choose to install louvers – with or
without the upper louver – louvers are available in various styles (regular black: FO-OPLB; or decorative black:
FO-OPLC) or no louvers at all (FO-F3).
If you choose to install only the lower louver while bocking off the upper louver on your OPEL C fireplace, you
MUST install two Gravity Vent Kits (FO-V2). Gravity vent dampers may not be installed on an OPEL C with a
blocked upper louver.
If you choose to install your OPEL C fireplace without any louvers, you MUST install the Clean Face Option (FO-
F3) along with two Gravity Vent Kits (FO-V2). Gravity vent dampers may not be installed on a Clean Face OPEL
C. Furthermore, we recommand that you do not install any option requiring electricity or a thermal switch inside
your fireplace since it will be difficult to access those components after the fireplace facing is covered with non-
combustible materials. If you decide nevertheless to install electricity or a thermal switch in your Clean Face Opel
C, remember that you may eventually have to break through the non-combustible finishing to access the electrical
box or the thermal switch for servicing.
If you prefer a different look for your gravity vent(s), you can change the grill(s) for a contemporary vent grill(s)
(FO-VGC).
To simplify the installation of thin non-combustible materials such as ceramic tile or sliced brick, we have
designed a very versatile rock retainer kit. It is not designed or required for full brick or stone. With a Louvered
OPEL C, you can choose to leave all the black metal completely exposed, partially exposed or completely
covered with non-combustible material. Whether you have chosen a Louvered or Clean Face OPEL C, the FO-
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You can also refer to the configured option list on page 24.
