15
WARNINGS
•
NEVER OVERFIRE YOUR STOVE. IF ANY PART OF THE STOVE STARTS TO GLOW RED, OVER FIRING IS
HAPPENING. READJUST THE AIR INTAKE CONTROL AT A LOWER SETTING.
•
THE INSTALLATION OF A LOG CRADLE OR GRATES IS NOT RECOMMENDED IN YOUR WOOD STOVE.
BUILD FIRE DIRECTLY ON FIREBRICK.
•
NEVER PUT WOOD ABOVE THE FIREBRICK LINING OF THE FIREBOX.
•
ATTEMPTS TO ACHIEVE HEAT OUTPUT RATES THAT EXCEED HEATER DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS CAN
RESULT IN PERMANENT DAMAGE TO THE HEATER.
CAUTIONS:
•
ASHES COULD CONTAIN HOT EMBERS EVEN AFTER TWO DAYS WITHOUT OPERATING THE STOVE.
EFFICIENCY
Ef
fi
ciencies can be based on either the lower heating value (LHV) or the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel. The lower heating
value is when water leaves the combustion process as a vapor, in the case of woodstoves the moisture in the wood being burned
leaves the stove as a vapor. The higher heating value is when water leaves the combustion process completely condensed. In the
case of woodstoves this would assume the exhaust gases are room temperature when leaving the system, and therefore calculations
using this heating value consider the heat going up the chimney as lost energy. Therefore, ef
fi
ciency calculated using the lower
heating value of wood will be higher than ef
fi
ciency calculated using the higher heating value. In the United States all woodstove
ef
fi
ciencies should be calculated using the higher heating value.
The best way to achieve optimum ef
fi
ciencies is to learn the burn characteristic of you appliance and burn well-seasoned wood.
Higher burn rates are not always the best heating burn rates; after a good
fi
re is established a lower burn rate may be a better option for
ef
fi
cient heating. A lower burn rate slows the
fl
ow of usable heat out of the home through the chimney, and it also consumes less wood.
VISIBLE SMOKE
The amount of visible smoke being produced can be an effective method of determining how ef
fi
ciently the combustion process
is taking place at the given settings. Visible smoke consist of unburned fuel and moisture leaving your stove. Learn to adjust the air
settings of your speci
fi
c unit to produce the smallest amount of visible smoke. Wood that has not been seasoned properly and has a
high wood moisture content will produce excess visible smoke and burn poorly.
RELOADING
Once you have obtained a good bed of embers, you should reload the unit. In order to do so, open the air controls to maximum
a few seconds prior to opening the stove’s door. Then proceed by opening the door very slowly; open it one or two inches for 5
to 10 seconds, before opening it completely to increase the draft and thus eliminate the smoke which is stagnant in a state of slow
combustion in the stove. Then bring the red embers to the front of the stove and reload the unit.
For optimal operation of your wood stove, we recommend you to operate it with a wood load approximately equivalent to the
height of
fi
re bricks.
Do not stack wood higher than the
fi
rebrick.
It is important to note that wood combustion consumes ambient oxygen in the room .In the case of negative pressure, it is a good
idea to allow fresh air in the room, either by opening a window slightly or by installing a fresh air intake system on an outside wall.
Creosote - Formation and Need for Removal - When wood is burned slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapors, which combine
with expelled moisture to form creosote. The creosote vapors condense in the relatively cool chimney
fl
ue of a slow-burning
fi
re.
As a result, creosote residue accumulates on the
fl
ue lining. When ignited this creosote makes an extremely hot
fi
re. The chimney
connector and chimney should be inspected at least once every two months during the heating season to determine if a creosote
build-up has occurred. If creosote has accumulated (3mm or more), it should be removed to reduce the risk of a chimney
fi
re.
We strongly recommend that you install a magnetic thermometer on your smoke exhaust pipe, approximately 18” above the stove.
This thermometer will indicate the temperature of your gas exhaust fumes within the smoke exhaust system. The ideal temperature
for these gases is somewhere between 275°F and 500°F. Below these temperatures, the build-up of creosote is promoted. Above 500
degrees, heat is wasted since a too large quantity is lost into the atmosphere.
TO PREVENT CREOSOTE BUILD UP
•
Always burn dry wood. This allows clean burns and higher chimney temperatures, therefore less creosote deposit.
•
Leave the air control full open for about 5 min. every time you reload the stove to bring it back to proper operating temperatures.
The secondary combustion can only take place if the
fi
rebox is hot enough.
•
Always check for creosote deposit once every two months and have your chimney cleaned at least once a year.
