Valcourt Saguency FP8, Installation And Operation Manual

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27
TROUBLESHOOTING
Expansion and contraction noises during the heating and cooling cycle are normal. Prevent smoke flow
reversal by positioning air intake lever to maximum, slowly open the fireplace door before lighting the kindling,
make a torch by lighting rolled up newspaper and hold it out to the smoke chamber until you feel the chimney
begin to draw.
A properly installed Saguenay Fireplace should never smoke. If it does, it will probably be for one of the
following reasons:
1. The chimney’s outdoor installation is defective or incorrect, creating draft reversal problems and,
consequently, making it difficult to start a fire.
2. The chimney was not adequately preheated. Remember that the hotter the fireplace, the better the chimney
draws.
3. The fireplace door or the air intake damper was closed too quickly. Adequate air supply is essential to
sustaining combustion.
4. If the room is too airtight or negative pressure has built in the house and there is no outside air intake, air
supply to the fireplace will be lower than usual. Temporarily open a window near the fireplace to increase
air supply.
5. Any type of exhaust fan (range hood or bathroom exhaust fan) can create negative pressure. Shut off the fan
and/or open a window near the fireplace to solve this problem.
6. Wet wood smokes more than dry wood. The wetter the wood, the less heat it generates and the more
creosote it produces. If the wood being burned is very wet, inspect the chimney every month it is used.
7. Make sure the chimney is reasonably clean and unobstructed.
8. Check whether the chimney is the recommended height: minimum of 3’ (914 mm) from the roof joint. If
not, add more lengths of flue. This will improve draw and reduce the fireplace’s tendency to smoke.
9. Fireplaces with chimneys abutting an unfinished outside wall often tend to smoke and are difficult to light.
To prevent these problems, open a window near the fireplace and preheat the chimney by holding a
newspaper torch in the upper part of the combustion chamber. Wait long enough to establish effective
draw, then light the fire.
10. Always remove excess ashes before lighting a fire. Maintaining a 1” (2.5 mm) thickness of ashes optimizes
combustion and maximizes fire duration.
11. Continuous combustion with minimal air intake will quickly dirty the fireplace’s glass surface and keep the
combustion chamber’s temperature relatively low. To keep the glass clean, maintain a brightly burning fire
as much as possible. Medium-sized logs are more effective than large ones. The intensity of combustion is
directly proportionate to air intake. It is therefore advisable to adjust the damper in such a way as to obtain
optimal performance.
12. Use only dry wood, i.e. wood that has dried for one year (10% to 20% humidity). Very dry wood will burn
very well, but will generate a great deal of heat and will not last.