Ventis Waterloo FP15 Installation And Operation Manual Download Page 19

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FP15 & FP15A Waterloo - Installation and Operation Manual

OPERATING YOUR FIREPLACE

4.1

Your First Fires

Two things will happen as you burn your first few fires: the paint cures and the internal components of the

fireplace are conditioned.
As the paint cures, some of the chemicals vaporize. The vapors are not poisonous, but they do smell bad.

Fresh paint fumes can also cause false alarms in smoke detectors. So, when you first light your fireplace, be

prepared by opening doors and/or windows to ventilate the house. As you burn hotter and hotter fires,

more of the painted surfaces reach the curing temperature of the paint. The smell of curing paint does not

disappear until you have burned one or two very hot fires.
Burn one or two small fires to begin the curing and conditioning process. Then build bigger and hotter fires

until there is no longer any paint smell from the fireplace. Once the paint smell disappears, your fireplace is

ready for serious heating.

4.2

Lighting Fires

Each person who heats with wood develops their own favorite way to light fires. Whatever method you

choose, your goal should be to get a hot fire burning quickly. A fire that starts fast produces less smoke and

deposits less creosote in the chimney. Here are three popular and effective ways to start wood fires.

4.2.1

BEST PRACTICE: The Top Down Fire

The top down fire-starting method solves two problems with the conventional method: first, it does not

collapse and smother itself as it burns; and second, it’s cleaner. The top down method only works properly

if the wood is well-seasoned.
Start by crisscrossing around 10 finely split and dry kindling (0.5 to 1 in) leaving air space between the

pieces. Then put at least 5 news paper sheets to the top of the pieces. The best way to have your ignition

clean and environmentally friendly is to roll the news papers to make a long cylinder, then to make 2 knots

with it. The goal is to have the news papers as compact as possible to make it burn slowly. After the ignition

of the news paper, let the door open of 1 inch for 5-10 minutes. The air control should be open.
When you have a small coal bed, it’s the time to crisscross three or four medium-sized split pieces (2-3 in)

of dry firewood in the firebox. You can close the door as soon as you loaded the pieces. Let burn until you

have a good coal bed. You are now ready for the main load.

4.2.2

Conventional Fire Starting

The conventional way to build a wood fire is to bunch up 5 to 10

sheets of plain newspaper and place them in the firebox. Next,

place 10 or so pieces of fine kindling on the newspaper. This

kindling should be very thin; less than 1” (25 mm). Next, place

some larger kindling pieces on the fine kindling. Open the air

control fully and light the newspaper. If you have a tall, straight

venting system you should be able to close the door immediately

and the fire will ignite. Once the fire has ignited, close the door