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Installation and Operation Manual - Escape 1800
4.6.1 Small Fires to Take the Chill Off the House
To build a small fire that will produce a low heat output, use small pieces of firewood and load
them crisscross in the firebox. The pieces should be only 75 mm to 100 mm in diameter. After
raking the coals, you can lay two pieces parallel to each other corner to corner in the firebox and lay
two more across them in the other direction. Open the air control fully and only reduce the air after
the wood is fully flaming. This kind of fire is good for mild weather when you are around to tend the
wood fire and should provide enough heat for four hours or more. Small fires like this are a good
time to use softer wood species so there will be less chance of overheating the house.
4.6.2 Long Lasting Low Output Fires
Sometimes you will want to build a fire to last up to eight hours, but don’t need intense heat.
In this case use smaller pieces of hardwood and place the logs compactly in the firebox so the
pieces are packed tightly together. You will need to fire the load hot for long enough to fully char
the log surfaces before you can turn the air down. Make sure the fire is flaming brightly before
leaving the fire to burn.
4.6.3 High Output Fires for Cold Weather
When the heat demand is high during cold weather, you’ll need a fire that burns steadily and
brightly. This is the time to use your biggest pieces of hardwood fuel if you have it. Put the
biggest pieces at the back of the firebox and place the rest of the pieces compactly. A densely
built fire like this will produce the longest burn your wood fire is capable of.
You will need to be cautious when building fires like this because if the air is turned down too much,
the fire could smoulder. Make sure the wood is flaming brightly before leaving the fire to burn. The
wood should be positioned in a north/south fashion, that is, from the front to the back of the firebox.
4.6.4 Maximum Burn Cycle Times
The burn cycle time is the period between loading wood on a coal bed and the consumption of
that wood back to a coal bed of the same size. The flaming phase of the fire lasts for roughly the
first half of the burn cycle and the second half is the coal bed phase during which there is little
or no flame. The length of burn you can expect from your wood fire, including both the flaming
and coal bed phases, will be affected by a number of things, such as:
− Firebox size,
− The amount of wood loaded,
− The species of wood you burn,
− The wood moisture content,
− The size of the space to be heated,
− The climate zone you live in, and
− The time of year.
The table below provides a very general indication of the maximum burn cycle times you are
likely to experience, based on firebox volume.
FIREBOX VOLUME
MAXIMUM BURN CYCLE TIME
< 0.042 cubic meter
3 to 5 hours
0.042 m
3
to 0.056 m
3
5 to 6 hours
0.056 m
3
to 0.071 m
3
6 to 8 hours
0.071 m
3
to 0.085 m
3
8 to 9 hours
> 0.085 m
3
9 to 10 hours