OPERATING
&
INSTALLATION
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR
PEDESTAL
WOOD
HEATERS
17
4.3.6
BUILDING
DIFFERENT
FIRES
FOR
DIFFERENT
NEEDS
Using
the
air
control
is
not
the
only
way
to
match
the
wood
fire’s
heat
output
to
the
heat
demand.
Your
house
will
need
far
less
heat
in
January
than
in
May
to
be
kept
at
a
comfortable
temperature.
If
you
fill
the
firebox
full
in
fall
weather,
you
will
either
overheat
the
space
or
turn
the
wood
fire
down
so
much
that
the
fire
will
be
smoky
and
inefficient.
Here
are
some
suggestions
for
building
fires
to
match
different
heat
demand.
4.3.6.1
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.
4.3.6.2
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.
4.3.6.3
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.
4.3.6.4
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.
