12
the break in period. Adequate ventilation within the home and furnace room or area is recommended during the initial firing and break
in period to accommodate this possibility. Your new Fire Chief Furnace is classified as having airtight construction. This type of design
should enable you to experience an average burn time between 6 and 12 hours per full load of fuel (dry, seasoned hardwood). However,
abnormally cold weather may reduce the burn time somewhat, but if your burn cycle is significantly less, for instance, 2 to 4 hours, you
are over-firing your furnace. This type of occurrence is usually symptomatic of heat demands in excess of furnace capacity. Contact an
authorized professional to determine if your Fire Chief Furnace has been improperly sized for your home.
Loading Wood:
When opening the fuel door during operation, always pull the bypass rod all the way out before opening the fuel door, wait 10 seconds
after releasing the first latch, then open the door the rest of the way. The dual latch system has been incorporated as a safety feature,
designed to eliminate the possibility of gaseous ignition. Laboratory testing has determined that when incomplete combustion occurs
the partially spent fuel sometimes concentrates large amounts of potentially hazardous gases within the fire chamber. If the door is
opened suddenly under these conditions, the oxygen may combine with these gases and cause ignition referred to as “back flash.” Use
EXTREME CAUTION when opening the fuel door.
When reloading the furnace, spread embers evenly over the grate. Place smaller pieces of wood or coal on the hot embers and layer
larger pieces on top of them. Finally, due to the wide variety of temperature ranges during the winter, you may experience periods when
it is not necessary to fully load the fire chamber in order to maintain an overnight burn. Your Fire Chief Furnace will operate at the highest
efficiency by adding fuel in amounts needed to maintain comfortable temperatures in your home.
Starting the First Coal Fire:
Burning coal is much harder than burning wood. There is more care and work in building and maintaining a coal fire than a wood fire.
Anthracite is the best coal to burn, due to its long even burn with higher heat output and clean burn quality but is more difficult to manage
than Bituminous coal.
The size of coal is important. “Nut” coal sizes of 4 inches for Bituminous and 2¾ to 4½ inches for Anthracite coal are recommended.
Never use coal other than the sizes recommended. If the coal is too small it will smother the fire and if it is too large the coal will not burn
well.
When burning Bituminous coal, start the fire with wood (as described above). Always use dry kindling, as this will provide a hotter fire
and add small pieces of wood until you get a good hot ember bed. At this point add a small amount of coal. When the coal is hot enough
to ignite, add small amounts at a time, so as not to smother the fire. Keep in mind that Bituminous coal will require more maintenance as
this type of coal will produce more soot, requiring more frequent cleaning to prevent buildup.
Also make sure that the spin draft is wide open to establish the correct burn pattern. When adding coal to Bituminous fires always add
coal to the center of the bed creating the cone effect. Bituminous coal is more volatile and adding coal to the center of the bed causes
the flames to drive off the volatile gases. Remember that no two installations and chimney set-ups are the same, so be prepared to
experiment until you achieve the desired results. Always allow enough air to the firebox and keep the damper open so that volatile gases
are properly burned. When adding fuel, remember to break up the cone with a poker if it has formed a crust, but be careful to avoid
mixing the coal as this can form clinkers. Rotate the grates slightly so as not to disturb the fire. Excessive movement wastes fuel and
exposes the grate to extreme heat, which will cause warping or burnout. For overnight burn operations, follow the above instructions and
adjust the chimney damper and set the thermostat.
When burning Anthracite coal, start the fire with wood (as described above). Add layers of coal making sure not to smother the fire,
the third layer should be a little heavier, but should not to extend above 2 inches below the top of the brick in the firebox. Before
adding more fuel, be sure to leave a red spot in the center of the bed. This hot spot will help ignite the gases given off the new charge.
A deep charge will give a more even heat and a longer fire. It may take up to a couple hours before the whole bed is fully ignited. When
the fire is established and the home is becoming warm, you may adjust the damper. It may still take some experimenting with the wall
thermostat to ensure proper operation, as no two installations are the same. Once the coal bed has reduced to half its original depth it is
time to add fuel to the furnace. At this point pull out the bypass rod and turn up the wall thermostat. This will allow the fire to burn off the
accumulated gases. Open the fuel door, using a small rake or hoe pull the coals towards the front of the bed, trying not to disturb the fire
too much. Next, add coal to the back, being careful not to seal off the top. Only rotate the grates a couple times a day to allow the ash
to fall into the ash pan. Keep the ash pan cleaned out to ensure good airflow. You may want to start this banking process early in the
evening before retiring or before leaving the home so that you may make proper adjustments after the fire is well established.
WARNING: It is unsafe to load any type of coal within 2 inches of the top of the firebrick. Load fuel carefully or damage may result.
