FILLING:
Don't fill above the level shown in the diagram.
CONTROL
How fast the fire burns
depends on how much air reaches
the fuel. The stove has two air
controls, one below the window
('primary'
) and one above
('airwash control'
). Move the
slides to the right for highest
output, to the left for 'low'. They
can get
very
hot, so move them
only with the handle supplied.
Our tests indicate highest
efficiency on wood with the
primary
control all but closed
and the airwash
at 2/3 open.
Anthracite works best with the
airwash closed and the primary
1/3 open. The best settings will depend on your fuel, air supply
and flue draught and can only be found from experience.
SMOKE STOPS
To make sure your stove always receives enough
air to burn away the smoke produced when using wood, 'Smoke
Stops' are fitted to prevent the air controls from being fully closed.
If, and only if, smoke is not a
concern you may unscrew and
remove the stops. Controllability
and burn times will be improved,
but more smoke may be emitted.
The stops must always be in
place when burning wood in
smoke control areas of the
United Kingdom.
EMPTYING ASHES
use the door
handle tool to open the door. Stir
the fire with a poker. Use the angled ashpan tool to lift out the
ashpan. Remember to let ash cool before disposing in plastic
sacks or dustbins. There is no need to empty every last speck, but
ash from mineral fuels should never be allowed to build up so that
it comes into contact with the underside of the grate.
EXTENDED BURNING
Allow the fire to burn down to a low, hot
firebed. Empty the ash and fully fill with hard fuel such as
anthracite (c30mm size is best). Set the air control to 'low' and
your stove can burn for up to ten hours without attention.
KEEPING THE WINDOW CLEAN
Simply operating the stove for a
few minutes at high output will often burn-off any deposits left by
tarry or wet fuels. Severe stains can be removed when cold with a
domestic bleach cleaner. The window is not glass but a
transparent ceramic, it may develop tiny hairline cracks, these are
harmless, and a characteristic of the toughest and most heat-
resistant material known. Reduce the risk of staining by using only
very dry
fuel and keeping the airwash control
slightly
open.
OPENING THE DOOR
This stove is designed to be operated only
with the door closed. Open the door very slowly to minimise fume
emission and prevent hot fuel falling out. Remember that the
whole stove becomes extremely hot. Pull the door handle off when
not being used to prevent it overheating.
SUMMER SHUT DOWN:
Before a long period of non-use, empty
fuel and ash, remove the throat plate and leave all the air controls
open to allow ventilation to reduce condensation.
FUELS
There is no 'perfect' fuel, so we strongly recommend that you try a
selection of fuels (or mixtures) to find which suits you best. Do
avoid dusty materials like sawdust, they can burn far to violently.
SMOKE CONTROL:
In certain areas special rules apply to reduce
smoke nuisance. Check with your local authority.
WOOD
only emits as much carbon to the atmosphere as the tree
took in when growing, so wood is considered the 'carbon neutral'
fuel. When wood is cut down its cells are full of water. Burning
such wet or 'green' wood wastes heat in making steam and
produces flammable, acidic tars which will cling to, and rapidly
damage, your stove and chimney. Split logs will typically take two
years to become reasonably dry, round logs very much longer.
Cracks in the ends, a hollow sound when tapped and bark falling
away are all signs that a log may be ready for use. The fine, white
residue produced when wood burns is not ash, but the remains of
cell walls which can burn if kept hot enough, so don't de-ash the
fire until absolutely necessary when using wood.
For best performance, and
always
for low smoke emission:
Split logs lengthways for drying
Use logs no bigger than about
100mm x 250mm
Ensure logs are absolutely dry
(less than 20% moisture)
Fill the stove criss-cross, so air
can circulate between logs.
Fill 'little and often'
Always have the airwash control (2) at least a little open.
When first lighting, or reviving a fire from embers, use only very
small, thin, dry, sticks.
JOINERY WASTE
Dry wood offcuts will burn well, but don't expect
softwood waste to burn as cleanly or for as long as hardwood logs.
PEAT:
Sod turf must be thoroughly dry. BNM peat briquettes are
approved for use in Smokeless Zones in the RoI.
LIGNITE
(not smokeless) is a natural mineral, between peat and
coal. It lights easily and burns well, but produces much ash
HOUSECOAL
or
BITUMINOUS COAL
(not smokeless) makes
lots of tarry smoke and large volumes of flammable gas which
make it difficult to control and risk explosions. Despite its low cost,
it rarely represents value for money. Don't use housecoal.
ANTHRACITE
(Smokeless) is a natural hard, shiny form of coal.
Slow to light, it can burn for very long periods with great heat.
Despite its high price-per-bag it generally works out to be one of
the cheapest of all fuels. Use the 'small nuts' size.
COKE
(Smokeless) is coal from which the smoke has been
removed. Sometimes difficult to light, it burns very cleanly.
BRIQUETTES
Are compressed blocks of fuel, generally able to
burn for long periods and remarkable for their consistency.
'Homefire' and 'Phurnacite' are smokeless types while other
brands are made from lignite, peat or housecoal.
PETROLEUM COKE
sold as 'Petcoke', 'Longbeach' and other
names, is made from oil, should not be used, it will rapidly degrade
interior parts.
HOUSEHOLD WASTES
Some plastics give off toxic fumes when
burned and remember that batteries and aerosols explode! The
stove is not an incinerator, so only ever use the recommended
fuels and NEVER use liquid fuels in any form.
PROBLEMS?
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty
with the installation, chimney or fuels, so please check back
through this leaflet carefully. If necessary seek specialist advice.
SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY
It is quite normal for a little smoke
to be emitted from the chimney when the fire is cold. Use only
VERY dry wood or smokeless fuels. Make sure the 'smoke stop' is
in place.
DAMAGED LINERS
The Flavel stove gets very, very hot inside, it
is quite usual for the replaceable liners to crack or craze. They
need only be replaced when they have almost completely
disintegrated. Help them last longer by using only
very
dry
fuel.
POOR HEAT OUTPUT:
A stove can heat a typical room of
about
12m³ volume for each kW of output, so a 5kW model can heat up
to (12 x 5) 63m³, a room of about 5m square. The actual size
depends on the insulation and air-change ratio of the room. To
attempt to heat a larger room will result in excessive fuel
consumption and damaging overheating.
LACK OF CONTROLLABILITY
Wood and some other fuels may
burn excessively until the gases in them have been used up. You
can reduce this effect by making sure that the fire is set to 'low' for
a while before refuelling and checking that the door seals fully. For
stoves with a Smoke Stop - adjust the heat output by how much
fuel you put on, as well as by using the controls.
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