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VITAE FS V2
– 22-4-16
6.5 Notes on Burning Solid Fuel
NEVER burn solid fuel in the stove without first fitting a solid fuel kit.
See section 6.6 on lighting the stove. After the fire has become established close the airwash until it is
approximately 25% open and use the primary air control to set the burn rate. De-ash the stove by riddling a
few times before adding new fuel. Open the primary air 100% for a few minutes before refuelling to
establish a good hot bed. Leave the primary air fully open for 4-5 minutes after adding the new fuel and then
adjust until approximately 25% open to achieve nominal output. With experience you will learn to adjust the
controls to establish personal settings. It is better to refuel little and often, this burns the fuel more efficiently
and prolongs the life of the stove.
6.6 Lighting the Stove
We recommend that you have two or three small fires before you operate your stove to its maximum heat
output. This is to allow the paint to cure in steadily and to give a long service life of the paint finish. During
this curing in process you may notice an unpleasant smell whilst the finishes finally cure. It is non-toxic, but
for your comfort we would suggest that during this period you leave all doors and windows open.
First, open the primary and secondary air wash control fully. Load the firebox with plenty of starting fuel,
i.e. paper, dry sticks and/or firelighters. Light the fire at the base leaving the primary and secondary air
control fully open. Leave the door slightly ajar for 10 minutes to enhance initial starting and reduce smoke
emission – DO NOT leave the stove unattended if the door is left ajar. Allow the fuel to reach a steady glow
and build the fire up gradually by adding a few small sticks or well split logs at a time. Once you have a
good fire bed established across the grate, further fuel can be added step by step as required. Don’t be
tempted to overload the fire bed with fuel all at once or close down the air controls too much until the fire is
really well established for some time. Once the ignition period is well under way close the primary air and
gradually reduce the secondary air wash control opening to establish the burning intensity you require
(usually open 25% approx.).
6.7 Re-fuelling
When burning wood, the fire will die down as the fuel is consumed. When the flames disappear and the
remainder is breaking down into glowing embers it is an appropriate time to consider re-fuelling. NOTE: If
the flames disappear and there are still lumps of solid wood left this indicates excessive moisture in the
wood or insufficient air supply/flue draught.
Note:
To eliminate unwanted smoke emission, after loading new logs on to the fire, open the air wash
control up fully for 1-2 minutes to boost the fire and get flames issuing from the top of the fuel as soon as
possible. When flames are well established, reduce the air wash to the running setting required. Burning
without flames above the fuel will create unnecessary smoke. Do not load fuel above the tertiary air inlet
holes at the back of the firebox.
Fig 5. – Three piece Multifuel Kit
