page 9
www.jayline.co.nz
NOVEMBER 2016
SOME OTHER USEFUL TIPS
Fuel load geometry:
Small pieces of fi rewood arranged loosely in
a crisscross pattern (loaded front to back) burn quickly because the
combustion air can reach all the pieces at once. Larger pieces placed
a little more compactly burn slower. Once your heater has reached
maximum temperature, it is more effi cient to top up frequently with
about 25% of a full load rather than let the fi re die down and need to
completely refi ll it.
A STACKED FUEL LOAD
(AS VIEWED FROM DOOR)
Fire in cycles:
Don’t expect perfectly steady heat output from your Jayline heater. Solid fuel heaters
burn in cycles. A cycle is the time between the ignition of a load from charcoal and the consumption of
the load back to a coal bed. Plan the fi ring cycles around your household routine. If someone is home
to operate the heater, build a small hot fi re. If you must be away from the house during the day, build a
long-burning fi re.
The small, hot fi re:
A small, hot fi re is a small amount of wood burned quickly. Use it when you just want
to take the chill off the house. The small hot fi re technique eliminates the smouldering fi res that are
common when people don’t need their heater running hot all the time, like in spring and autumn. To
build a small hot fi re, rake the embers evenly in the fi rebox and place several small pieces of fi rewood on
it. The bottom layer should be placed to ensure that combustion air can fl ow over the embers and along
the length of the pieces of wood (loaded front to back). The next layer should be stacked as per the
loading geometry. Open the air inlet to produce a hot, bright fi re. After approximately 15–20 minutes
the air supply can be reduced slightly as the fi re progresses, but never enough to extinguish the fl ames.
When only charcoal remains, the air supply can be reduced further to prevent cooling the ember bed.
Reload with small pieces often (loaded front to back), as full loads will smother the ember bed.
The long-burning fi re:
To achieve a long burning fi re, rake the embers evenly, as with the small hot fi re,
and use larger and more pieces of wood. Place the pieces in a similar pattern to the small hot fi re, using
more pieces and larger pieces (especially the top layer). Always make certain that there is a gap between
the pieces to ensure that the combustion air can reach all pieces. Open the air inlets fully for between
15 to 30 minutes depending on load size and fuel moisture content. When the fi re is burning fi ercely (at
least 15 minutes), reduce the air control in stages to the desired level. This allows you to turn down the
air control and still maintain a clean-burning fi re.
REMEMBER:
NEVER LET THE FIRE SMOULDER.
