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FIREPLACE OPERATION
ADVANTAGES OF A WOOD BURNING
FIREPLACE
These are practical and ecological advantages of using wood
as a fuel. Also to be considered is the aesthetic appeal. Most
of us consider a wood fire with nostalgia. We enjoy the aroma
and find the flickering light of a cozy hearth reminding us of
things past. Wood has a low ash content. The little ash that
remains after burning is useful in home gardening as a fertil-
izer and soil conditioner.
WHICH WOODS ARE BEST?
Each wood species offers something different in aroma or
heat value. You should consider your needs and desires before
building your fire.
Softwoods, like pine, spruce and fir are easy to ignite because
they contain a lot of resin. However, a fire built entirely of
softwoods burns out quickly. You also must add wood more
often. While a softwood fire is not too desirable for a long
evening, itʼs fine in the morning when you want quick warmth
or late in the evening when you want a fire that will burn out
before you go to bed.
On occasion when a longer fire is desired, itʼs best to combine
softwoods with the heavier hardwoods such as ash, beech,
birch, maple, oak and hickory. Hardwood burns slower, with
shorter flames, and produce steady, glowing coals.
For the most pleasing aroma, burn the wood of fruit trees
such as apple and cherry, or nut trees such as beech, hickory
and pecan. This wood is generally more expensive, but a
little combined with other wood goes a long way. Start your
fire with a mixture of softwood and hardwood. Add some
fruit or nut wood for nostalgic aroma. Since most woods
will not burn well when freshly cut, the wood you purchase
should be reasonably dry. Purchase logs that will fit when laid
across your grate. Ask that the larger, heavier logs be split.
Kindling should be short, easily split lengths of softwood,
lumber yard or mill scraps, or twigs and branches gathered
from your yard.
Fireplace damper must
be fully opened when
using a gas appliance.
W
ARNING
Do not burn plastics, poison ivy twigs and stems and chemi-
cally treated woods such as discarded poles and railroad ties
in your fireplace. These create air pollution and can cause
extreme irritation for some people.
Use hemlock, spruce, juniper and other resinous woods with
caution. They contain moisture pockets which, upon heating,
“pop” with considerable vigor.
Wood can be dried sufficiently for burning within a few weeks
if protected from rain in a low humidity area. It is far better to
cut wood and allow it to dry for a year. In all cases, the wood
should be stacked so that both ends of the sticks are exposed
to the air and protected from rain. The drier the wood, the
more usable heat produced by the fire and less likely rapid
accumulation of soot and creosote within the chimney is to
occur. See the section of this manual concerning chimney
maintenance for information concerning the hazards of soot
or creosote accumulation. For safety, wood required for fire
tending must be kept at least 30" from the fireplace.
Processed solid fuel firelogs may be used in these fireplaces.
Do not poke or stir processed solid fuel firelogs while they are
burning. Use only processed solid fuel firelogs that have been
evaluated for the application in fireplaces and refer to firelog
warning and caution markings on packaging prior to use.
Do not use fireplace as
an incinerator!
W
ARNING
Do not leave children or physically
or mentally handicapped, or senile
persons alone with a burning
fireplace.
W
ARNING
DISPOSAL OF ASHES
Ashes, important because they form a bed of glowing coals,
should only be left to accumulate within an inch or two of the
bottom of the grate. Ashes may be used to check a flaming fire
“bank” your fire by covering the logs with ashes. A “banked”
fire will hold glowing coals for 8-10 hours, thereby saving a
fire for later use.
Place ashes in a metal container with a tight fitting lid. Place
closed container of ashes on a noncombustible floor or on
the ground well away from all combustible materials until
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