will provide limited heat output. Check that any
permanent air vent fitted to supply the extra
combustion air required for the stove has not been
accidentally blocked. Remember there should never
be an extractor fan in the same room as a stove.
A simple way of confirming whether or not the stove
is receiving enough combustion air is to open a
window in the same room as the stove. If this
improves the problem then this would certainly
indicate that the stove is being starved of combustion
air and the advice of the original installer should be
sought.
• Causes: Blockages
When safe to do so, examine
the flue-way above the baffle plate as well as the flue
liner or chimney system, either through the stove or
via any inspection hatches. Clear any soot blockages.
Excessive deposits could also indicate a poor choice
of fuel or that the chimney or flue itself also needs
cleaning more often than previously thought.
• Causes: Circulation Pump
This may need
re-adjusting to slow down the system’s flow because
it does not provide the water with a slow enough
passage through the stove’s boiler to heat up the
water sufficiently. This in turn prevents the fire
chamber from ever reaching a good operating
temperature. It could also be that the central
heating system may need to re-balanced at the same
time
.
See pages 22 and 26
GLASS STAINING OR BLACKENING
Glass can be cleaned easily if it is undertaken regularly
and the deposits are not allowed to build up. A
proprietary stove glass spray or gel is strongly
recommended.
• Causes: Air Controls
Ensure that you fully
understand how the Airwash system works and that
you have determined, through some trial and error
that you have the correct balance between the
Primary, Secondary and Thermostat Controls that your
stove needs. Generally, try to use more Secondary Air
when burning wood as this air flows down and over
the glass to help burn and wash away any particulates
that have accumulated there.
• Causes: Poor fuel
Burning damp or unseasoned
wood will cause the glass to stain as the moisture
from the fuel considerably reduces the fire chamber
temperature reducing the effectiveness of the
Airwash system. ‘Green’ wood will also encourage
sticky deposits on the glass which will prove difficult
for the impaired Airwash system to remove.
• Causes: Continuous low burning
Continuously
burning your stove with a very low flame, such as
slow overnight burning will also cause this problem
because the Airwash does not get hot enough and
some blackening of the glass should be considered a
‘trade-off’. In this instance, if you’re sure that the fuel
from the stove, they should only ever be specified,
fitted and subsequently tested by an approved
installer.
• Causes: Fuel
The fuel itself may be of poor quality.
For example pine and other softwoods used in the
building trade will burn much quicker than a good
hard wood log, such as Oak.
• Causes: Faulty Door Seals
The rope seals around
the fire chamber door could have become worn and
may not create the air-tight seal needed for the
Primary and Secondary Air controls to function
correctly. When the stove is cold, you can easily check
this seal by placing strips of paper at various points
between the door and chamber and checking that
when the door is closed it grips this paper. Any paper
which can be removed easily would indicate
a weakness of the door seal in that particular spot, in
which case a complete new rope seal should be
fitted.
STOVE NOT PROVIDING ENOUGH HEAT
This problem is also usually indicated by dull orange
lifeless flames and wood that remains black when
burning instead of light grey.
• Causes: Poor fuel
Poor heat output is more than
likely caused by poor fuel, such as ‘green’ or
unseasoned wood or even wet wood. We cannot
over-estimate how critical it is to use fully seasoned
dry wood in a boiler stove. The easiest way to check
whether your wood is fully seasoned is to invest in
a moisture meter specifically designed for testing
wood fuel. These are relatively inexpensive and can be
purchased from your stove dealer. When you bear in
mind that seasoned wood with a moisture content of
less than 20% will give you approximately 50% more
heat than unseasoned wood, a moisture meter is a
modest investment which will more than pay for itself.
Wet or unseasoned wood introduces unwanted
moisture into the fire chamber, again, this is more
problematic with boiler stoves which are already
operating at a lower temperature because of the
‘radiator’ affect of the boiler. Wet wood reduces the
boiler stove’s fire chamber temperature and thus the
effectiveness of the air wash system. In addition it will
cause problems of increased soot and harmful
creosote deposits within the flue system.
Softwoods such as Pine produce significantly less heat
output than hardwoods.
• Causes: Air controls
Ensure that you fully
understand the difference that using the Primary,
Secondary and Thermostat controls make to the
performance of the stove and how they need to be
balanced to determine the best way to burn your fuel.
• Causes: Inadequate Combustion Air
A stove
starved of combustion air, even when the Primary and
Secondary Air controls are in the fully open position,
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