FOCUS 250 Owner's Manual
8
RSF Woodburning Fireplaces
Weak draft can result in smoke entering the room and difficulty lighting or operating the fireplace. Weak draft is
often incorrectly associated as a blockage in the air intake for the fireplace. Adding chimney height is the most
common solution. See Table 3 for minimum chimney height recommendations.
BURN TIME VS. HEAT OUTPUT
The faster your fireplace burns the more heat it will create; however, faster fires result in much more hot air flow up
the chimney which means you are sacrificing efficiency. Fast burning fires (lots of air) go through much more wood
than slow burning fires. To get the most out of your FOCUS 250 fireplace, adjust the combustion air control lever
at the appropriate time. If the fire seems to be burning too quickly, turn the air down. If the fire is smoldering and
there are no visible flames, turn the air up. This way you’ll always be getting the most out of your fuel.
FUEL
All modern high efficiency fireplaces and woodstoves are designed to burn best with seasoned cordwood. Seasoned
wood can be defined as wood that has been cut, split and let dry under cover for a minimum of 6 months, preferably
a year or more. Dry seasoned wood generally contains less than 20% moisture content. Attempting to burn fuel
with an high moisture content will be difficult and result in lower efficiency, increased creosote buildup and dark
deposits on the glass. It’s possible to burn a very large amount of wood, and get very little heat if the wood is wet.
The type of
wood you select is also important. All types of wood give off more or less the same number of BTU’s
per pound. Since softer woods are less dense than hardwoods it is possible to put more weight of hardwood in the
firebox; in other words all woodburning appliances will burn longer and more evenly with hardwoods. Never burn
scrap, garbage, treated wood or driftwood as they produce much more pollution and can corrode the firebox and
chimney as well. Burning large amounts of paper, cardboard, mill ends or construction waste can easily over fire
and damage the fireplace or even ignite a chimney fire if the flue is dirty.
FIRST FIRES
You will experience a slow start-up during the first few fires. The refractory bricks lining the firebox contain moisture
from manufacturing and require a few hot fires to evaporate the moisture. While there is still moisture in the bricks,
they will be black with smoke deposits. When the moisture has dissipated, the bricks will turn white. Unlike cast iron
stoves, there is no need to cure the fireplace itself by starting with small fires and progressively larger ones. Feel
free to light a large fire from the very start.
You will experience a slight odor during the first few fires. This odor comes from curing paint and oil burning off the
metal. The odor may be strong enough to set off your smoke detector. Open the doors and windows to allow the
room to properly ventilate.
LIGHTING
Ensure that the combustion air control lever is all the way in the open position. You will want as much air as possible
for the lighting process.
Start by laying your fire starter and kindling. Traditional fire starter is crumpled newspaper; make sure to use enough
to light the kindling (5-6 pieces should do). Next lay the kindling crisscrossed over the newspaper. Using plenty of
kindling ensures that the chimney will heat up quickly and establish a strong draft,
never use any flammable
liquids
. Light the paper and close the door most of the way, but don’t shut it completely. If the door is positioned
correctly you will see air rushing into the fireplace, this will help the lighting process.
Once the kindling is lit and sustaining fire, you can add some small pieces of seasoned cordwood. Use the andirons
in front to help position the cordwood so as not to flat
ten and smother the fire you’ve just created. Always add at
least 3 pieces of cordwood. Position your cordwood in a manner that the fire will hit several pieces as it rises and
has air gaps to flow through. Continue to leave the door slightly open until the cordwood is lit. Close the door
completely when the fire is established, if the fire goes out you’ve shut the door too early.
To get maximum efficiency out of your fireplace you will want to adjust the amount of air entering the firebox at the
appropriate times. Gauge how much to close the combustion air by how the fire reacts once the combustion air
control lever has been moved. If the fire goes out and begins to smolder, there’s too little combustion air entering
the firebox. If there’s no change to the burn pattern, you can continue to close the combustion air further. Eventually
you should be able to close the combustion air all or most of the way. There should always be visible fire inside the
firebox at every step of the process.
