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stabilised, the air supply can be restricted slightly (near the centre position).
4.6 CHIMNEY FIRE
The combustion of wood (especially coniferous wood) will cause sparks to travel
from the fireplace into the chimney. This may ignite the soot in the chimney. (this
rarely happens if the chimney is cleaned regularly by the chimney sweep). The
chimney catches fire. This can be recognized by flames that blaze from the chimney
opening, excessively flying sparks, smoke and odors, as well as the chimney walls
becoming progressively hotter. It is important to act properly in such cases. You can
alert the fire brigade by dialling 999 (or 112 in Germany). The chimney sweep must
also be informed. Combustible objects should be located away from the chimney.
Attention
: Do not attempt to extinguish the fire with water before the fire brigade
arrives on the scene. Temperatures in a chimney fire can reach up to 1300°C. Extin-
guishing water would immediately create steam. A 10-litre bucket of water yields 17
cubic meters of steam. The enormous pressure created as a result could cause the
chimney to disintegrate. After the chimney has burned out, this is to be examined by
an expert for cracks or leaks and to be repaired if necessary.
5. FUEL
Only those fuels listed in the BlmSchV (German Federal Emissions Protection
Ordnance) may be burned in stoves. Only wood logs (recommended residual
moisture of 20% or less) or wood briquettes according to DIN 51731 are
permitted for stoves. Incidentally: A measuring instrument for determining the
moisture content of firewood is cheap and it quickly pays for itself.
Do not use any other fuels!
It follows from this that it is not permitted to burn:
• painted or plastic-coated wood
• Fibreboard or wood that has been treated with timber preservative
• Wood that comes from Euro pallets
• Rubbish, household waste, old clothes
• Paper, paper briquettes, cardboard
• Coal, coal briquettes, lignite
• Damp wood (residual humidity > 25%)
• Plastic or foam of any kind
• any solid or liquid materials that contain no wood
It is prohibited to burn these or other inappropriate materials in your stove.
When burning other materials than the permitted fuels, wood logs or wood
briquettes defined in DIN 51731, toxic gases can be formed that have
an adverse effect on the combustion process, and that may even cause
explosions.
Operating stoves with other than the approved fuels renders the warranty
invalid!
Use small bits of wood for beginning to heat. For firewood, use only split wood
that is not thicker than about 8 cm at its thickest point. The optimum length is
approximately 25 cm. Please do not add too much wood at one time. Instead,
it is better to add smaller quantities of wood at regular intervals. When adding
fuel, the embers must not be completely covered.
5.1 CO
2
NEUTRALITY
Wood only emits as much carbon dioxide as it had previously incorporated
when it was a living tree. It is immaterial whether the wood burns or rots in
the forest – the carbon dioxide output always remains constant. This creates
a closed natural carbon cycle.
Conclusion: When burning wood, nature remains in balance. German Law
legislates for the sustainable management of forests. This obligation leads to
an increase in timber volumes, since the average increase in timber is 40%
greater than the amount of firewood and timber that is consumed.
