NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS ARE NOT TO SCALE.
8
MAINTAINING YOUR FIREPLACE
Have your product inspected at least once
a year by a qualified service technician to
ensure gaskets, air tubes, baffles, and vent-
ing are in good repair to ensure proper per-
formance. Have degraded items replaced
by a qualified service technician.
This wood heater needs periodic inspection
and repair for proper operation. Consult the
owner’s manual for further information. It is
against federal regulations to operate this
wood heater in a manner inconsistent with
the operating in this manual.
Creosote - Formation and Need for Removal
When wood is burned slowly, it produces tar
and other organic vapors, which combine
with expelled moisture to form creosote. The
creosote vapors condense in the relatively
cool chimney flue of a slow-burning fire. As
a result, creosote residue accumulates on the
flue lining. When ignited this creosote makes
an extremely hot fire.
The chimney shall be inspected at least twice
a year during the heating season to determine
when a creosote buildup has occurred.
When creosote has accumulated it shall be
removed to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
When the creosote accumulation is large, a
creosote fire in the chimney can damage the
chimney and overheat the surrounding wood
framing. Creosote formation in a chimney can
be minimized by making sure there is always
visible flame burning, avoid smouldering fires
and by proper refuelling techniques.
Chimney Maintenance
Regular chimney inspection and maintenance
combined with proper operation will prevent
chimney fires. Keep your chimney clean. Do
not allow more than 1/16” (1.6 mm) creosote
build up in your chimney.
The amount of creosote will depend on variables
such as frequency of use and type of fire. We
recommend that you:
A. Initially inspect the chimney system weekly.
From this, you will learn how often it will be
necessary to clean your chimney.
B. Have your chimney cleaned by a qualified
chimney sweep. If you wish to clean it
yourself, we recommend using a stiff plastic
or non-metallic brush. If a metal brush is
used, its size should be slightly smaller than
the flue to avoid damaging the chimney. Do
not use a brush that will scratch the stainless
steel interior of the chimney.
C. Do not expect chemical cleaners to keep
your chimney clean. The rain cap can be
removed for inspection and/or cleaning of
the chimney.
Before performing chimney sweep, open
the CAT bypass and remove the combustor.
Remove dust accumulation after chimney
sweep and put the combustor back in place.
CATALYTIC COMBUSTOR
This fireplace is designed with a catalytic com-
bustor which will reduce pollution emissions
and creosote build up while improving thermal
efficiency. In order to optimize and maintain
the combustor performance, it is important to
visually check the combustor at least 3 times
during the heating season to determine if physi-
cal degradation has occurred.
Catalytic combustors require little maintenance.
Cleaning the combustor once a year, preferably
when your flue system is serviced, is sufficient
for most users.
WARNING
To prevent damage to your com-
bustor, do not:
• Drop the combustor (which is
fragile compared to the rest of
the unit – so handle with care)
• Run water or compressed air
through the combustor
• Try to clean the combustor with
any sharp tool
The combustor supplied with this heater is
an Innovative Hearth Products Combustor.
Consult the catalytic combustor warranty
also supplied with this wood heater. War-
ranty claims should be addressed to:
Innovative Hearth Products
1769 East Lawrence Street,
Russelville, AL 35654
Phone: 800-655-2008
The packaging of the combustor must be
robust enough to protect against any ship-
ping damage that may occur.
Catalyst Monitoring
It is important to periodically monitor the
operation of the catalytic combustor to ensure
that it is functioning properly and to determine
when it needs to be replaced. A non-functioning
combustor will result in a loss of heating ef-
ficiency, and an increase in creosote and emis-
sions. Following is a list of items that should
be checked on a periodic basis:
• Combustors should be visually inspected at
least three times during the heating season
to determine if physical degradation has
occurred. Actual removal of the combustor
is not recommended unless more detailed
inspection is warranted because of decreased
performance.
If any of these conditions exists, refer to Cata-
lyst Troubleshooting section of this owner’s
manual.
• This catalytic heater is equipped with a tem-
perature probe to monitor catalyst operation.
Properly functioning combustors typically
maintain temperatures in excess of 500°F,
and often reach temperatures in excess of
1,000°F. If catalyst temperatures are not in
excess of 500°F, refer to Catalyst Trouble-
shooting section of this owner’s manual.
• You can get an indication of whether the cata-
lyst is working by comparing the amount of
smoke leaving the chimney when the smoke
is going through the combustor and catalyst
light-off has been achieved, to the amount of
smoke leaving the chimney when the smoke
is not routed through the combustor (CAT
bypass mode).
