Building a Fire
(starting and maintaining a fire)
To start a fire, place several crumpled up balls of
newspaper in the firebox. Place small dry pieces
of kindling on top of the paper, criss-crossing the
kindling so that there are air spaces in between.
Keep the fuel far back enough so that air can
get underneath. Open the air controls fully and
light the newspaper. Once the newspaper and the
kindling is well ignited, close the door. Once the
kindling fire is well established, cord wood can
be added (see
Primary Air Combustion Control
section for proper operation of the air controls).
The unit will burn best with 2-3 pieces of cord
wood spaced 1 to 2 inches apart and allowing
air to get under the fuel. Criss-crossing or ar-
ranging the fuel so that air can get underneath,
will help the fire to get started easily. The unit
should be operated with the air control fully open
long enough to get the cord wood well ignited.
COMBUSTION CONTROLS
Primary Air and Air Boost Controls
There is no flue damper in the WRT4820WS
fireplace. As is common with air tight stoves,
the combustion air control sets the flow of air
entering the firebox. This allows for a more
precise control of the fire. The combustion air
control is located below the door on the left side.
The main source of air (primary air) entering
the firebox can be diminished by moving the
air combustion control from left to right. The
primary air is fully opened when the air control
is completely moved to the left. The air control
device can also be used to add an extra boost of
air especially during fire start up and reloading
of the unit. Pulling the air combustion control
will induce an air boost at the base of the fire
allowing an easier fire start up. When the fire is
well established, the control can be pushed in
to shut down the air boost allowing for a longer
burn time. The combustion air control should
be in the closed position (primary air and air
boost) when the fireplace is not in use. This
will minimize air leakage up the chimney. The
combustion air control should be opened before
opening the door to minimize the possibility of
back draft coming into the room.
Figure 1
Slow
Push to Close
Air Boost
Pull to
Open
Air Boost
Medium
Accelerated
WARNING
Be careful adding wood fuel to
the fire or handling fireplace tools
such as shovels, tongs or pokers.
WARNING
The bottom refractory can be
cracked by excessive abuse such
as tossing heavy logs onto the
grate or gouging with fireplace
tools. Exercise caution when
adding wood to your fireplace.
OPERATING THE FIREPLACE
Fuel -
USE SOLID NATURAL WOOD FUEL
ONLY.
This appliance is designed to burn dry
seasoned natural wood only (see
Page 6
for a
list of prohibited fuels). Failure to burn proper
fuels only will void the cert
ification and the
warranty of the appliance.
Hardwoods are pre-
ferred to softwoods since the energy content of
wood is relative to its density. Hardwoods will
result in a longer burning fire and less frequent
refueling. A moisture content of 15% to 20%
(seasoned) is recommended. Wood that has
been cut and split and let to dry under a cover
for a period of one year will usually meet that
criteria. The required drying time will vary
depending on the climate. Wood that is packed
tight together will take longer to dry. Seasoned
wood is darker in color than wet wood and will
have visible cracks in the grain on the ends.
Excessively wet wood will be difficult to burn
and will result in lower efficiency, increased
creosoting and deposits on the glass and in
the chimney. Excessively dry wood will burn
well but will also have higher emissions and
shorter burning time.
DO NOT OVERFIRE THIS HEATER
Attempts to achieve heat output rates that
exceed heater design specifications can result
in permanent damage to the heater.
First Fires
Before using the fireplace make sure to remove
the plastic wrapping and EPA label on door.
Remove any glue residue left by the label
using mild soap.
The first five or six fires should be small fires
of short duration (about 30 to 60 minutes)
.
This will help cure the refractory bricks. During
the first few fires of this appliance there may
be some odor and smoke due to the curing of
the paint, dust accumulation and burning off of
lubricants used in the manufacturing process. It
may set off a smoke alarm located in the same
room. For this reason the room should be well
ventilated for the first few fires.
Accelerated Combustion
The maximum heat output for the WRT4820WS
fireplace is achieved by burning with the door
closed and the combustion air opened and
pulled out. By this method, the WRT4820WS
fireplace can produce up to 55,000 BTU of
heat per hour. However, it will be necessary
to reload with wood every one or two hours.
This is the least efficient method of burning the
WRT4820WS fireplace.
Use caution when firing with the combustion
air control wide open. Only burn cord wood
in this manner. Small dry pieces of softwood
and construction scraps will burn very intensely
using this method and may damage the firebox.
Medium Combustion
This is the recommended mode of operating
the WRT4820WS fireplace and should be the
one normally used since it will deposit the least
amount of creosote on the glass and in the
chimney. The combustion air control must be
3/4 closed
(Figure 1)
and pushed in to close
the air boost. The precise setting will depend
on many factors, including chimney length and
the moisture content of the wood.
For instance, a long chimney will necessitate
closing the damper more. To obtain the proper
combustion, close the damper completely, then
open it about 1/4” to 1/2”. Three medium size
pieces of wood should be burning on a bed of
hot coals. The heat output will be approximately
30,000 BTU per hour and the loading time will
be about every 3-4 hours. Softwoods may be
burned using this method but the time will be
substantially reduced.
NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS ARE NOT TO SCALE.
4
