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Before igniting the paper and kindling wood, it is recommended that you warm up the chimney. This is done
in order to avoid back draft problems often due to negative pressure in the house. If such is the case, open a
window slightly near the stove and twist together a few sheets of newspaper into a torch. Light up this paper
torch and hold it as close as possible to the mouth of the pipe inside the combustion chamber to warm up the
chimney. Once the up-draft movement is initiated, you are ready to ignite the stove by lighting the paper and
kindling wood inside the combustion chamber.
POSSIBLE FLUE OR CHIMNEY DEFECTS
From the foregoing basic principles for the regulation of chimney flues, it will be seen that unsatisfactory stove
operation may be the result of any of the following possible chimney flue defects:
1.
Insufficient height.
2. Surrounding nearby objects throwing air currents down the chimney.
3. Flues enlarged or contracted at some point.
4.
Rubbish or soot obstruction in the flue.
5. Air leakage in cracks where mortar has fallen out.
6. Floor support or a pipe passing through or entering the flue.
7. Too abrupt offsets.
8.
Other connecting flues
9. Chimney being used for ventilating basement
10. Chimneys too large for stove being used.
11. Flues being long and narrow
12.
More than one smoke-pipe connected to the flue.
13. Chimney connector protruding too far into the chimney.
FUEL
Seasoned cordwood will give the most heat. Your heater will burn most any type of cordwood. Seasoned
hardwood produces more heat, and will hold a fire longer, leaving a hotter coal bed than seasoned softwood.
Coal should never be used in a heater designed for burning wood. Never use driftwood that has been in salt water.
The salt content will cause corrosion that will destroy the stainless steel in the Class A chimney, the flue connector
and the firebox. Hard wood cut to 20” maximum length, and split 3” to 6” cross section is recommended for best
operating efficiency. CAUTION: Burn untreated cordwood only. Wood containing preservative, metal foils, coal,
plastic, garbage, sulphur or oil is environmentally hazardous and will damage the appliance.
LOADING OF FUEL
Do not overfill the firebox above the firebrick. Wood should be 3 to 4” below top of firebrick. A burned-out heat
chamber may result. Do not use artificial or wax logs. Build fire on the floor of the stove. Do not use additional
grates or andirons to support the fire as these may create excessive heat. For the most heat, combustion air must
be able to circulate around and through the fire. Do not block the air entrances inside the firebox with ashes.
When loading each additional fuel charge, clear the ashes away from the lower primary air orifices behind the
bottom of the door opening.
PREPARATION AND STORAGE OF FUEL
Solid fuel should be cut and split prior to the heating season and stored in a well, aired dry place. Do not store
fuel within the room heater clearances or within the space required for fuelling or ash removal. Fuel should be
kept at least 5ft clear (1.5m) from the heater. The space around the heater should be kept free of litter and wood
residue.
TYPES OF COMBUSTION AIR FOR WOOD HEATING
Unlike older airtight box stoves, low emission woodstoves have more than one location and control for supplying
combustion air into the firebox. These additional air inlets allow for complete combustion of wood gases and
particulates. Thus it is important to understand how these different air supplies work. PRIMARY AIR starts the fire.
Opening or closing this air supply then regulates how fast the stove will burn. Primary air is supplied by the following:
a dial with settings for burn rates and a thermostat. Use the Primary Air Control (PAC) dial (on right) to control the
burn. Adjust the settings to obtain the desired heat output. Always start a fire with the PAC set on high and leave
it on high until the secondary flames continue to burn after the PAC has been adjusted to a lower setting. Reset
the PAC to high when reloading. The thermostat also controls the amount of primary air entering the unit. Set it
on “Open” when starting a fire and leave it on “Open” until the stove has been burning long enough to keep the
secondary flames burning when it is closed. Set the thermostat on “Open” for 10 to 20 minutes when reloading.
It is very important to keep the secondary flames burning to maximize heat output and minimize air pollution, so
some experimentation will be necessary because each installation is different. Wood moisture content will also
affect the amount of time that a unit will need to burn on high after each reload.
