LIVING WITH YOUR STOVE
Every fuel, chimney and condition of use is different. Only
experience will show which are the best settings for you.
LIGHTING
If lighting after a period of non-use, do check that the
flueways and chimney are completely clear. Empty the ashes if
need be. Place two or three firelighters close together, or screwed-
up paper covered with dry sticks, at the back of the grate and light
them. When they are burning
well gently fill the fire with dry
fuel.
FILLING:
Don't fill to the
point where fuel touches the
'baffle plate' in the roof of the
stove.
CONTROL.
Correctly installed
(see separate sheet) this stove
will control itself for minimum
fuel consumption.
The two manual controls on the
front can be helpfully used
when first lighting or refuelling,
but keep both shut, or nearly so, in normal use.. You can open the
lower
Door Air Slide
to help the fire get going - make sure to
close it after just a few minutes. If using smoky fuels such as wood
or some 'smokeless' fuels, open the
Airwash Slide
above the
door to allow in extra air to help burn-off the dirty gasses and keep
the window clean.
The
Thermostat Dial
on the lower right of the stove controls a
device which senses the temperature of water in the boiler and
automatically allows air in to make the fire burn more or less
fiercely, so that water always leaves the boiler
at about 50ºC on setting '1' to about 90ºC at
'10'. Once you have found the most
appropriate setting for your house - usually
about '7' - it shouldn't be necessary to adjust it
again. To adjust the house temperature,
adjust the radiator thermostats (if fitted) or
your central wall-mounted room thermostat.
These controls will then automatically limit or
allow the flow of water through the boiler,
which will adjust itself accordingly. Your fire
will die down or flare up and the central heating pump go on or off
as needed in response to the temperature of rooms and water.
When you adjust the central controls, wait an hour or two for the
adjustment to 'bed in' - controls are deliberately made to react
slowly to prevent rapid on-off-on-off cycling.
EMPTYING ASHES.
If you're using mineral fuels like anthracite or
manufactured smokeless fuels - then empty the ash regularly, if it
builds up it will severely damage the grates. If you mainly use
wood, then do the opposite, let the ash and charcoal build up. To
empty the ash agitate the firebed by using the door handle to
operate the riddling mechanism on the right-hand side. Use the
ashpan tool to lift out the ashpan. Remember to let ash cool before
disposing in plastic sacks or dustbins. There is no need to empty
every last speck, but ash from mineral fuels (coal etc) should
never be allowed to build up so that it comes into contact with the
underside of the grate.
EXTENDED BURNING
Allow the fire to burn down to a low, hot
firebed. Empty the ash, fully fill with hard fuel such as anthracite
and your stove can burn for up to twelve hours without attention.
KEEPING THE WINDOW CLEAN.
Reduce the risk of staining by
using only
very dry
fuel and keeping the
Airwash Slide
above the
door at least
slightly
open when using smoky fuels such as wood.
Severe stains can be removed when cold with a domestic bleach
cleaner. The window is not glass but a transparent ceramic, it may
develop tiny hairline cracks, these are harmless, and a
characteristic of the toughest and material known.
OPENING THE DOOR
This stove is designed to be operated only
with the door closed. Open the door very slowly to minimise fume
emission and prevent hot fuel falling out. Pull the door handle off
when not being used to prevent it overheating.
SUMMER SHUT DOWN:
Before a long period of non-use, empty
fuel and ash, remove the throat plate and leave all the air controls
open to allow ventilation to reduce condensation.
FUELS
There is no 'perfect' fuel, so we strongly recommend that you try a
selection of fuels (or mixtures) to find which suits you best. Do
avoid dusty materials like sawdust, they can burn far to violently.
SMOKE CONTROL:
In certain areas special rules apply to reduce
smoke nuisance. Check with your local authority.
WOOD
only emits as much carbon
to the atmosphere as the tree took
in when growing, so wood is
considered the 'carbon neutral' fuel.
When wood is cut down its cells are
full of water. Burning such wet or
'green' wood wastes heat in making
steam and produces flammable, acidic tars which will cling to, and
rapidly damage, your stove and chimney. Split logs will typically
take two years to become reasonably dry, round logs very much
longer. Cracks in the ends, a hollow sound when tapped and bark
falling away are all signs that a log may be ready for use. The fine,
white residue produced when wood burns is not ash, but the
remains of cell walls which can burn if kept hot enough, so don't
de-ash the fire until absolutely necessary when using wood.
For best performance, and
always
for low smoke emission:
●Split logs lengthways for drying
●Use logs no bigger than about 100mm x 250mm
●Ensure logs are absolutely dry (less than 20% moisture)
●Fill the stove loosely, so air can circulate between logs.
●Fill 'little and often'
●Always have the
Airwash Slide
at least a little open when
lighting or refuelling.
●When first lighting, or reviving a fire from embers, use only very
small, thin, dry, sticks.
●Keep a constant, deep, bed of charcoal and wood ash beneath
the burning logs. This may need several firings to build up.
JOINERY WASTE
Dry wood offcuts will burn well, but don't expect
softwood waste to burn as cleanly or for as long as hardwood logs.
PEAT:
Sod turf must be thoroughly dry. BNM peat briquettes are
approved for use in Smokeless Zones in the RoI.
LIGNITE
or
BROWN COAL
(not smokeless) is a natural mineral,
between peat and coal. It lights easily and burns well, but
produces much ash.
HOUSECOAL
or
BITUMINOUS COAL
(not smokeless) makes
lots of tarry smoke and large volumes of flammable gas which
make it difficult to control and risk explosions. Despite its low cost,
it rarely represents value for money. Don't use housecoal.
ANTHRACITE
(Smokeless) is a natural hard, shiny form of coal.
Slow to light, it can burn for very long periods with great heat.
Despite its high price-per-bag it generally works out to be one of
the cheapest of all fuels. Use the 'small nuts' size.
COKE
(Smokeless) is coal from which the smoke has been
removed. Sometimes difficult to light, it burns very cleanly.
BRIQUETTES
Are compressed blocks of fuel, generally able to
burn for long periods and remarkable for their consistency.
'Homefire' and 'Phurnacite' are smokeless types while other
brands are made from lignite, peat or housecoal.
PETROLEUM COKE
sold as 'Petcoke', 'Longbeach' and other
names, is made from oil, should not be used, it will rapidly degrade
interior parts.
HOUSEHOLD WASTES
Some plastics give off toxic fumes when
burned and remember that batteries and aerosols explode! The
stove is not an incinerator, so only ever use the recommended
fuels and NEVER use liquid fuels in any form.
PROBLEMS?
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty
with the installation, chimney or fuels, so please check back
through this leaflet carefully. If necessary seek specialist advice.
SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY
It is quite normal for a little smoke
to be emitted from the chimney, especially when the fire is cold.
Use only VERY dry wood or smokeless fuels and have the
Airwash
above the door open at least a little.
POOR HEAT OUTPUT:
This appliance is
very easily
capable of
producing the quoted heat outputs given suitable fuels and a
chimney capable of developing sufficient draught. Is the chimney
too short or becoming cool or damp? Is the fuel completely dry?
3
Use radiator or
room thermostats to
control the system,
not the controls on
the stove
