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Installation and operation manual - Bistro woodburning cookstove
ENGLISH
It is possible to use ragged paper but it may not hold in place since it tends to roll while it is
burning. The best is to wrap a sheet on itself, grab the ends of the roll and make a knot. Use
four or five sheets of paper tied together and put them on top and around the kindling. Open the
air intake control completely, ignite the paper and close the door.
The top down fire method has two advantages over the traditional method: first, the fire does
not collapse on itself , and it is not necessary to add wood gradually since the combustion
chamber is full before the fire is lit.
5.3.3 Two Parallel Logs Method
Two spit logs are placed in the firebox with a few sheets of twisted newspapers in between the
logs. Fine kindling is added across the two logs and some larger kindling across those, log cabin
style. Newspaper is lit.
5.3.4 Using Fire Starters
Commercial fire starters can be used instead of a newspaper. Some of these starters are made
of sawdust and wax and others are made of specialized flammable solid chemicals. Always
follow the package directions when using. Gel starters can also be used, but only to light a fire,
in a cold combustion chamber without hot embers inside.
5.4 Combustion Cycles
Wood-burning cookstove don’t have a steady heat output. It is normal for the heat output to
increase after a new load of wood is ignited and to gradually decrease throughout the burning
cycle. This increasing and decreasing temperature can be matched with the household routines.
For example, add small pieces of wood for fast and intense cooking heat or bigger pieces for
long lasting heat to simmer a dish.
Wood burns best in cycles. A cycle starts when a new load of wood is ignited by hot coals and
ends when that load has been consumed down to a bed of charcoal about the same size as it
was when the wood was loaded.
Trying to produce a steady heat output by placing a single log on the fire at regular intervals is
not recommended. Always place at least three, and preferably more pieces on the fire at a time
so that the heat radiated from one piece helps to ignite the pieces next to it. Each load of wood
should provide several hours of heat. The size of each load may vary depending on the amount
of heat required.
Burning in cycles means the loading door does not need to be opened while the wood is flaming.
This is an advantage since it is preventing smoke leaking from the heater when the door is
opened as a full fire is burning. This is especially true if the chimney is on the outside wall of the
house.
If the door must be opened while the fire is flaming, fully open air control for a few minutes
then open the door slowly.
Summary of Contents for DB04815
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