Earth Stove EARTHSTOVE 1500HT, Installation And Operation Manual

CARE AND OPERATION 

PAGE 14 

PRIMARY AIR CONTROL  

This appliance is equipped with a control for the combustion 
air, located on the lower right side (front) of the stove. Slid-
ing the control to the right increases the burn rate, to the left 
decreases the burn rate. 

You will generally want to set the control in the low or me-
dium range. The stove is safe burning on any setting as 
long as combustibles are kept at the specified safe dis-
tances. 
 

PROVIDE ADEQUATE AIR FOR COMBUSTION

In well insulated and weather tight homes, it may be difficult 
to establish a good draft up your chimney. The poor draft is 
caused by a shortage of air in the house. To provide the 
needed air, crack a window on the windward side of the 
house. 

In some cases, you may want to duct air directly from the 
outside to your firebox (See 

Outside Air

, page 6), or to a 

nearby floor or wall vent. 

 
USE CONTROL SETTINGS THAT WORK FOR YOU 

The fuel, the amount of heat you want, the type of installa-
tion you have and how long you wish the fire to burn are all 
variables that will affect the control setting.  The same con-
trol settings in a variety of installations will produce different 
results. 

Familiarize yourself with your stove by trying different set-
tings so you can learn how much heat to expect and how 
long the fire will burn. It may take a week or two to learn but 
your patience will be rewarded by the warmth and pleasant 
satisfaction that only a wood fire can provide.

 
BREAK-IN PERIOD

Your stove finish is a high temperature paint that requires 
time and temperature to completely cure. We recommend 
that you ventilate the house during the initial burns. The 
paint emits non-toxic odors during this process. 

KEEP YOUR HOUSE WELL VENTILATED DURING THE 
CURING PROCESS TO PREVENT ACTIVATION OF 
YOUR HOME SMOKE DETECTOR. 

The paint manufacturer recommends three burn cycles to 
cure the paint. The first two burns should be low heat, ap-
proximately 250°F., for 20 minutes each, using paper and 
light kindling. 

After each 20-minute burn, allow the appliance to cool 
completely. The third burn should be at least medium 
high or about 450°F. for 45 - 60 minutes. The paint will 
become soft and emit non-toxic haze during these 
burns. Keep the area well ventilated.   

As the paint cures it will become slightly lighter in 
color. Eventually the entire surface will become an 
even color. Once the paint has been softened and 
cooled two or three times, it will harden. Do not turn 
on a blower during the curing process.  Do not place 
anything on the stove surface until the paint is com-
pletely cured. Do not attempt to repaint the stove until 
the paint is completely cured. If the surface later be-
comes stained or marred, it may be lightly sanded and 
touched up with spray paint from the same paint (See 

Maintenance

 Section, pages 15-17). Paint is available 

at your local authorized Lennox Hearth Products 
dealer. Never attempt to paint a hot stove. 

 
HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN A FIRE

1.  OPEN the Primary Air Control by sliding it to the 

right. This allows the firebox and fresh fuel to 
quickly come up to ideal operating temperature. 

2.  Build your fire directly on the Firebrick covering 

the bottom of the stove.  
a. Place five or six loosely crumpled sheets of 

newspaper in the stove. 

b. Add a small amount of dry kindling randomly 

on the top of the newspaper. 

c. Place a few more loosely crumpled newspa-

pers on top of the kindling and light the bottom 
paper first, then light the top paper. Once the 
fire is well underway, close the fuel door. The 
upper fire should preheat the chimney and cre-
ate an effective draft while the lower fire ignites 
the kindling. 

3.  After the kindling is burning well, add increasingly 

larger pieces of wood until the fire is actively burn-
ing. 

4.  When the fire is well-established slide the air con-

trol lever for the desired heat output. 

 
REFUELING

To refuel the stove, first slide the air control to high. 
Let the fire "liven up" for about one minute. Open the 
fuel door about 1/2" (1 cm) and hold in this position for 
30 seconds or until stove is drafting well. Open door 
and add wood. If the fire or coal bed is almost de-
pleted and a full load of cord wood is added, it may be 
necessary to leave the air control on the high setting 
for a while to re-establish a lively fire. Once the wood 
is burning at a brisk rate, slide the air control for the 
desired heat output.