Harman Home Heating MARK I, Installation And Operating Manual

Magnafire Series Coal Stoves

Operation

5. Operating Instructions

5.1 STARTING A FIRE

Place seven or eight sheets of crumpled newspaper 

onto the top of the grates. Next, lay in some small kin

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dling wood (approximately 3/4” or less) on top of the 

newspaper. layer the kindling in a criss-cross fashion 

to allow for maximum air flow. open the draft control 

to it’s full open position. light the paper nearest  the 

center of the door opening and close and latch the 

load door. after two to three minutes, open the load 

door an inch or two for a few seconds, then open it 

completely. This method is good practice to allow 

smoke to clear away from the load door. add a few 

small pieces of firewood when the kindling is burning 

well. Close the door again and be sure the draft con

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trol remains open. The ash door itself may be opened 

for a short period to accelerate the process. 
do NoT leaVe THe SToVe UNaTTeNded WITH 

THe door oPeN.

When a substantial bed of hot wood coals are built 

up, start adding small amounts of coal on top of the 

burning wood embers. (Pea or Nut sized coal will give 

the best results when starting a fire.) Keep the draft 

control open through the whole ignition process. as 

the coal begins to free-burn, continue adding small 

amounts until there is a solid bed of burning coal. do 

not add too much at one time as you could smother 

the fire. allow sufficient time between these small 

batches so that the coal can ignite thoroughly before 

more is added. once a substantial bed is established, 

fill the firebox to the top of the bricks. a deep bed of 

coal will always burn better than a shallow bed. adjust 

the draft control to the desired heat output. you’ll learn 

over time that the coal fire does not instantly change 

with a turn of the draft control. Make your adjustments 

in small increments and wait for the fire to stabilize. 

The normal range of control settings will be from 

closed, for extended burn times, to one full turn open. 

NoTe: If the ash door was opened during the light

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ing process, it must be closed to prevent over-firing. 

over-firing can cause dangerously high temperatures.  

5.2 LOADING

Coal should never be added unless there is a reason

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ably hot fire. The coal bed should be bright and vigor

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ous. If the fire is burning hot and there is a deep bed 

of hot coals, full loads of coal can be added at any 

time. However, if there is not a deep bed of coals, it is 

best to add in small batches as during lighting.

5.3 INCREASING HEAT FROM A LOW FIRE

every effort should be made to not let a coal fire burn 

so long that it begins to die. This causes the reloading 

process to be much longer, and there is a good possi

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bility of losing the fire all together. do not shake or stir 

a low fire. open the draft control or the ash door to get 

the maximum air flow. allow the fire to get reasonably 

hot. If there is not enough un-burned coal to renew 

the fire, add a small amount. Continue adding coal 

in small amounts until a full bed is established. Now, 

shake the grates. (see next section “shaking ashes”)
do NoT leaVe THe SToVe UNaTTeNded WITH 

THe door oPeN.

5.4 SHAKING ASHES

Shaking should be done only when there is a hot fire. 

The frequency of shaking will depend on the rate of 

burning. Shaking should be done at least once per 

day but best results will come from shaking twice a 

day. 

When shaking, do just that. do not rock the handle in 

long strokes, just shake it briskly until you see red hot 

ashes fall into the ash pan. rocking the grates may 

allow pieces of coal to jam them in an open position. 

5.5 ASHES AND THEIR REMOVAL

ashes should never be allowed to accumulate in the 

ash pan. excess ash build up can restrict air flow to 

the fire and can also cause damage to the grates.

ashes should be placed in a metal container with 

a tight fitting lid, pending final disposal. The closed 

container  of ashes should be placed on a non-com

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bustible floor or on the ground, well away from any 

combustible materials. If the ashes are disposed of 

by burial in soil or otherwise locally dispersed, they 

should be retained in the sealed container until all 

cinders have thoroughly cooled.

CaUTIoN! aSHeS SHoUld NeVer be alloWed 

To aCCUMUlaTe aboVe THe ToP oF THe aSH 

PaN. aSHeS IN CoNTaCT WITH THe boTToM 

oF THe GraTeS aCT aS aN INSUlaTor INTeN

-

SIFyING THe HeaT oN THe GraTeS, aNd WIll 

CaUSe THe GraTeS To WarP. GraTe daMaGe 

FroM aSH bUIld UP IS eaSIly reCoGNIZed. 

PleaSe reFer To yoUr WarraNTy To See 

HarMaN SToVeS lIMIT oF lIabIlITy IN CaSeS 

oF abUSe or NeGleCT.

Coal produces considerably more ash than wood. For 

equal heat output, coal will produce 7 to 10 times the 

ash of a wood fire.