17
Getting Acquainted
The Sweetheart and Oval cookstove are time proven heating
and cooking appliances. Take your time to acquaint yourself
with the principles on which your new stove operates as a
heater and cooking stove.
Understanding the primary principles of the air intake
controls, the oven damper, the flame path for the fire and the
relationship to the chimney will give you a very comprehensive
understanding of what you are trying to accomplish with the
stove.
Before starting the stove, lift the key plate handle and rest
the arm in the top hook of the cabinet bracket. Open both
the top loading and ash pan doors. The doors open by lifting
slightly over the hook and pulling towards you. Always use the
lid lifter to open doors and bell dampers and when adjusting
the oven damper.
In the Oval, looking into the firebox through the top you
see cast iron liners, these liners rest on an oval refractory
firebrick.
In the Sweetheart, looking into the firebox through the top
you will see firebrick liners on the left and right side of the
firebox.
At the bottom of the firebox is the wood grate, looking in through
the ash pan door, you will see the wood grate pull—slide it
back and forth and looking down into the firebox you will see
the slots open and close.
The stove is burned with the slots open which allows the
combustion air to enter underneath the fire. As ash and
coals build up on the grate these slots fill and will require the
occasional “shaking”.
It is a good policy to shake the grate or stir the coals with the
poker before loading a new charge of wood.
You will notice that with the ash door closed the ash flap
may be lifted to access the wood grate pull without having
to open the door.
Burning skid wood or construction materials with nails is not
recommended as anything in the firebox that will not burn
has the potential to get caught in the grate.
The ash pan is directly below the grate.
Starting the Stove
Good safety practices:
Educate your family members:
• before burning the stove, have each family member read
this manual and be aware of safety practices;
• keep children, clothing and furniture away from the
stove;
• the stove is HOT while in operation –
DO NOT TOUCH
the stove, contact may cause burns;
• open the firedoor, ash pan door, woodgrate pull, bell
dampers and oven damper with the 1415 lid lifter
only—these surfaces get hot; (see figure 8)
Slots open and close
Wood grate pull
Figure 8
Oven Damper Slide
Wood Grate Pull
Bell Damper
• keep a fire extinguisher nearby and have a clearly
understood plan on how to extinguish a fire.