points on all four sides between the door and
firechamber front and checking that when the
door is closed the paper is gripped. Any paper
which can be removed easily would indicate
a weakness of the door seal in that particular
spot, in which case a completely new rope
seal should be fitted. See the section on fitting
a rope seal on page 34.
Consider your fuel choice
The fuel itself may be of poor quality. For
example pine and other softwoods will burn
much quicker than a good hardwood log, such
as Oak or Ash and although this will produce
bright vigorous flames it will not produce
nearly enough long-lasting heat. Please read
the section on burning wood on pages 21
to 25.
Consider excessive chimney draught
This limits the effectiveness of the air controls
so that the fire burns with very strong bright
yellow flames and with very little difference
when the air controls are operated. In such
circumstances an adjustable damper or
draught stabiliser may need to be fitted to
ensure that the stove will always operate
under a stable draught which will allow the
stove’s controls to function correctly. These
devices limit the free flow of combustion
gases from the stove and so, in the interests
of safety, they should only ever be specified,
fitted and subsequently tested by an approved
installer.
5
Stove not providing enough heat
This problem is also usually indicated by dull
orange lifeless flames and wood that remains
black when burning instead of light grey. You
may even find that some of the wood remains
unburned when you return to the stove the
next day. A flue temperature gauge will provide
you with the best indication of whether or not
your stove is operating effectively.
Likely causes and how to avoid them
Poor heat output is more than likely caused by
poor fuel, such as ‘green’, unseasoned or wet
wood. We cannot over-estimate how critical
it is to use fully seasoned dry wood with a
moisture content of less than 20%.
Never burn unseasoned or wet wood
The easiest way to check whether your wood
is fully seasoned is to invest in a moisture meter
These are relatively inexpensive and can be
purchased from your stove dealer. Seasoned
wood with a moisture content of less than
20% will give you approximately 50% more
heat than an unseasoned wood log, a moisture
meter is a modest investment which will more
than pay for itself.
Unseasoned wood, not only produces very
little heat, it also introduces unwanted
moisture into the firechamber, reducing the
stove’s operating temperature and thus the
effectiveness of the airwash system which will
cause the glass to stain. In addition increased
soot and harmful creosote deposits within
the flue system are also created which could
potentially lead to a chimney fire.
Always use the correct fuel load
This might sound a bit obvious but for the
stove to work effectively it needs to be filled
with the correct amount of wood logs. Check
that you’re actually adding enough fuel – see
pages 21 to 25 for the recommended fuel load.
The maximum fuel load for this stove is 0.80kg.
Avoid burning too much softwood
Softwoods such as Pine produce significantly
less heat output. They will often burn away
much more quickly than hardwoods, without
delivering a great deal of heat, and should
really only be used as kindling to quickly start
the fire during the lighting phase or occasionally
when refuelling to a low bed of embers. Never
use all softwood for a full fuel load because,
although you will quickly achieve a bright
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