22
8.0 Problem Solving
Problem
Reason for Problem
Solution
Dark, dirty film on the
door glass
Burning wet or green firewood OR
Leaking door seals.
Ensure only dry seasoned wood is used.
As per the new air plan, it is an offense in the
Environment Canterbury region to burn wood
with greater than 25% moisture.
Check the door and glass seals. Your Masport
Dealer can help with this.
To remove dirty film try following:
1. Burn with the damper open for 30 minutes.
2. Try to clean glass with damp newspaper and
ash when the fire has completely cooled
down
3. Try using non-caustic oven cleaner
Caution:
Do not scrub using steel products or
abrasive material, as it can leave scratch marks
on the glass and damage printing on the glass.
Smoke entering room
due
to
extreme
negative pressure in
the house
Such a situation will occur when the air
circulates down from the chimney towards
the interior of the house, which is at
negative pressure.
Energy efficiency practices and new
building code rules are making our houses
increasingly airtight. These practices make
the house’s energy-efficient but also
makes them more sensitive to negative
pressure when air is exhausted from the
house. The reasons can be because of
large extraction fans, which cause extreme
negative pressure in the house when they
are operating.
This negative pressure works against the
flue system draft. In severe cases, the
negative pressure in the house overcomes
the flue system draft, and the appliance
begins to spill smoke, especially when a
fire is started or when it dries down to
coals. Also, it can starve fire from air
needed resulting in poor performance.
To prevent this extreme negative pressure, open
a
window
approximately
6mm
to
allow
combustion air to enter the room.
If this doesn’t work carry out visual inspection of
combustor by following steps in section 6.3
The
poor
performance of the
fire – not enough
heat or drop in output
Number of causes can result in less output
1. Green/wet wood or inappropriate fuel
2. Burner operated with the damper in
“OPEN” position
3. Combuster not functioning
1. Use seasoned wood. Refer Section 4 for
details of appropriate fuel and testing fuel.
Run the burner a couple of times using
correct fuel and steps given in section 5.2
2. It is important to “CLOSE” the damper when
the burner has reached a sufficiently hot
temperature. Refer section 5.2 and follow
correct start-up, loading and re-fuelling steps
3. Follow the steps in section 6.3 and carry out
the visual inspection of the combuster. Also,
ensure that tips in section 6.2 are followed.
If the combustor is found to be clogged, follow
steps in section 6.4 to clean the combustor.
