Living with your stove
Every fuel, chimney and condition of use is different. Only experience will show which are the best settings for you.
Lighting
If lighting after a period of non-use, do check that the flueways and chimney are completely clear Place two or three firelighters close together, or screwed-up paper
covered with dry sticks, at the back of the grate and light them. When they are burning well gently cover them with very dry fuel, close the door and set the air
controls to the ‘high’ position (see ‘
Control
’). When the fire is burning well, move the controls to the lowest practical setting.
Filling
Meg are very efficient stoves, you don’t have to pile them up with huge amounts of fuel. Just one or two logs of about 1kg each, or mineral fuel mounded up in the
centre is all that is needed. Don’t fill above the level shown in the diagram below.
Control
How fast the fire burns depends on how much air reaches the fuel. The
stove has two air controls, one below the window (‘primary’ ❶) and one
above (‘airwash control’ ❷). Move the slides left for ‘high’ and right for
‘low’ on the Contemporary model. Turn the dial anti-clockwise and
position the top slide to the right for ‘high’ and turn the dial clockwise and
position the top slide to the left for ‘low’ on the Traditional model. They
can get very hot so move them with the poker tool supplied or use a glove.
When using wood it is usually best to have the primary control ❶
completely closed and adjust the burning rate using the airwash ❷
control. Hard fuels like anthracite work best with the airwash closed and
the primary open.
Emptying Ashes
Only empty ashes when the fire is cold. Use the tool or a glove to open the door. Stir the fire with a poker before lifting out the ashbin. Remember to let ash cool before
disposing in plastic sacks or dustbins. There is no need to empty every last speck but ash from mineral fuels should never be allowed to build up so that it comes into
contact with the underside of the grate.
Extended Burning
Meg stoves are intended for quick heat-up intermittent use. While well capable of lasting for many hours, they are not designed for overnight burning. For best
extended burning results allow the fire to burn down to a low, hot, firebed and fully fill with a hard fuel such as anthracite (c30mm size is best) and set the air controls to
‘low’.
Keeping the window clean
Simply operating the stove for a few minutes at high output will often burn off any deposits left by tarry or wet fuels. Severe stains can be removed when cold with a
domestic bleach cleaner. The window is not glass but a transparent ceramic, it may develop tiny hairline cracks, these are harmless and a characteristic of the toughest
heat-resistant material known. Reduce the risk of staining by using only very dry fuel and keeping the airwash ❷control at least a little open.
Opening the door
This stove is designed to be operated only with the door closed. The door handle can get very hot so use the poker tool or a glove. Open the door very slowly to
minimise fume emission and prevent hot fuel falling out.
Summer shut down
Before a long period of non-use, empty fuel and ash, remove the throat plate and leave all air controls open to allow ventilation and reduce condensation.
Fuels
There is no ‘perfect’ fuel so we strongly recommend that you try a selection of fuels (or mixtures) to find which suits
you best. Do avoid dusty materials such as sawdust, they can burn far too violently.
Smoke Control
In certain areas special rules apply to reduce smoke nuisance. Check with your local authority.
Wood
Wood only emits as much carbon to the atmosphere as the tree took in when growing so wood is considered the
‘carbon neutral’ fuel. When wood is cut down its cells are full of water. Burning such wet or ‘green’ wood wastes
heat in making steam and produces flammable acidic tars which will cling to, and rapidly damage, your stove and
chimney. Split logs will typically take two years to become reasonably dry, round logs much longer. Cracks in the
ends, a hollow sound when tapped and bark falling away are all signs that a log may be ready for use. The fine,
white residue produced when wood burns is not ash, but the remains of cell walls which can burn if kept hot
enough, so don’t de-ash a fire until absolutely necessary when using wood.
Kiln dried beech logs of around 1.2kg are
recommended for optimum performance.
Meg appliances are authorised for use in smoke control areas of the UK when burning wood. For best performance, and always for low smoke emission:
Split logs lengthways for drying
Use logs no bigger than about 100mm x 250mm
Ensure logs are absolutely dry (less than 15% moisture)
Fill the stove ‘criss-cross’ so air can circulate between logs
Fill ‘little & often’
Always have the airwash control ❷ at least a little open
When first lighting, or reviving a fire from embers, use only very small, thin, dry, sticks
Never operate with the door open
Don’t overfill the firebox
