DB15
INSTALLATION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
6
7
DB15
INSTALLATION AND OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
SMOKE CONTROL
In certain
areas rules apply to reduce
smoke nuisance. Check with
your local authority.
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 very 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.
Alternatively use a Morsø
moisture meter. 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 the
fire until absolutely necessary
when using wood. For best
performance, and always for
low smoke emission:
- Split logs length ways
for drying
- Use logs no bigger than
100mm x 250mm
- Ensure logs are absolutely
dry (less than 20%
moisture)
- Fill the stove loosely, so air
can circulate between logs.
- Fill ‘little and often’
- When first lighting, or
reviving a fire from embers,
use only small pieces
of wood.
- Keep a constant, deep,
bed of charcoal and wood
ash beneath the burning
logs. This may need several
firings to build up.
JOINERY WASTE
Dry wood
offcuts will burn well, but
don’t expects soft wood waste
to burn as cleanly or for as
long as hardwood logs.
PEAT
Sod turf must be
thoroughly dry.
LIGNITE or BROWN COAL
is a natural mineral,
between peat and coal.
It lights easily and burns
well, but produces
much ash.
BITUMINOUS COAL
(Sold as ‘Housecoal’ or
‘Polish’) (does NOT burn
smokelessly, and is not
permitted in smoke control
areas of the UK and RoI) is
raw, natural coal containing
a high proportion of bitumen.
The DB15 is one of very few
stoves which can burn this
fuel with high efficiency. But
be aware that it makes lots
of tarry smoke and large
volumes of flammable gas
which can sometimes make
it difficult to control.
ANTHRACITE
is a natural
hard, shiny form of coal.
Slow to light, it can burn for
very long periods with great
heat. Despite its high price-
per-bag it generally works
out to be one of the cheapest
of all fuels. Use the ‘small
nuts’ size.
COKE
is coal from which the
smoke has been removed.
Sometimes difficult to light,
it burns very cleanly.
BRIQUETTES
Are compressed
blocks of fuel, generally
able to burn for long periods
and remarkable for their
consistency.’Homefire’ and
‘Phurnacite’ are smokeless
types while other brands are
made from lignite, peat
or housecoal.
PETROLEUM COKE
sold
as ‘Petcoke’, ‘Longbeach’
and other names, is an
industrial reagent made from
oil sometimes simply sold
as ‘smokeless fuel’ without
any brand designation and
identifiable by a structure of
tiny cohered beads. Although
the DB15 can burn this
fuel safely, it WILL rapidly
degrade interior parts and
may damage the flue.
HOUSEHOLD WASTES
Some plastics give off toxic
fumes when burned and
remember that batteries
and aerosols explode!
The stove is not an incinerator,
so only ever use the
recommended fuels and
NEVER use liquid fuels in
any form.
SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY
It is quite normal for a little
smoke to be emitted from the
chimney, especially when the
fire is cold.Use only VERY dry
wood or smokeless fuels. Is
the chimney high enough and
hot enough to generate the
necessary 12Pa draught?
POOR HEAT OUTPUT
This appliance is very easily
capable of producing the quoted
heat outputs given suitable
fuels and a chimney capable of
developing sufficient draught.
Is the chimney too short or
becoming cool or damp?
Is the fuel completely dry?
Have the central controls been
set correctly? Is the building
sufficiently well insulated?
CONDENSATION
onto cool
surfaces inside the stove can
be severe if fuel is in any way
damp. Use only very dry fuel.
It is vital that the heating circuit
is fitted with a device, such
as a low-limit thermostat, to
minimise cold water circulating
through the boiler.
SMOKE COMING INTO ROOM
A little smoke leaking into
the room during refuelling
is normal, but fumes are
poisonous and recurrent smoke
emission must NEVER be
tolerated, causes might be:
NEW STOVE
There is often a
smell and sometimes visible
fumes as the paint cures.
This normally stops after
an hour or so.
INADEQUATE SEALS
Are all flue pipes and connectors
absolutely gas-tight? Even the
tiniest crack or gap can spoil
the draught.
BLOCKED FLUEWAYS
Has soot and ash collected above
the inner back part of the firebox?
UNSUITABLE, BLOCKED
OR UN-SWEPT CHIMNEY
The first requirement for correct
operation is a sound chimney.
Check the requirements earlier
in this document and in any case
of doubt engage a professional
sweep or chimney engineer.
POOR AIR SUPPLY
Lack of air
to the fire is a common cause of
smoking and poor performance.
Air supply problems may be
worse in certain wind conditions
(often incorrectly ascribed
to’downdraught’, which is in fact
very rare), where air can
be sucked out of the room.
The answer is to fit an air vent,
as near to the fire as possible,
facing into the usual wind
direction.
DOWN DRAUGHT
Wind can
blow down a chimney if there is
something higher nearby such
as a tree, hill or high building.
POOR CHIMNEY DRAUGHT-
Chimney draught in use MUST
be at at least 12Pa.
CHIMNEY FIRE
In the rare event
of deposits inside the chimney
igniting (roaring sound, plus
dense smoke and sparks from
the chimney) immediately close
the door, shut all air controls
and call the fire brigade.
FUELS
The Morso DB15 is one of very few stoves which can burn almost any solid fuel. But 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 like sawdust, they can burn far too violently.
PROBLEMS
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty with the
installation, chimney or fuels, so please check back through this leaflet carefully. If necessary
seek specialist advice.
MAINTENANCE
LIVING WITH YOUR STOVE
Every fuel, chimney and condition of use is different. Only
experience will show which are the best settings for you.
HOW THE DB15 WORKS:
The Morso DB15 is a 'downburn' stove
where the waste gases pass
down
through the hot fire and into an
'afterburn' chamber (A) at the back where even smoke is burned
away. This system gives very clean combustion and extremely
high efficiency on a wide range of fuels.
LIGHTING
If lighting after a period of non-use, do check that the
flueways and chimney are completely clear. Empty the ashes if
need be. 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 fill the fire with dry fuel.
Downburn stoves ignite very
quickly, but they begin to burn at
the back, so the full flame may not
be apparent for a few minutes.
FILLING: (C)
Don't fill to the point
where fuel touches roof of the
stove.
CONTROL.
Correctly installed
(see separate sheet) this stove
will control itself for minimum fuel
consumption.
The manual control on the top of
the door overrides the automatic
control. It can be helpfully used
when first lighting or refuelling, but
keep it shut, or nearly so, in normal use.
The
Thermostat Dial
on the lower right of the stove controls a
device which senses the temperature of water in the boiler and
automatically allows air in to make the fire burn more or less
fiercely, so that water always leaves the boiler at about 50ºC on
the lowest setting to about 90ºC at the
highest. Once you have found the most
appropriate setting for your house - usually
about midway - it shouldn't be necessary to
adjust it again. To adjust the house
temperature, adjust the radiator thermostats
(if fitted) or your central room thermostat.
These controls will then automatically limit or
allow the flow of water through the boiler,
which will adjust itself accordingly. Your fire
will die down or flare up and the central
heating pump go on or off as needed in response to the
temperature of rooms and water.
When you adjust the central controls, wait an hour or two for the
adjustment to 'bed in' - controls are deliberately made to react
slowly to prevent rapid on-off-on-off cycling.
EMPTYING ASHES.
If you're using mineral fuels like anthracite or
manufactured smokeless fuels - then empty the ash regularly, if it
builds up it will severely damage the grates. If you mainly use
wood, then do the opposite, let the ash and charcoal build up. To
empty the ash agitate the firebed by using the tool to operate the
riddling mechanism on the right-hand side. Use the ashpan tool to
lift out the ashpan. 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 (coal etc) should never be
allowed to build up so that it comes into contact with the underside
of the grate.
EXTENDED BURNING
Allow the fire to burn down to a low, hot
firebed. Empty the ash, fully fill with hard fuel such as anthracite
and your stove can burn for up to twelve hours without attention.
KEEPING THE WINDOW CLEAN.
Reduce the risk of staining by
using only
very dry
fuel. Severe stains can be removed when cold
with a domestic bleach cleaner. DO NOT use proprietary solvent-
based stove window cleaners. The window is not glass but a
transparent ceramic, it may develop tiny hairline cracks, these are
harmless, and a characteristic of the toughest and material known.
OPENING THE DOOR
This stove is designed to be operated only
with the door closed. 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 and leave all the air controls open to allow ventilation
to reduce condensation.
FUELS
The Morso DB15 is one of very few stoves which can burn almost
any solid fuel. But 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 like sawdust, they
can burn far to violently.
SMOKE CONTROL:
In certain
areas special rules apply to
reduce smoke nuisance. Check
with your local authority.
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 very 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 the
fire until absolutely necessary when using 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 20% moisture)
●Fill the stove loosely, so air can circulate between logs.
●Fill 'little and often'
●When first lighting, or reviving a fire from embers, use only very
small, thin, dry, sticks.
●Keep a constant, deep, bed of charcoal and wood ash beneath
the burning logs. This may need several firings to build up.
JOINERY WASTE
Dry wood offcuts will burn well, but don't expect
softwood waste to burn as cleanly or for as long as hardwood logs.
PEAT:
Sod turf must be thoroughly dry.
LIGNITE
or
BROWN COAL i
s a natural mineral, between peat
and coal. It lights easily and burns well, but produces much ash.
BITUMINOUS COAL (Sold as 'Housecoal' or 'Polish')
(does
NOT burn smokelessly, and is not permitted in smoke control
areas of the UK and RoI) is raw, natural coal containing a high
proportion of bitumen. The DB15 is one of very few stoves which
can burn this fuel with high efficiency. But be aware that It makes
lots of tarry smoke and large volumes of flammable gas which can
sometimes make it difficult to control.
ANTHRACITE
is a natural hard, shiny form of coal. Slow to light, it
can burn for very long periods with great heat. Despite its high
price-per-bag it generally works out to be one of the cheapest of all
fuels. Use the 'small nuts' size.
COKE
is coal from which the smoke has been removed.
Sometimes difficult to light, it burns very cleanly.
BRIQUETTES
Are compressed blocks of fuel, generally able to
burn for long periods and remarkable for their consistency.
'Homefire' and 'Phurnacite' are smokeless types while other
brands are made from lignite, peat or housecoal.
PETROLEUM COKE
sold as 'Petcoke', 'Longbeach' and other
names, is an industrial reagent made from oil sometimes simply
sold as 'smokeless fuel' without any brand designation and
identifiable by a structure of tiny cohered beads. Although the
DB15 can burn this fuel safely, it WILL rapidly degrade interior
parts.
HOUSEHOLD WASTES
Some plastics give off toxic fumes when
burned and remember that batteries and aerosols explode! The
stove is not an incinerator, so only ever use the recommended
fuels and NEVER use liquid fuels in any form.
PROBLEMS?
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty
with the installation, chimney or fuels, so please check back
through this leaflet carefully. If necessary seek specialist advice.
SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY
It is quite normal for a little smoke
3
Use radiator or
room thermostats to
control the system,
not the controls on
the stove
MONTHLY
Open the fire door
and inspect the top flue passages.
Gain access for cleaning by
using the tool to lift off the lid
(B) on the diagram on page 5.
ANNUALLY- SWEEP THE
CHIMNEY
The entire length of the
chimney from stove to outlet
should be swept annually, more
often if smoky fuels are used.
NEW PARTS
Your stove has
been extensively tested for
safety - please don’t try to
modify it and always obtain
genuine spare parts.
SURFACE FINISH
Wipe the
stove body with a slightly damp
cloth when cool. NEVER use
aerosol spray or wax near
the hot fire –they can ignite.
Painted steel parts can be
refurbished using Morsø spray
paint. Your stove generates
VERY high temperatures.
Eventually the internal parts
will require replacement.
Help parts to last by:
- Using only recommend,
very dry, fuels.
- Emptying the ash very
regularly when using mineral
fuel -never allow it to touch
the underside of the grate.
- Cleaning the flueways
regularly.
- Avoiding ‘over-firing’
