ORACLE
OPERATION
LIGHTING
Light a fire in the fireplace, starting with paper and kin-
dling only. Then add 2” to 3" diameter pieces of wood.
After the fire is established, close the doors to prevent
overheating. Never use any flammable liquids. Once a
coal bed is established, add standard cord wood.
WARNING: Do not use a grate or elevate the fire.
THE FIRST FIRE
Before the first fire, be absolutely sure to wipe off
all fingerprints and debris from the gold plating.
The plating undergoes a sealing process during this
first fire, and the acid from your finger prints will perma-
nently etch the gold plating. You will experience a slow
start-up during the first fire. The refractory bricks still
contain moisture and take a good hot fire to get rid of
the moisture. While there is moisture in the bricks, the
bricks will be black with smoke deposits. When the
moisture is gone, the bricks will become white. You may
also experience a slight odour during the first few fires.
This odour results from the curing paint and the burn-off
the residual oils.
REFUELLING
Fuel wood can be of any species. However, ensure
that the wood is well seasoned and kept under cover.
Sixteen to eighteen inch lengths work the best.
The doors should be opened slowly, to keep smoke
from spilling into your room. If you do have smoke
spillage, check to see that all kitchen and bathroom
fans have been shut off. They can cause a vacuum
in the house, which pulls smoke out of the fire-
place.
REFRACTORY BRICKS INSTALLATION
Care should be taken when handling refractory
bricks as they can be heavy. You may wish to han-
dle them with the help of one or two other people.
The refractories or refractory brick for the Oracle fire-
place are placed in the fireplace at the factory. If, for any
reason they should need to be replaced the following
order should be observed. The baffle R4301 should be
passed into the firebox with the holes towards the floor
of the box. Supporting the baffle from the bottom and
holding it as high as it will go while the side refractories
R4303 and R4302 are put into position to hold the baf-
fle into place. Place the bottom refractories R4304 (2X)
into the bottom of the firebox. Finishing refractories
R4306 and R4305 should be placed in the same order
as the diagram. These directions should be reversed in
order to remove the refractory from the Oracle. (See
Figure 1a.)
MAINTENANCE
CLEANING
The hi-heat paint and gold plating can be cleaned with
a soft moist cloth. Use a mild detergent and water
only to clean these surfaces.
Do not use abrasive
cleaners!
ASHES
Clean the ashes out of the fireplace when they become
too deep, i.e., before you have a spillage problem when
opening the doors.
Ashes should be placed in a metal container with a
tight-fitting lid. If the ashes are disposed of by burial in
soil or otherwise locally dispersed, they should be
retained in the closed container until all cinders have
thoroughly cooled.
DOORS
If a door does not close tightly, adjust the door closer.
You can do this by loosening the nuts under the door
closer pins. Turn the hinge pins with a slotted screw-
driver until a light "click" is heard when closing the door.
Note how the locations of the pins vary as you turn
them. The hinges are adjustable, by loosening the bolts
holding the hinges, and sliding the hinges backwards or
forwards. After adjustment, tighten the bolts. Make sure
the door is square with the face of the ORACLE, before
tightening the hinge bolts. If the door seal is damaged
page 4
R4302
R4303
R4304
R4304
R4305 (2x)
R4306 (2x)
R4302
R4303
R4301
Figure 1a: Refractory bricks installation
