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HE350 - Installation and Operation Manual
4.3.5.1
Building Different Fires for Different Needs
Using the air control is not the only way to match the fireplace’s heat output to the heat demand. Your
house will need far less heat in October than in January to be kept at a comfortable temperature. If you fill
the firebox full in fall weather, you will either overheat the space or turn the fireplace down so much that
the fire will be smoky and inefficient. Here are some suggestions for building fires to match different heat
demand.
4.3.5.2
Small Fires to Take the Chill Off the House
To build a small fire that will produce a low heat output, use small pieces of firewood and load them
crisscross in the firebox. The pieces should be only 3
"
to 4
"
diameter. After raking the coals, you can lay two
pieces parallel to each other corner to corner in the firebox and lay two more across them in the other
direction. Open the air control fully and only reduce the air after the wood is fully flaming. This kind of fire is
good for mild weather when you are around to tend the fireplace and should provide enough heat for four
hours or more. Small fires like this are a good time to use softer wood species so there will be less chance of
overheating the house.
4.3.5.3
Long Lasting Low Output Fires
Sometimes you will want to build a fire to last up to eight hours, but don’t need intense heat. In this case
use soft wood species and place the logs compactly in the firebox so the pieces are packed tightly together.
You will need to fire the load hot for long enough to fully char the log surfaces before you can turn the air
down. Make sure the fire is flaming brightly before leaving the fire to burn.
4.3.5.4
High Output Fires for Cold Weather
When the heat demand is high during cold weather, you’ll need a fire that burns steadily and brightly. This
is the time to use larger pieces of hardwood fuel if you have it. Put the biggest pieces at the back of the
firebox and place the rest of the pieces compactly. A densely built fire like this will produce the longest burn
your fireplace is capable of.
You will need to be cautious when building fires like this because if the air is turned down too much, the fire
could smoulder. Make sure the wood is flaming brightly before leaving the fire to burn.
4.3.5.5
Maximum Burn Cycle Times
The burn cycle time is the period between loading wood on a coal bed and the consumption of that wood
back to a coal bed of the same size. The flaming phase of the fire lasts for roughly the first half of the burn
cycle and the second half is the coal bed phase during which there is little or no flame. The length of burn
you can expect from your fireplace, including both the flaming and coal bed phases, will be affected by a
number of things, such as:
•
Firebox size,
•
The amount of wood loaded,
•
The species of wood you burn,
•
The wood moisture content,
•
The size of the space to be heated,
•
The climate zone you live in, and
•
The time of year.
The table below provides a very general indication of the maximum burn cycle times you are likely to
experience, based on firebox volume.
