12
Vermont Castings • Montpelier Medium Insert Installation & Operating Manual_R26 • 05/19
3-90-30004403
ST996
Montpelier fan access
1/08
Speed Control
Open Bottom Louvre to
access Fan controls
Figure 10
- Fan control access.
Starting and Maintaining a Wood Fire
Burn solid wood fuel only in the Montpelier Medium
Insert, and burn it directly on the grate. Do not elevate
the fuel. Do not burn coal or other fuels.
Cast iron is a superior material for solid fuel stoves but it
must be treated with respect. It is extremely strong, but can
be broken with a sharp blow from a hammer or from the
thermal shock of rapid and extreme temperature changes.
It is important to temper the cast iron plates with an initial
series of 3-4 break-in fires. The plates expand and contract
with changes in temperature. Minimize thermal stress by
allowing the plates to adjust gradually during the break-in
fires by following Steps 1-3 on the following page.
Montpelier Medium Insert Control Settings
Primary Air
Air Circulation
Burn Rate
Control
Settings
Fan Speed
Control
Position
High
Fully Left
High
Horizontal
Medium
1" From
Full Right
Low
Turn
Clockwise
Low
Fully Right
Off
Turn
Counter-
Clockwise
Too much draft may cause excessive temperatures in the
Montpelier Medium Insert, and could even damage internal
components. On the other hand, too little draft can cause
backpuffing into the room or a very sluggish fire.
How do you know if your draft is excessively high or low?
Symptoms of too much draft include an uncontrollable burn
or glowing-red cast iron. A sign of inadequate draft is smoke
leaking into the room through the stove or chimney connector
joints, low heat, and dirty glass.
In some newer homes that are well-insulated and weather-
tight, poor draft may result from insufficient air in the house.
In such instances, an open window near the stove on the
windward side of the house will provide the fresh air needed.
When first using the stove, keep track of the settings of the
air controls. You will quickly find that a specific setting will
give you a fixed amount of heat. It may take a week or two
to determine the amount of heat and the length of burn you
should expect from various settings.
Most installations do not require a large amount of combustion
air, especially if adequate draft is available.
Do not for any
reason attempt to increase the firing of your heater by
altering the air control adjustment range outlined in
these directions.
Use the following primary air control lever and fan speed
control lever settings as a starting point to help determine
the best settings for your installation.
Burn Only High-Quality Wood
The Montpelier Medium Insert is designed to burn natural
wood only; do not burn fuels other than that for which it was
designed.
You’ll enjoy the best results when burning wood that has
been adequately air-dried. Avoid burning “green” wood that
has not been properly seasoned or cordwood that is more
than two years old.
The best hardwood fuels include oak, maple, beech, ash,
and hickory that has been split, stacked, and air-dried outside
under cover for at least one to two years.
For areas that do not have a supply of hardwood, commonly
burned softwoods include tamarack, yellow pine, white pine,
Eastern red cedar, fir, and redwood. These too should be
properly dried.
Your Montpelier Medium Insert will accept wood up to 18"
(460mm). Longer wood pieces work better than short ones.
Wood should be stored under cover to maintain dryness.
Even for short-term storage, however, keep wood a safe
distance from the heater and keep it out of the areas around
the heater used for re-fueling and ash removal.
Use the Air Control Settings that Work Best for You
No single air control setting will fit every situation. Settings
for each installation will differ depending on the quality of
the fuel, the amount of heat desired, and how long you wish
the fire to burn.
The control setting also depends on your particular “draft,”
or the force that moves air from the stove up through the
chimney. Draft is affected by such things as the length, type,
and location of the chimney, weather, local geography, nearby
obstructions, and other factors.
