14
Vermont Castings • Montpelier Medium Insert Installation & Operating Manual_R26 • 05/19
3-90-30004403
ST1004
primary air holes
3/08
Primary Air
Holes
Bottom
Brick
Andiron
Figure 11
- Keep primary air holes free of ash for proper
performance.
Remove and Store Ash Safely
Check the ash level before reloading the stove, remove ashes
if necessary. Turn off the fan before shoveling the ash into
your ash container.
Remove ash regularly, typically every one to three days.
The frequency will vary depending on how you operate your
Montpelier Medium Insert; more wood is consumed at higher
heat output settings, and ash will accumulate faster.
Disposal of Ashes - Ash should be removed frequently and
placed outdoors in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid. The
closed container of ash should be placed on a non-combustible
floor or on the ground, well away from all combustible materials,
pending final disposal. If the ash is disposed of by burial in
soil or otherwise locally dispersed, it should be retained in
the closed container until all cinders have thoroughly cooled.
Wood ash may be used as a garden fertilizer.
CAUTION
!
Never use your household or shop vacuum cleaner to
remove ash from the fireplace; always remove and dispose
of the ash properly.
NOTE:
If the charcoal bed is relatively thick and your fuel is
well-seasoned, it is possible to add fresh fuel (smaller pieces
first), close the door, and reset the air control immediately.
Special Tactics for Cold-Climate Heating
The Montpelier Medium Insert is capable of producing up to
40,000 Btu/hour and heating an area of up to 1,500 sq. ft.
However, many factors affect heating performance and can
influence the extent to which the Montpelier Medium Insert
can heat a given area.
A well-insulated home, located in a moderate climate and with
the Montpelier Medium Insert located centrally in an open
floor plan, will be easier to heat than a drafty home in the far
north in which a Montpelier Medium Insert is installed on an
exterior wall at the end of a long house.
In Fireplace Insert installations, over-sized chimneys can
produce less effective results than those that are properly
sized, and interior chimneys usually perform better than those
located outside the house.
Different results may be experienced even in the same
installation if you switch from burning good, dry wood to wood
that is partially rotted or inadequately seasoned.
To compensate for these factors in cold climates, it may be
necessary to operate the Montpelier Medium Insert for longer
periods of time with the air control set to a higher level more
of the time.
