Vogelzang International VG200, Owner'S Manual

17

HEATING

Controlled combustion is the most ef

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 cient technique for wood heating because it enables you to select the type 

of combustion you want for each given situation. The wood will burn slowly if the wood stove air intake control 
is adjusted to reduce the oxygen supply in the combustion chamber to a minimum. On the other hand, wood 
will burn quickly if the air control is adjusted to admit a larger quantity of oxygen in the combustion chamber. 
The air intake control on your stove is very simple. If you pull on it out completely towards you, it is fully open. 
If you push on it until it stops the combustion air is reduced to a minimum.  Real operating conditions may give 
very different results than those obtained during testing according to the species of wood used, its moisture 
content, the size and density of the pieces, the length of the chimney, altitude and outside temperature.
Ef

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 ciencies can be based on either the lower heating value (LHV) or the higher heating value (HHV) of the fuel. 

The lower heating value is when water leaves the combustion process as a vapor, in the case of woodstoves 
the moisture in the wood being burned leaves the stove as a vapor. The higher heating value is when water 
leaves the combustion process completely condensed. In the case of woodstoves this would assume the 
exhaust gases are room temperature when leaving the system, and therefore calculations using this heating 
value consider the heat going up the chimney as lost energy. Therefore, ef

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 ciency calculated using the lower 

heating value of wood will be higher than ef

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 ciency calculated using the higher heating value. In the United 

States all woodstove ef

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 ciencies should be calculated using the higher heating value. 

The best way to achieve optimum ef

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 ciencies is to learn the burn characteristic of you appliance and burn well-

seasoned wood. Higher burn rates are not always the best heating burn rates; after a good 

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 re is established 

a lower burn rate may be a better option for ef

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 cient heating. A lower burn rate slows the 

fl

 ow of usable heat 

out of the home through the chimney, and it also consumes less wood.

The amount of visible smoke being produced can be an effective method of determining how ef

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 ciently the 

combustion process is taking place at the given settings. Visible smoke consist of unburned fuel and moisture 
leaving your stove. Learn to adjust the air settings of your speci

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 c unit to produce the smallest amount of 

visible smoke. Wood that has not been seasoned properly and has a high wood moisture content will produce 
excess visible smoke and burn poorly.

OPERATIONAL TIPS

Operational Tips for Good, Ef

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 cient, and Clean Combustion

•  Get the appliance hot and establish a good coal bed before adjusting to a low burn rate (this may take 30 

minutes or more depending on your wood)

•  Use smaller pieces of wood during start-up and a high burn rate to increase the stove temperature 

- ignition problems 

- creosote build-up causing chimney 

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 res

- low energy yield 

- blackened windows

- incomplete log combustion

Smaller pieces of wood will dry faster. All logs exceeding 6” in diameter should be split.  The wood should not 
be stored directly on the ground. Air should circulate through the cord. A 24” to 48” air space should be left 
between each row of logs, which should be placed in the sunniest location possible. The upper layer of wood 
should be protected from the elements but not the sides. 

TESTING YOUR WOOD

When the stove is thoroughly warmed, place one piece of split wood (about 

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 ve inches in diameter) parallel 

to the door on the bed of red embers.
Keep the air control full open by pulling on it and close the door. If ignition of the piece is accomplished within 
90 seconds from the time if was placed in the stove, your wood is correctly dried. If ignition takes longer, your 
wood is damp.
If your wood hisses and water or vapor escapes at the ends of the piece, your wood is soaked or freshly cut. 
Do not use this wood in your stove. Large amounts of creosote could be deposited in your chimney, creating 
potential conditions for a chimney 

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 re.