Building And Maintaining A Wood Fire - Vermont Castings Intrepid II Installation & Operating Manual

Starting and Maintaining a Wood Fire:
Burn solid wood fuel only in the Intrepid II, and burn it directly
on the grate. Do not elevate the fuel. Do not burn coal or
other fuels.
The damper must be open when starting a fire or when
refueling.
1. Open the stove damper, and open the primary air control
fully.
2. Place several sheets of crumpled newspaper in the stove.
Do NOT use glossy advertisements or colored paper, as
they can poison the catalyst. Place on the paper six or
eight pieces of dry kindling split to a finger-width size, and
on the kindling lay two or three larger sticks of split dry
wood approximately 1-2" (25-50 mm) in diameter. (Figure
39)
Figure 39 - Start the fire with newspaper and dry kindling.
DO NOT USE CHEMICALS OR FLUIDS TO START THE
FIRE. DO NOT BURN GARBAGE OR FLAMMABLE FLUIDS
SUCH AS GASOLINE, NAPHTHA, OR ENGINE OIL. Also,
ST263
never use gasoline-type lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal
starting a fire
lighter fluid, or similar liquids to start or "freshen up" a
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fire. Keep all such liquids well away from the Intrepid II
while it is in use.
3. Light the newspaper and close the door. Gradually build
up the fire by adding a few 3-5" (76-127 mm) diameter
splits. If this is one of the first few "break-in" fires, let
the fire burn brightly, and then let it die out.
NOTE: Effectiveness of a "top-down" method to start a fire.
Smoke emissions when starting a fire can be difficult to
control because the stove is not yet heated to its optimum
temperature. One method of reducing emissions during a
cold start-up is the use of a "top-down" kindling procedure.
In this, place larger pieces of kindling on the bottom of the
kindling pile followed by smaller and smaller pieces as the
pile is added to. Very finely split pieces should be on the top.
Light the kindling pile with a match at the top and allow the
kindling to burn downward into the larger pieces. This reduces
smoke by slowly increasing the fire size without creating an
air-starved condition.
25 Vermont Castings • Intrepid II Installation & Operating Manual_R48 • 11/17
During the break-in fires, don't let the stove get hotter
than 500°F (260°C) as measured on an optional stove-top
thermometer. Adjust the air control lever as necessary to
control the fire. Some odor from the stove's hot metal, the
paint, and the cement is normal for the first few fires.
NOTE: Some chimneys need to be "primed," or warmed up,
before they will draw sufficiently to start a fire. To correct this
situation, roll up a couple pieces of newspaper, place them
on top of the kindling and toward the back of the stove, light
them, and close the doors. This should heat the chimney
enough to initiate a draft.
Once the draft is established, open the front door and light
the rest of the fuel from the bottom. Do not light the main
bed of fuel until the chimney begins drawing, and repeat
the procedure as often as necessary if the initial attempt is
unsuccessful.
4. If your Intrepid II has been broken-in previously using
Steps 1-3, continue to build the fire gradually. Add larger
wood with a diameter of 3-4" (76-102 mm). (Figure 40)
Continue adding split logs of this size to the briskly-burning
fire until there is a glowing ember bed at least 3" (75
mm) deep. A good ember bed is necessary for proper
functioning of the catalytic system and may take an hour
or more to establish.
5. Close the damper when the griddle temperature reaches
450° F (230° C).
6. Adjust the air control for your desired heat output.
Figure 40 - Add larger pieces of wood as the fire begins to burn well.
ST264
good fire
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