Vermont Castings Encore 2550 Installating And Operation Manual page 22

Encore Woodburning Stove
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.
Another option for getting more combustion air to the
stove is to duct air directly from the outside to the stove.
In some areas provisions for outside combustion air are
required in all new construction.
Your Encore will accept a duct to deliver outside air for
combustion.
When first using the stove, keep track of the air control
settings. 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 air control settings as a starting point
to help determine the best settings for your installation.
Each is described as a fraction of the total distance the
lever may be moved from right to left.
Encore Control Settings
Burn Rate Primary Air Control
Low From far right to 1/3
the distance to left
Medium From 1/3 to 2/3 the distance
to left
High From 2/3 the distance
to left to far left
High-Efficiency Wood Burning with
Catalytic Combustion
An Encore leaves the factory with the combustor in-
stalled.
In the United States, it is against the law to operate this
wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating
instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic combustor
is deactivated or removed. The components of the cata-
lytic combustion system in your Encore work together to
produce optimum conditions for secondary combustion.
When the damper is closed, smoke travels through
the catalytic element, which causes ignition of smoke
at temperatures of 500-600°F (260-315°C), half the
temperature normally required for unaided secondary
combustion.
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The catalytic element is a ceramic "honeycomb" coated
with the catalytic material. The element is located in the
secondary combustion chamber, molded from a special
high-temperature insulating refractory material. The
chamber provides the correct environment necessary
for secondary combustion of the fuel (smoke).
Closing the damper exposes the smoke to the combus-
tor. If the combustor is at least 600°F, it will begin to
burn the smoke.
Closing the stove damper may also reduce the draft, so
to avoid putting out the fire or deactivating the combus-
tor, close the damper only when a fire is well-estab-
lished. When starting a fire, wait until the fire is well
established and there is an ember bed of at least 3-4"
(76-102 mm) before closing the damper.
Never kindle a fire with colored paper or paper that
has colored ink or a glossy surface, and never burn
treated wood, garbage, solvents, or trash. All of these
may poison the catalyst and prevent it from operating
properly. Never burn cardboard or loose paper except
for kindling purposes. Never burn coal; doing so can
produce soot or large flakes of char or fly ash that can
coat the combustor and cause smoke to spill into the
room. Coal smoke also can poison the catalyst so that it
won't operate properly.
In general, the fire must be sufficiently well-established
to ensure that catalytic activity is initiated. When first
starting a fire, a medium- to high- firing rate must be
maintained until the stove, catalyst, and fuel are all
stabilized at the proper operating temperatures.
Even though it is possible for the fire to get quite hot
within a few minutes after a fire is started, the combus-
tor may stop working or the fire may go out if the fire
is allowed to die down immediately as a result of the
damper being closed. Once the combustor starts work-
ing, heat generated by burning the smoke will keep it
working.
To determine whether the combustor is operating, ob-
serve the amount of smoke leaving the chimney when
the damper is activated and when it is not. This proce-
dure is described on Page 30.
Avoid using a full charge of very dry wood in the fire-
box. This may result in continuous very high tempera-
tures in the secondary combustion area and damage
the combustor. Wood which has been split, and stored
under cover for more than 18 months may be consid-
ered very dry. Also, do not use a full load of dry slab
wood or scrap wood. For long burns, use a mix of dry
and moderately dry wood.
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