Replacing The Door Gasket; Cleaning And Painting The Wood Fire; Flue And Flue System Maintenance; Why Flue System Cleaning Is Necessary - Drolet ESCAPE 1800 Installation And Operation Manual

5.3.2

Replacing the door gasket

It is important to maintain the gasket in good condition. After a year or more of use, the door
gasket will compress and become hard, which may allow air to leak past it. You can test the
condition of the door gasket by closing and latching the door on a strip of paper. Test all around
the door. If the paper slips out easily anywhere, it is time to replace the gasket.
Use the correct replacement gasket that you can purchase from your retailer. The diameter and
density of the gasket is important to getting a good seal.
Place the door face-down on something soft like a cushion of rags or piece of carpet. Remove
the old gasket from the door by pulling and prying it out with an old screw driver. Then use the
screwdriver to scrape the old gasket adhesive from the door. Now run a 6 mm (1/4") bead of
high temperature silicone in the door gasket groove. Starting from the middle of the hinge side,
press the gasket into the groove. Do not stretch the gasket as you place it. Leave the gasket
about 12 mm (1/2") long when you cut it and press the end into the groove. Tuck any loose fibres
under the gasket and into the silicone. Close the door and do not use the wood fire for 24 hours.
5.3.3

Cleaning and painting the wood fire

Do not attempt to clean or paint the wood fire when the unit is hot. Painted surfaces can be
wiped down with a damp cloth. Plated surfaces may be scratched by abrasive cleaners. To
maintain the finish at its original brilliance, use only a damp soft cloth to clean plated surfaces.
If the paint becomes scratched or damaged, you can give your wood fire a brand new look by repainting
it with heat-resistant paint. Before painting, roughen the surface with fine sand paper, wipe it down to
remove dust, and apply two thin coats of paint. For best results, use the same paint that was originally
used on the wood fire, which is available in spray cans. See your dealer for details.

5.4 Flue and flue system maintenance

5.4.1

Why flue system cleaning is necessary

Wood smoke can condense inside the flue and flue system, forming a combustible deposit
called creosote. If creosote is allowed to build up in the flue system it can ignite when a hot fire
is burned in the wood fire and a very hot fire can progress to the top of the flue system. Severe
flue system fires can damage even the best flue systems. Smouldering, smoky fires can quickly
cause a thick layer of creosote to form. When you avoid smouldering so the exhaust from the
flue system is mostly clear, creosote builds up more slowly. Your new wood fire has the right
characteristics to help you to burn clean fires with little or no smoke, resulting in less creosote
in the flue system.
5.4.2

How often should you clean the flue system?

It is not possible to predict how much or how quickly creosote will form in your flue system. It is
important, therefore, to check the build-up in your flue system monthly when getting used to the
new wood fire until you determine the rate of creosote formation. Even if creosote forms slowly
in your system, the flue system should be cleaned and inspected at least once each year.
Contact your local municipal or provincial fire authority for information on how to handle a flue
system fire. Have a clearly understood plan to handle a flue system fire.
Page 26 Installation and Operation Manual - Escape 1800