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Escape 1400 Insert Installation and Operation Manual
4 Operating Your Insert
4.1 Your First Fires
Two things will happen as you burn your first few fires; the paint cures and the internal
components of the insert are conditioned.
As the paint cures, some of the chemicals vaporize. The vapors are not poisonous, but
they do smell bad. Fresh paint fumes can also cause false alarms in smoke detectors. So,
when you first light your insert, be prepared by opening doors and/or windows to ventilate
the house. As you burn hotter and hotter fires, more of the painted surfaces reach the
curing temperature of the paint. The smell of curing paint does not disappear until you
have burned one or two very hot fires.
Burn one or two small fires to begin the curing and conditioning process. Then build bigger
and hotter fires until there is no longer any paint smell from the insert. Once the paint smell
disappears, your insert is ready for serious heating.
4.2 Lighting Fires
Each person who heats with wood develops their own favorite way to light fires. Whatever
method you choose, your goal should be to get a hot fire burning quickly. A fire that starts
fast produces less smoke and deposits less creosote in the chimney. Here are three
popular and effective ways to start wood fires.
4.2.1 Conventional Fire Starting
The conventional way to build a wood fire is
to bunch up 5 to 10 sheets of plain
newspaper and place them in the firebox.
Next, place 10 or so pieces of fine kindling on
the newspaper. This kindling should be very
thin; less than 1" (25 mm). Next, place some
larger kindling pieces on the fine kindling.
Open the air
control fully and light the
newspaper. If you have a tall, straight venting
system you should be able to close the door
immediately and the fire will ignite. Once the
fire has ignited, close the door and leave the
air control fully open.
A conventional kindling fire with paper
under finely split wood.
DO NOT LEAVE THE INSERT UNATTENDED WHEN THE DOOR IS SLIGHTLY
OPENED. ALWAYS CLOSE AND LATCH THE DOOR AFTER THE FIRE IGNITES.
After the kindling fire has mostly burned, you can add standard firewood pieces until you
have a fire of the right size for the conditions.
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