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When lighting the heater for the first few times, it may be wise to open doors and windows to
ventilate the house.
Burn two or three small fires to begin the curing and conditioning process. Then build bigger
and hotter fires until there is no longer paint smell from the insert. As hotter and hotter fires are
burned, more of the painted surfaces reach the curing temperature of the paint. The smell of
curing paint does not disappear until one or two very hot fires have been burned.
5.2
Lighting Fires
Each person heating with wood develops its own favorite way to light fires. Regardless of the
method chosen, the goal should be to have a hot fire burning, quickly. A fire that ignites fast
produces less smoke and deposits less creosote in the chimney.
Never use gasoline, gasoline-type lantern fuel (naphtha), fuel oil, motor oil,
kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or similar liquids or aerosols to start or
'freshen up' a fire in this wood insert. Keep all such liquids well away from
the insert while it is in use.
Here are three popular and effective ways to ignite wood fires.
5.2.1
Conventional Method
The conventional method to build a wood fire is to crumple 5
to 10 sheets of newspaper and place them in the firebox and
hold them in place with ten pieces of kindling wood. The kindling
should be placed on and behind the newspaper.
Then add two or three small pieces of firewood. Open the air
intake control completely and ignite the newspaper. Leave the
door slightly ajar.
Once the fire has ignited, the door can be closed with the air
control still fully open. When the kindling is almost completely
burned, standard firewood pieces can be added.
Do not leave the insert unattended when the door is slightly open. Always close and latch the
door after the fire ignites.
5.2.2
The Top Down Method
This method is the opposite of the conventional method and only works properly if well-seasoned
wood is used.
Place three or four small, split, dry logs in the firebox. Arrange the kindling wood on the logs in
two layers at right angles and place a dozen finely split kindling on the second row.
It is possible to use ragged paper but it may not hold in place since it tends to roll while it is
burning. The best is to wrap a sheet on itself, grab the ends of the roll and make a knot. Use
four or five sheets of paper tied together and put them on top and around the kindling. Open the
air intake control completely, ignite the paper and close the door.
The down fire method has two advantages over the traditional method: first, the fire does not
collapse on itself, and it is not necessary to add wood gradually since the combustion chamber
is full before the fire is lit.
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