Table of Contents
Advertisement
4.6.4
Firing Each New Load Hot
Place the new load of wood on and behind the charcoal and not too close to the glass. Close
the door and open the air control fully. Leave the air control fully open until the firebox is full of
flames, the wood has charred to black and its edges are glowing red. Firing each load of wood
hot accomplishes a few things:
− Drives the surface moisture from the wood,
− Creates a layer of char on the wood, which slows down its release of smoke,
− Heats the firebox components so they reflect heat back to the fire, and
− Heats the flue system so it can produce strong, steady draft for the rest of the cycle.
Although it is important to fire each new load hot, do not allow the fire to burn at full intensity
for more than a few minutes.
DO NOT LEAVE THE WOOD FIRE UNATTENDED WHILE A NEW LOAD IS BEING FIRED HOT.
When you burn a new load of wood hot to heat up the wood, the wood fire and the flue system,
the result will be a surge of heat from the wood fire. This heat surge is welcome when the room
temperature is a little lower than desirable, but not welcome if the space is already warm.
Therefore, allow each load of wood to burn down so that the space begins to cool off a little
before loading. Letting the space cool before loading is one of the secrets to clean burning and
effective zone heating.
4.6.5
Turning down the Air Supply
As you reduce the air supply to the fire, two important
things happen. First, the firing rate slows down to
spread the heat energy in the fuel over a longer period
of time. Second, the flow rate of exhaust through the
wood fire and flue slows down, which gives more
time for the transfer of heat from the exhaust. You will
notice that as you reduce the air setting, the flames
slow down. This is your indication that the wood fire
is burning at its peak efficiency. If the flames get
small and almost disappear when you turn down the
air, you have turned down the air too early, or your
firewood is wetter than it should be. With good fuel
and correct air control use, the flames should slow
down, but should stay large and steady, even as the
air supply is reduced.
4.7
Building different fires for different needs
Using the air control is not the only way to match the wood fire's heat output to the heat demand.
Your house will need far less heat in April than in July to be kept at a comfortable temperature.
If you fill the firebox full in fall weather, you will either overheat the space or turn the wood fire
down so much that the fire will be smoky and inefficient. Here are some suggestions for building
fires to match different heat demand.
Page 24
DETAIL C
DETAIL C
Installation and Operation Manual - Bistro
Advertisement
Table of Contents
