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First Fires
Before using the fireplace make sure to remove
the plastic wrapping and EPA label on door.
Remove any glue residue left by the label
using mild soap.
The first five or six fires should be small fires
This will help cure the refractory bricks. During
the first few fires of this appliance there may
be some odor and smoke due to the curing of
the paint, dust accumulation and burning off of
lubricants used in the manufacturing process .
It may set off a smoke alarm located in the same
room. For this reason the room should be well
ventilated for the first few fires.
Building a Fire
To start a fire, place several crumpled up balls of
newspaper in the firebox. Place small dry pieces
of kindling on top of the paper, criss-crossing
the kindling so that there are air spaces in be-
tween. Keep the fuel far back enough so that air
can get underneath. Open the air controls fully
and light the newspaper. Once the newspaper
and the kindling is well ignited, close the door.
Once the kindling fire is well established, cord
wood can be added (see Primary Air Combus-
tion Control section for proper operation of the
air controls).
The unit will burn best with 1-2 pieces of cord
wood spaced 1 to 2 inches apart and allowing air
to get under the fuel. Criss-crossing or arrang-
ing the fuel so that air can get underneath, will
help the fire to get started easily. The unit should
be operated with the air control fully open long
enough to get the cord wood well ignited.
COMBUSTION CONTROLS
Primary Air and Air Boost Controls
There is no flue damper in the Ladera™ fire-
place. As is common with air tight stoves,
the combustion air control sets the flow of air
entering the firebox. This allows for a more
precise control of the fire. The combustion air
control is located below the door on the left side.
Open
Figure 1
4
The main source of air (primary air) entering
the firebox can be diminished by moving the
air combustion control from left to right. The
primary air is fully opened when the air control
is completely moved to the left. The air control
device can also be used to add an extra boost of
air especially during fire start up and reloading
of the unit.
Pulling the air combustion control will induce an
air boost at the base of the fire allowing an easier
fire start up. When the fire is well established,
the control can be pushed in to shut down the
air boost allowing for a longer burn time. The
combustion air control should be in the closed
position (primary air and air boost) when the
fireplace is not in use. This will minimize air
leakage up the chimney. The combustion air
control should be opened before opening the
door to minimize the possibility of back draft
coming into the room.
Accelerated Combustion
The maximum heat output for the Ladera
fireplace is achieved by burning with the door
closed and the combustion air opened. By this
method, the Ladera fireplace can produce the
will be necessary to reload with wood every one
or two hours. This is the least efficient method
of burning the Ladera fireplace.
air control wide open. Only burn cord wood in
this manner. Small dry pieces of softwood and
construction scraps will burn very intensely us-
ing this method and may damage the firebox.
Medium Combustion
This is the recommended mode of operating the
Ladera fireplace and should be the one normally
used since it will deposit the least amount of
creosote on the glass and in the chimney. The
pushed in to close the air boost. The precise
setting will depend on many factors, including
chimney length and the moisture content of
the wood.
Push to Close
Air Boost
Pull to Open
Air Boost
Closed
Combustion Air Register
For instance, a long chimney will necessitate
closing the damper more. To obtain the proper
combustion, close the damper completely, then
Two medium size pieces of wood should be
burning on a bed of hot coals. The heat output
the loading time will be about every 3-4 hours.
Softwoods may be burned using this method
but the time will be substantially reduced.
Slow Combustion
When the air combustion control is completely
closed, the fireplace is in a slow combustion phase.
If the hearth is hot enough, slow combustion will
not extinguish the fire, but there will be a notice-
able change in the flame pattern. The flames will
be slow and may appear dirty if the wood is too
wet (moisture content of 20% and more). Do not
allow the wood to burn without flame, since this
will produce excessive creosote in the unit.
Creosote may accumulate on the glass door.
This method of burning should be used only
after operating the Ladera fireplace with the air
control opened to produce a hot fire for about
an hour or at medium pace for at least three
(3) hours. Slow combustion can be used at
night in order to reduce the heat output and
to prolong the burn. The loading time will be
between 6-8 hours.
REFUELING FOR BEST PERFORMANCE
The Ladera fireplace will operate best if at-
tention is given to operating the unit with the
damper fully opened after refueling in order
to bring the firebox and the chimney system
up to their optimum operating temperature.
Combustion efficiency is relative to firebox
temperature. A temperature of 500º C (932º F)
and up, with a visible flame, in the upper part
of the firebox indicates a maximum efficiency.
To obtain this temperature, the fireplace must
be operated with the primary air and air boost
controls fully opened during 10 to 20 minutes
after reloading, depending on the heat and on
the moisture content of the wood.
Once you have reached the desired temperature,
the air boost can be closed and the primary air
set to a medium setting. You know you have
reached the desired temperature when, closing
the primary air control, you can see a flame
at the top of the firebox. The benefit of this
technique will be cleaner glass, less creosoting,
greater efficiency and the most pleasing fire for
your enjoyment.
SMOKING –
CAUSES AND TROUBLESHOOTING
To reduce the likelihood of smoking when open-
ing the door, set the combustion air controls to
the left before opening the door. Your fireplace
has been designed and tested to provide smoke
free operation. Occasionally, there may be a
small amount of smoking upon lighting the fire,
until the chimney heats up but this should not
continue. If the fireplace continues to smoke it
is probably for one of the following reasons:
- Quick Links:
- Replacement Parts
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