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BURNING pROCESS
In recent years there has been an increasing concern about
air quality. Much of the blame for poor air quality has been
placed on the burning of wood for home heating. In order to
improve the situation, we at Quadra-Fire have developed
cleaner-burning wood stoves and inserts that surpass the
requirements for emissions established by our governing
agencies. These appliances must be properly operated in
order to insure that they perform the way they are designed
to perform. Improper operation can turn most any wood stove
or insert into a smoldering environmental hazard.
Kindling or First Stage
It helps to know a little about the actual process of burning
in order to understand what goes on inside a wood burning
appliance. The first stage of burning is called the kindling
stage. In this stage, the wood is heated to a temperature high
enough to evaporate the moisture which is present in all wood.
The wood will reach the boiling point of water (212°F) and will
not get any hotter until the water is evaporated. This process
takes heat from the coals and tends to cool the appliance.
Fire requires three things to burn - fuel, air and heat. So, if
heat is robbed from the appliance during the drying stage, the
new load of wood has reduced the chances for a good clean
burn. For this reason, it is always best to burn dry, seasoned
firewood. When the wood isn't dry, you must open the air
controls and burn at a high burn setting for a longer time to
start it burning. The heat generated from the fire should be
warming your home and establishing the flue draft, not evapo-
rating the moisture out of wet, unseasoned wood, resulting
in wasted heat.
The air control in the right side of the grille, bottom rod, is
called the Start-Up Air Control; it is used during the kindling
stage of burning. It must be closed (pulled out) after the first
5 to 15 minutes.
Second Stage
The next stage of burning, the secondary stage, is the period
when the wood gives off flammable gases which burn above
the fuel with bright flames. During this stage of burning it is
very important that the flames be maintained and not allowed
to go out. This will ensure the cleanest possible fire. If you
are adjusting for a low burn rate, you should close down the
air to the point where you can still maintain some flame. If
the flames tend to go out, it is set too low for your burning
conditions. The air control, located at the right of the grille,
top rod, is the one used to adjust for burn rates. This is called
the Primary Air Control. Figure 19A.
September 1, 2008
4100-I ACT WOOD INSERT
T
when the flammable gases have been mostly burned and
only charcoal remains. This is a naturally clean portion of
the burn. The coals burn with hot blue flames.
It is very important to reload your appliance while enough
lively hot coals remain in order to provide the amount of heat
needed to dry and rekindle the next load of wood. It is best
to open the air controls for a short while before reloading.
This livens up the coal bed. Open door slowly so that ash or
smoke does not exit appliance through opening. You should
also break up any large chunks and distribute the coals so
that the new wood is laid on hot coals.
Air quality is important to all of us, and if we choose to use
wood to heat our homes we should do so responsibly. To do
this we need to learn to burn our stoves in the cleanest way
possible. Doing this will allow us to continue using our wood
stoves for many years to come.
The combustion air enters at the rear of the firebox through
the rear air tubes. This air supply is controlled by the Start-
up Air Control.
The primary air enters at the upper front of the firebox, near
the top of the glass door. This preheated air supplies the
necessary fresh oxygen to mix with the unburned gases,
helping to create second, third and fourth combustions. This
air is regulated by the Primary Air Control. For more primary
air push control "IN", for less air pull control "OUT".
250-7201E
Final Stage
he final stage of burning is the charcoal stage. This occurs
AIR CONTROLS
Start-up System
primary Air System
Primary Air Control
Figure 19A
Start-Up Air Control
OpEN - pUSH IN
CLOSE - pULL OUT
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