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Figure 4 - Slow Combustion
Building a Fire
A) 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 between. The kindling should
be placed at the center of the firebox so as
to allow for sufficient air circulation.
B) Adjust the primary air control and start the
time delayed air-boost system by pushing
the register towards the right. Light the
newspaper. Leave the doors partially opened
to facilitate the start-up.
C) Once kindling fire is well established, cord
wood can be added. You may set the primary
air control to the desire level (see Primary
Air Combustion Control and Air Boost Con-
trols section for proper operation of the air
controls).
D) Set the primary control to the desired burn
level. The fireplace will automatically go to
that level after the fire is fully established
and the air boost is closed.
The unit will burn best with 2-3 pieces of cord
wood spaced 1 to 2 inches apart and allowing
air to get under the fuel. Criss-crossing or ar-
ranging 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.
REFUELING FOR BEST PERFORMANCE
To reload the Montecito Estate™ fireplace at the
end of a combustion cycle, when no flame is
visible and there are only ashes left:
A) Completely open the air control level and the
T.D.A.B. (Time Delay Air Boost) level. See
Figure 1.
B) Open the doors about 1" and wait 5 seconds
until the air flow has stabilized. Then open
the doors completely, put the logs in and
close the doors.
C) Set the air control to the desired burn level.
The T.D.A.B will close by itself progres-
sively.
To reload the Montecito Estate fireplace when the
fireplace is still hot with a few visible flames:
A) Open the air control completely. The T.D.A.B
can be set to a lower setting in order to
facilitate lighting.
B) Open the doors about 1" and wait 5 seconds
until the air flow has stabilized. Then open
the doors completely, put the logs in and
close the doors.
C) Set the air control to the desired burn
level.
Notes:
• For spectacular fire and optimization of the
fireplace efficiency, we recommend that the
wood load be placed as far back as pos-
sible.
• It may be necessary to turn off any blower(s)
in operation during the refueling process in
order to minimise smoking in the room. It
is recommended to wait 15 to 30 minutes
before turning the blower(s) back on to
ensure successful rekindling.
SMOKING –
CAUSES AND TROUBLESHOOTING
To reduce the likelihood of smoke coming
into the room when opening the door, set the
combustion air controls to the left ("Acceler-
ated Combustion") before opening the door.
Your fireplace has been designed and tested
to provide smoke free operation.
As the fire burns, air goes up the chimney.
This air must be replaced through the outside
air duct. When operating the Montecito Estate
fireplace, open a nearby window temporarily
to check if there is adequate replacement air
supply. Occasionally, there may be a small
amount of smoking upon lighting the fire, until
the chimney heats up but this should not last.
If the fireplace continues to smoke it is probably
for one of the following reasons:
A. The doors are partially opened
When you open the doors, open them
completely.
B. Negative pressure in the house
C. Fans operating (e.g.: range hood)
These fans draw air out of the house and
may actually cause a negative pressure in the
house. Turn off all fans and open a nearby
window to determine if this is the cause of
the problem.
D. Wet wood
Wet or tarred wood will smoulder and smoke
instead of burn properly.
E. Dirty or blocked chimney
Check to make sure the chimney is clear
and clean.
F. Chimney not long enough
The minimum chimney height is 12 feet not
including the fireplace height. The chimney
must extend at least three (3) feet (915 mm)
above its point of contact with the roof and
at least two (2) feet (610 mm) higher than
any roof or wall within ten (10) feet (3 m)
of it. When installed with offsets, the mini-
mum chimney height is 15 feet. Additional
height will increase draft and will decrease
the tendency to smoke.
NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS ARE NOT TO SCALE.
G. Poor chimney draft
With no fire, there should be sufficient draft
to exhaust cigarette smoke introduced under
the baffle. Chimneys installed against an
outside wall without protection may gener-
ate back draft problems which will cause
start-up problems. To prevent this, open
a nearby window; roll up a piece of paper,
light it and hold it in the upper part of the
firebox to warm up the chimney. Wait until
the draft is sufficient, then start the fire.
IMPORTANT CAUTIONS
A. Do not block the hot air vents to the fire-
place as this will cause the fireplace to
overheat.
B. Never use gasoline, gasoline-type lantern
fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or
similar liquids to start or 'freshen up' a
fire in this fireplace. Keep all such liquids
well away from the fireplace while it is in
use.
C. Do not burn coal. The sulphur in coal will
corrode the firebox.
D. Do not burn driftwood which has been in the
ocean or salt water. The salt will corrode
the firebox and chimney.
E. Do not burn wood in the area in front of the
grate.
F. Do not abuse the unit by burning paper, or
cardboard or construction material such as
pressed wood, plywood or lumber. Wood
protectors, metallic paper, coal, plastic,
waste, sulphur and/or oil will damage the
fireplace.
G. Do not allow the wood to smoulder or burn
without flame, since this will produce
excessive creosote in the unit.
MAINTAINING YOUR MONTECITO
ESTATE FIREPLACE
Creosote - Formation and Need for Removal
When wood is burned slowly, it produces tar
and other organic vapors, which combine
with expelled moisture to form creosote. The
creosote vapors condense in the relatively
cool chimney flue of a slow-burning fire. As
a result, creosote residue accumulates on the
flue lining. When ignited this creosote makes
and extremely hot fire.
The chimney shall be inspected at least twice
a year during the heating season to determine
when a creosote buildup has occurred.
When creosote has accumulated it shall be
removed to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
When the creosote accumulation is large, a
creosote fire in the chimney can damage the
chimney and overheat the surrounding wood
framing. Creosote formation in a chimney can
be minimized by making sure there is always
visible flame burning, avoid smouldering fires
and by proper refuelling techniques.
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