Care And Operation - Earth Stove EARTHSTOVE 1500HT Installation And Operation Manual

CARE AND OPERATION

PRIMARY AIR CONTROL
This appliance is equipped with a control for the combustion
air, located on the lower right side (front) of the stove. Slid-
ing the control to the right increases the burn rate, to the left
decreases the burn rate.
You will generally want to set the control in the low or me-
dium range. The stove is safe burning on any setting as
long as combustibles are kept at the specified safe dis-
tances.
PROVIDE ADEQUATE AIR FOR COMBUSTION
In well insulated and weather tight homes, it may be difficult
to establish a good draft up your chimney. The poor draft is
caused by a shortage of air in the house. To provide the
needed air, crack a window on the windward side of the
house.
In some cases, you may want to duct air directly from the
outside to your firebox (See Outside Air, page 6), or to a
nearby floor or wall vent.
USE CONTROL SETTINGS THAT WORK FOR YOU
The fuel, the amount of heat you want, the type of installa-
tion you have and how long you wish the fire to burn are all
variables that will affect the control setting. The same con-
trol settings in a variety of installations will produce different
results.
Familiarize yourself with your stove by trying different set-
tings so you can learn how much heat to expect and how
long the fire will burn. It may take a week or two to learn but
your patience will be rewarded by the warmth and pleasant
satisfaction that only a wood fire can provide.
BREAK-IN PERIOD
Your stove finish is a high temperature paint that requires
time and temperature to completely cure. We recommend
that you ventilate the house during the initial burns. The
paint emits non-toxic odors during this process.
KEEP YOUR HOUSE WELL VENTILATED DURING THE
CURING PROCESS TO PREVENT ACTIVATION OF
YOUR HOME SMOKE DETECTOR.
The paint manufacturer recommends three burn cycles to
cure the paint. The first two burns should be low heat, ap-
proximately 250°F., for 20 minutes each, using paper and
light kindling.
After each 20-minute burn, allow the appliance to cool
completely. The third burn should be at least medium
high or about 450°F. for 45 - 60 minutes. The paint will
become soft and emit non-toxic haze during these
burns. Keep the area well ventilated.
As the paint cures it will become slightly lighter in
color. Eventually the entire surface will become an
even color. Once the paint has been softened and
cooled two or three times, it will harden. Do not turn
on a blower during the curing process. Do not place
anything on the stove surface until the paint is com-
pletely cured. Do not attempt to repaint the stove until
the paint is completely cured. If the surface later be-
comes stained or marred, it may be lightly sanded and
touched up with spray paint from the same paint (See
Maintenance Section, pages 15-17). Paint is available
at your local authorized Lennox Hearth Products
dealer. Never attempt to paint a hot stove.
HOW TO START AND MAINTAIN A FIRE
1. OPEN the Primary Air Control by sliding it to the
right. This allows the firebox and fresh fuel to
quickly come up to ideal operating temperature.
2. Build your fire directly on the Firebrick covering
the bottom of the stove.
a. Place five or six loosely crumpled sheets of
newspaper in the stove.
b. Add a small amount of dry kindling randomly
on the top of the newspaper.
c. Place a few more loosely crumpled newspa-
pers on top of the kindling and light the bottom
paper first, then light the top paper. Once the
fire is well underway, close the fuel door. The
upper fire should preheat the chimney and cre-
ate an effective draft while the lower fire ignites
the kindling.
3. After the kindling is burning well, add increasingly
larger pieces of wood until the fire is actively burn-
ing.
4. When the fire is well-established slide the air con-
trol lever for the desired heat output.
REFUELING
To refuel the stove, first slide the air control to high.
Let the fire "liven up" for about one minute. Open the
fuel door about 1/2" (1 cm) and hold in this position for
30 seconds or until stove is drafting well. Open door
and add wood. If the fire or coal bed is almost de-
pleted and a full load of cord wood is added, it may be
necessary to leave the air control on the high setting
for a while to re-establish a lively fire. Once the wood
is burning at a brisk rate, slide the air control for the
desired heat output.
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