Table of Contents
Advertisement
Why you need a chimney
The chimney is the wood-burning stove's motor; it's performance
decides how well your stove will work. The draft in the chimney
creates a vacuum in the wood-burning stove. The vacuum draws the
smoke out of the stove, and takes in air through the combustion air
baffle to fuel the burning process. Combustion air is also used for the
airwash system that keeps the window clear of soot.
The draft in the chimney is caused by the difference in temperatures
inside and outside the chimney. The higher the temperature differen-
ce is, the better the draft in the chimney will be. It is thus important
for the chimney to reach operating temperature before you adjust
the damper to restrict combustion in the stove (a brickwork chimney
will take longer to reach operating temperature than a steel chim-
ney). It is very important to reach operating temperature as quickly
as possible on days on which the draft in the chimney is poor due to
unfavorable wind and weather conditions. Make sure the fuel ignites
as quickly as possible (with visible flames). Chop the wood into parti-
cularly small pieces; use an extra fire lighter etc.
After longer periods of disuse, check the chimney flue for blockage.
You can connect several units to the same chimney. But make sure
check with your chimney sweep to observe local regulations.
No matter how good your chimney is, it will not perform well if you
do not use it correctly. On the other hand a poor chimney, may give
you acceptable results if you use it correctly.
Using your stove in various weather conditions
Wind blowing on the chimney can have a great effect on how your
stove reacts in various wind conditions; you may need to adjust the
airflow to achieve good burning results. Fitting a damper in the
flue pipe may also help as it will give you the ability to regulate the
draught in changing wind conditions.
Fog can also have a great influence on how well a chimney draws;
you may again need to adjust the airflow settings to achieve good
burning results.
General Notes
Please note! Parts of the wood-burning stove, especially the outer
surfaces, become hot during use. Please exercise due care.
Never empty ashes into a flammable container. Ashes can contain
glowing embers long after you finish using your wood stove.
While the stove is not in use you can close the valves to avoid draught
through the stove.
After longer breaks you should check the smoke outlet paths for
blockages before lighting.
Chimney fires
In case of a chimney fire, keep the stove door, the ash container, and
the valves on the stove closed. In case of emergency, call the fire
service.
It is recommended that you get a chimney sweep to check the chim-
ney before using the stove again.
I N S T R U C T I O N S F O R H E AT I N G
Handling fuels
Selecting Wood/Fuel
You can use any type of wood as firewood, however, harder types,
such as beech, ash, are generally better for heating as they burn more
evenly and create less ash. Other wood types like maple, birch and
spruce are excellent alternatives.
Handling
Firewood is best if you fell the tree, and saw and split the wood,
before May 1st. Remember to cut the logs to match the size of your
wood-burning stove's combustion chamber. We recommend a dia-
meter of 6-10 cm. The length should be about 6 cm shorter than that
of the combustion chamber to leave enough space for air to circulate.
Firewood with a greater diameter needs splitting. Split wood dries
faster.
Storing
You need to store the sawn and split firewood in a dry place for 1-2
years before burning. Wood dries faster if you stack it in an airy place.
Before use, store the firewood for a few days at room temperature.
Note that wood absorbs moisture during the autumn and winter
seasons.
Moisture
To avoid environmental issues, and for optimum burning, wood
has to be perfectly dry to be suitable for use as firewood. The max.
residual moisture in the wood should not exceed 20%. A moisture
content of 15-18% yields best results. As an easy way of checking if
wood is dry, just knock two pieces of wood together. If the wood is
moist, the sound will be dull.
If you use damp wood, most of the heat it produces will be used to
evaporate the water. The temperature in the wood stove does not
rise, and the room is not sufficiently heated. Of course, this is not
economical, and it will cause soot build up on the glass pane, in the
stove, and in the chimney. Burning moist wood also causes pollution.
Understanding units for measuring wood
Various units of measurement are used for wood. Before you buy wood,
it makes sense to familiarise yourself with the terms. There are various
brochures, in public libraries for example, that cover this topic.
Use of the following as fuel is illegal
Painted, pressure impregnated, or glued wood, driftwood from the
sea. Never burn chipboard, plastics, or chemically treated paper.
These materials are dangerous to humans, to the environment, your
wood stove, and your chimney. To keep a long story short – make sure
you burn only quality firewood.
Firewood fuel value
The fuel value is different for different types of wood. In other words,
you need to use more wood of certain types to achieve the same hea-
ting performance. This Instruction Manual assumes that you will be
using beech, which has a very high fuel value, and is also a wood that
is easy to procure. If you use oak or beech wood fuel, note that these
wood types have a greater fuel value than, say, birch. Make sure you
use less fuel to avoid damage to the wood-burning stove.
Kg Dry wood/m 3
Wood types
Hornbeam
Beech/Oak
Ash
Maple
Birch
Pine
Fir
Poplar
25
Compared to
beech
640
110%
580
100%
570
98%
540
93%
510
88%
480
83%
390
67%
380
65%
Advertisement
Table of Contents
