England's Stove Works Smartstove MADISON 50-SHSSW01 Installation & Operation Manual page 37

‐ Operation and Maintenance – Please refer to the 'Operation' (Operating Instructions) and
Maintenance (including Ash Removal/Disposal) sections of your owner's manual and
follow the guidelines listed therein for safety and for optimal emissions performance.
Additional Information:
Following the instructions in your owner's manual for Building a Fire will ensure a proper fire, as
well as helping minimize visible emissions.
More:
‐ Fuel loading and re‐loading: Practical Tips for Building a Fire – See your owner's manual for
information on loading (and re‐loading) your fuel, as well as for fire‐starting procedures
(i.e. 'Building a Fire').
‐ Top‐Down Fires: The US EPA recognizes 'the effectiveness of the top‐down approach for
starting fires.' A good tutorial for this approach may be found at http://woodheat.org/top‐
down‐steps.html . When building top‐down fires, be sure to follow the instructions found
in your owner's manual and contact our Technical Support if you have any questions.
‐ Fuel Selection: Once your wood‐burning appliance is properly installed, building an
effective fire requires good firewood (using the right wood in the right amount) and good
fire building practices. The following practical steps will help you obtain the best efficiency
from your wood stove or fireplace.

Season wood outdoors through the summer for at least 6 months before burning it.
Properly seasoned wood is darker, has cracks in the end grain, and sounds hollow when
smacked against another piece of wood.

Store wood outdoors, stacked neatly off the ground with the top covered.

Burn only dry, well‐seasoned wood that has been split properly.

Start fires with newspaper and dry kindling as discussed earlier in the manual.

Burn hot fires.

To maintain proper airflow, regularly remove ashes from your wood‐burning appliance
into a metal container with a cover and store outdoors.
Moisture Meter Information

Firewood is ready at 10‐25% moisture content.