Building A Fire; Breaking In Your Wood Stove - HearthStone Mansfield 8012 Owner's Manual

moisture. As you might expect, green wood burns
poorly. You must season green wood before using it
in your wood stove. To season green wood properly,
split, stack, and allow it to air dry for a period of one
year. Green wood may provide less than 2000 Btu
per pound, whereas dry wood can provide up to
7000 Btu per pound.
Stack the firewood on skids or blocks to keep it off
the ground, cover only the top of the stack. Plastic or
tarps that cover the sides of the woodpile trap
moisture and prevent the wood from drying. As for
stacking, an old Vermonter said, "The spaces
between the logs should be large enough for a
mouse to get through, but not for the cat that's
chasing it."
CAUTION: DO NOT STORE FIREWOOD WITHIN
THE STOVE'S SPECIFIED CLEARANCES TO
COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS.

Building A Fire

Once you understand the controls of your wood
stove and have the appropriate firewood, you are
ready to start a fire.
WARNING: NEVER USE GASOLINE, GASOLINE-
TYPE LANTERN FUEL, KEROSENE, CHARCOAL
LIGHTER FLUID, OR SIMILAR LIQUIDS TO START
OR 'FRESHEN UP' A FIRE IN THIS HEATER.
KEEP ALL SUCH LIQUIDS WELL AWAY FROM
THE HEATER WHILE IT IS IN USE.

Breaking In Your Wood Stove

It is imperative that your stove is "broken in" slowly.
Cast iron must be "seasoned"; over-firing a new
stove may cause castings to crack or may damage
other stove parts. Driving moisture out of the
soapstone slowly minimizes the "shock" to the stone
at its first exposure to high firebox temperatures.
Also, curing the asbestos-free furnace cement slowly
ensures adequate sealing and bonding.
The bottom layer of soapstone in your firebox is
intended to prevent thermal stress and should
remain in place in the firebox at all times.
When you light your first fires, the woodstove will
emit some smoke and fumes. This is normal "off-
gassing" of the paint used when manufacturing the
woodstove. If you find it necessary, open a few
windows to vent your room. The smoke and fumes
will usually subside after 10 to 20 minutes of
operation. The odor and smoke will end once the
stove is "cured".
The first few fires of the season may produce other
odors from impurities that exist in the area
immediately surrounding the stove. Some potential
impurities are cleaning solvents, paint solvents,
cigarette smoke, and soot from scented candles, pet
hair, dust, adhesives, a new carpet, and new
textiles. These odors will dissipate over time. You
can alleviate these odors by opening a few windows
or otherwise creating additional ventilation around
your stove. If any odor persists, contact your dealer
or an authorized service technician.
Building a Break-In Fire
1) Open the door and place five or six double
sheets of tightly twisted newspaper in the center
of the firebox. Arrange kindling in a crisscross
pattern over the newspaper. Kindling should be
approximately ten pieces, 1/2" (13 mm) in
diameter and 10" to 18" (254 mm to 457 mm)
long.
2) Fully open the primary air control by pushing the
lever to the left.
3) Light the paper under the kindling.
the front door slightly ajar momentarily until the
kindling has started to burn and draft begins to
pull.
4) Close the door and allow the fire to burn. Keep
the door and ash drawer closed while the stove
is in use. Make sure the ash door is in the
closed position.
5) KEEP A WATCHFUL EYE ON YOUR STOVE to
maintain a steady, low-heat fire. Your first fire
should make the stove warm but not hot to the
touch. At most, a few small chunks of wood
should be added to the fire to reach safe break-
in temperatures.
6) Once the stove is warm but not hot to the
touch close the primary air control and allow the
fire to die out completely.
7) Let the stove return to room temperature.
Your first fire and first fire each season thereafter
should be built and maintained as outlined above.
Your patience will be rewarded by a properly
seasoned stove.
NOTE: Because
temperatures
procedure, creosote may build up quickly. Your
window may also get dirty. A good hot fire will
clean it.
If you adhere to the operating procedures in this
manual, the steel, cast iron, stone and refractory
components of your stove will give you many years
of trouble-free use. With use, the color of the
20
of the cool
present during the
Leave
flue gas
break-in