Vermont Castings Merrimack Homeowner's Installation And Operating Manual page 11

Starting and Maintaining a wood Fire
burn solid wood fuel only in the Merrimack Large In-
sert, and burn it directly on the grate. Do not elevate
the fuel. Do not burn coal or other fuels.
Cast iron is a superior material for solid fuel stoves but it
must be treated with respect. It is extremely strong, but can
be broken with a sharp blow from a hammer or from the
thermal shock of rapid and extreme temperature changes.
It is important to temper the cast iron plates with an initial
series of 3-4 break-in fires. The plates expand and contract
with changes in temperature. Minimize thermal stress by
allowing the plates to adjust gradually during the break-in
fires by following Steps 1-3 on the following page.
waRNINg: operate your Merrimack Large Insert only
with the door fully closed. If the door is left partially
open, gas and flame may be drawn out of the fireplace
opening, creating risks of both fire and smoke.
Follow these guidelines as you start and maintain the fire,
and remove the ashes. Prior to starting a fire with a cold
stove, it is recommended to clear the lower primary air hole
located at the nose of the front brick. To do this, remove
the andiron and lift out the front refractory brick. Sweep
any ash accumulation out of the air slot. Keeping this slot
clear of ash will ensure better performance.
1. Open the primary air control fully.
2. Lay several sheets of crumpled newspaper in the bottom.
Place on the paper six or eight pieces of dry, finely-split
kindling. On the kindling lay two or three larger sticks of
split dry wood approximately 1-2" (25-50 mm).
Do not use chemicals or fluids to start the fire. Do not
burn garbage or flammable fluids such as gasoline,
naptha, or engine oil. also, never use 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.
3. Light the newspaper and close the door. Gradually build
up the fire by adding a few 3-5" (76 -127 mm) diameter
splits.
If this is your initial break-in fire, let the fire burn brightly,
but not to excess. Control the fire's intensity by adjusting
the air control lever. After an hour or so stop adding wood
so that the fire dies out gradually.
For ongoing operation after the initial break-in, continue
to add a few sticks at a time of a progressively larger size.
Be sure to keep the fuel load behind the front grate bar
at all times. Continue until you have a live ember bed at
least 3-4" (76 - 102 mm) deep. This may take an hour or
longer, particularly when the Merrimack Large Insert is
vented to an exterior masonry chimney or when you are
just starting a fire.
30004671
You'll soon find that the insert is hoT whILe IN opeRa-
TIoN! keep chILDReN, cLoThINg, aND FURNITURe
away. coNTacT May caUSe SkIN bURNS.
NoTe: Some chimneys need to be "primed," or warmed
up, before they will draw sufficiently to start a fire. To cor-
rect this situation, roll up a couple pieces of newspaper,
place them on top of the kindling and toward the back of
the stove, light them, and close the doors. This should heat
the chimney enough to initiate a draft.
Once the draft is established, open the front door and light
the rest of the fuel from the bottom. Do not light the main
bed of fuel until the chimney begins drawing, and repeat
the procedure as often as necessary if the initial attempt
is unsuccessful.
4. Once a good ember bed of at least 3-4" (76 - 102 mm)
has formed, add the desired amount of wood and close
the primary air control to a medium-low setting. The fire
volume will diminish immediately, but the Merrimack
Large Insert will continue to heat up. Maintain control
of the fire using the primary air control, and remember:
reduce the setting for less heat, increase the setting
for more heat. Refer to the air control settings chart on
Page 10 for recommended settings at different burn
rates.
Do not over-fire this heater.
overfiring may cause a house fire, or can result in per-
manent damage to the stove. If an exterior part of the
Merrimack Large Insert glows, you are overfiring.
Reloading and Reviving a wood Fire
Set the air control on "High," and wait at least fifteen sec-
onds for the draft to increase. Turn the convection blower
off. Open the doors slowly.
IMpoRTaNT: while the stove is hot, toss and sift the
coals with each stove loading. This loosens and helps
burn coals that become buried in the ash. push coals
away from the bottom air jet. creating this "void" helps
maintain a reliable fire.
Check the ash level, and remove excess ash. A primary
air hole located under the front brick provides air to the
coal bed. (Fig. 12) This hole should be cleared of ash for
proper performance.
Add the fuel, smaller pieces first. If it is necessary to use
wood smaller than the 18" (460 mm) optimum size, be sure
to fill the firebox as completely as possible by loading the
wood pieces alternately on the left and right. Split wood will
fill the firebox more completely and reduce the frequency of
reloading. If possible, stack wood diagonally to maximize
air spaces between fired pieces.
If you have an ember bed of at least 2-3" (51 - 76 mm),
the air setting may not need to be adjusted. If the ember
bed is less than 2-3" (51 - 76 mm), activate the automatic
setback feature. This will provide extra air to start the fire
flaming and 'setback' to the desired air setting once the
stove is heated.
Merrimack Large Insert
11