Hearth
Advice
Operation
of a Multi fuel fired stove
After selecting and
installing a Traditional cast iron stove
or cooker you will be anxious to get it
going. Learn
to operate and maintain the stove so it can provide warmth and comfort in a safe and
efficient manner.
This guide provides general information on the operation and maintenance of a multi fuel
fired stove
OPERATION
Once a Traditional cast
iron stove
or
cooker has been selected and installed correctly, (as per local authorities
building regulations and relevant by laws) many of the problems that arise with a correctly
installed stove are the direct result of incomplete combustion.
Combustion
Combustion consists of a
complex chemical reaction between the fuel and oxygen. The combustion of the fuel in a
stove results in heat
,
water vapors, carbon dioxide and other products such
as gases and ash. To aquire satisfactory and safe operation, ensure complete
combustion by supplying air and maintaining a sufficient heat level. Incomplete combustion
results from an insufficient air supply, misapplied air or insufficient heat.
Wood combustion
There are
three basic stages to wood combustion:
1. Water is removed by evaporation and vaporization. This heat does not warm the stove or
room.
2.At 500 degrees F, the wood starts to break down chemically, and volatile gases are
formed. These vapors contain from 50 to 60 percent of the heat value of wood. At
approximately 1,100 degrees F, these gases, when mixed with the proper amount of air,
break into flames and burn. To ensure complete combustion, maintain this temperature and a
sufficient air supply
. 3.After the release of gases, the remaining material (charcoal) burns at a temperature
in excess of 1,100 degrees F. When charcoal is completely burned, a small amount of ash
remains.
STARTING A FIRE
Since moisture must be
evaporated and expelled before wood will burn, the wood should be cut and seasoned. Use
well-seasoned wood with a low moisture content to reduce the likelihood of creosote
buildup.
1.Open the damper
completely.
2.Place paper and/or kindling over the entire bottom of the fire box to achieve an evenly
burning fire. Never use flammable liquids such as petrol, lighting fluid or kerosene to
start a fire
, an explosion may result.
3.To achieve a better chimney draught, hold a lighted roll of paper near the flue opening
inside the stove to warm the flue and start it pulling.
4.Light the wood and paper in the grate. When the kindling is burning, add additional
seasoned wood to build up a hotter fire. Be careful at first when adding wood to avoid
smothering the fire.
5.With the fire door closed, use the draught regulator to maintain the desired heat. The
proper heat can only be obtained by trial and error because conditions of the fuel
(moisture content, hard or soft wood), space being heated, individual preference, outside
temperature and wind conditions. After some experience with your stove, you should learn the
best setting for your needs
New stoves with cast-iron parts should be "seasoned to avoid cracking".
Do this by building only small fires for the first two or three times.
The entire system must be
properly maintained to operate safely and efficiently. The chimney connectors, joints and
flues must be clean and in proper working order.
CONTROL CREOSOTE BUILDUP
When wood is burning rather
slowly, the smoke usually contains a substance called creosote that collects in the
relatively cool chimney flue. The main causes of creosote buildup are:
wet or unseasoned wood
incomplete combustion or cool surfaces
The best way to control
creosote is to prevent its buildup by maintaining a briskly burning fire with dry,
well-seasoned wood. Maintain a flue temperature exceeding 250 degrees F to prevent
creosote condensation.
CHIMNEY FIRES
With the increased
accumulation of creosote in the flue comes the increased possibility of a chimney fire.
The combustion of these creosote deposits is most likely to occur during a very hot fire
in your stove. Burning creosote deposits cause a very intense fire, a roaring noise, and
flames and sparks shooting from the top of the chimney.
Any chimney, metal or
masonry, can be weakened or deformed by a chimney fire. The complete chimney should be
inspected after a fire, and any repair should be made or parts replaced before-starting
the stove.
CHIMNEY INSPECTIONS AND
CLEANING
Stovepipes and chimney
flues should be inspected each year before you use your stove. Look for cracked flue
liners, broken or missing bricks, heavy creosote deposits, bird nests and other foreign
material. Thoroughly clean the flue and stovepipe of any soot and other residues. Repair
the chimney
or replace the fluepipe to avoid any problem later in the season.
The flue pipe and chimney
should be inspected frequently during the heating season for creosote buildup. If you use
an air-tight stove, check the stovepipe at least once a month.
Your chimney cleaning
schedule will depend on how frequently your stove is used and how it is
operated. Should
your chimney have an excessive buildup, a stiff wire chimney cleaning brush like
the ones
used by professional chimney sweeps are available at a reasonable cost.
SPECIAL SAFETY POINTS
Because of high
temperatures when the stove is operating, locate the heater out of traffic and away from
furniture and draperies. Tell children about the high surface temperatures and keep them
away from the stove so they avoid getting burned or igniting their clothes. Carefully
supervise young children when they are in the same room with the heater
,
preferably using a B.S.I. approved fireguard Do not place
clothing or other flammable material on or near the heater. Have a qualified person
install and service the stove or cooker and inspect it before use and at least annually. Keep
combustible materials away from heaters to avoid the possibility of igniting such
materials. These include combustible walls, ceilings, furniture, rugs, draperies and logs.
By
heating with wood you do not contribute to the greenhouse effect as you would by heating
with one of the fossil fuels like oil or gas. When oil or gas are burned, carbon that has
been buried within the earth for thousands of years is released in the form of carbon
dioxide, a by-product of combustion. The result is an increase in the atmospheric
concentration of carbon dioxide, the cause of the greenhouse effect.
Although carbon makes up
about half the weight of firewood, and is released as carbon dioxide when the wood is
burned, it is part of a natural cycle. A tree absorbs carbon dioxide from the air as it
grows and uses this carbon to build its structure.
When the tree falls and
decays in the forest, or is processed into firewood and burned, the carbon is released
again into the atmosphere. This cycle can be repeated forever without increasing
atmospheric carbon. Therefore heating with wood does not contribute to the greenhouse
effect. And there is more good news; when the use of wood for energy displaces the use of
fossil fuels, the result is a net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
Wood contains only a
negligible amount of sulphur, an element that leads to acid rain. In this age of
environmental awareness a big advantage of wood over the fossil fuels, is that its main
environmental impact occurs at the point of use and is visible for all to see. In
contrast, the real environmental impacts of oil and gas are hidden from view because they
occur during extraction, refining and transportation of the fuels to market.
Coal a hard, solid, opaque, black or blackish carbon mineral of organic origin:
an important fossil fuel. Coal is formed by the effect of pressure, temperature, and
chemical processes on vegetable matter deposited millions of years ago.
It consists mainly of carbonized plant tissue that originally accumulated in swamps
where there was little oxygen. Peat represents the first stage in the formation of coal.
The quality of a coal depends on its carbon content, and the term 'rank' is used to
designate this. Coals with a high carbon content are thus referred to as of high rank.
Subsequent heating and the pressure of overlying deposits increase the carbon content.
The rank determines the amount of heat obtained when the coals are burnt. Anthracite is
the highest grade coal, with a carbon content of over 90 per cent and a high-temperature,
smokeless flame.
However, its relative scarcity limits it to mainly domestic use. Bituminous coal, dark
shining coal containing 80-90 per cent carbon, is the most common type, used in a variety
of applications.
It has been used for domestic heating and where high temperatures were required--for
instance, by lime-burners, blacksmiths, and brick makers. From the Industrial Revolution
onwards, however, coal overtook wood as the principal domestic and industrial
fuel. It was
used in the manufacture of iron (instead of charcoal); for the generation of steam for
engines; in the production of coal-gas; and later as a source of chemicals. Throughout
this period, the UK was the largest producer of coal,
Coal fires are not as easy to start as wood fires and the ease of
burning will vary with different model of stove
STARTING A COAL FIRE
1. Use paper and dry kindling to start the fire.
2. When fire (wood kindling) is burning hot. Keep the draft control
fully open till a hot fire is established.
3. When a decent bed of red wood embers is built up, start adding
coal--small amounts at a time. Keep the draft control open!!
4. Continue adding small amounts of coal until there is a 1" to
2" bed of burning coal. Don't add too much coal at one time and allow sufficient time
between each small loading for the coal in the stove to thoroughly ignite.
5. It is important at this point to fill the stove to the highest level
possible. A deep bed of coal is critical for the proper function of all coal stoves. Since
coal can be regulated better than wood, a deep bed does not mean that you can only run the
stove hot - rather you can control the stove by setting the air control on your stove.
6. After all the coal has been ignited and is burning with a blue
flame, then the draft control can be turned down. Serious damage can result if the stove
is run with the spin wheels wide open for extended periods of time
Further
Advice
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