Vermont Casting 2479 manual Damper Function Successful Wood Burning, Burn Only High-Quality Fuel

Dutchwest Non-Catalytic Convection Heater

Damper Function

Successful Wood Burning

The Damper is operated by moving the handle on	Woodburning is often said to be more of an art than a
the upper left side of the stove. (Fig. 26) It has two	science. You’ll easily master the art if you start by using
positions: OPEN, to start the fire and load fuel, and	good, dry fuel and by understanding how the stove’s air
CLOSED, for greatest efficiency and heat. When the	supply system operates.
damper is closed, exhaust gases travel through a		Burn Only High-Quality Fuel
secondary combustion chamber at the rear of the stove
	Your heater is designed to burn natural wood only. Do
before flowing into the chimney.
Use the door insert handle to rotate the damper handle.	not burn other fuels. Never burn pressure-treated wood,
	painted or stained wood, or glossy newsprint.
Turn it counterclockwise to open the damper and clock-
	High efficiencies and low emissions are only possible
wise to close it. You will feel resistance as the damper
	when burning air-dried, seasoned woods. Avoid burning
mechanism engages into the open (counterclockwise)
	“green” wood that has not been properly seasoned.
position.
The stove damper must be open when you start a	The best hardwood fuels include oak, maple, beech,
	ash, and hickory that has been split, stacked, and
fire, load fuel, or before you open either door for
	air-dried outside under cover for at least one year. If
any reason.
	hardwood is not available, tamarack, yellow pine, white
Load Doors
	pine, Eastern red cedar, fir, and redwood are softwoods
A Side Loading Door allows the easiest loading of	that are commonly burned. They too should be prop-
	erly dried. The length of the wood should be the same
wood logs. The Front Door opens for adding an occa-
	as that specified for your particular stove. Avoid using
sional log to the fire. Always be sure to open the stove
	wood that has been dried more than two years. Often
damper before opening either door.
	gray in color, this wood burns very quickly, resulting in
		short burn time and dimin-
		ished stove performance.
		If you must burn it, mix it in
Open	Closed	with greener wood to slow
		the burn.
Door Insert Handle
		Store your firewood under
		cover to keep it dry. Even
		for short-term storage, keep
		wood outside of the heater’s
		installation clearances and
		outside of the space around
		the heater required for refu-
		eling and ash removal.

ST804

Fig. 26 Damper operating positions.

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