Vermont Castings Intrepid
Use the Air Control Settings that Work Best for You
No single air control setting will fit every situation. Set- tings will differ depending on the quality of the fuel, the amount of heat desired, and how long you wish the fire to burn.
The control setting also depends on your particular installation’s “draft,” or the force that moves air from the stove up through the chimney. Draft is affected by such things as the length, type, and location of the chimney, local geography, nearby obstructions, and other factors.
When first using the stove, keep track of the air control settings. You will quickly find that a specific setting will give you a fixed amount of heat. It may take some time to determine the amount of heat and the length of burn you should expect from various settings and fuels.
Most installations do not require a large amount of com- bustion air, especially if adequate draft is available.
Do not for any reason attempt to increase the firing of your heater by altering the air control adjustment range outlined in these directions.
Use the following air control settings as a starting point to help determine the best settings for your installation. Each is described as a fraction of the total distance the lever may be moved from right to left.
Intrepid Multi-Fuel Control Settings
Burn Rate | Primary Air Control |
Low | From far right to 1/3 the distance to left |
Medium | From 1/3 to 2/3 the distance to left |
High | From 2/3 the distance to left to far left |
Before you start using the stove, please read the Draft Management section starting on Page 16 to see how the features of your installation will affect the stove’s performance. You and the stove are parts of a system, and other parts of the system have a strong effect on operation; you may need to vary your firing technique to get the performance you want.
How to Build a Wood Fire
and Keep It Going
Conditioning Your Stove
Cast iron is extremely strong, but it can be broken with a sharp blow from a hammer or from the thermal shock of rapid and extreme temperature change.
The cast plates expand and contract with changes in temperature. When you first begin using your Intrepid
Burn only high quality wood or smokeless solid fuels in the Intrepid
The damper must be open when starting a fire or when refueling.
1.Open the stove damper, and open the primary air control fully.
2.Place several sheets of crumpled newspaper in the stove. Do NOT use glossy advertisements or colored paper, as they can poison the catalyst. Place on the paper six or eight pieces of dry kindling split to a
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Fig. 22 | Start the fire with newspaper and dry kindling. |
Do not use chemicals or fluids to start the fire. Do not burn garbage or flammable fluids such as gasoline, naphtha, or engine oil. Also, never use
3.Light the newspaper and close the door. Gradu- ally build up the fire by adding a few
During the
Some odor from the stove’s hot metal, the paint and the cement is normal for the first few fires.
NOTE: Some chimneys need to be “primed,” or warmed up, before they will draw sufficiently to start a fire. To correct 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.
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