Ash Removal, Helpful Hints | Meyer 4000, 526, woodchuck, 2900

NOTE: On airtight units, the burning time is controlled mostly by the draft controls on the furnace, contrary to the old type of pot belly stoves where the smoke pipe damper controlled the burning time.

NOTE: With new steel, there is a small amount of oil or dirt on the metal and you may smell an odor. Provide adequate ventilating to home during the first operation. Your new Woodchuck is capable of putting out many BTU’s, so treat it with respect. Don’t fully load your fur- nace or open all drafts fully until you have become thor- oughly familiar with the operation of the furnace.

NOTE: A full load does not always give the best results for your needs.

4.When loading your Woodchuck with existing hot coals, rake red hot embers over grates evenly. Put a few small pieces of wood on the coals first, then load-up.

5.If you have the automatic draft control, turn low limit by-pass switch to “On”. Turn thermostat up to activate auto draft and proceed as with manual draft. Once the unit is warmed up you can turn the low limit by-pass switch to “OFF”. This will allow the auto draft to shut off if the unit runs out of fuel while you are gone.

CAUTION:

WAIT 10 SECONDS ON FIRST LATCH BEFORE RE- FUELING. OPENING LOADING DOOR RAPIDLY CAN CAUSE A FLAME TO FLASH OUT THE DOOR. THIS OCCURS WHEN THERE IS UNBURNT FUEL AND A LARGE AMOUNT OF GASES ON TOP OF THE FIRE- BOX. WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN, OXYGEN IS COM- BINED WITH GASES AND IGNITES. USE CAUTION WHEN OPENING LOADING DOOR.

HELPFUL HINTS

Adjust the draft to the proper setting for your home needs. The chimney, hookups, and kind of wood will also be a factor.

Your Woodchuck is capable of holding very large logs. DO NOT try to add a log that is larger than you can easily place in the furnace. You will get the best effi- ciency when you add only the amount of wood needed for a 6 to 8 hour burn.

In the spring and fall, the weather is mild, which will al- low you to burn very large loads of wood for long peri- ods of time and hence accumulate very large amounts of creosote. KEY: Stack temperature should be 300°F-400°F for good burning. An external flue temper- ature thermometer (Woodchuck part #08-0084) is in-

cluded in the owner’s manual package for monitoring stack temperature. Install the flue temperature ther- mometer at the rear of the furnace on the smoke pipe where it connects to the collar on the back of the Woodchuck. 300-400 degrees should be maintained when the Woodchuck is operating in the burn cycle with the forced draft blower running to eliminate a creosote build up. (If the unit has a manual draft or a natural draft, monitor the flue temperature when the drafts are in the open position). Depending on the weather, you may not need a full load of wood for a good over night burn. You will get best efficiency when you add only the amount of wood needed until the next time you are available to load.

Always try to place the logs so air can flow between them -this will enhance combustion considerably.

ASH REMOVAL

When burning wood, run your poker over top of the grate to be sure grate slots are clear of burnt fuel. This should be done every morning when there is just a bed of hot coals.

CAUTION

NEVER LET ASHES BUILD-UP TO GRATE LEVEL. THIS WILL GREATLY REDUCE THE LIFE SPAN OF YOUR GRATE.

Wood ash is useful as a fertilizer, particularly because of its potassium content. Ashes will also decrease the acidity of garden soil.

CAUTION

KEEP ASH PAN OUT OF UNIT DURING OPERA- TION. ASH PAN CAN GET VERY HOT.

ASH CAN MUST BE PLACED ON A NONCOMBUSTIBLE SURFACE.

NEVER USE ANYTHING BUT AN AIR TIGHT METAL CONTAINER TO DUMP YOUR ASHES IN. EVERY YEAR MANY FIRES ARE CAUSED BY EMPTYING ASHES INTO CARDBOARD BOXES OR PAPER BAGS.

PROVEN FACT- SMALL RED EMBERS BURIED IN ASH CANS STAY RED HOT FOR DAYS. ASHES ARE A GOOD THERMAL INSULATOR AND KEEP ENOUGH OXYGEN AWAY SO THE EMBERS DO NOT BURN OUT.