Vermont Casting WinterWarm Fireplace Insert or System How To Build a Wood Fire Keep It Going

WinterWarm Fireplace Insert or System

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.

WinterWarm 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

How To Build a Wood Fire and

Keep It Going

A WinterWarm leaves the factory with the combustor installed.

In the United States, it is against the law to operate this wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic combustor is deactivated or removed.

High-Efficiency Wood Burning

with Catalytic Combustion

The components of the catalytic combustion system in your WinterWarm work together to produce optimum conditions for secondary combustion.

When the damper is closed, smoke is directed through the catalytic element, which causes ignition of smoke at temperatures of 500-600°F (260-315°C), half the temperature normally required for unaided secondary combustion.

The catalytic element is a ceramic “honeycomb” coated with the catalytic material. The element is located in the secondary combustion chamber, molded from a special high-temperature insulating refractory mate- rial. The design of the chamber provides the correct environment necessary for secondary combustion of the fuel (smoke).

Catalytic combustion is activated by closing the damp- er, thereby exposing the smoke to the combustor.

Closing the stove damper may also reduce the draft, so to avoid putting out the fire or deactivating the combus- tor, close the damper only when a fire is well-estab- lished. When starting a fire, wait until the fire is well established and there is an ember bed of at least 3-4” (76 - 102mm) before closing the damper.

Never kindle a fire with colored paper or paper that has colored ink or a glossy surface, and never burn treated wood, garbage, solvents, or trash. All of these may poison the catalyst and prevent it from operating properly. Never burn cardboard or loose paper except

for kindling purposes. Never burn coal; doing so can produce soot or large flakes of char or fly ash that can coat the combustor and cause smoke to spill into the room. Coal smoke also can poison the catalyst so that it won’t operate properly.

In general, the fire must be sufficiently well-established to ensure that catalytic activity is initiated. When first starting a fire, a medium- to high- firing rate must be maintained for at least twenty minutes. This ensures that the stove, catalyst, and fuel are all stabilized at the proper operating temperatures.

Even though it is possible for the fire to get quite hot within a few minutes after a fire is started, the combus- tor may stop working or the fire may go out if the fire is allowed to die down immediately as a result of the damper being closed. Once the combustor starts work- ing, heat generated by burning the smoke will keep it working.

To determine whether the combustor is operating, ob- serve the amount of smoke leaving the chimney when the damper is activated and when it is not. This proce- dure is described on Page 12.

Starting and Maintaining a Wood Fire

Burn solid wood fuel only in the WinterWarm, 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 tempera- ture changes.

The cast plates expand and contract with changes in temperature. Minimize thermal stress by allowing the plates to adjust gradually during an initial break-in fire by following Steps 1-3 below.

Always be certain that the damper is open when start- ing a fire or when refueling. This rule is easy to re- member, as the WinterWarm’s integrated door/damper interlock design does not permit opening the door unless the damper is already open. To open the damper, lift up

on the lever and move it to the left. (Fig. 6)

WARNING: Operate your WinterWarm only with the door fully closed and either the glass panel or spark screen in place. 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.

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