Hearth and Home Technologies EL36 Seasoned Wood, Starting a Fire, Grate, Firescreen, Flue Damper

B. Seasoned Wood

Properly seasoned wood is important for successful operation of your fireplace. Most woodburning fireplace problems are caused by burning wet, unseasoned wood.

Seasoned firewood is wood that is cut to size, split and air dried to a moisture content of around 20%.

Imagine a wooden bucket that weighs about eight pounds. Fill it with a gallon of water, put it in the fireplace and try to burn it. This sounds ridiculous but that is exactly what you are doing if you burn unseasoned wood.

A tree cut down a year ago and not split is likely to have almost as high a moisture content now as it did when it was cut.

Please refer to Section 2.M for more detail.

C. Starting a Fire

NoTICE: You must establish a good draft to prevent smoke spillage into the room.

Warning! Risk of Fire! Keep combustible materials, gasoline and other flammable vapors and liquids clear of the fireplace.

Do NOT:

•store flammable materials close to the fireplace

•use gasoline, lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid or similar liquids to start or “freshen up” a fire in this fireplace.

Keep all flammable liquids well away from the fireplace while it is in use. Combustible materials may ignite.

•The first three or four fires should be of moderate size to allow the oils and binders to be burned from the fireplace and the refractory and paint to cure. You may notice an industrial odor the first few fires. This is considered normal.

•Use well-seasoned wood.

•Open the flue damper to a fully open position.

•Place crumpled or twisted paper under the fireplace grate.

•Loosely arrange kindling or small pieces of wood to form a ‘tent’ on the fireplace grate.

•Pre-warm the flue to establish a draft to help reduce smoke spillage during start-up. Hold a rolled up piece of burning newspaper under the flue damper for a few moments.

•Light the crumpled paper to ignite the kindling.

•Add small pieces of wood until a hot bed of embers has been established.

•Add a minimum of three average size pieces of split firewood, placed to allow combustion air and flames between them.

Caution! Odors and vapors released during initial operation may be irritating to sensitive individuals.

Open windows for air circulation.

D. Grate

This fireplace is designed to be used with the grate sup- plied with this unit or one approved by HHT. The grate will break down over time and will need occasional replace- ment.

Warning! Risk of Fire! Use only the factory-supplied integral grate.

•Keeps logs in place.

•Allows proper air circulation around the fire.

E. Firescreen

The firescreen is provided to control sparks. Keep it closed when the fireplace is in use.

Warning! Risk of Fire or Burns!

•Screen will not prevent burning materials from falling out.

•Screen pulls or handles may be hot.

F. Flue Damper

•Refer to Figure 2.1 for location of control.

•Must be in fully open position (handle up toward the top of the fireplace) during operation of the fireplace.

•Before lighting the fireplace, verify fully open position by looking up from the inside of the fireplace.

Warning! Risk of Fire and Asphyxiation! Open damper prior to operating fireplace. A closed damper overfires the fireplace and spills smoke and flames into the room.

G. Refractory

•The refractory is supplied to contain heat and provide an attractive interior.

•It will break down over time and will need occasional replacement. Small hairline cracks and discoloration are normal and do not affect its safety.

•(See refractory maintenance Section 3.C.)

Warning! Risk of Fire! Do not burn fireplace with- out refractory. Use only refractory supplied by Hearth & Home Technologies, Inc.