Drolet 45521A The use of manufactured logs, Simple wood moisture test, Notes About First Firing

3.2.1 The use of manufactured logs

There are numerous types of manufactured logs sold on the market. You must be very careful with this type of product. Many brands of manufactured logs contain chemical additives. DO NOT BURN ANY MANUFACTURED LOGS CONTAINING CHEMICAL ADDITIVES. If you do, you may damage your stove and void the warranty. Logs containing chemical additives burn a lot hotter and were designed for decorative fireplaces. Decorative fireplaces generally have larger, cooler, and less air-tight fireboxes. Your E.P.A Drolet stove, on the other hand, has a smaller, completely sealed firebox which attains much higher temperatures. It is therefore not designed to support excessive heat caused by the addition of chemicals in manufactured logs. Manufactured logs made of 100% wood residues do not cause any threat to your stove. You must however be careful. Manufactured logs typically release a much larger heat output over a short period of time. Therefore, you cannot place a large quantity of such logs into your stove, like you would with regular cord wood. Start with one log, and gradually increase the load to 2 or 3 logs and see how your stove reacts. Use a chimney (flue) thermometer and make sure that temperatures remain within the normal operating range.

3.2.2 Simple wood moisture test

Add one large piece of wood to the top of an established fire. If it starts to burn on three sides within one minute, it is dry and seasoned and right for burning. If it turns black and starts to burn in about three minutes or more, it is damp. If it turns black and does not start burning until five minutes or more, it is green and wet. If it hisses at any time, the wood is soaked and will not burn until the excess of moisture is boiled away.

3.3 NOTES ABOUT FIRST FIRING

The fresh paint on your stove needs to be cured to preserve its quality. Once the fuel load is properly ignited, only burn small fires in your stove for the first four hours of operation. Never open the air control more than necessary to achieve a medium burn rate. Make sure that there is enough air circulation while curing the stove. Open one or more windows. The odours can be smelled during the 3 or 4 first fires. Never start your stove outside.

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