Hearth and Home Technologies NorthStar-GT, NorthStar-NT owner manual Storing Wood, Starting a Fire

WARNING

Fire Risk

•Do NOT burn wet or green wood.

•Store wood in dry location.

•Stack wood so both ends are exposed to air.

Wet, unseasoned wood can cause accumulation of creosote.

Storing Wood

Splitting wood before it is stored reduces drying time. The following guideline will ensure properly seasoned wood:

a.Stack the wood to allow air to circulate freely around and through the woodpile.

b.Elevate the woodpile off the ground to allow air cir- culation underneath.

c.The smaller the pieces, the faster the drying process. Any piece over 6 in. (152 mm in diameter should be split.

d.Wood should be stacked so that both ends of each piece are exposed to air, since more drying occurs through the cut ends than the sides. This is true even with wood that has been split.

e.Store wood under cover, such as in a shed, or cov- ered with a tarp, plastic, tar paper, sheets of scrap plywood, etc., as uncovered wood can absorb water from rain or snow, delaying the seasoning process. Avoid covering the sides and ends completely. Doing so may trap moisture from the ground and impede air circulation.

WARNING

Fire Risk

Do NOT store wood:

• Closer than required clearances to combustibles to fireplace.

•Within space required for loading or ash removal.

J. Starting a Fire

Before lighting your first fire in the fireplace, make cer- tain that the baffle and the ceramic blanket are correctly positioned. It should be resting against the rear support.

Also refer to care and cleaning of plated surfaces on page 58 before lighting your first fire.

NOTE: Remove all labels from glass before

lighting the first fire in your APPLIANCE.

There are many ways to build a fire. The basic principle is to light easily-ignitable tinder or paper, which ignites the fast burning kindling, which in turn ignites the slow-burning firewood. Here is one method that works well:

1.Place several wads of crushed paper on the fire- box floor. Heating the flue with slightly crumpled newspaper before adding kindling keeps smoke to a minimum.

2.Lay small dry sticks of kindling on top of the paper.

3.Fully open the Slide Air Control by moving it com- pletely to the right.

4.Make sure that no matches or other combustibles are in the immediate area of the fireplace. Be sure the room is adequately ventilated and the flue unob- structed.

5.Light the paper in the fireplace. NEVER light or rekindle fireplace with kerosene, gasoline, or charcoal lighter fluid; the results can be fatal.

6.Once the kindling is burning quickly, add several full-length logs 3 in. (76 mm) or 4 in. (102 mm) in diameter. Be careful not to smother the fire. Stack the pieces of wood carefully: near enough to keep each other hot, but far enough away from each other to allow adequate air flow between them.

7.When ready to reload the fireplace, add more logs. Large logs burn slowly, holding a fire longer. Small logs burn fast and hot, giving quick heat.

8.Adjust the Slide Air Control; the more you close down the Control, (sliding left) the lower and slower the fire will burn. The more you open the Air Control, (sliding right) the more heat will be produced and the faster the wood will burn.

As long as there are hot coals, repeating steps 7 and 8 will maintain a continuous fire throughout the season.

NOTE: The special high temperature paint that your fireplace is finished with will cure as your fireplace heats. You will notice an odor and perhaps see some vapor rise from the fireplace surface; this is normal. We recommend that you open a window until the odor dissipates and paint is cured.

Page 48 Heat & Glo • NorthStar EPA Fireplace • 480-1081C September 1, 2008