VI. STOVE AND CHIMNEY MAINTENANCE.
Creosote is one of the facts of life for wood burners. W hen wood is burned slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapor which com bines with expelled moisture (even “dry” wood contains approxim ately 20% moisture) to form creosote. The creosote vapors condense in the relatively cool chim ney connectors and flue of a
Be sure to exam ine the chim ney connector pipe and the chim ney above it every few weeks so you can determ ine the rate of creosote build up.
Any excessive build up of creosote (more than 1/4") will then be apparent and must be removed for continued safe operation.
The chim ney must be inspected from the top of the chim ney. For a thorough cleaning and inspection, your SIERRA woodstove should be rem oved from the hearth.
If creosote has accum ulated, it should be rem oved to reduce the risk of a chim ney fire. Creosote form ations can be chipped away from flue openings with a sturdy metal blade such as a heavy duty scraper.
CAUTION: The acid content can cause burns to skin and eyes, so wear protective glasses and gloves.
The chim ney itself is norm ally cleaned from the roof. Most stove dealers carry stiff metal brushes in sized and shapes to fit standard flue liners. These are usually attached to rods which can be extended for the length of the chim ney.
It is recommended that you call a professional chimney cleaner to do the job for you.
Provisions for outside com bustion air m ay be necessary to ensure that fuel burning appliances do no discharge products of com bustion into the house. Guidelines to determ ine the need for additional combustion air may not be adequate for every situation. If in doubt, it is advisable to provide additional air.
a. Outside com bustion air may be required if:
1.The solid fuel fired appliance does not draw steadily, sm oke rollout occurs, fuel burns poorly, or back- drafts occur whether or not there is combustion present.
2.Existing fuel fired equipm ent in the house, such as fireplaces or other heating appliances sm ell, do no operate properly, suffer smoke
3.Opening a window slightly on a calm (windless) day alleviates any of the above sym ptom s.
4.The house is equipped with a well sealed vapor barrier and tight fitting windows and/or has any powered devices that exhaust house air.
5.There is excessive condensation on windows in winter.
6.A ventilation system is installed in the house.
b.If these or other indications suggest that infiltration air is inadequate, additional combustion air should be provided from the outdoors. Outside com bustion air can be provided to the appliance by the following means.
1.Direct connection: appliances can only use direct connection of outside com bustion air if they are certified for the type of installation. Installations shall com ply with the manufacturer’s instructions.
2.Indirect method: for an appliance not certified for direct connection of outside com bustion air, the outside air is ducted to a point no closer than (12 in) 300 m m from the appliance, to avoid affecting the perform ance of the appliance.
3.A m echanical ventilation system : if the house has a
ventilation system (air change or heat recovery):
a.The ventilation system may be able to provide sufficient combustion
fuel fired appliance. | b. |
The householder should be inform ed that the |
|
ventilation system might need to be | |
by a ventilation technician after installation of | the |
appliance. |
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Minimizing Creosote
1.Proper sizing of the stove to the house will help reduce creosote problem s - too large a stove will force the owner to burn a slow fire resulting in rapid creosote
2.Avoid slow sm oldering fires. A better way to reduce heat output is to have a sm all but hot fire by adding sm all am ounts of wood at more frequent intervals.
3.Regularly, when loading the stove, encourage a hot, brisk fire for
4.If you do have a chim ney fire, call the fire departm ent im m ediately. Only then attem pt to control the fire. Throw soda on the logs, close the draft regulators com pletely to shut off air to the fire. W et down your roof and adjacent areas to keep the fire from spreading.
5.If you must use green wood (and we urge you to avoid doing so), be sure to mix with dry logs.
Care and cleaning of woodstove Glass - The window glass on your Sierra woodstove is designed for high tem perature
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