Successful Wood Burning
Burning wood and coal is often said to be more of an art than a science. You will easily master the art if you start by using good, dry fuel and by understanding how the stove’s air supply system operates.
Burn Only High-Quality Fuel
This heater is designed to burn natural wood only (or coal, when the catalytic combustor has been removed and the optional coal kit installed). Do not burn fuels other than those for which this heater was designed. Never burn
High efficiencies and low emissions are possible when burning
The best hardwood fuels include oak, maple, beech, ash, and hickory that has been split, stacked, and air- dried outside under cover for at least one year. If hardwood is not available, tamarack, yellow pine, white pine, Eastern red cedar, fir, and redwood are softwoods that are commonly burned. They too should be prop- erly dried. The length of the wood should be the same as that specified for your particular stove. Avoid using wood that has been dried more than two years. Often gray in color, this wood burns very quickly, resulting in short burn time and diminished stove performance. If you must burn it, mix it in with greener wood to slow the burn. The length of the wood should be 23” (580mm).
When burning coal with the combustor removed, we recommend that you use only premium grade anthra- cite. Three sizes of coal are commonly burned: pea coal, a very small size averaging 3/8” to 3/4” (10- 20mm); nut coal, a medium size of 3/4” to 1¹⁄₂” (20- 40mm); and stove coal, the largest size at 1¹⁄₂” to 2³⁄₄”
NOTE: Coal may be burned in the Sequoia only when the 8” (200mm) flue collar is used, and then only with optional coal kit #5531 installed.
Both wood and coal should be stored under cover to maintain dryness. Even for
Use the Air Control Settings
that Work Best for You
No single combination of control settings will fit every situation. Each installation will differ depending on the quality of the fuel, the amount of heat desired, and how long you wish the fire to burn.
Dutchwest Sequoia
Control settings also depend on your particular installation’s “draft," or the force that moves air from the stove up through the chimney. Draft is affected by such things as the height, type, and location of the chimney, local geography, nearby obstructions, and other factors.
Too much draft may cause excessive temperatures in the stove. On the other hand, too little draft can cause backpuffing into the room and/or the “plugging” of the chimney and catalytic burner.
How do you know if your draft is excessively high or low? Symptoms of too much draft include an uncontrol- lable burn or a
In some newer homes that are
Another option for getting more combustion air to the stove is to duct air directly from the outside to the stove. In fact, in some areas provisions for outside combustion air are required in all new construction.
Your Sequoia is designed to incorporate outside combustion air, and directions for installing an outside air duct may be found in the Assembly section.
When first using the stove, keep a record of the results you achieve from different control settings. You will find that specific control settings will give you a fixed amount of heat. It may take a week or two to determine the amount of heat and the length of burn you should expect from various control settings.
Most installations do not require a large amount of combustion air, especially if adequate draft is available.
Do not for any reason attempt to increase the firing of your heater by altering the air control adjustment range outlined in these directions.
Use the following air control settings as a starting point to help determine the best settings for your installation:
NOTE: To make the settings for these directions as clear as possible, imagine that the face of a clock is mounted behind the primary air control lever. Then, follow the directions to set the lever at the correct “time”. (Fig. 20)
Sequoia Control Settings for Wood Fires
Burn Rate | Primary Air | Combustor Air |
Low | 6:00 | 1/2 turns |
Medium | 7:00 | Fully Open |
High | 8:00 or greater | Fully open |
(The
2001049 | 19 |