Vermont Casting 2310 Daily Operation Surface Thermometer, Internal Damper, 2000898

3. Continue building up the fire until there is a thick bed of hot embers on the grates.

IMPORTANT: Don’t hurry this part of the burn. Inad- equate preheating of the chimney system is the most common cause of poor coal stove performance.

NOTE: The cast iron plates in your Vigilant will “sea- son” as they heat and cool over a period of time. The thermal shock of very rapid temperature changes can cause the cast iron to crack. NEVER build a roaring fire in a cold stove.

4.Add a moderate layer (1” - 2” ) of coal. When this is burning well, indicated by a blue flame just above the first layer, you may add coal layer by layer. Be sure each new layer is burning well before adding

the next layer.

CAUTION: Hot while in operation. Keep children, clothing, and furniture away. Contact may cause skin burns.

5.Coal may be loaded to the top of the front grill, and to within one inch of the exhaust ports in the top of the left and right side plates. Keep the coal level at

least an inch below the exhaust ports.

SAFETY NOTE: Do not burn garbage or flammable fluids such as gasoline, naphtha, or engine oil. Do not use charcoal lighter fluid or any flammable liq- uid to kindle or re-establish a fire in your coal burn- ing stove. Also, never use self-starting charcoal briquettes. The volatile gases given off by these materials when heated may explode if ignited.

CAUTION: Follow these instructions carefully to get the safest, most efficient results with your stove. Failure to follow these instructions may result in a dangerous

chimney or house fire.

Daily Operation

Surface Thermometer

Use a surface thermometer to monitor stove perfor- mance.

The Vigilant’s surface temperature, determined by plac- ing a stove thermometer in the middle of the griddle, can provide helpful information about how the stove is performing.

Surface Thermometer

ST698

Fig. 23 A stove thermometer can provide helpful information about how the stove is performing.

Vermont Castings Vigilant

The normal range of operating temperatures is between 400° and 700° F, although temperatures slightly outside of this range may be expected. However, if tempera- tures go above 700° F for extended periods, decrease the air supply (move the thermostat lever to the right) and slow the fire to avoid overfiring.

When starting a new fire, or after re-loading the stove, leave the damper open until the surface temperature reaches at least 500° F. Do not close the damper on a fire before it is well-established.

If the surface temperature drops below 400° F, revive the fire by one of the following:

•Increase the air supply by moving the thermo stat lever to the left.

•Open the damper.

•Clear ash from the grates and empty the ash pan.

•Re-load the stove.

•Add a layer of untreated charcoal or NON- SELF-STARTING charcoal briquettes.

•If the coal needs to be re-ignited, try placing a small amount of very dry, finely split kindling on top of the coal bed. The heat produced by the burning kindling will increase the draft, and the improved draft will increase the air flow through the coal bed to create better conditions for ignition.

Internal Damper

The internal damper provides operating flexibility

Operate the Vigilant with the damper open when start- ing the fire, when re-building the fire after a long burn, or when burning a small fire with moderate heat output. Close the damper only after establishing a strong fire and a good draft by burning the stove with the damper open.

Because installation characteristics vary, the time nec- essary to establish a good draft may also vary, from ap- proximately 5 to 30 minutes or more. Exterior chimneys are generally more difficult to heat up, and may require the longest period of time.

On large and/or outside chimneys, the damper may always need to be open for the flue to be sufficiently warmed so that it will support an adequate draft. Even if this is necessary, the Vigilant will operate effectively.

Be sure to open the damper and run the stove for a few minutes before opening either the griddle or the front doors. This will direct extra heat to the flue to increase the draft, and will clear exhaust gases from the baffle system. Do not leave doors and griddle open simulta-

neously to avoid having gases escape.

2000898 17