Vermont Castings Vigilant
Reloading the Stove
Put on a small layer of fresh coal and allow it to catch before clearing the grates of ash. Once the new coal is ignited, shake the grates with full, steady strokes of the shaker handle. Stop shaking when red coals cover the ashpan or when you feel resistance. Using the slicer, clear ash from between the bars of the front grill. Also, clear ash from along the sides and the back of the grate area. Leave a bed of hot coals on the grates to ignite new fuel.
If the fire has burned very low before reloading, add just a small amount of fuel at a time and leave the damper open while the fire is regaining strength. Once the fire is burning briskly again, you may add coal layer by layer until you have
The new fuel must be burning briskly before you reduce
the air supply or close the damper.
Important Warm-weather Considerations
Draft strength depends on the temperature difference between the outside air and flue gases. When the outside temperature rises, this temperature difference becomes smaller and draft problems can result. Avoid draft problems when the outside temperature is 35°F. or higher, by operating your stove with the damper open to keep flue temperatures high.
If draft problems occur when the wind is blowing, install a chimney cap designed to stabilize draft under windy
conditions.
Remove Ash Regularly
To avoid blocking incoming air, empty the ash pan be- fore the ash reaches the top of the pan.
Empty the ash pan before shaking the grates so you do not have to handle an ashpan that is full of hot embers. Use care when handling and disposing of ash, particu- larly if there are hot embers.
To empty the ash pan, open the ash door and remove the pan from the stove. Carry the pan to your ash dis- posal container.
Check that there is no accumulation of ash in the bot- tom of the stove, and remove any that is found before
replacing the ashpan.
Dispose of Ash Safely
A container for ash disposal must be made of metal and must have a tight fitting lid. It must be located outdoors away from all combustible material. Ash taken from an operating stove may continue to burn and to generate heat and gases for many days.
Dispose of ash properly. Coal ash should not be used in the garden, as it may contain unacceptable levels of toxic heavy metals.
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