SECTION III - NORMAL OPERATION
LIGHTING THE FIRE
Temp-Cast fireplaces are more
forgiving than other wood heaters, in
regards to the type of wood required,
how the fire is built and the attention
the fire requires. Throw some paper
and kindling in, load it up with any
kind of dry firewood and it will burn,
producing a nice fire and excellent
heat.
However, a little extra attention paid
to fire building techniques will
maximize both the combustion
efficiency and the heating efficiency
of the fireplace.
Some softwoods have a large
volume but little mass. With these
woods, you may have to load half of
the charge, burn it for 20 minutes
until there is room in the firebox and
then load the rest of the charge. You
should be able to fit at least 45 lbs
(20kg) of hardwood into the firebox
at one time, if required.
The fire will burn rapidly for 1 to 2
hours. You should do nothing to
slow the fire down. You can open
the doors near the end of the fire and
ensure that unburned coals are
heaped together near the centre of
the fire grate and then close the
firedoors again.
Once the fire has completely burned
out, the chimney damper and air
supply should be closed.
The heater can be fired again in
about 6 hours if extra heating is
required. There should never be a
need to have a fire burning while you
are sleeping.
For optimum combustion efficiency
(meaning the hottest and cleanest
burn), a "top-down burn" is
recommended.
THE TOP DOWN BURN
The "top-down burning" method of
starting a fire has been used by
knowledgeable masonry heater
owners in Europe for hundreds of
years.
Although it takes more effort and the
technique may require practice and
patience to master, it results in a
cleaner initial fire and reduced air
pollution. The reason for this is that
in a normal fire, the larger pieces are
placed on the top. As they get
heated quickly by the kindling fire
below, gases are released, which
escape unburned as smoke.
With the "top-down burn" method
the larger pieces are placed on the
bottom. Here they heat up more
slowly, so that when their gases start
to escape, they are burned in the hot
kindling fire above.
1.
Open the chimney damper (if
equipped) and the combustion air
supply. (If equipped with a
"Hoyme" damper, activate the
switch to open the damper.)
2.
Place 3" to 4" (75mm to 100mm)
diameter firewood in the firebox,
laid in alternating rows, allowing
about 1/2" to 1" (12.5mm to
25mm) space between them.
3.
Add 3 sheets of tightly twisted
newspaper (or cedar shavings)
and then 8 to 10 sticks of dry
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