Heat & Glo Fireplace WS-250 - Manual (Page 19)

19
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ
BEFORE USING STOVE
BURNING PROCESS
In recent years there has been an increasing con-
cern about the quality of our air. Much of the blame
for poor air quality has been placed on the burning of
wood for home heating. In order to improve the situa-
tion, we at Heat-N-Glo have developed cleaner burn-
ing wood stoves that surpass the stringent require-
ments for emissions established by our governing
agencies.
Properly operated and maintained your WS-150 or
WS-250 wood stove will obtain the peak efficiency
and lowest emissions possible, resulting in better air
quality for your community and more heat output per
pound of wood. Improper operation and maintenance
may cause any wood burning unit to release more
particulate and adversely affect the environment.
It helps to know a little about the actual process of
burning in order to understand how to operate the
stove for best performance. The first stage of burn-
ing we will call the kindling stage. In this stage, the
wood is heated to a temperature high enough to
evaporate the moisture which is present in all wood.
The wood will reach the boiling point of water (212°F)
and will not get any hotter until the water is evapo-
rated. This process takes heat from the coals and
tends to cool the stove. Fire requires three things to
burn: fuel, air and heat. So, if heat is robbed from the
stove during the drying stage, the new load of wood
has reduced the chances for a good clean burn. For
this reason, it is always best to burn dry, seasoned
firewood. When the wood isn’t dry, you must open
the air controls and burn the stove at a high burn set-
ting for a longer time to start it burning. The control on
the right side of the stove is called the primary con-
trol; it is used mainly during the kindling stage of burn-
ing, or when burning the stove at a high burn setting.
It should be closed (pulled outward) for lower burns.
The next stage of burning, the secondary stage, is
the period when the wood gives off flammable gases
which burn above the fuel with bright flames. During
this stage of burning it is very important that the flames
be maintained and not allowed to go out. This will in-
sure the cleanest possible fire. If you are adjusting
your stove for a low burn rate, you should close down
the air to the point where you can still maintain some
flame. If the flames tend to go out, the stove is set too
low for your burning conditions. The air control in the
center of the stove, beneath the ash catcher, is the
one used to adjust the stove for lower burn rates. This
is called the secondary control. Pulling either control
towards you closes it, pushing it in opens it.
The final stage of burning is the charcoal stage. This
occurs when the flammable gases have been mostly
burned and only charcoal remains. This is a naturally
clean portion of the burn. The coals burn with hot blue
flames. It is very important to reload your stove while
enough lively hot coals remain in order to provide the
amount of heat needed to dry and rekindle the next
load of wood. It is best to open the air controls for a
short while before reloading. This livens up the coal
bed. Open door slowly so that ash or smoke does not
exit stove through opening. You should also break up
any large chunks and distribute the coals so that the
new wood is laid on hot coals.
Following these standards for operation and mainte-
nance is a responsible action for the choice to heat
your home with wood. In addition, you will also ex-
tend the life of your wood stove for many years of use
and enjoyment.
FIGURE 24
Primary
Control
Secondary
Control
SECONDARY AIR SYSTEM
The secondary air enters at the upper
front of the firebox, near the top of the
glass door. This preheated air supplies
the necessary fresh oxygen to mix with
the unburned gases, helping to create
secondary, tertiary and quaternary
combustions. This air is regulated by
the secondary control. For more sec-
ondary air push control in, for less sec-
ondary air pull control out.
PRIMARY AIR SYSTEM
The primary combustion air
enters at the rear of the fire-
box through the primary air
tubes. For more heat push
control in, for less heat pull
control out.