Vermont Casting 1450 - Manual (Page 23)

23
Encore 1450 Non-Catalytic Woodburning Stove
30002425
Use the Air Control Settings
that Work Best for You
No single air control setting will fit every situation. Each
installation will differ depending on the quality of the
fuel, the amount of heat desired, how long you wish the
fire to burn, climactic conditions; outdoor air tempera-
ture and pressure may also effect draft.
The control setting also depends 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 length, type, and location of the chimney,
local geography, nearby obstructions, and other factors.
Refer to Pages 25-27 for details on how the installation
affects performance.
Too much draft may cause excessive temperatures in
the Encore, and could even damage the stove. On the
other hand, too little draft can cause backpuffing into
the room and/or the “plugging” of the chimney.
How do you know if your draft is excessively high or
low? Symptoms of too much draft include an uncontrol-
lable burn or a glowing-red stove part. A sign of inad-
equate draft is smoke leaking into the room through the
stove or chimney connector joints, low heat output and
dirty glass.
In some newer homes that are well-insulated and
weather-tight, poor draft may result from insufficient air
in the house. In such instances, an open window near
the stove on the windward side of the house will help
provide the fresh air needed.
Another option for getting more combustion air to the
stove is to duct air directly from outdoors to the stove.
In some areas provisions for outside combustion air are
required in all new construction.
Your Encore is equipped to deliver outside air for com-
bustion.
When first using the stove, keep track of the air control
settings. You will quickly find that a specific setting 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 settings.
Most installations do not require a large amount of com-
bustion air, especially if adequate draft is available. Do
not 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.
Each is described as a fraction of the total distance the
lever may be moved from right to left.
Encore Control Settings
Burn Rate Primary Air Control
Low From far right to 1/3
the distance to left
Medium From 1/3 to 2/3 the distance
to left
High From 2/3 the distance
to left to far left
DO NOT OPERATE THE STOVE WITH THE ASH
DOOR OPEN. OPERATION WITH THE ASH DOOR
OPEN CAN CAUSE AN OVERFIRING CONDITION
TO OCCUR. OVERFIRING THE STOVE IS DANGER-
OUS AND CAN RESULT IN PROPERTY DAMAGE,
INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE.
Conditioning Your Stove
Cast iron is extremely strong, but it can be broken with
a sharp blow from a hammer or from the thermal shock
of rapid and extreme temperature change.
The cast plates expand and contract with changes in
temperature. When you first begin using your Encore,
minimize thermal stress by allowing the plates to adjust
gradually during three or four initial break-in fires.
Starting and Maintaining a Wood Fire
Burn only solid wood in the Encore, and burn it directly
on the grate. Do not elevate the fuel. Do not burn coal
or other fuels.
The bypass damper must be open when starting a
fire or when refueling.
Do not use chemicals or fluids to start the fire. Do
not burn garbage. Never use flammable fluids such
as gasoline, gasoline type lantern fuel, kerosene,
charcoal lighter fluid, naptha, engine oil or similar
liquids to start or “freshen up” a fire in this heater.
Keep all such liquids well away from the heater
while it is in use.
ST263
starting a fire
12/99
ST263
Fig. 38 Start fire with newspaper and dry kindling.