Archgard 10-1800P - Manual (Page 29)

Chalet 1800 29
IN CASE OF A CHIMNEY FIRE
1. Prepare to evacuate to ensure everyone's safety. Have a well understood plan of action for evacuation.
Have a place outside where everyone is to meet.
2. Close the air inlet on the stove.
3. Call local fire department. Have a fire extinguisher handy. Contact your local municipal or provincial fire
authority for further information on how to handle a chimney fire. It is most important that you have a
clearly understood plan on how to handle a chimney fire.
4. After the chimney fire is out, the chimney must be cleaned and checked for stress and cracks before
starting another fire. Also check combustibles around the chimney and the roof.
The services of a competent or certified installer, (certified by the Wood Energy Technical Training program
(WETT) – in Canada, National Fireplace Institute (NFI) - in U.S.A.) are strongly recommended.
SAFETY EQUIPMENT
All homes with a fuel burning appliance should have at least one fire extinguisher in a central location known
to all in the household along with a smoke detection device installed to the smoke detector manufacturer’s
placement and installation instructions, and maintained on a regular basis.
We also recommend all dwellings be equipped with a Carbon Monoxide Detector and have a practiced
evacuation plan.
CHIMNEY MAINTENANCE
It is very important to carefully maintain your Chalet 1800 stove, including burning seasoned wood and main-
taining a clean stove and chimney system. Have the chimney cleaned before the burning season and as nec-
essary during the season, as creosote deposits may build up rapidly. Moving parts of your stove require no
lubrication. Have chimney system cleaned when a significant layer of creosote has accumulated (3
mm / ⅛" or more). At the end of the heating season, have the chimney/stove system inspected and if
necessary cleaned/maintained.
As a precaution, the chimney should be inspected at least once every month during the heating season to de-
termine if creosote or soot has built up. Check spark arrestor screens at least every 2 to 4 weeks. If creosote
or soot has accumulated, it should be cleaned or replaced to reduce the risk of chimney fire.
Proper burning will leave the firebricks in the firebox a tan color, never black. Steel parts in the firebox will be
light to dark brown, never black or shiny.
WOOD
The efficiency and convenience of your wood-heating system depend significantly on the quality of the fuel
wood you burn. The four main factors that influence how firewood burns are piece size, wood condition,
tree species and moisture content. The moisture content of the wood affects the rate at which it burns
and the efficiency of combustion. The wood moisture content of unseasoned wood, can range between
35 and 60 percent by weight. Wood that is this wet is hard to ignite and slow to burn. It also hisses and
sizzles in the firebox. It combusts poorly and produces large amounts of air pollutants. Energy from the
burning fire is used to boil off the moisture, which reduces efficiency. Wet wood is the most common prob-
lem with wood heating. If you think you have a problem with your stove's performance, check the dryness
of your fuel first. Properly seasoned wood ignites readily, flames easily and burns efficiently.