Hearth and Home Technologies C-40 - Manual (Page 48)

Page 48 Heatilator • Constitution EPA Fireplace • 480-1091C November 11, 2008
Fire Risk
• Do NOT burn wet or green wood.
• Store wood in dry location.
• Stack wood so both ends are exposed to
air.
Wet, unseasoned wood can cause
accumulation of creosote.
WARNING
Fire Risk
Do NOT store wood:
• Closer than required clearances to
combustibles to fireplace.
• Within space required for loading or ash
removal.
WARNING
Storing Wood
Splitting wood before it is stored reduces drying time.
The following guideline will ensure properly seasoned
wood:
a. Stack the wood to allow air to circulate freely around
and through the woodpile.
b. Elevate the woodpile off the ground to allow air cir-
culation underneath.
c. The smaller the pieces, the faster the drying process.
Any piece over 6 in. (152 mm in diameter should be
split.
d. Wood should be stacked so that both ends of each
piece are exposed to air, since more drying occurs
through the cut ends than the sides. This is true
even with wood that has been split.
e. Store wood under cover, such as in a shed, or cov-
ered with a tarp, plastic, tar paper, sheets of scrap
plywood, etc., as uncovered wood can absorb water
from rain or snow, delaying the seasoning process.
Avoid covering the sides and ends completely. Doing
so may trap moisture from the ground and impede
air circulation.
J. Starting a Fire
Before lighting your first fire in the fireplace, make cer-
tain that the baffle and the ceramic blanket are correctly
positioned. It should be resting against the rear support.
Also refer to care and cleaning of plated surfaces on
page 58 before lighting your first fire.
NOTE: REMOVE ALL LABELS FROM GLASS BEFORE
LIGHTING THE FIRST FIRE IN YOUR APPLIANCE.
There are many ways to build a fire. The basic principle
is to light easily-ignitable tinder or paper, which ignites the
fast burning kindling, which in turn ignites the slow-burning
firewood. Here is one method that works well:
1. Place several wads of crushed paper on the fire-
box floor. Heating the flue with slightly crumpled
newspaper before adding kindling keeps smoke to
a minimum.
2. Lay small dry sticks of kindling on top of the paper.
3. Fully open the Slide Air Control by moving it com-
pletely to the right.
4. Make sure that no matches or other combustibles
are in the immediate area of the fireplace. Be sure
the room is adequately ventilated and the flue unob-
structed.
5. Light the paper in the fireplace. NEVER light or
rekindle fireplace with kerosene, gasoline, or
charcoal lighter fluid; the results can be fatal.
6. Once the kindling is burning quickly, add several
full-length logs 3 in. (76 mm) or 4 in. (102 mm) in
diameter. Be careful not to smother the fire. Stack
the pieces of wood carefully: near enough to keep
each other hot, but far enough away from each other
to allow adequate air flow between them.
7. When ready to reload the fireplace, add more logs.
Large logs burn slowly, holding a fire longer. Small
logs burn fast and hot, giving quick heat.
8. Adjust the Slide Air Control; the more you close down
the Control, (sliding left) the lower and slower the fire
will burn. The more you open the Air Control, (sliding
right) the more heat will be produced and the faster
the wood will burn.
As long as there are hot coals, repeating steps 7 and 8 will
maintain a continuous fire throughout the season.
NOTE: The special high temperature paint that your fireplace
is finished with will cure as your fireplace heats. You will notice
an odor and perhaps see some vapor rise from the fireplace
surface; this is normal. We recommend that you open a
window until the odor dissipates and paint is cured.