Quadra-Fire EXPLR-III-PBK Owner's Manual

Also see for EXPLR-III-MBK: Owner's manual Installation manual Owner's manual

Quadra-Fire EXPLR-III-PBK Owner's Manual Manual pdf 8 page image

8 7060-227D February 25, 2016Explorer III Wood StoveUser Guide2 Operating Instructions1. Symptoms of Over-FiringSymptoms of over-firing may include one or more of thefollowing:• Chimney connector or appliance glowing• Roaring, rumbling noises• Loud cracking or banging sounds• Metal warping• Chimney fire2. What To Do if Your Stove is Over-Firing• Immediately close the door and air controls to reduceair supply to the fire.• If you suspect a chimney fire, call the fire departmentand evacuate your house.• Contact your local chimney professional and have yourstove and stove pipe inspected for any damage.• Do not use your stove until the chimney professionalinforms you it is safe to do so.Hearth & Home Technologies WILL NOT warranty stovesthat exhibit evidence of over-firing. Evidence of over-firingincludes, but is not limited to:• Warped air tube• Deteriorated refractory brick retainers• Deteriorated baffle and other interior componentsB. Wood Selection & StorageBurn only dry seasoned wood. Store wood under cover, outof the rain and snow. Dry and well-seasoned wood will notonly minimize the chance of creosote formation, but will giveyou the most efficient fire. Even dry wood contains at least15% moisture by weight, and should be burned hot enoughto keep the chimney hot for as long as it takes to dry thewood out - about one hour. It is a waste of energy to burnunseasoned wood of any kind.Dead wood lying on the forest floor should be considered wet,and requires full seasoning time. Standing dead wood canbe considered to be about 2/3 seasoned. To tell if wood isA. Over-Firing Your Appliance dry enough to burn, check the ends of the logs. If there arecracks radiating in all directions from the center, it is dry. Ifyour wood sizzles in the fire, even though the surface is dry,it may not be fully cured.Splitting wood before it is stored reduces drying time. Woodshould be stacked so that both ends of each piece areexposed to air, since more drying occurs through the cut endsthan the sides. This is true even with wood that has beensplit. Store wood under cover, such as in a shed, or coveredwith a tarp, plastic, tar paper, sheets of scrap plywood, etc.,as uncovered wood can absorb water from rain or snow,delaying the seasoning process.C. Burning ProcessIn recent years there has been an increasing concern aboutair quality. Much of the blame for poor air quality has beenplaced on the burning of wood for home heating. In order toimprove the situation, we at Quadra-Fire have developedcleaner-burning wood stoves that surpass the requirementsfor emissions established by our governing agencies. Thesewood stoves, like any other appliances, must be properlyoperated in order to insure that they perform the way they aredesigned to perform. Improper operation can turn most anywood stove into a smoldering environmental hazard.1. Kindling or First StageIt helps to know a little about the actual process of burning inorder to understand what goes on inside a stove. The firststage of burning is called the kindling stage. In this stage, thewood is heated to a temperature high enough to evaporate themoisture which is present in all wood. The wood will reachthe boiling point of water (212°F) and will not get any hotteruntil the water is evaporated. This process takes heat fromthe coals and tends to cool the appliance.Fire requires three things to burn - fuel, air and heat. So, ifheat is robbed from the appliance during the drying stage, thenew load of wood has reduced the chances for a good cleanburn. For this reason, it is always best to burn dry, seasonedfirewood. When the wood isn’t dry, you must open the aircontrols and burn at a high burn setting for a longer time tostart it burning. The heat generated from the fire should bewarming your home and establishing the flue draft, not evap-orating the moisture out of wet, unseasoned wood, resultingin wasted heat.2. Second StageThe next stage of burning, the secondary stage, is the periodwhen the wood gives off flammable gases which burn abovethe fuel with bright flames. During this stage of burning it isvery important that the flames be maintained and not allowedto go out. This will ensure the cleanest possible fire. If theflames tend to go out, it is set too low for your burning condi-tions. The air control located at the upper right hand corneris used to adjust for burn rates. This is called the Burn RateAir Control. Figure 9.1Fire RiskDo not over-fire.Over-firing may ignite creosote or will damage the stoveand chimney.To prevent over-firing your stove, DO NOT:• Use flammable liquids• Overload with wood• Burn trash or large amounts of scrap lumber• Permit too much air to the fireWARNING