Drolet Myriad II DB03051, Legend II DB03071, Austral II DB03031, Baltic II DB03041 Installation And Operation Manual
Installation and Operation Manual
Myriad II
(DB03051 model)
US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY PHASE II CERTIFIED
Safety tested according to ULC S627
www.drolet.ca
Stove Builder International Inc.
250, rue de Copenhague, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures
(Quebec) Canada G3A 2H3
After-sale service: 418-908-8002 E-mail: tech@sbi-international.com
WOOD STOVE
and UL 1482 Standards
by an accredited laboratory
This manual is available for free download on the manufacturer’s web site. It is a
copyrighted document. Re-sale is strictly prohibited. The manufacturer may update this
manual from time to time and cannot be responsible for problems, injuries, or damages
arising out of the use of information contained in any manual obtained from unauthorized
sources.
READ AND KEEP THIS MANUAL FOR REFERENCE
45806A
Printed in Canada 25-04-2016
Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THIS DROLET WOOD STOVE
As one of North America’s largest and most respected wood stove and fireplace
manufacturers, Stove Builder International takes pride in the quality and performance of all
its products. We want to help you get maximum satisfaction as you use this product.
In the pages that follow you will find general advice on wood heating, detailed instructions
for safe and effective installation, and guidance on how to get the best performance from
this stove as you build and maintain fires, and maintain your wood heating system.
We recommend that our wood burning hearth products be installed and serviced by
professionals who are certified in the United States by NFI (National Fireplace Institute®) or
in Canada by WETT (Wood Energy Technology Transfer) or in Quebec by APC
(Association des Professionnels du Chauffage).
Congratulations on making a wise purchase.
When this stove is not properly installed, a house fire may result. To reduce the risk
of fire, follow the installation instructions. Contact local building or fire officials
about restrictions and installation inspection requirements in your area.
Please read this entire manual before you install and use your new stove. Failure to
follow instructions may result in property damage, bodily injury, or even death. It is
important that you follow the installations guidelines exactly.
You may need to obtain a building permit for the installation of this stove and the
chimney that it is connected to. Consult your municipal building department or fire
department before installation to determine the need to obtain one. We recommend
that you also inform your home insurance company to find out if the installation will
affect your policy.
REGISTER YOUR WARRANTY ONLINE
To receive full warranty coverage, you will need to show
evidence of the date you purchased your stove. Keep your sales
invoice. We also recommend that you register your warranty
online at:
http://www.drolet.ca/en/service-support/warranty-registration
Registering your warranty online will help us to quickly track the
information we need about your stove.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
Table of content
PART A - OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE .................................. 6
1 Safety Information ................................................................................ 6
1.1
Summary of Operation and Maintenance Cautions and Warnings ......................... 6
2 General Information on Myriad II (DB03051) .................................. 7
2.1
Appliance performance
2.2
General Features ................................................................................................... 8
2.3
Zone Heating and How to Make it Work for You .................................................. 10
2.4
The Benefits of Low Emissions and High Efficiency ............................................. 11
2.5
The SBI Commitment to You and the Environment .............................................. 11
2.5.1 What is Your New Stove Made Of? .................................................................. 11
(1)
....................................................................................... 7
3 Fuel ....................................................................................................... 12
3.1
Materials That Should Not be Burned .................................................................. 12
3.2
How to Prepare or Buy Good Firewood ................................................................ 12
3.2.1 What is Good Firewood? ................................................................................... 12
3.2.2 Tree Species ..................................................................................................... 12
3.2.3 Log Length ........................................................................................................ 13
3.2.4 Piece Size ......................................................................................................... 13
3.2.5 How to Dry Firewood......................................................................................... 14
3.2.6 Judging Firewood Moisture Content.................................................................. 15
3.3
Manufactured Logs ............................................................................................... 15
4 Operating Your Stove ......................................................................... 16
4.1
Your First Fires ..................................................................................................... 16
4.2
Lighting Fires ........................................................................................................ 16
4.2.1 Conventional Fire Starting ................................................................................. 16
4.2.2 The Top Down Fire ........................................................................................... 17
4.2.3 Two Parallel Logs ............................................................................................. 17
4.2.4 Using Fire Starters ............................................................................................ 17
4.3
Maintaining Wood Fires ........................................................................................ 18
4.3.1 General Advice ................................................................................................. 18
4.3.2 Ash Removal ..................................................................................................... 18
4.3.3 Raking Charcoal ............................................................................................... 19
4.3.4 Firing Each New Load Hot ................................................................................ 19
4.3.5 Turning Down the Air Supply ............................................................................ 20
4.3.6 Use of the bypass damper ................................................................................ 20
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
4.3.7 Building Different Fires for Different Needs ....................................................... 21
5 Maintaining Your Wood Heating System ........................................ 24
5.1
Stove Maintenance ............................................................................................... 24
5.1.1 Plated Finish Maintenance ................................................................................ 24
5.1.2 Cleaning Door Glass ......................................................................................... 24
5.1.3 Door adjustment ................................................................................................ 25
5.1.4 Replacing the Door Gasket ............................................................................... 25
5.1.5 Replacing the Glass Gasket and/or the Glass .................................................. 26
5.1.6 Cleaning and Painting the Stove ....................................................................... 27
5.2
Chimney and Chimney Connector Maintenance .................................................. 27
5.2.1 Why Chimney Cleaning is Necessary ............................................................... 27
5.2.2 How Often Should You Clean the Chimney? .................................................... 27
5.2.3 Cleaning the Chimney ....................................................................................... 28
PART B - INSTALLATION ................................................................... 29
6 Safety Information .............................................................................. 29
6.1
Summary of Installation Cautions and Warnings .................................................. 29
6.2
Regulations Covering Stove Installation ............................................................... 30
7 Clearances to Combustible Material ................................................ 30
7.1
Location of the certification label .......................................................................... 30
7.2
Clearances to Walls and Ceiling .......................................................................... 31
7.3
Floor protector ...................................................................................................... 34
7.4
Reducing Wall and Ceiling Clearances Safely ..................................................... 35
7.4.1 Shield Construction Rules ................................................................................. 35
7.4.2 Table of Clearance Reduction Percentages ...................................................... 37
8 The Venting System ............................................................................ 38
8.1
General ................................................................................................................ 38
8.2
Suitable Chimneys ............................................................................................... 38
8.2.1 Factory-built Metal Chimneys ............................................................................ 38
8.2.2 Factory-built Metal Chimneys in mobile homes ................................................. 39
8.2.3 Masonry Chimneys ........................................................................................... 39
8.3
Minimum Chimney Height .................................................................................... 40
8.4
The Relationship Between the Chimney and the House ...................................... 40
8.4.1 Why inside chimneys are preferred ................................................................... 40
8.4.2 Why the chimney should penetrate the highest heated space .......................... 41
8.5
Supply of Combustion Air ..................................................................................... 42
8.5.1 Combustion Air Supply in Mobile Homes .......................................................... 42
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
8.5.2 Air Supply in Conventional Houses ................................................................... 42
8.6
Installing the Chimney Connector......................................................................... 43
8.6.1 Installation of Single Wall Chimney Connector ................................................. 43
Appendix 1: Top Bricks Installation ...................................................... 45
Appendix 2: Installation of the Bypass Damper Handle Holder ........ 46
Appendix 3: Installing the Optional Fresh Air Intake Kit (AC01336) 47
Appendix 4: Use of Blower and Optional Thermodiscs ....................... 48
Appendix 5: Installation of Secondary Air Tubes and Baffle ............. 49
Appendix 6: Exploded Diagram and Parts List .................................... 51
DROLET LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY .................................. 54
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
PART A - OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
Please see Part B for installation instructions.
1 Safety Information
1.1 Summary of Operation and Maintenance Cautions and Warnings
•
HOT WHILE IN OPERATION, KEEP CHILDREN, CLOTHING AND FURNITURE
AWAY. CONTACT MAY CAUSE SKIN BURNS. GLOVES MAY BE NEEDED FOR
STOVE AND BYPASS DAMPER OPERATION.
•
USING A STOVE WITH CRACKED OR BROKEN COMPONENTS, SUCH AS GLASS
OR FIREBRICKS OR BAFFLES MAY PRODUCE AN UNSAFE CONDITION AND
MAY DAMAGE THE STOVE.
•
OPEN THE AIR CONTROL FULLY BEFORE OPENING FIRING DOOR.
•
THIS STOVE IS NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED WITH THE DOOR OPEN. THE
DOOR MAY BE OPEN ONLY DURING LIGHTING PROCEDURES OR RELOADING.
DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE UNATTENDED WHEN THE DOOR IS SLIGHTLY
OPENED DURING IGNITION. ALWAYS CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER IGNITION.
•
NEVER USE GASOLINE, GASOLINE-TYPE LANTERN FUEL (NAPHTHA), FUEL
OIL, MOTOR OIL, KEROSENE, CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID, OR SIMILAR
LIQUIDS OR AEROSOLS TO START OR ‘FRESHEN UP’ A FIRE IN THIS STOVE.
KEEP ALL SUCH LIQUIDS OR AEROSOLS WELL AWAY FROM THE STOVE
WHILE IT IS IN USE.
•
DO NOT STORE FUEL WITHIN HEATER MINIMUM INSTALLATION CLEARANCES.
•
BURN ONLY SEASONED NATURAL FIREWOOD.
•
DO NOT BURN:
o GARBAGE OF ANY KIND,
o COAL OR CHARCOAL,
o TREATED, PAINTED OR COATED WOOD,
o PLYWOOD OR PARTICLE BOARD,
o FINE PAPER, COLORED PAPER OR CARDBOARD,
o SALT WATER DRIFTWOOD, OR
o RAILROAD TIES.
•
DO NOT ELEVATE THE FIRE BY USING A GRATE IN THIS STOVE.
•
THIS APPLIANCE SHOULD BE MAINTAINED AND OPERATED AT ALL TIMES IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
(3)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
2 General Information on Myriad II (DB03051)
2.1 Appliance performance
(1)
Fuel type Dry cordwood
Recommended heating area
[*]
900 to 2,100 ft2 (84 to 195 m2)
Firebox volume 3.4 ft3 (0.096 m3)
Maximum burn time
[*]
10 h
Maximum heat output (dry cordwood) 90,000 BTU/h (26.4 kW)
Overall heat output rate (min. to max.)
Average overall efficiency
- EPA Cribs /
(2)(3)
Douglas Fir
Average overall efficiency
Optimum efficiency
(2)(6)
Average particulate emissions rate
Average CO
[*]
Recommended heating area and maximum burn time may vary subject to location in home, chimney
draft, heat loss factors, climate, fuel type and other variables. The recommended heated area for a given
appliance is defined by the manufacturer as its capacity to maintain a minimum acceptable temperature
in the designated area in case of a power failure.
(8)
165.6 g/h
(3)
- Dry cordwood To come% (HHV
75%
(7)
4.5 g/h (EPA / CSA B415.1-10)
11,700 BTU/h to 26,400 BTU/h
(3.4 kW to 7.7 kW)
67.5% (HHV
(4)
) 72.9% (LHV
(4)
) To come % (LHV
(5)
)
(5)
)
Values are as measured per test method, except for the recommended heating area, firebox volume,
maximum burn time and maximum heat output.
Performances based on a fuel load prescribed by the standard at 7 lb/ft³ and with a moisture content
between 19% and 25%.
As measured per CSA B415.1-10 stack loss method.
Higher Heating Value of the fuel.
Lower Heating Value of the fuel.
Optimum overall efficiency at a specific burn rate (LHV).
This appliance is officially tested and certified by an independent agency.
Carbon monoxide.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
‡
2.2 General Features
Maximum log length 20 in (508 mm) north-south*
Flue outlet diameter 6 in (152 mm)
Recommended connector pipe diameter 6 in (152 mm)
Type of chimney CAN/ULC S629, UL 103 HT (2100 °F)
Baffle material C-Cast
Approved for alcove installation Not approved
Approved for mobile home installation‡ Yes
Shipping weight (without option) 424 lb (192 kg)
Appliance weight (model with pedestal) 367 lb (167 kg)
Type of door Single, glass with cast iron frame
Type of glass Ceramic glass
Blower Included (up to 100 CFM)
Particulate emission standard EPA / CSA B415.1-10
USA standard (safety) UL 1482
Canadian standard (safety) ULC S627
**
East-west: through the door you see the longitudinal sides of the logs; north-south: through the door you
see the tips of the logs.
Mobile home (Canada) or manufactured home (USA): The US department of Housing and Urban
Development describes “manufactured homes” better known as “mobile homes” as followed; buildings
built on fixed wheels and those transported on temporary wheels/axles and set on a permanent
foundation. In Canada, a mobile home is a dwelling for which the manufacture and assembly of each
component is completed or substantially completed prior to being moved to a site for installation on a
foundation and connection to service facilities and which conforms to the CAN/CSA-Z240 MH standard.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
2.3 Zone Heating and How to Make it Work for You
Your new Myriad II wood stove is a space heater, which means it is intended to heat the
area it is installed in, as well as spaces that connect to that area, although to a lower
temperature. This is called zone heating and it is an increasingly popular way to heat
homes or spaces within homes.
Zone heating can be used to supplement another heating system by heating a particular
space within a home, such as a basement family room or an addition that lacks another
heat source.
Houses of moderate size and relatively new construction can be heated with a properly
sized and located wood stove. Whole house zone heating works best when the stove is
located in the part of the house where the family spends most of its time. This is normally
the main living area where the kitchen, dining and living rooms are located. By locating the
stove in this area, you will get the maximum benefit of the heat it produces and will achieve
the highest possible heating efficiency and comfort. The space where you spend most of
your time will be warmest, while bedrooms and basement (if there is one) will stay cooler.
In this way, you will burn less wood than with other forms of heating.
Although the stove may be able to heat the main living areas of your house to an adequate
temperature, we strongly recommend that you also have a conventional oil, gas or electric
heating system to provide back up heating.
Your success with zone heating will depend on several factors, including the correct sizing
and location of the stove, the size, layout and age of your home and your climate zone.
Three-season vacation homes can usually be heated with smaller stoves than houses that
are heated all winter.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
2.4 The Benefits of Low Emissions and High Efficiency
The low smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Myriad II firebox
mean that your household will release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside
environment than if you used an older conventional stove. But there is more to the
emission control technologies than protecting the environment.
The smoke released from wood when it is heated contains about half of the energy content
of the fuel. By burning the wood completely, your stove releases all the heat energy from
the wood instead of wasting it as smoke up the chimney. Also, the features inside the
firebox allow you to reduce the air supply to control heat output, while maintaining clean
and efficient flaming combustion, which boosts the efficient delivery of heat to your home.
The emission control and advanced combustion features of your stove can only work
properly if your fuel is in the correct moisture content range of 15 to 20 percent. See
Section A3.0 of this manual for suggestions on preparing fuelwood and judging its
moisture.
2.5 The SBI Commitment to You and the Environment
The SBI team are committed to protecting the environment, so we do everything we can to
use only materials in our products that will have no lasting negative impact on the
environment.
2.5.1 What is Your New Stove Made Of?
The body of your stove, which is most of its weight, is carbon steel. Should it ever become
necessary many years in the future, almost the entire stove can be recycled into new
products, thus eliminating the need to mine new materials.
The paint coat on your stove is very thin. Its VOC content (Volatile Organic Components)
is very low. VOCs can be responsible for smog, so all the paint used during the
manufacturing process meets the latest air quality requirements with regards to VOC
reduction or elimination.
The air tubes are stainless steel, which can also be recycled.
The C-Cast baffle is made of an aluminosilicate fibre material that is compressed with a
binder to form a rigid board. C-Cast can withstand temperatures above 2,000 °F. It is not
considered hazardous waste. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
Lightweight firebrick is made of pumice and cement. Pumice is in fact volcanic rock, a
naturally green product found in the Northwest United States. Disposal at a landfill is
recommended.
The door and glass gaskets are fibreglass which is spun from melted sand. Black gaskets
have been dipped into a solvent-free solution. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
The door glass is a 5 mm thick ceramic material that contains no toxic chemicals. It is
basically made of raw earth materials such as sand and quartz that are combined in such
a way to form a glass at high temperatures. Ceramic glass will not re-melt in the same
way as normal glass, so it should not be recycled with your regular household products.
Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
3 Fuel
3.1 Materials That Should Not be Burned
•
GARBAGE OF ANY KIND,
•
COAL OR CHARCOAL,
•
TREATED, PAINTED OR COATED WOOD,
•
PLYWOOD OR PARTICLE BOARD,
•
FINE PAPER, COLORED PAPER OR CARDBOARD,
•
SALT WATER DRIFTWOOD,
•
MANUFACTURED LOGS CONTAINING WAX OR CHEMICAL ADDITIVES,
•
RAILROAD TIES,
•
LIQUIDS SUCH AS KEROSCENE OR DIESEL FUEL TO START A FIRE.
3.2 How to Prepare or Buy Good Firewood
3.2.1 What is Good Firewood?
Good firewood has been cut to the correct length for the stove, split to a range of sizes and
stacked in the open until its moisture content is reduced to 15 to 20 per cent.
3.2.2 Tree Species
The tree species the firewood is produced from is less important than its moisture content.
The main difference in firewood from various tree species is the density of the wood.
Hardwoods are denser than softwoods. People who live in the coldest regions of North
America usually have only spruce, birch and poplar, other low-density species to burn and
yet they can heat their homes successfully.
Homeowners with access to both hardwood and softwood fuel sometimes use both types
for different purposes. For example, softer woods make good fuel for relatively mild
weather in spring and fall because they light quickly and produce less heat Softwoods are
not as dense as hardwoods so a given volume of wood contains less energy. Using
softwoods avoids overheating the house, which can be a common problem with wood
heating in moderate weather. Harder woods are best for colder winter weather when more
heat and longer burn cycles are desirable.
Note that hardwood trees like oak, maple, ash and beech are slower growing and longer
lived than softer woods like poplar and birch. That makes hardwood trees more valuable.
The advice that only hardwoods are good to burn is outdated. Old, leaky cast iron stoves
wouldn’t hold a fire overnight unless they were fed large pieces of hardwood. That is no
longer true. You can successfully heat your home by using the less desirable tree species
and give the forest a break at the same time.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
3.2.3 Log Length
Logs should be cut about 1” (25 mm) shorter than the firebox so they fit in easily. Pieces
that are even slightly too long make loading the stove very difficult. The most common
standard length of firewood is 16” (400 mm).
The pieces should be a consistent length, with a
maximum of 1” (25 mm) variation from piece to piece.
3.2.4 Piece Size
Firewood dries more quickly when it is split. Large unsplit rounds can take years to dry
enough to burn. Even when dried, unsplit logs are difficult to ignite because they don’t
have the sharp edges where the flames first catch. Logs as small as 3” (75 mm) should be
split to encourage drying.
Wood should be split to a range of sizes, from about 3” to 6” (75 mm to 150 mm) in cross
section. Having a range of sizes makes starting and rekindling fires much easier. Often,
the firewood purchased from commercial suppliers is not split finely enough for convenient
stoking. It is sometimes advisable to resplit the wood before stacking to dry.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
3.2.5 How to Dry Firewood
Firewood that is not dry enough to burn is the cause of most complaints about wood
inserts. Continually burning green or unseasoned wood produces more creosote and
involves lack of heat and dirty glass door. See Section 5: Maintaining your wood
heating system for concerns about creosote.
Here are some things to consider in estimating drying time:
•
firewood takes a long time to dry,
•
firewood bought from a dealer is rarely dry enough to burn, so it is advisable to buy the
wood in spring and dry it yourself ,
•
drying happens faster in dry weather than in damp, maritime climates,
•
drying happens faster in warm summer weather than in winter weather,
•
small pieces dry more quickly than large pieces,
•
split pieces dry more quickly than unsplit rounds,
•
softwoods take less time to dry than hardwoods,
•
softwoods like pine, spruce, and poplar/aspen can be dry enough to burn after being
stacked in the open for only the summer months,
•
hardwoods like oak, maple and ash can take one, or even two years to dry fully,
especially if the pieces are big,
•
firewood dries more quickly when stacked in the open where it is exposed to sun and
wind; it takes much longer to dry when stacked in a wood shed,
•
firewood that is ready to burn has a moisture content between 15 and 20% by weight
and will allow your stove to produce its highest possible efficiency.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
3.2.6 Judging Firewood Moisture Content
You can find out if some firewood is dry enough to burn by using these guidelines:
•
cracks form at the ends of logs as they dry,
•
as it dries in the sun, the wood turns from white or cream coloured to grey or yellow,
•
bang two pieces of wood together; seasoned wood sounds hollow and wet wood
sounds dull,
•
dry wood is much lighter in weight than wet wood,
•
split a piece, and if the fresh face feels warm and dry it is dry enough to burn; if it feels
damp, it is too wet,
•
burn a piece; wet wood hisses and sizzles in the fire and dry wood does not.
You could buy a wood moisture meter to test your
firewood.
3.3 Manufactured Logs
Do not burn manufactured logs made of wax impregnated sawdust or logs with any
chemical additives. Manufactured logs made of 100% compressed sawdust can be
burned, but be careful burning too much of these logs at the same time. Start with one
manufactured log and see how the stove reacts. You can increase the number of logs
burned at a time to making sure the temperature never rises higher than 475 °F (246 °C)
on a magnetic thermometer for installation on single wall stove pipes or 900 °F (482 °C) on
a probe thermometer for installation on double wall stove pipe. The thermometer should
be placed about 18” (457 mm) above the stove. Higher temperatures can lead to overheat
and damage your stove.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
4 Operating Your Stove
4.1 Your First Fires
Two things will happen as you burn your first few fires; the paint cures and the internal
components of the stove are conditioned.
As the paint cures, some of the chemicals vaporize. The vapors are not poisonous, but
they do smell bad. Fresh paint fumes can also cause false alarms in smoke detectors. So,
when you first light your stove, be prepared by opening doors and/or windows to ventilate
the house. As you burn hotter and hotter fires, more of the painted surfaces reach the
curing temperature of the paint. The smell of curing paint does not disappear until you
have burned one or two very hot fires.
Burn one or two small fires to begin the curing and conditioning process. Then build bigger
and hotter fires until there is no longer any paint smell from the stove. Once the paint smell
disappears, your stove is ready for serious heating.
4.2 Lighting Fires
Each person who heats with wood develops their own favorite way to light fires. Whatever
method you choose, your goal should be to get a hot fire burning quickly. A fire that starts
fast produces less smoke and deposits less creosote in the chimney. Here are three
popular and effective ways to start wood fires.
4.2.1 Conventional Fire Starting
The conventional way to build a wood fire is
to bunch up 5 to 10 sheets of plain
newspaper and place them in the firebox.
Next, place 10 or so pieces of fine kindling
on the newspaper. This kindling should be
very thin; less than 1” (25 mm). Next, place
some larger kindling pieces on the fine
kindling. Open the air control fully and light
the newspaper. If you have a tall, straight
venting system you should be able to close
the door immediately and the fire will ignite.
If your venting system has elbows or an
outside chimney, you may need to leave the
door closed but unlatched for a few minutes
as the newspaper ignites and heat in the
chimney produces some draft. Once the fire
has ignited, close the door and leave the air
control fully open.
DO NOT LEAVE THE STOVE UNATTENDED WHEN THE DOOR IS SLIGHTLY
OPENED DURING IGNITION. ALWAYS CLOSE THE DOOR AFTER IGNITION.
A conventional kindling fire with paper
under finely split wood.
After the kindling fire has mostly burned, you can add standard firewood pieces until you
have a fire of the right size for the conditions.
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Myriad II Installation and Operation Manual
4.2.2 The Top Down Fire
The top down fire starting method solves two problems with the conventional method: first,
it does not collapse and smother itself as it burns; and second, it is not necessary to build
up the fire gradually because the firebox is loaded before the fire is lit. A top down fire can
provide up to two hours of heating or more. The top down method only works properly if
the wood is well-seasoned.
Start by placing three or four full-sized split pieces of dry firewood in the firebox. Next,
place 4 or 5 more finely split pieces of firewood (2” to 3” [50 mm to 75 mm] in dia.) on the
base logs at right angles (log cabin style). Now place about 10 pieces of finely split kindling
on the second layer at right angles.
The fire is topped with about 5 sheets of newspaper. You can just bunch them up and stuff
them in between the kindling and the underside of the baffle. Or you can make newspaper
knots by rolling up single sheets corner to corner and tying a knot in them. The advantage
of knots is that they don’t roll off the fire as they burn. Light the newspaper and watch as
the fire burns from top to bottom.
4.2.3 Two Parallel Logs
Place two spit logs in the firebox. Place a few sheets of twisted newspaper between the
logs. Now place some fine kindling across the two logs and some larger kindling across
those, log cabin style. Light the newspaper.
4.2.4 Using Fire Starters
Many people like to use commercial fire starters instead of newspaper. Some of these
starters are made of sawdust and wax and others are specialized flammable solid
chemicals. Follow the package directions for use.
Gel starter may be used but only if there are no hot embers present. Use only in a cold
firebox to start a fire.
DO NOT USE FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS SUCH AS GASOLINE, NAPHTHA, FUEL OIL,
MOTOR OIL, OR AEROSOLS TO START OR REKINDLE THE FIRE.
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