HOMEOWNER'S CARE AND
OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS
MERIT® SERIES
36" Multi-View Wood Burning Fireplaces
P/N 875,040M REV. N/C 01/2007
MODELS
CST-38 CR-3835R
CPF-38 CR-3835L
The information contained in this manual applies to all model fireplaces
identified on this page. This information will help you obtain safe and
dependable service from your fireplace system. Keep this document in a
safe place for future reference.
Before you start your first fire, read this Care and Operations Manual
carefully to be sure you understand your fireplace system completely.
Failure to follow these suggestions could result in hazardous operation or
fireplace malfunction, creating a serious potential for personal injury and/
or property damage.
RETAIN THESE INSTRUCTIONS
FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
If you have any questions regarding the safe use or operation of your
fireplace, contact your local distributor or your contractor/builder.
Most chimney systems will require onsite completion after placement of
the manufactured home.
OTL Report No. 116-F-20-4
NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS NOT TO SCALE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Safety precautions.............................page 2
General information...........................page 2
Fuels..................................................page 2
Decorative gas log sets......................page 2
Disposal of ashes ..............................page 3
Softwood vs hardwood......................page 3
Starting a fire.....................................page 4
Glass doors .......................................page 4
Combustion Air .................................page 5
Refractories .......................................page 6
Maintenance Guidelines.....................page 6
Twice a year check-up .......................page 6
Creosote Formation and Removal......page 6
Trouble shooting ...............................page 7
Accessories & Components...............page 7
Replacement Parts List......................page 8
GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
IMPORTANT! READ AND UNDERSTAND BEFORE YOUR FIRST FIRE.
1. Use SOLID WOOD only for fuel. It is best to
use dry and well seasoned hardwood. Soft
woods tend to burn very quickly. DO NOT use
treated wood, charcoal, coal, trash, driftwood
or woods that have been dipped in tar, pitch,
pine tar, creosote, etc. Wood products made
with synthetic binders, such as plywood, produce abnormally high temperatures and
sputtering, smoking fires. When burning artificial logs, please read and follow the
instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Never burn treated construction lumber or
scraps. These woods burn excessively hot
and may contain chemicals used to treat
insects and fungus. When burned, these
chemicals can pose a significant hazard.
2. NEVER use gasoline, gasoline-type lantern
fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or similar
liquids to start or “freshen up” a fire in this
fireplace. Keep any flammable liquids a safe
distance from the fireplace.
3. Keep the chimney damper open while any
fire or smoldering embers are present .
4. Never block or restrict the room air intake
grille across the bottom front or the warm air
outlet grille across the top front of the fireplace.
5. With the fire burning, close the protective
mesh screens to keep sparks and embers INSIDE the firebox.
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6. Keep any combustible furniture or decora-
tive pillows at least 36" (914 mm) from the
fireplace opening.
7. Never leave your fireplace unattended while
it is burning.
8. Be careful adding wood fuel to the fire or
handling fireplace tools such as shovels, tongs
or pokers.
9. Never modify or alter your fireplace system
in any way. To do so may create a potential fire
hazard and void the Limited Warranty.
10. The bottom refractory can be cracked by
excessive abuse such as tossing heavy logs onto
the grate or gouging with fireplace tools. Exercise caution when adding wood to your fireplace.
11. DO NOT use a fireplace insert or any other
product not specified by the manufacturer for
use with this fireplace.
12. If you are using your fireplace as a “decorative appliance”, such as with a permanently
installed gas log set, the fireplace damper must
be permanently fixed in the open position.
13. Always ensure that an adequate supply of
replacement combustion air from the outside
of the house is accessible to the fire to support
normal combustion. Fireplaces consume large
volumes of air during the normal combustion
process. In the event the home is tightly sealed
with modern energy efficient features, an optional combustion air kit may not provide all
the air required to support combustion. The
manufacturer is not responsible for any smoking or related problems that may result from
the lack of adequate combustion air. It is the
responsibility of the builder/contractor to ensure that adequate combustion air has been
provided for the fireplace.
14. The manufacturer does not warranty “smoke
free” operation nor are we responsible for inadequate system draft caused by mechanical
systems, general construction conditions, inadequate chimney heights, adverse wind
conditions and/or unusual environmental factors or conditions beyond our control.
GENERAL INFORMATION
1. The all-steel, multi-wall firebox is the heat
center of the system. It is well insulated for safe
clearance to combustibles.
2. The hearth floor of the firebox is a brick
pattern reinforced refractory base for your fire.
On certain models, the sides and rear of the
firebox are also refractory for authenticity and
safety.
NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS NOT TO SCALE
3. The metal chimney sections extending from
the firebox top to beyond your roof are two
walled and air-cooled. The inner passage, or
flue, provides the exit for smoke and gases.
4. The flue damper is either fully open or fully
closed by the handle you find in the center and top
of the firebox. It must be open when fire is present
so smoke and gases can escape. It should be
closed only when the fire is completely out –
keeping room air from being lost up the flue.
5. Closed screens prevent fire, sparks and
embers from popping out of the firebox while
a fire is burning. Pull screens back when
adding wood to the firebox.
6. Why use a fuel grate? Besides positioning
the firebed properly, it protects the refractory
floor, back and sides of the fireplace. Further, it
ensures a proper flow of combustion air into
and around the firebed. The grate must be used
at all times when burning. Your warranty may
be voided without the use of this grate.
7. Remember, your fireplace is not intended to
heat your entire home. Their unique designs
are intended for architectural, decorating and
aesthetic considerations.
FUELS
Never Use Coal in Your Fireplace
Your fireplace system is not designed to be
used with coal derivative products. The combustion process of certain types of coal can
deposit corrosive materials in the fireplace and
chimney system which can lead to premature
product failure. Never use coal as a fuel in this
fireplace system.
Decorative Gas Log Sets
If your fireplace system was installed with a gas
line and you wish to install a decorative gas
appliance (gas log set), it must contain an
automatic shut-off device and be installed in
accordance with local codes and/or the National Fuel Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1A and
NFPA-54-1988.
CAUTION: WHEN USING THE DECORATIVE
GAS APPLIANCE, THE FIREPLACE DAMPER
MUST BE SET IN THE FULLY OPEN POSITION.
WARNING: THIS FIREPLACE HAS NOT
BEEN TESTED WITH AN UNVENTED GAS
LOG SET. TO REDUCE RISK OF FIRE OR
INJURY, DO NOT INSTALL AN UNVENTED
GAS LOG SET INTO THIS FIREPLACE.
Wood Fuel Pointers
Wood is a wonderful renewable fuel source.
Normally it burns clean, leaving only a minimum
of waste ash, provides comforting heat and can
provide a variety of aromas and visual images.
You will want to know which woods are best for
use. Sometimes you may want a quick, short
fire to offset a morning chill. Soft woods are
preferable in this case. Other times you would
want more slow burning and a uniform heat
output. Hardwoods are preferable for this use.
The amount of heat available from the logs will
be about equal on a weight basis. However, logs
are generally not weighed so the amount of heat
will depend on:
1. The type of wood used.
2. How dry it is.
3. How many logs you put in.
4. The size of the logs.
The last statement means that one big log
weighing 10 pounds has as much heating potential as 10 pounds of twigs. However, air
cannot get at the solid log to feed the fire so the
solid log will burn slowly. While you would get
the same amount of heat out of either fire, the
smaller the pieces of wood and the more air
space around them, the faster the fire will burn.
Disposal of ashes
Ashes should be placed in a metal container
with a tight fitting lid. The closed container of
ashes should be placed on a non-combustible
floor or on the ground, well away from all
combustible materials, pending final disposal.
If the ashes are to be disposed of by burial in soil
or other wise locally dispersed, they should be
retained in the closed container until all cinders
have thoroughly cooled.
Softwood vs Hardwood
Softwoods contain about 15 percent highly
flammable resin which generates creosote soot
in the chimney flue. Burning softwood exclusively may not be as desirable nor as safe as
burning denser hardwoods. Many experienced
fire-builders use small amounts of softwood
kindling and newspaper in conjunction with
starting a fire with split hardwood logs. Here are
some guidelines to remember:
1. Softwoods produce fast warming and shorter
fires. Hardwoods burn less vigorously, have
shorter flames and produce steady, glowing
coals.
2. As a general rule, denser woods contain
more potential heat per pound. Most softwoods
offer moderate heat value per pound.
3. Different woods vary widely in flame heights,
flame intensities, smoke characteristics and in
sparking. Most hardwoods do not spark.
4. Most freshly cut “green” wood will not burn
well and will smoke. Green wood can be from 10
to 40 percent less efficient than air-dried seasoned wood.
5. Moisture and resin found inside unseasoned
wood cells will build up pressure under heat and
explode as sparks.
6. Most wood needs to be seasoned 9 to 12
months to reduce the moisture content and
produce good steady fires. When moisture content is reduced from 60 to 20%, the gain in heat
potential is nearly 7%.
7. Proper storage of wood, especially during
seasoning, is essential. We recommend that
you:
a. Never store wood on the ground. This will
cause rotting and insect infiltration. Raise wood
on flat rock or scrap wood.
b. Stack wood loosely to allow air circulation.
c. Store wood where it will not be excessively
exposed to weather, such as under a tarp or
under a roof.
d. Do not stack wood directly against the walls
of your home.
8. Be a knowledgeable wood buyer. There is a
difference in cord sizes. A standard cord stack
of logs is 4 ft. high by 8 ft. long by 4 ft. deep or
the equivalent of this cubic footage. A face cord
is the same height and length as a standard cord
but the depth is only the length of the logs (12,
18 or 24 inches). A face cord can contain as little
as 25% of the wood found in a standard cord.
If you buy by the ton, remember that wood
becomes lighter as it dries. When buying green
or wet wood, ask for some extra poundage to
allow for the extra water you will be getting.
9. When comparing woods of the same moisture content and same species, we find most
woods have approximately the same heating
potential per pound. However, most wood is
sold by volume, not by weight. To determine
the best heating source, look at the density of
various wood types. (Density is the weight for
a given size.)
The higher the density, the more potential heat
output. A standard cord has a volume of 128
cubic feet. This figure also includes the air
space between and around the wood. The actual volume in a standard cord is between 60
and 100 cubic feet; depending on how tightly
the wood is packed.
Standard
Cord of
Wood
8'
4'
4'
Figure 1
HARDWOODS DENSITY
Alser, Red .41
Ash .49-.60
Aspen .38-.39
Basswood, American .37
Beech, American .64
Birch .55-.65
Butternut .38
Cherry, Black .50
Chestnut, American .43
Cottonwood .34-.40
Elm .60.63
Hackberry .53
Hickory, Pecan .60.66
Hickory, True .69-.75
Honey locust .66 (est.)
Locust, Black .69
Magnolia .48-.50
Maple .48-.63
Oak, Red .59-.67
Oak, White .64-.88
Poplar .42
Sassafras .42
Sweet gum .52
Sycamore, American .49
Tanoak .64 (est.)
Tupelo .50
Walnut, Black .55
Willow, Black .39
SOFTWOODS DENSITY
Bald cypress .46
Cedar .31-.47
Douglas Fir .46-.50
Fir .32-.43
Hemlock .40-.45
Larch, Western .52
Pine .39-.59
Redwood .35-.40
Spruce .35-.41
Tamarack .53
NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS NOT TO SCALE
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