Superior BC36MH User Manual

CARE AND OPERATION INSTRUCTIONS

WOOD-BURNING FIREPLACES

MODELS BC36MH & BCD36MH

36" Wood-Burning Fireplaces

P/N 725042M Rev. B 10/2011

MODELS

BC36MH BCD36MH

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.

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.

RETAIN THESE INSTRUCTIONS

FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

OTL Report No. 116-F-43-2

CONGRATULATIONS!

In selecting this SUPERIOR Wood Burning Appliance you have chosen the ﬁnest and most dependable ﬁreplace to be found anywhere. Its a beautiful, prestigious alternative to a masonry wood burning ﬁreplace. Welcome to a Family of tens of thousands of satisﬁed SUPERIOR Fireplace Owners.

Please carefully read and follow all of the instructions found in this manual. Please pay special attention to the safety instructions provided in this manual. The Homeowner's Care and Operation Instructions included here will assure that you have many years of dependable and enjoyable service from your SUPERIOR product.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Safety Precautions .................Page 2

General Information ............................Page 2

Fuels ...................................................Page 2

Gas Logs .............................................Page 3

Disposal of Ashes ...............................Page 3

Softwood vs Hardwood .......................Page 3

Starting a Fire ......................................Page 4

Damper Control ...................................Page 4

Glass Door Operating Safety

Precautions and Instructions ............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

Troubleshooting ..................................Page 7

Warranty .............................................Page 7

Product Reference Information ...........Page 7

Accessory Components ......................Page 7

Replacement Parts ..............................Page 8

This manual is part of a set of two supporting this product. Refer to manual 700,039M for Installation Instructions.

IMPORTANT! GENERAL SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. READ AND UNDERSTAND THESE SAFETY RULES BEFORE YOUR FIRST FIRE.

WARNING

To avoid the risk of damaging ﬁreplace materials and increasing the risk of ﬁre, do not use the ﬁreplace to cook or warm food.

1. NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN UNATTENDED

WHEN THERE IS A FIRE BURNING IN THE FIREPLACE.

2. When burning wood, use SOLID NATURAL DRY WELL-SEASONED WOOD ONLY.

woods are recommended (soft woods tend to burn very quickly).

• DO NOT burn treated wood, charcoal, coal, trash, driftwood, woods dipped in tar, Christmas tree greens, pitch, pine tar, creosote, chemical chimney cleaners, ﬂame colorants, polystyrene packaging, wood products with synthetic binders (i.e. plywood). Plywood, lumber and other misc. materials can produce abnormally high temperatures, sputtering and smoking ﬁres and may contain hazardous chemicals to treat insects and fungus.

• If Artiﬁcial Logs are burned it is required that the logs are UL safety listed (see labeling or documention provided with logs). Read and follow the log manufacturer's instructions. Do not treat artiﬁcial logs (made from sawdust and wax) the same way you treat real natural wood logs. Use only one at a time.

• IMPORTANT: Burning unapproved fuels can produce excessive temperatures, beyond the design capabilities of the ﬁreplace and may produce excess sparks or may contain hazardous chemicals. Burning unapproved fuels can

result in a chimney ﬁre, a house ﬁre, personal injury, death or loss of property.

3. 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.

4. Keep the chimney damper open while any ﬁre or smoldering embers are present .

5. 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.

6. Use care when selecting window treatments for windows located near the ﬁreplace. Avoid using combustible ﬂowing window treatments such as curtains on nearby windows that are of sufﬁcient length to be blown in front of an open ﬂame when the window is opened.

7. Keep any combustible furniture or decorative pillows at least 36" (914 mm) on the sides and 60" (1524 mm) to the front (from the ﬁreplace opening).

Hard-

8. Never leave your ﬁreplace unattended while it is burning.

9. Be careful adding wood fuel to the ﬁre or handling ﬁreplace tools such as shovels, tongs or pokers.

10. Never modify or alter your ﬁreplace system in any way. To do so may create a potential ﬁre hazard and void the Limited Warranty.

The bottom refractory can be cracked by

11.

excessive abuse such as tossing heavy logs onto the grate or gouging with ﬁreplace tools. Exercise caution when adding wood to your ﬁreplace.

12. Fireplace Inserts - Contact your dealer or distributor for a list of LHP ﬁreplace inserts approved for installation into your ﬁreplace. DO NOT install a ﬁreplace insert from any another manufacturer.

13. 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.

14. 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, the 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.

15. Neither the manufacturer nor the seller warrants “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 and sidewalls of the ﬁrebox are lined with a brick pattern reinforced refractory for the look of authenticity and to provide safety.

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 a two position (fully open or fully closed) mechanism operated by a handle found at the center top of the ﬁreplace opening. 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.

NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS ARE NOT TO SCALE.

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. Using this ﬁreplace to heat large areas may lead to overﬁring and void your warranty.

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, you may wish to install one of two types of gas log sets. This ﬁreplace has been tested and approved for use with a decorative gas appliance incorporating an automatic shut-off device and complying with the Standard for Decorative Gas Appliances for installation in vented ﬁreplaces, ANSI Z21.60 - latest edition.

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.

Decorative gas appliances may be installed in these ﬁreplaces. Installation must be in accordance with the national Fuel Gas Code, ANSI Z223.1-latest edition for compliance with the revised U.L. 127 Standard.

Prior to installing any gas log set, refer to the ﬁreplace installation instructions for veriﬁcation of mantel heights and placement of combustible materials around the ﬁrebox opening.

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 noncombustible 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, (Figure 1).

• 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. Assuming that you are comparing two standard cords of different species but the same volume and moisture content, the denser species will provide more BTU’s. The table of wood species/densities reveals more helpful guidelines.

NOTE: DIAGRAMS & ILLUSTRATIONS ARE NOT TO SCALE.

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