Quadra-Fire 5100I-GD-B Owner's Manual - Warning
Page
5100-I ACT WOOD INSERT
R
438-0380D
September1,2008
8
Operating Instructions
A. Over-Firing Your Appliance
Do not over-fire.
Over-firing may ignite creosote or will damage
thestoveandchimney.
To prevent over-firing your stove, DO NOT:
• Use flammable liquids
• Overloadwithwood
• Burntrashorlargeamountsofscraplumber
• Permit too much air to the fire
WARNING
Fire Risk
Symptoms of over-firing may include one or more of the
following:
• Chimneyconnectororapplianceglowing
• Roaring,rumblingnoises
• Loud cracking or banging sounds
• Metalwarping
• Chimney fire
1. Symptoms of Over-Firing
2. What To Do if Your Stove is Over-Firing
• Immediatelyclosethedoorandaircontrolstoreduce
air supply to the fire.
• If you suspect a chimney fire, call the fire department
andevacuateyourhouse.
• Contactyourlocalchimneyprofessionalandhaveyour
stoveandstovepipeinspectedforanydamage.
• Donotuseyourstoveuntilthechimneyprofessional
informsyouitissafetodoso.
Hearth & Home Technologies WILL NOT warranty stoves
that exhibit evidence of over-firing. Evidence of over-firing
includes,butisnotlimitedto:
• Warpedairtube
• Deteriorated refractory brick retainers
• Deteriorated baffle and other interior components
B. Wood Selection & Storage
Burnonlydryseasonedwood.Storewoodundercover,out
oftherainandsnow.Dryandwell-seasonedwoodwillnot
onlyminimizethechanceofcreosoteformation,butwillgive
you the most efficient fire. Even dry wood contains at least
15%moisturebyweight,andshouldbeburnedhotenough
to keep the chimney hot for as long as it takes to dry the
woodout-aboutonehour.Itisawasteofenergytoburn
unseasoned wood of any kind.
Dead wood lying on the forest floor should be considered wet,
and requires full seasoning time. Standing dead wood can
beconsideredtobeabout2/3seasoned.Totellifwoodis
dry enough to burn, check the ends of the logs. If there are
cracks radiating in all directions from the center, it is dry. If
your wood sizzles in the fire, even though the surface is dry,
itmaynotbefullycured.
Splittingwoodbeforeitisstoredreducesdryingtime.Wood
should be stacked so that both ends of each piece are
exposedtoair,sincemoredryingoccursthroughthecutends
thanthesides.Thisistrueevenwithwoodthathasbeen
split.Storewoodundercover,suchasinashed,orcovered
withatarp,plastic,tarpaper,sheetsofscrapplywood,etc.,
as uncovered wood can absorb water from rain or snow,
delayingtheseasoningprocess.
C. Burning Process
Inrecentyearstherehasbeenanincreasingconcernabout
air quality. Much of the blame for poor air quality has been
placedontheburningofwoodforhomeheating.Inorderto
improve the situation, we at Quadra-Fire have developed
cleaner-burning woodstoves and inserts that surpass the
requirements for emissions established by our governing
agencies.Theseappliancesmustbeproperlyoperatedin
ordertoinsurethattheyperformthewaytheyaredesigned
toperform.Improperoperationcanturnmostanywoodstove
orinsertintoasmolderingenvironmentalhazard.
1. Kindling or First Stage
It helps to know a little about the actual process of burning
inordertounderstandwhatgoesoninsideawoodburning
appliance. The first stage of burning is called the kindling
stage.Inthisstage,thewoodisheatedtoatemperature
high enough to evaporate the moisture which is present
inallwood.Thewoodwillreachtheboilingpointofwater
(1°F) and will not get any hotter until the water is evapo-
rated. This process takes heat from the coals and tends to
cooltheappliance.
Fire requires three things to burn - fuel, air and heat. So, if
heatisrobbedfromtheapplianceduringthedryingstage,the
newloadofwoodhasreducedthechancesforagoodclean