Phoenix Model 8612 stacking, an old Vermonter said, "The spaces between the logs should be large enough for a mouse to get through, but not for the cat that's chasing it." CAUTION: DO NOT STORE FIREWOOD WITHIN THE STOVE'S SPECIFIED CLEARANCES TO COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS. B UILDING A F IRE Once you understand the controls of your wood stove, and have chosen the appropriate firewood, you are ready to start a fire. CAUTION: DO NOT USE CHEMICALS OR FLUIDS TO START A FIRE. DO NOT BURN GARBAGE OR FLAMMABLE FLUIDS SUCH AS GASOLINE, NAPHTHA, KEROSENE, CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID OR ENGINE OIL. DO NOT SOAK KINDLING IN FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS.
B REAKING I N Y OUR W OOD S TOVE It is imperative that your stove is "broken in" slowly (3 break-in fires recommended). Cast iron must be "seasoned"; over-firing a new stove can cause castings and stones to crack, or may damage other stove parts. Moisture in the soapstone must be driven out slowly to minimize the “shock” to the stone of its first exposure to high firebox temperatures. In addition, the heat cured asbestos-free furnace cement used in the stove must cure slowly to insure adequate sealing, and bonding. When you light your first fires, the soapstone woodstove may emit some steam, smoke, and fumes.
This is normal “off-gassing” of the moisture in the stones, and of the paints and oils used when manufacturing the wood stove. If you find it necessary, open a few windows to vent your room. The smoke and fumes will usually subside after 10 to 20 minutes of operation. The steam, odor, and smoke will end once the stove is “cured”. The first fires may produce other odors from impurities that exist in the area immediately surrounding the stove. Some of these impurities can be cleaning solvents, paint solvents, cigarettes, scented candle soot, incense smoke, pet hair, dust, adhesives, a new carpet, and new textiles. These odors will normally dissipate over time.
You can alleviate these odors by opening a few windows or otherwise creating additional ventilation around your stove. If any odor persists, contact your dealer or an authorized service technician. Moisture content also plays a key role in the performance of your stove. Wood freshly cut from a living tree (green wood) contains a great deal of moisture. As you might expect, green wood burns poorly. You must season green wood before using it in your wood stove. To season green wood properly, split, stack, and allow it to air dry for a period of one year. Green wood may provide less than 2000 Btu per pound, whereas dry wood can provide up to 7000 Btu per pound.
Stack the firewood on skids or blocks to keep it off the ground, cover only the top of the stack. Plastic or tarps that cover the sides of the woodpile trap moisture and prevent the wood from drying. As for If you adhere to the following break-in procedure, as well as all other operating procedures in this manual, the cast iron and soapstone components of your stove will give you many years of trouble-free use.
Hearthstone Quality Home Heating Products, Inc ® www.hearthstonestoves.com 19 Birch, White (Paper) Walnut, Black Cherry Ash, Green Cherry, Black Elm, American Elm, White Sycamore Ash, Black Maple, Red Fir, Douglas 3,179 3,192 3,120 2,880 2,880 3,052 3,052 2,808 2,992 2,924 2,900 20.3 20.2 20 19.9 19.9 19.5 19.5 19.5 19.1 18.7 18.1 Medium Low Boxelder Alder, Red Pine, Jack Pine, Norway (Red Pine) Pine, Pitch Catalpa Hemlock Spruce, Black Pine, Ponderosa 2,797 2,710 2,669 2,669 2,669 2,360 2,482 2,482 2,380 17.9 17.2 17.1 17.1 17.1 16.4 15.9 15.9 15.2 Low Aspen, American Butternut (Walnut, White) Spruce Willow Fir, Balsam Pine, White (Eastern, Western) Fir, Concolor (White) Basswood (Linden) Buckeye, Ohio Cottonwood Cedar, White 2,290 2,100 2,100 2,100 2,236 2,236 2,104 2,108 1,984 2,108 1,913 14.7 14.5 14.5 14.5 14.3 14.3 14.1 13.8 13.8 13.5 12.2