Ecomaxx Premium EC00001 Product guide

READANDKEEPTHISMANUALFORREFERENCE
45783A
PrintedinCanada04‐05‐2015
OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONS
FORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
Premium
EC00001Metallicblack
EC00002Metalliccharcoal
Classic
EC00003Metalliccharcoal
EC00004Metallicblack
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Distributedby:
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MyFireplaceAustraliaPtyLtd
Factory25‐7HoganCourt
Pakenham,Victoria3810,Australia
Ph:0359415008Fax0359415975
Email:[email protected]
www.myfireplaceaustralia.com.au

Thismanualisavailableforfreedownloadonthedistributor’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.

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2OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
THANKYOUFORCHOOSINGTHISWOODFIRE
Wewanttocongratulateyouonyourpurchaseandwishtohelpyougetmaximumsatisfaction
fromyourwoodfire.Inthepagesthatfollow,wewillgiveyouadviceonwoodheatingand
controlledcombustionaswellastechnicalspecificationsregardinginstallation,operationand
maintenanceofthemodelyouhavechosen.
Theinstructionspertainingtotheinstallationofyourwoodfirecomplywith
AS/NZS2918:2001standards.
Pleasereadthisentiremanualbeforeyouinstallanduseyournewwoodfire.Failuretofollow
instructionsmayresultinpropertydamage,bodilyinjury,orevendeath.Itisimportantthatyou
followtheinstallationsguidelinesexactly.
Consultyourlocalcity,boroughorshirecouncilaboutrestrictionsandinstallations
requirementsinyourareaandtheneedtoobtainapermit.
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KEEPTHISINSTRUCTIONMANUALFORFUTUREREFERENCE.
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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS3
Tableofcontent
PARTA‐OPERATIONANDMAINTENANCE.............................................5
1SafetyInformation..............................................................................5
1.1SummaryofOperationandMaintenanceCautionsandWarnings......................................5
2GeneralInformation...........................................................................6
2.1ECOMAXXPEDESTALWOODHEATERSpecifications............................................................6
2.2ZoneHeatingandHowtoMakeitWorkforYou..................................................................8
2.3TheBenefitsofLowEmissionsandHighEfficiency...............................................................9
2.4EcoMaxxWoodheating’sCommitmenttoYouandtheEnvironment..................................9
2.4.1WhatisYourNewWoodfireMadeOf?............................................................................9
3Fuel..................................................................................................10
3.1MaterialsThatShouldNotbeBurned.................................................................................10
3.2HowtoPrepareorBuyGoodFirewood..............................................................................10
3.2.1WhatisGoodFirewood?.................................................................................................10
3.2.2TreeSpecies.....................................................................................................................10
3.2.3LogLength........................................................................................................................10
3.2.4PieceSize..........................................................................................................................11
3.2.5HowtoDryFirewood.......................................................................................................11
3.2.6JudgingFirewoodMoistureContent...............................................................................12
4OperatingYourWoodfire.................................................................12
4.1YourFirstFires.....................................................................................................................13
4.2LightingFires........................................................................................................................13
4.2.1ConventionalFireStarting...............................................................................................13
4.2.2TheTopDownFire...........................................................................................................14
4.2.3TwoParallelLogs..............................................................................................................14
4.2.4UsingFireStarters............................................................................................................14
4.3MaintainingWoodFires......................................................................................................14
4.3.1GeneralAdvice.................................................................................................................14
4.3.2AshRemoval.....................................................................................................................15
4.3.3RakingCharcoal................................................................................................................15
4.3.4FiringEachNewLoadHot................................................................................................16
4.3.5TurningDowntheAirSupply...........................................................................................16
4.3.6BuildingDifferentFiresforDifferentNeeds....................................................................17
5MaintainingYourWoodHeatingSystem..........................................18
5.1WoodfireMaintenance......................................................................................................18
5.1.1CleaningDoorGlass.........................................................................................................18

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4OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
5.1.2DoorAdjustment..............................................................................................................19
5.1.3ReplacingtheDoorGasket..............................................................................................19
5.1.4ReplacingtheGlassGasketand/ortheGlass..................................................................20
5.1.5CleaningandPaintingtheWoodfire...............................................................................21
5.2FlueandFlueSystemMaintenance.....................................................................................21
5.2.1WhyFlueSystemCleaningisNecessary..........................................................................21
5.2.2HowOftenShouldYouCleantheFlueSystem?..............................................................21
5.2.3CleaningtheFlueSystem.................................................................................................22
PARTB–INSTALLATION.......................................................................23
6SafetyInformation............................................................................23
6.1SummaryofInstallationCautionsandWarnings................................................................23
6.2RegulationsCoveringWoodfireInstallation.......................................................................24
7ClearancestoHeat‐SensitiveMaterials.............................................25
7.1LocationoftheCertificationLabel......................................................................................25
7.2ClearancestoWallsandCeiling...........................................................................................25
7.3FloorProtector.....................................................................................................................26
7.4ReducingWallandCeilingClearancesSafely......................................................................27
8TheFlueSystem................................................................................29
8.1General................................................................................................................................29
8.2SuitableFlueSystems..........................................................................................................30
8.2.1MasonryFlueSystems.....................................................................................................30
8.3MinimumFlueSystemHeight.............................................................................................31
8.4TheRelationshipBetweentheFlueSystemandtheHouse................................................31
8.4.1WhyInsideFlueSystemsarePreferred...........................................................................31
8.4.2WhytheFlueSystemShouldPenetratetheHighestHeatedSpace................................32
8.5InstallingtheflueConnector...............................................................................................33
Appendix1:aircirculationblower........................................................35
Appendix2:HEPAGradeRoomAirFilter..............................................36
Appendix3:BafflePlateLocation.........................................................37
Appendix4:FireBricks.........................................................................38
Appendix5:ExplodedDiagramandPartsList.......................................39
ECOMAXXPRODUCTWARRANTY.........................................................42
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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS5
PARTA‐OPERATIONANDMAINTENANCE
PleaseseePartBforinstallationinstructions.
1SAFETY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WOODFIREOPERATION.
•USINGAWOODFIREWITHCRACKEDORBROKENCOMPONENTS,SUCHASGLASSOR
FIREBRICKSORBAFFLESMAYPRODUCEANUNSAFECONDITIONANDMAYDAMAGETHE
WOODFIRE.
•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WOODFIRE.KEEPALLSUCHLIQUIDSORAEROSOLSWELLAWAY
FROMTHEWOODFIREWHILEITISINUSE.
•DONOTCONNECTTOANYAIRDISTRIBUTIONDUCTORSYSTEM.
•DONOTSTOREFUELWITHINHEATERMINIMUMINSTALLATIONCLEARANCES.
•BURNONLYSEASONEDNATURALFIREWOOD.
•THEUSEOFSOMETYPESOFPRESERVATIVE‐TREATEDWOODASAFUELCANBE
HAZARDOUS.
•DONOTBURN:
oGARBAGEOFANYKIND,
oCOALORCHARCOAL,
oTREATED,PAINTEDORCOATEDWOOD,
oPLYWOODORPARTICLEBOARD,
oFINEPAPER,COLOREDPAPERORCARDBOARD,
oSALTWATERDRIFTWOOD,OR
oRAILROADTIES.
oMANUFACTUREDLOGS
•DONOTELEVATETHEFIREBYUSINGAGRATEINTHISWOODFIRE.
•THISAPPLIANCESHOULDBEMAINTAINEDANDOPERATEDATALLTIMESINACCORDANCE
WITHTHESEINSTRUCTIONS.
•ECOMAXXWOODHEATINGPTYLTDACCEPTSNOLIABILITYWHATSOEVERFOR
INTERPRETATIONOFAS2918–1990.

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6OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
2GENERALINFORMATION
2.1 ECOMAXXPEDESTALWOODHEATERSPECIFICATIONS
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Combustible:Hardwood
Heatingcapacity*232m2
Maximumaverageheatoutput–hardwood(Australia):12.0kW
Averageefficiency–hardwood(Australia):62%
Averageemissions–hardwood(Australia):1.6g/kg
ApproximateBurnTime*5to6hours
Color: Metallicblack/Metalliccharcoal
FlueSpigotDiameter:155mm
Fluesystem: Tripleskinfluesystem
MinimumFlueHeight(fromfloorprotector):4.6meters
MaximumLogLength:440mm
Logloading:Sideways**
FireboxVolume:0,053m3
ShippingWeight: Classic:153kg–Premium:158kg
ApplianceWeight:Classic:135kg–Premium:140kg
BaffleMaterialsteel
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*Burntimeandheatingcapacitymayvarysubjecttolocationinhome,fluesystemdraft,flue
systemdiameter,locality,heatlossfactors,climate,fuelsandothervariables.
**Sideways:throughthedooryouseethesidesofthelogs.

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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS7
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8OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
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2.2 ZONEHEATINGANDHOWTOMAKEITWORKFORYOU
YournewEcoMaxxpedestalwoodheater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fire.Wholehousezoneheatingworksbestwhenthewoodfire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woodfire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woodfire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backupheating.
Yoursuccesswithzoneheatingwilldependonseveralfactors,includingthecorrectsizingand
locationofthewoodfire,thesize,layoutandageofyourhomeandyourclimatezone.
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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS9
2.3 THEBENEFITSOFLOWEMISSIONSANDHIGHEFFICIENCY
ThelowsmokeemissionsproducedbythespecialfeaturesinsidetheEcoMaxxfireboxmeanthat
yourhouseholdwillreleaseupto90percentlesssmokeintotheoutsideenvironmentthanifyou
usedanolderconventionalwoodfire.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woodfirereleasesalltheheatenergyfromthewood
insteadofwastingitassmokeupthefluesystem.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woodfirecanonlyworkproperly
ifyourfuelisinthecorrectmoisturecontentrangeof11to16percent.SeeSection3ofthis
manualforsuggestionsonpreparingfuelwoodandjudgingitsmoisture.
2.4 ECOMAXXWOODHEATING’SCOMMITMENTTOYOUANDTHE
ENVIRONMENT
TheEcoMaxxWoodheatingteamis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.
2.4.1 WHATISYOURNEWWOODFIREMADEOF?
Thebodyofyourwoodfire,whichismostofitsweight,iscarbonsteel.Shoulditeverbecome
necessarymanyyearsinthefuture,almosttheentirewoodfirecanberecycledintonew
products,thuseliminatingtheneedtominenewmaterials.
Thepaintcoatingonyourwoodfire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baffleismadeofsteel.Shoulditeverbecomenecessary,itcanberecycledintonewproducts.
Firebrickismainlycomposedofsilicondioxide,alsoknownassilica,anearthderivedproduct.Itis
mostcommonlyfoundinnatureintheformofsandandclay.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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10OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
3FUEL
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woodfire,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such
asgums,Manukaorironbarkaredenserthansoftwoods.Hardwoodwillproducelong‐lastingcoal
bedscombinedtomoreheatandlongerburncycles.
Old,leakycastironwoodfires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lesswoodand
givetheforestabreakatthesametime.
3.2.3 LOGLENGTH
Logsshouldbecutabout25mmshorterthanthefirebox
sotheyfitineasily.Piecesthatareslightlytoolongmake
loadingthewoodfireverydifficult.Themostcommon
standardlengthoffirewoodis400mm.
Thepiecesshouldbeaconsistentlength,withamaximum
of25mmvariationfrompiecetopiece.
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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS11
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75mmshouldbesplittoencouragedrying.
 
Woodshouldbesplittoarangeofsizes,fromabout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.
3.2.5 HOWTODRYFIREWOOD
Firewoodthatisnotdryenoughtoburnisthecauseofmostcomplaintsaboutwoodfires.The
complaintsusuallyinvolvealackofheatanddirtydoorglass.

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

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12OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
•splitpiecesdrymorequicklythanunsplitrounds
•softwoodstakelesstimetodrythanhardwoods
•hardwoodslikegums,Manukaandironbark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11and16%byweightandwill
allowyourwoodfiretoproduceitshighestpossibleefficiency.
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.



4OPERATINGYOURWOODFIRE
•NEVEROVERFIREYOURWOODFIRE.IFANYPARTOFTHEWOODFIRESTARTSTOGLOW
RED,OVERFIRINGISHAPPENING.READJUSTTHEAIRINTAKECONTROLATALOWER
SETTING.
•NEVERLOADYOURWOODFIREUPTOTHEBAFFLE.ALWAYSLEAVE5TO10CENTIMETERS
TOALLOWPROPERCOMBUSTIONTHROUGHSECONDARYAIROPENINGS(NEVERPUTWOOD
ABOVETHEFIREBRICKLININGONTHEFIREBOX).THISWILLALSOPREVENTOVERFIRINGOF
YOURWOODFIRE.
•SHOULDTHEREBEASOOTORCREOSOTEFIREINYOURFLUESYSTEM,CLOSETHEAIR
CONTROLCOMPLETELY.IMMEDIATELYCALLTHEFIREDEPARTMENT.
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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS13
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woodfire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woodfire,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woodfire.Oncethepaintsmell
disappears,yourwoodfireisreadyforseriousheating.
Buildyourfirstfewfireswiththebloweronhightoallowthehightemperaturepainttocure.
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fluesystem.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25mm(1”).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fluesystemyoushouldbeabletoclose
thedoorimmediatelyandthefirewillignite.Ifyour
fluehaselbowsoranoutsidefluesystem,youmay
needtoleavethedoorclosedbutunlatchedforafew
minutesasthenewspaperignitesandheatintheflue
systemproducessomedraft.Oncethefirehas
ignited,closethedoorandleavetheaircontrolfully
open.
Aconventionalkindlingfirewithpaper
underfinelysplitwood.
DONOTLEAVETHEWOODFIREUNATTENDEDWHENTHEDOORISSLIGHTLYOPENEDDURING
IGNITION.ALWAYSCLOSETHEDOORAFTERIGNITION.
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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14OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
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(50mmto75mm[2”to3”]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.

4.3 MAINTAININGWOODFIRES
4.3.1 GENERALADVICE
Woodheatingwithaspaceheaterisverydifferentthanotherformsofheating.Therewillbe
variationsinthetemperatureindifferentpartsofthehouseandtherewillbevariationsin
temperaturethroughoutthedayandnight.Thisisnormal,andforexperiencedwoodburners
theseareadvantagesofzoneheatingwithwood.
Donotexpectsteadyheatoutputfromyourwoodfire.Itisnormalforitssurfacetemperatureto
riseafteranewloadofwoodisignitedandforitstemperaturetograduallydeclineasthefire
progresses.Thisrisingandfallingoftemperaturecanbematchedtoyourhouseholdroutines.For
example,theareatemperaturecanbecoolerwhenyouareactive,suchaswhendoinghousework
orcooking,anditcanbewarmerwhenyouareinactive,suchaswhenreadingorwatching
television.
Woodburnsbestincycles.Acyclestartswhenanewloadofwoodisignitedbyhotcoalsandends
whenthatloadhasbeenconsumeddowntoabedofcharcoalaboutthesamesizeasitwaswhen

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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS15
thewoodwasloaded.Donotattempttoproduceasteadyheatoutputbyplacingasinglelogon
thefireatregularintervals.Alwaysplaceatleastthree,andpreferablymore,piecesonthefireat
atimesothattheheatradiatedfromonepiecehelpstoignitethepiecesnexttoit.Eachloadof
woodshouldprovideseveralhoursofheating.Thesizeofeachloadcanbematchedtothe
amountofheatneeded.
Whenyouburnincycles,yourarelyneedtoopenthewoodfire’sloadingdoorwhilethewoodis
flaming.Thisisanadvantagebecausethereismorechancethatsmokewillleakfromthewood
firewhenthedoorisopenedasafullfireisburning.Thisisespeciallytrueiftheflueconnectorhas
90degreeelbowsandifthefluesystemrunsuptheoutsidewallofthehouse.
IFYOUMUSTOPENTHEDOORWHILETHEFUELISFLAMING,OPENTHEAIRCONTROLFULLYFOR
AFEWMINUTES,THENUNLATCHANDOPENTHEDOORSLOWLY.
4.3.2 ASHREMOVAL
Ashshouldberemovedfromthefireboxeverytwoorthreedaysoffulltimeheating.Donotlet
theashbuildupinthefireboxbecauseitwillinterferewithproperfiremanagement.Ashshould
beclearedorremovedwhenbuildupreachesthelevelofthedooropening.
Thebesttimetoremoveashisafteranovernightfirewhenthewoodfireisrelativelycool,but
thereisstillsomefluesystemdrafttodrawtheashdustintothewoodfireandpreventitfrom
comingintotheroom.
Afterasheshavebeenremovedfromthewoodfireandplacedinatightlycoveredmetal
container,theyshouldbetakenoutsideimmediately.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.Ashesnormallycontainsomelivecharcoalthatcanstayhotforseveral
days.Iftheashesaredisposedofbyburialinsoilorotherwiselocallydispersed,theyshouldbe
retainedintheclosedcontaineruntilallcindershavethoroughlycooled.Otherwasteshallnotbe
placedinthiscontainer.
NEVERSTOREASHESINDOORSORINANON‐METALICCONTAINERORONAWOODENDECK.
4.3.3 RAKINGCHARCOAL
Rekindlethefirewhenyounoticethattheroomtemperaturehasfallen.Youwillfindmostofthe
remainingcharcoalatthebackofthefirebox,furthestfromthedoor.Rakethesecoalstowards
thedoorbeforeloading.Therearetworeasonsforthisrakingofthecoals.First,itconcentrates
themnearwheremostofthecombustionairentersthefireboxandwheretheycanignitethenew
loadquickly,andsecond,thecharcoalwillnotbesmotheredbythenewloadofwood.Ifyouwere
tosimplyspreadthecharcoalout,thenewloadwillsmoulderforalongtimebeforeigniting.

Removeashfirst,andthenrakecharcoaltowardsthefrontofthefireboxbeforeloadingsothatit
willignitethenewload.

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16OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
4.3.4 FIRINGEACHNEWLOADHOT
Placethenewloadofwoodonandbehindthecharcoalandnottooclosetotheglass.Closethe
doorandopentheaircontrolfully.Leavetheaircontrolfullyopenuntilthefireboxisfullof
flames,thewoodhascharredtoblackanditsedgesareglowingred.Firingeachloadofwoodhot
accomplishesafewthings:
•drivesthesurfacemoisturefromthewood,
•createsalayerofcharonthewood,whichslowsdownitsreleaseofsmoke,
•heatsthefireboxcomponentssotheyreflectheatbacktothefire,and
•heatsthefluesystemsoitcanproducestrong,steadydraftfortherestofthecycle.
Althoughitisimportanttofireeachnewloadhottoprepareforacleanburn,donotallowthefire
toburnatfullintensityformorethanafewminutes.
DONOTLEAVETHEWOODFIREUNATTENDEDWHILEANEWLOADISBEINGFIREDHOT.
Whenyouburnanewloadofwoodhottoheatupthewood,thewoodfireandthefluesystem,
theresultwillbeasurgeofheatfromthewoodfire.Thisheatsurgeiswelcomewhentheroom
temperatureisalittlelowerthandesirable,butnotwelcomeifthespaceisalreadywarm.
Therefore,alloweachloadofwoodtoburndownsothatthespacebeginstocooloffalittle
beforeloading.Lettingthespacecoolbeforeloadingisoneofthesecretstocleanburningand
effectivezoneheating.
4.3.5 TURNINGDOWNTHEAIRSUPPLY
Oncethefirewood,fireboxandfluesystemarehot,youcanbegintoreducetheairsupplyfora
steadyburn.
Asyoureducetheairsupplytothefire,
twoimportantthingshappen.First,the
firingrateslowsdowntospreadthe
heatenergyinthefueloveralonger
periodoftime.Second,theflowrateof
exhaustthroughthewoodfireandflue
slowsdown,whichgivesmoretimefor
thetransferofheatfromtheexhaust.
Youwillnoticethatasyoureducethe
airsetting,theflamesslowdown.Thisis
yourindicationthatthewoodfireis
burningatitspeakefficiency.
Iftheflamesgetsmallandalmost
disappearwhenyouturndowntheair,
youhaveturneddowntheairtooearly,
oryourfirewoodiswetterthanit
shouldbe.Withgoodfuelandcorrect
aircontroluse,theflamesshouldslow
down,butshouldstaylargeandsteady,
evenastheairsupplyisreduced.

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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS17
4.3.6 BUILDINGDIFFERENTFIRESFORDIFFERENTNEEDS
Usingtheaircontrolisnottheonlywaytomatchthewoodfire’sheatoutputtotheheatdemand.
YourhousewillneedfarlessheatinJanuarythaninMaytobekeptatacomfortabletemperature.
Ifyoufillthefireboxfullinfallweather,youwilleitheroverheatthespaceorturnthewoodfire
downsomuchthatthefirewillbesmokyandinefficient.Herearesomesuggestionsforbuilding
firestomatchdifferentheatdemand.
4.3.6.1 SmallFirestoTaketheChillOfftheHouse
Tobuildasmallfirethatwillproducealowheatoutput,usesmallpiecesoffirewoodandload
themcrisscrossinthefirebox.Thepiecesshouldbeonly75mmto100mmindiameter.After
rakingthecoals,youcanlaytwopiecesparalleltoeachothercornertocornerinthefireboxand
laytwomoreacrossthemintheotherdirection.Opentheaircontrolfullyandonlyreducetheair
afterthewoodisfullyflaming.Thiskindoffireisgoodformildweatherwhenyouarearoundto
tendthewoodfireandshouldprovideenoughheatforfourhoursormore.Smallfireslikethisare
agoodtimetousesofterwoodspeciessotherewillbelesschanceofoverheatingthehouse.
4.3.6.2 LongLastingLowOutputFires
Sometimesyouwillwanttobuildafiretolastuptoeighthours,butdon’tneedintenseheat.In
thiscaseusesmallerpiecesofhardwoodandplacethelogscompactlyinthefireboxsothepieces
arepackedtightlytogether.Youwillneedtofiretheloadhotforlongenoughtofullycharthelog
surfacesbeforeyoucanturntheairdown.Makesurethefireisflamingbrightlybeforeleavingthe
firetoburn.
4.3.6.3 HighOutputFiresforColdWeather
Whentheheatdemandishighduringcoldweather,you’llneedafirethatburnssteadilyand
brightly.Thisisthetimetouseyourbiggestpiecesofhardwoodfuelifyouhaveit.Putthebiggest
piecesatthebackofthefireboxandplacetherestofthepiecescompactly.Adenselybuiltfirelike
thiswillproducethelongestburnyourwoodfireiscapableof.
Youwillneedtobecautiouswhenbuildingfireslikethisbecauseiftheairisturneddowntoo
much,thefirecouldsmoulder.Makesurethewoodisflamingbrightlybeforeleavingthefireto
burn.Thewoodshouldbepositionedinanorth/southfashion,thatis,fromthefronttotheback
ofthefirebox.
4.3.6.4 MaximumBurnCycleTimes
Theburncycletimeistheperiodbetweenloadingwoodonacoalbedandtheconsumptionof
thatwoodbacktoacoalbedofthesamesize.Theflamingphaseofthefirelastsforroughlythe
firsthalfoftheburncycleandthesecondhalfisthecoalbedphaseduringwhichthereislittleor
noflame.Thelengthofburnyoucanexpectfromyourwoodfire,includingboththeflamingand
coalbedphases,willbeaffectedbyanumberofthings,suchas:
•fireboxsize,
•theamountofwoodloaded,
•thespeciesofwoodyouburn,
•thewoodmoisturecontent,
•thesizeofthespacetobeheated,
•theclimatezoneyoulivein,and
•thetimeofyear.

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18OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
Thetablebelowprovidesaverygeneralindicationofthemaximumburncycletimesyouarelikely
toexperience,basedonfireboxvolume.
FIREBOXVOLUMEMAXIMUMBURNTIME
<0.042cubicmeter3to5hours
0.042m3to0.056m35to6hours
0.056m3to0.071m36to8hours
0.071m3to0.085m38to9hours
>0.085m39to10hours
Longburntimesarenotnecessarilyanindicationofefficientwoodfireoperation.Whenyouare
homeduringthedayandabletotendthefire,itispreferabletobuildasmallerfirethatmight
providethreeorfourhoursofheatingthantofullyloadthefireboxforamuchlongerburn.
Shorterburncyclesmakeiteasiertomatchtheheatoutputofthewoodfiretotheheatdemand
ofthespace.

5MAINTAININGYOURWOODHEATINGSYSTEM
5.1 WOODFIREMAINTENANCE
Yournewwoodfirewillgivemanyyearsofreliableserviceifyouuseandmaintainitcorrectly.
Someoftheinternalcomponentsofthefirebox,suchasfirebricks,bafflesandairtubes,willwear
overtimeunderintenseheat.Youshouldalwaysreplacedefectivepartswithoriginalparts(see
Appendix4:ExplodedDiagramandPartsList).Forfiringeachloadhottobeginacycleas
describedabovewillnotcauseprematuredeteriorationofthewoodfire.However,lettingthe
woodfirerunwiththeaircontrolfullyopenforentirecyclescancausedamageovertime.The
hotteryourunthewoodfirethroughoutburncycles,themorequicklyitscomponentswill
deteriorate.Forthatreason,neverleavethewoodfireunattendedwhileanewloadisbeing
firedhot.
5.1.1 CLEANINGDOORGLASS
Undernormalconditions,yourdoorglassshouldstayrelativelyclear.Ifyourfirewoodisdry
enoughandyoufollowtheoperatinginstructionsinthismanual,awhitish,dustydepositwillform
ontheinsideoftheglassafteraweekorsoofuse.Thisisnormalandcanbeeasilyremovedwhen
thewoodfireiscoolbywipingwithadampclothorpapertowelandthendrying.Nevertryto
cleantheglasswhenthewoodfireishot.
Inspringandfallwhenthewoodfireisrunatlowertemperatures,youmayseesomelightbrown
stainsforming,especiallyatthelowercornersoftheglass.Thisindicatesthatthefirehasbeen
smokyandsomeofthesmokehascondensedontheglass.Whentheweatherismild,youmay
findthatlettingthefiregooutisbetterthantryingtomaintainacontinuousfire.Usethe
techniquedescribedaboveforbuildingafiretotakethechilloffthehouse.
Ifyoudogetbrownstainsontheglassyoucanremovethemwithspecialcleanersforwoodfire
glassdoors.Donotuseabrasivestocleanyourwoodfire’sdoorglass.

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OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS19
Thedepositsthatformontheglassarethebestindicationofthequalityofyourfuelandhowwell
youaredoinginoperatingthewoodfire.Yourgoalshouldbeclearglasswithnobrownstains.If
youcontinuetoseebrownstainsontheglass,somethingaboutyourfuelandoperatingprocedure
needstobechanged.Stainsontheglassindicateincompletecombustionofthewood,whichalso
meansmoresmokeemissionsandfasterformationofcreosoteinthefluesystem.
Ifyouseebrownstreakscomingfromtheedgeoftheglass,itistimetoreplacethegasketaround
theglass.Visityourwoodfireretailertogettheself‐adhesiveglassgasketandfollowthe
instructionsbelowforinstallation.
5.1.2 DOORADJUSTMENT
Inorderforyourwoodfiretoburnatitsbestefficiency,thedoormustprovideaperfectsealwith
thefirebox.Therefore,thegasketshouldbeinspectedperiodicallymakingsuretoobtainanair
tightfit.Airtightnesscanbeimprovedwithasimplelatchmechanismadjustment.Toadjust:
1. Makesuretheheateriscold.
2. Openthedoor.
3. Unscrewthelockscrew(A)onthedoorhandle
shaft.
4. Rotatehandleshaftanti‐clockwise,thiswill
increasepressureonthedoorseal.Toreducethe
pressureonthedoorseal,rotatehandleshaft
clockwise.
5. Closethedoorandlock.
6. Tryforseal.
7. Replacethelockscrew.
NOTE:Checkthatrollpin(B)iscentredinshaft.
5.1.3 REPLACINGTHEDOORGASKET
Itisimportanttomaintainthegasketingoodcondition.Afterayearormoreofuse,thedoor
gasketwillcompressandbecomehard,whichmayallowairtoleakpastit.Youcantestthe
conditionofthedoorgasketbyclosingandlatchingthedooronastripofpaper.Testallaround
thedoor.Ifthepaperslipsouteasilyanywhere,itistimetoreplacethegasket.
UsethecorrectreplacementgasketthatyoucanpurchasefromyourEcomaxxWoodheating
dealer.Thediameteranddensityofthegasketisimportanttogettingagoodseal.
Placethedoorface‐downonsomethingsoftlikeacushionofragsorpieceofcarpet.Removethe
oldgasketfromthedoorbypullingandpryingitoutwithanoldscrewdriver.Thenusethe
screwdrivertoscrapetheoldgasketadhesivefromthedoor.Nowruna6mm(1/4”)beadofhigh
temperaturesiliconeinthedoorgasketgroove.Startingfromthemiddleofthehingeside,press
thegasketintothegroove.Donotstretchthegasketasyouplaceit.Leavethegasketabout12
mm(1/2”)longwhenyoucutitandpresstheendintothegroove.Tuckanyloosefibresunderthe
gasketandintothesilicone.Closethedooranddonotusethewoodfirefor24hours.

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20OPERATING&INSTALLATIONINSTRUCTIONSFORPEDESTALWOODHEATERS
5.1.4 REPLACINGTHEGLASSGASKETAND/ORTHEGLASS
Itisagoodideatoreplacetheglassgasketwhenthedoorgasketisreplaced.Thegasketisflat,
adhesive‐backed,wovenfibreglass.Removethespringpin(A)fromthehandleshaft,thenut(B)
andtheglassretainer(C).Liftouttheglassandpullofftheoldgasket.Thisisagoodtimetoclean
theglassthoroughly.
Toreplacetheglass(D),removethespringpin
(A)fromthehandleshaft,thenut(B)andthe
glassretainer(C).Removethedamagedglass
andinstallthenewoneinplace.Makesure
youhaveagasketaroundthereplacement
glass(seeprocedureabove).Putbackthe
glassretainer,thenutandtherollpin.Put
backthedoorframe(E)ontheheater.

Thegasketmustbecentredontheedgeoftheglass.Todothiseasily,peelbackasectionofthe
papercoveringtheadhesiveandplacethegasketonatablewiththeadhesivesideup.Stickthe
endofthegaskettothemiddleofoneedge,thenpresstheedgeoftheglassdownontothe
gasket,takingcarethatitisperfectlycentredonthegasket.Peeloffmoreofthebackingand
rotatetheglassandpressthenextsectionontothegasket.Donotstretchthegasketasyouplace
it.Continueuntilyougettothestartandtrimthegaskettolength.Nowpinchthegaskettothe
glassinaUshape,allaroundtheglass.Reinstalltheglass,beingcarefultocentretheglass
carefullyinthedoor.Donotover‐tightenthescrews.Notethatthetwomaincausesofbroken
doorglassareunevenplacementinthedoorandover‐tighteningofretainingscrews.

Donotabusetheglassdoorbystrikingorslammingshut.DONOTUSETHEWOODFIREIFTHE
GLASSISBROKEN.Tochangetheglass,performthesameoperationdescribedabove.