
JANUARY 2014 page 6www.fisherstoves.co.nz
Set the air control to fully open, light the firelighters or the newspaper and close but do not latch the door.
After about 5-10 minutes, when the wood is flaming brightly, latch the door (some longer flue installations
may require door to be left unlatched for up to 15 minutes until the flue system is warm and producing
strong draught). Since leaving the door open slightly can cause dangerously high temperatures, never
leave the wood fire unattended while starting the fire.
When the flames from the kindling load just begin to subside, add several small pieces of firewood as
shown on page 7 (loaded front to back). Try to avoid smothering the fire with the new pieces. Placing the
pieces on the burning kindling can help prevent smothering. Your Fisher fire requires approximately 45-60
minutes to preheat the steel firebox before it can effectively emit heat into the room. A well maintained, hot
fire will reduce the preheat cycle.
REKINDLING A FIRE FROM CHARCOAL OR EMBERS
Embers found at the back of the firebox should be raked
evenly around the fire box. If only a small amount of
embers remain, you will have to start with kindling. If there
is a good quantity of glowing embers to work with, place at
least three, and preferably more than five pieces of small
firewood on the embers (loaded front to back). Open the
air inlets fully and close the door.
If everything is just right, fast ignition of the new load
should be expected. Allow the fire to burn with bright
turbulent flames until the wood is completely alight. This
usually takes between 15 and 30 minutes, depending
on the size of the pieces and the moisture content of
the wood. When the wood is burning well, reduce the air
setting to produce the amount of heat and length of burn
desired. Reducing the air control setting in two or three
stages will result in less air pollution because the fire will
not have to recover from the single, large reduction in
air supply.
The most important rule is NEVER LET THE FIRE SMOULDER. As long as there is solid wood in the
firebox, there must be flames present or the unburned gases will escape, both reducing efficiency and
increasing air pollution.
Always open the fire door slowly to allow fresh air to enter and maintain the smoke path. If you open the
door too quickly, smoke can puff out.
TO REKINDLE A FIRE FROM HOT COALS:
Rake the charcoal evenly. Place small pieces
of wood on and behind the coals. Open the
air inlets fully and leave them open until
the pieces of wood are well charred. This
illustration shows the arrangement of pieces
for an extended fire.