
93-90-70738R9_08/13
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
The SF250 is approved for use with coal only. Burning
wood or other such fuels in this stove, except for the
purpose of igniting a coal re, is prohibited.
Starting A Fire
Beginbyopeningthedraftcontrolknobsonboththeload
doorandtheashdoor.Openbothdoors.Besureallitems
havebeenremovedfromtheashpan(i.e.touch-uppaint,
warrantyregistration,etc...)
Place aproximately eight sheets of newspaper, crumbled,
on top of the grates. Lay some kindling on top of the
crumbledpaper.Thiskindlingshouldbedryandnolarger
than3/4in.diameter.Itshouldbelayeredinacriss-cross
fashion to allow good air ow. Now place some slightly
larger pieces of wood (about 2” diameter) on top of the
kindling. Using a match or grill lighter, ignite the paper at
thebottomjustinsidethedoor.Closebothdoorsandallow
thekindlingandlargerwoodtocatchre.Afteraroundve
minutes,opentheloaddoorslightly,forafewsecondsand
thenopencompletely.Thisisagoodpracticetogetintoas
itwill allow any smoke andgases to clear away fromthe
dooropening.Addsmallcompactpiecesofwoodwhenthe
kindlingisburninghot.Whenasubstantialbedofhotwood
coalsisestablished,startaddingcoalinsmallamountsat
a time.Allow a few minutes between coal loadings to be
surethat what you’ve added isignited.Youcan keepthe
ash door open through this process, but NEVER LEAVE
THESTOVEUNATTENDEDWITHADOOROPEN.Once
youhaveabedofburningcoal,youcanloadcoalintothe
stovetothetopoftherebricks.Alwaysmakesurethereis
someameshowingthroughthecoal.Thiswillensurethe
gasesarebeingburnedandnotaccumulatingintherebox.
Afteragoodcoalignition,setthedraftcontrolsontheload
doorto about 1/4 turn open.The draft control on the ash
doorisusedtocontroltherateofburn.Afterstartingare,
keepitabout2fullturnsopenforabout30minutes.Then,
adjust further closed to the proper output level. Normal
operationwillbebetweencrackedandoneturnopen.Since
coalrespondsslowlytodraftadjustments,makeonlysmall
adjustmentsandallowtimeinbetween.
Loading
Coalshouldonlybeaddedwhenthereisareasonablyhot
re.Thecoalbedshouldbebrightandvigorous.Ifthereis
burninghotandthereisadeepbedofcoals,fullloadscan
beadded.Ifitisnotasdescribed,addcoalinsmallbatches
only.
Increasing Heat From A Low Fire
Everyeffortshould bemade not toleta coal reburn so
longthatithasstartedtodie.Thiswillcausethereloading
processtobemuchlonger,andthereisagoodposibilityof
losingthere.
Donotshakeorstiralowre.
Openthedraftcontrolallthewayuntiltheregetsashotas
possible.Startaddingsmallbatchesofcoalandfollowthe
instructionsforstartingare.
Oncethereisagoodbedofburningcoals,thegratesmay
beshakentoremoveashes.
Shaking Ashes
Shaking should be done only when there is a hot re
burning. The frequency of shaking will depend on the
degreeof burning. Shaking should bedone at least once
perday,preferablytwice.
Thebestresultsfromshakingwilloccurwhenshortchoppy
strokesareused,ratherthanlong,evenstrokes.Graspthe
shakerhandlewithonehandandshakeit,onlymovingthe
actualhandle1/2inchorless.Dothisuntilyoustarttosee
hotcoalsfallingintotheashpan,thenstop.Donotrockthe
grates, as this will allow burning coal to fall through, and
you’lllosethere.
Ashes
The ashes should never be allowed to accumulate in the
ashpan.Excessashwillblocktherequiredairowthrough
thegratesandcausethemtowarpandsag.Neglectisnot
coveredbyyourstove’swarranty.
Ashes should be placed in a metal container with a
tight tting lid. This closed container of ashes should
be placed on a noncombustible oor or on the ground,
well away from any combustible materials, pending
nal disposal. 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.
Fuel
The SF250 is approved for burning anthracite coal. Pea,
Nut,andStovesizedcoalareallsuitable.
Grates
Thefunctionsofagratesystemaretosupportthefuelload,
while allowing air ow to the re in a balanced amount.
Anotherfunctionistoallowforashremovalwithoutlosing
there.TheSF250gratesystemprovidesforallofthisand
canberemovedwithnotoolsrequired.