Osburn MATRIX OB02022 User manual

READ AND KEEP THIS MANUAL FOR REFERENCE
45641A
Printed in Canada 25-08-2015
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL
MATRIX
(OB02022 Model)
Dist ibuted by
Glen Dimplex Aust alasia
NEW ZEALAND
38 Ha is Road, East Tamaki, Auckland
Ph: 09 274 8265 Fax [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.glendimplex.com.au
AUSTRALIA
Unit 1, 21 Lionel Road
Mount Wave ley, Victo ia 3149
Ph: 1 300 554 155 Fax [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
www.glendimplex.com.au
This manual is available for free download on the manufacturer’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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THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THIS WOOD FIRE
We ant to congratulate you on your purchase and ish to help you get maximum satisfaction
from your ood fire. In the pages that follo , e ill give you advice on ood heating and
controlled combustion as ell as technical specifications regarding installation, operation and
maintenance of the model you have chosen.
The instructions pertaining to the installation of your ood fire comply ith
AS/NZS 4012/4013 (1999) and AS/NZS 2918:2001 standards.
Please ead this enti e manual befo e you install and use you new wood fi e. Failu e to follow
inst uctions may esult in p ope ty damage, bodily inju y, o even death. It is impo tant that you
follow the installations guidelines exactly.
Consult you local city, bo ough o shi e council about est ictions and installations
equi ements in you a ea and the need to obtain a pe mit.
KEEP THIS INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR FUTURE REFERENCE.

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Table of content
PART A - OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE ............................................ 6
1 Safety Info mation ......................................................................... 6
1.1 Summary of Operation and Maintenance Cautions and Warnings ...................................... 6
2 Gene al Info mation ....................................................................... 7
2.1 OSBURN Matrix Specifications .............................................................................................. 7
2.2 Zone Heating and Ho to Make it Work for You ................................................................ 10
2.3 The Benefits of Lo Emissions and High Efficiency ............................................................. 10
2.4 Osburn’s Commitment to You and the Environment .......................................................... 11
2.4.1 What is Your Ne Wood fire Made Of? .......................................................................... 11
3 Fuel .............................................................................................. 12
3.1 Materials That Should Not be Burned ................................................................................. 12
3.2 Ho to Prepare or Buy Good Fire ood .............................................................................. 12
3.2.1 What is Good Fire ood? ................................................................................................. 12
3.2.2 Tree Species ..................................................................................................................... 12
3.2.3 Log Length ........................................................................................................................ 13
3.2.4 Piece Size .......................................................................................................................... 13
3.2.5 Ho to Dry Fire ood ....................................................................................................... 14
3.2.6 Where to store ood ....................................................................................................... 15
3.2.7 Judging Fire ood Moisture Content ............................................................................... 15
3.3 Manufactured Logs .............................................................................................................. 16
4 Ope ating You Wood fi e ............................................................ 17
4.1 The use of a fire screen........................................................................................................ 17
4.2 Your First Fires ..................................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Lighting Fires ........................................................................................................................ 18
4.3.1 Conventional Fire Starting ............................................................................................... 18
4.3.2 The Top Do n Fire ........................................................................................................... 18
4.3.3 T o Parallel Logs .............................................................................................................. 19
4.3.4 Using Fire Starters ............................................................................................................ 19
4.4 Maintaining Wood Fires ...................................................................................................... 19
4.4.1 General Advice ................................................................................................................. 19
4.4.2 Ash Removal ..................................................................................................................... 20
4.4.3 Raking Charcoal ................................................................................................................ 20

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4.4.4 Firing Each Ne Load Hot ................................................................................................ 21
4.4.5 Turning Do n the Air Supply ........................................................................................... 21
4.4.6 Building Different Fires for Different Needs .................................................................... 22
5 Maintaining You Wood Heating System ....................................... 24
5.1 Wood fire Maintenance....................................................................................................... 24
5.1.1 Cleaning Door Glass ......................................................................................................... 24
5.1.2 Door adjustment .............................................................................................................. 25
5.1.3 Replacing the Door Gasket ............................................................................................... 26
5.1.4 Replacing the Glass Gasket and/or the Glass .................................................................. 26
5.1.5 Cleaning and Painting the Wood fire ............................................................................... 27
5.2 Flue and Flue System Maintenance ..................................................................................... 28
5.2.1 Why Flue System Cleaning is Necessary .......................................................................... 28
5.2.2 Ho Often Should You Clean the Flue System? .............................................................. 28
5.2.3 Cleaning the Flue System ................................................................................................. 28
PART B – INSTALLATION ...................................................................... 29
6 Safety Info mation ....................................................................... 29
6.1 Summary of Installation Cautions and Warnings ................................................................ 29
6.2 Regulations Covering Wood fire Installation ....................................................................... 30
7 Clea ances to Heat-Sensitive Mate ials ......................................... 31
7.1 Location of the Certification Label ...................................................................................... 31
7.2 Clearances to Walls and Ceiling ........................................................................................... 31
7.3 Floor Protector..................................................................................................................... 32
7.4 Reducing Wall and Ceiling Clearances Safely ...................................................................... 33
8 The Flue System ........................................................................... 35
8.1 General ................................................................................................................................ 35
8.2 Suitable Flue Systems .......................................................................................................... 35
8.2.1 Factory built Insulated Flue Kits ....................................................................................... 35
8.2.2 Masonry Flue Systems ..................................................................................................... 36
8.3 Minimum Flue System Height ............................................................................................. 37
8.4 The Relationship Bet een the Flue System and the House................................................ 38
8.4.1 Why Inside Flue Systems are Preferred ........................................................................... 38
8.4.2 Why the Flue System Should Penetrate the Highest Heated Space ................................ 39
8.5 Installing the flue Connector ............................................................................................... 40

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Appendix 1: Reve sing the Doo Opening and Adjusting the Handle .... 42
Appendix 2: Installing the Optional Deco ative Panels ......................... 44
Appendix 3: Installing the Optional F esh Ai Intake Kit ....................... 47
Appendix 4: Installing the Optional Fi e Sc een (AC01315) .................. 48
Appendix 5: Installation and Use of the Blowe and The modisc ......... 49
Appendix 6: Installation of Seconda y Ai Tubes and Baffle ................. 51
Appendix 7: Exploded Diag am and Pa ts List ...................................... 53
REGISTER YOU WARRANTY ONLINE
To receive full arranty coverage, you ill need to sho evidence of
the date you purchased your ood fire. Keep your sales invoice. We
also recommend that you register your arranty online at
http://osbu n-aust alia.com/wa anty- egist ation.aspx
Registering your arranty online ill help us track rapidly the
information e need on your ood fire.

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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 WOOD FIRE HAS BEEN TESTED FOR USE WITH AN OPEN DOOR IN CONJUNCTION WITH A
FIRE SCREEN (AC01315, SOLD SEPARATELY). THE DOOR MAY BE OPEN OR FIRE SCREEN
REMOVED ONLY DURING LIGHTING PROCEDURES OR RELOADING. ALWAYS CLOSE THE DOOR
OR PUT BACK THE FIRE SCREEN AFTER IGNITION. DO NOT LEAVE THE WOOD FIRE
UNATTENDED WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED WITH OR WITHOUT FIRE SCREEN.
•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.
•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.

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2 GENERAL INFORMATION
2.1 OSBURN MATRIX SPECIFICATIONS
Combustible: Wood
Heating capacity* 195 m
2
Maximum average heat output – hard ood (Australia): 11.1 kW
Average efficiency – hard ood (Australia): 68 %
Average emissions – hard ood (Australia): 1.9 g/kg
Burn Time* 6 to 8 hours
Color : Metallic black
Flue Spigot Diameter : 150 mm
Flue system : Universal Flue Kit or
Acorn insulated Flue Kit
Minimum Flue Height (from floor protector): 4.6 meters
Maximum Log Length : 508 mm side ays**
Log loading : Side ays
Firebox Volume : 0,068 m
3
Weight: 244 kg
Baffle Material C-cast
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.
Side ays: through the door you see the sides of the logs.

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2.2 ZONE HEATING AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU
Your ne Osburn Matrix ood fire is a space heater, hich means it is intended to heat the area it
is installed in, as ell as spaces that connect to that area, although to a lo er temperature. This is
called zone heating and it is an increasingly popular ay to heat homes or spaces ithin homes.
Zone heating can be used to supplement another heating system by heating a particular space
ithin a home, such as a basement family room or an addition that lacks another heat source.
Houses of moderate size and relatively ne construction can be heated ith a properly sized and
located ood fire. Whole house zone heating orks best hen the ood fire is located in the part
of the house here the family spends most of its time. This is normally the main living area here
the kitchen, dining and living rooms are located. By locating the ood fire in this area, you ill get
the maximum benefit of the heat it produces and ill achieve the highest possible heating
efficiency and comfort. The space here you spend most of your time ill be armest, hile
bedrooms and basement (if there is one) ill stay cooler. In this ay, you ill burn less ood than
ith other forms of heating.
Although the ood fire may be able to heat the main living areas of your house to an adequate
temperature, e strongly recommend that you also have a conventional oil, gas or electric heating
system to provide backup heating.
Your success ith zone heating ill depend on several factors, including the correct sizing and
location of the ood fire, the size, layout and age of your home and your climate zone. Three-
season vacation homes can usually be heated ith smaller ood fires than houses that are heated
all inter.
2.3 THE BENEFITS OF LOW EMISSIONS AND HIGH EFFICIENCY
The lo smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Osburn Matrix firebox mean
that your household ill release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside environment than if
you used an older conventional ood fire. But there is more to the emission control technologies
than protecting the environment.
The smoke released from ood hen it is heated contains about half of the energy content of the
fuel. By burning the ood completely, your ood fire releases all the heat energy from the ood
instead of asting it as smoke up the flue system. Also, the features inside the firebox allo you to
reduce the air supply to control heat output, hile maintaining clean and efficient flaming
combustion, hich boosts the efficient delivery of heat to your home.
The emission control and advanced combustion features of your ood fire can only ork properly
if your fuel is in the correct moisture content range of 15 to 20 percent. See Section 3 of this
manual for suggestions on preparing fuel ood and judging its moisture.

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2.4 OSBURN’S COMMITMENT TO YOU AND THE ENVIRONMENT
The Osburn team is committed to protecting the environment, so e do everything e can to use
only materials in our products that ill have no lasting negative impact on the environment.
2.4.1 WHAT IS YOUR NEW WOOD FIRE MADE OF?
The body of your ood fire, hich is most of its eight, is carbon steel. Should it ever become
necessary many years in the future, almost the entire ood fire can be recycled into ne
products, thus eliminating the need to mine ne materials.
The paint coating on your ood fire is very thin. Its VOC content (Volatile Organic Components) is
very lo . VOCs can be responsible for smog, so all the paint used during the manufacturing
process meets the latest air quality requirements ith regards to VOC reduction or elimination.
The air tubes are stainless steel, hich can also be recycled.
The C-Cast baffle is made of an aluminosilicate fibre material that is compressed ith a binder to
form a rigid board. C-Cast can ithstand temperatures above 1093 °c. It is not considered
hazardous aste. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.
Firebrick is mainly composed of silicon dioxide, also kno n 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 hich 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
ra earth materials such as sand and quartz that are combined in such a ay to form a glass at high
temperatures. Ceramic glass ill not re-melt in the same ay as normal glass, so it should not be
recycled ith your regular household products. Disposal at a landfill is recommended.

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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 fire ood has been cut to the correct length for the ood 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 fire ood is produced from is less important than its moisture content. The
main difference in fire ood from various tree species is the density of the ood. Hard oods such
as gums, Manuka or ironbark are denser than soft oods. Hard ood ill produce long-lasting coal
beds combined to more heat and longer burn cycles.
Old, leaky cast iron ood fires ouldn’t hold a fire overnight unless they ere fed large pieces of
hard ood. That is no longer true. You can successfully heat your home by using less ood and
give the forest a break at the same time.

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3.2.3 LOG LENGTH
Logs should be cut about 25 mm (1”) shorter than the firebox so they fit in easily. Pieces that are
slightly too long make loading the ood fire very difficult. The most common standard length of
fire ood is 400 mm (16”).
The pieces should be a consistent length, ith a maximum of 25 mm (1”) variation from piece to
piece.
3.2.4 PIECE SIZE
Fire ood dries more quickly hen it is split. Large unsplit rounds can take years to dry enough to
burn. Even hen dried, unsplit logs are difficult to ignite because they don’t have the sharp edges
here the flames first catch. Logs as small as 75 mm (3”) should be split to encourage drying.
Wood should be split to a range of sizes, from about 75 mm to 150 mm (3” to 6”) in cross section.
Having a range of sizes makes starting and rekindling fires much easier. Often, the fire ood
purchased from commercial suppliers is not split finely enough for convenient stoking. It is
sometimes advisable to resplit the ood before stacking to dry.

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3.2.5 HOW TO DRY FIREWOOD
Fire ood that is not dry enough to burn is the cause of most complaints about ood fires. The
complaints usually involve a lack of heat and dirty door glass.
Here are some things to consider in estimating drying time:
•fire ood takes a long time to dry
•fire ood bought from a dealer is rarely dry enough to burn, so it is advisable to buy the ood
in spring and dry it yourself
•drying happens faster in dry eather than in damp, maritime climates
•drying happens faster in arm summer eather than in inter eather
•small pieces dry more quickly than large pieces
•split pieces dry more quickly than unsplit rounds
•soft oods take less time to dry than hard oods
•hard oods like gums, Manuka and ironbark can take one, or even t o years to dry fully,
especially if the pieces are big
•fire ood dries more quickly hen stacked in the open here it is exposed to sun and ind; it
takes much longer to dry hen stacked in a ood shed
•fire ood that is ready to burn has a moisture content bet een15 and 20% by eight and ill
allo your ood fire to produce its highest possible efficiency

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3.2.6 WHERE TO STORE WOOD
This ood fire has been certified to store logs in the pedestal provided that the follo ing
requirements are met:
•The logs must not exceed the inside edge
(A) of the pedestal.
•The heat shield baffle (B) under the firebox
must never be removed.
•No combustible material can be placed
above the heat shield baffle.
3.2.7 JUDGING FIREWOOD MOISTURE CONTENT
You can find out if some fire ood 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 ood turns from hite or cream coloured to grey or yello ,
•bang t o pieces of ood together; seasoned ood sounds hollo and et ood sounds dull,
•dry ood is much lighter in eight than et ood,
•split a piece, and if the fresh face feels arm and dry it is dry enough to burn; if it feels damp, it
is too et,
•burn a piece; et ood hisses and sizzles in the fire and dry ood does not.
You could buy a ood moisture meter to test your
fire ood.

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3.3 MANUFACTURED LOGS
Do not burn manufactured logs made of ax impregnated sa dust or logs ith any chemical
additives. Manufactured logs made of 100% compressed sa dust can be burned, but use caution
in the number of these logs burned at one time. Start ith one manufactured log and see ho the
ood fire reacts. You can increase the number of logs burned at a time to making sure the
temperature never rises higher than 246 °C (475 °F) on a magnetic thermometer for installation on
ood fire flue. The thermometer should be placed about 450 mm (18”) above the ood fire.
Higher temperatures can lead to overheat and damage your ood fire.

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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.
4.1 THE USE OF A FIRE SCREEN.
This stove has been tested for use ith an open door in conjunction ith a fire screen (AC01315,
sold separately). Make sure the fire screen is properly secured on the stove to avoid any risk of
fire. When the fire screen is used, it is important not to leave the stove unattended to respond
promptly in the event of smoke spillage into the room. Potential causes of smoke spillage are
described in section height of this manual. See Appendix 4: Installing the Fire Screen (AC01315)
for installation instructions.
4.2 YOUR FIRST FIRES
T o things ill happen as you burn your first fe fires; the paint cures and the internal
components of the ood 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, hen you first
light your ood fire, be prepared by opening doors and/or indo s 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 t o very hot
fires.
Burn one or t o 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 ood fire. Once the paint smell
disappears, your ood fire is ready for serious heating.

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4.3 LIGHTING FIRES
Each person ho heats ith ood develops their o n favorite ay 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 ays to start ood fires.
4.3.1 CONVENTIONAL FIRE STARTING
The conventional ay to build a ood fire is to bunch
up 5 to 10 sheets of plain ne spaper and place them
in the firebox. Next, place 10 or so pieces of fine
kindling on the ne spaper. 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 ne spaper. If you have
a tall, straight flue system you should be able to close
the door immediately and the fire ill ignite. If your
flue has elbo s or an outside flue system, you may
need to leave the door closed but unlatched for a fe
minutes as the ne spaper 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 fire ood pieces until you have a
fire of the right size for the conditions.
4.3.2 THE TOP DOWN FIRE
The top do n fire starting method solves t o problems ith 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 do n fire can provide up to t o
hours of heating or more. The top do n method only orks properly if the ood is ell-seasoned.
Start by placing three or four full-sized split pieces of dry fire ood in the firebox. Next, place 4 or 5
more finely split pieces of fire ood (50 mm to 75 mm [2” to 3”] in dia.) on the base logs at right
angles (log cabin style). No place about 10 pieces of finely split kindling on the second layer at
right angles.

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The fire is topped ith about 5 sheets of ne spaper. You can just bunch them up and stuff them in
bet een the kindling and the underside of the baffle. Or you can make ne spaper 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 ne spaper and atch as the fire burns from top to
bottom.
4.3.3 TWO PARALLEL LOGS
Place t o spit logs in the firebox. Place a fe sheets of t isted ne spaper bet een the logs. No
place some fine kindling across the t o logs and some larger kindling across those, log cabin style.
Light the ne spaper.
4.3.4 USING FIRE STARTERS
Many people like to use commercial fire starters instead of ne spaper. Some of these starters are
made of sa dust and ax and others are specialized flammable solid chemicals. Follo 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.
4.4 MAINTAINING WOOD FIRES
4.4.1 GENERAL ADVICE
Wood heating ith a space heater is very different than other forms of heating. There ill be
variations in the temperature in different parts of the house and there ill be variations in
temperature throughout the day and night. This is normal, and for experienced ood burners
these are advantages of zone heating ith ood.
Do not expect steady heat output from your ood fire. It is normal for its surface temperature to
rise after a ne load of ood 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 hen you are active, such as hen doing house ork
or cooking, and it can be armer hen you are inactive, such as hen reading or atching
television.
Wood burns best in cycles. A cycle starts hen a ne load of ood is ignited by hot coals and ends
hen that load has been consumed do n to a bed of charcoal about the same size as it as hen
the ood as loaded. Do not attempt to produce a steady heat output by placing a single log on
the fire at regular intervals. Al ays 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
ood should provide several hours of heating. The size of each load can be matched to the
amount of heat needed.

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When you burn in cycles, you rarely need to open the ood fire’s loading door hile the ood is
flaming. This is an advantage because there is more chance that smoke ill leak from the ood
fire hen the door is opened as a full fire is burning. This is especially true if the flue connector has
90 degree elbo s and if the flue system runs up the outside all 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.
4.4.2 ASH REMOVAL
Ash should be removed from the firebox every t o or three days of full time heating. Do not let
the ash build up in the firebox because it ill interfere ith proper fire management.
The best time to remove ash is after an overnight fire hen the ood fire is relatively cool, but
there is still some flue system draft to dra the ash dust into the ood fire and prevent it from
coming into the room.
After ashes have been removed from the ood 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 ell a ay 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 other ise locally dispersed, they should be
retained in the closed container until all cinders have thoroughly cooled. Other aste shall not be
placed in this container.
NEVER STORE ASHES INDOORS OR IN A NON-METALIC CONTAINER OR ON A WOODEN DECK.
4.4.3 RAKING CHARCOAL
Rekindle the fire hen you notice that the room temperature has fallen. You ill find most of the
remaining charcoal at the back of the firebox, furthest from the door. Rake these coals to ards
the door before loading. There are t o reasons for this raking of the coals. First, it concentrates
them near here most of the combustion air enters the firebox and here they can ignite the ne
load quickly, and second, the charcoal ill not be smothered by the ne load of ood. If you ere
to simply spread the charcoal out, the ne load ill 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.