RAIS Malta User manual

RAIS Malta
RAIS Bando
MANUAL
Rev. B 290802
RAIS A/S
Industrivej 20, 9900 Frederikshavn. Denmark
Phone [phone] – Fax [phone]
E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.rais.dk

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CONTENTS
INSTALLATION
Installation................................................................... Page 3
Assembly instructions ................................................. Page 5
Chimney...................................................................... Page 6
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
First fire....................................................................... Page 6
Building the fire ........................................................... Page 7
FIREWOOD
Firewood ..................................................................... Page 7
Burning value of wood ................................................ Page 8
A few reminders.......................................................... Page 8
Verification .................................................................. Page 9
Surface temperature ................................................... Page 9
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Care and maintenance................................................ Page 9
Cleaning of the baffle system...................................... Page 10
Firebox lining............................................................... Page 11
Gaskets....................................................................... Page 11
TROUBLE SHOOTING
Trouble shooting ......................................................... Page 11
GUARANTEE
Guarantee................................................................... Page 12

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Congratulations on the purchase of your new RAIS wood-burning stove. With this choice,
you have shown an appreciation of superior quality and good design.
Installation
Please follow these steps carefully.
First, the stove must be installed according to the building codes. Consult your local
building inspector or Fire Marshall before the installation. In some areas a “special permit”
is required.
In order for the stove to work an draw properly, sufficient air is important ! Be especially
aware of any mechanical fans (kitchen fans and bathroom, etc.), which may affect the
proper draw.
We suggest that you have a professional mason or stove installer do a complete check-up
of your existing chimney, liner, and flue.
In addition, make sure that the floor and sub-flooring is designed to carry the extra weight
of the stove. The floor plate material must be made of a non-combustible material !
When installing the stove the heat distribution to other rooms has to be taken into
consideration, as the RAIS Malta/Bando has a heating capacity of approx. 100 m² (at
standard ceiling height etc.).
Thermal Output 7 kW
Minimum pressure in the stove at output mentioned: - 16 Pa
Minimum distance to non-combustible material is 2 inches.

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Minimum distance to inflammable material:
A = Furnishing distance
B = Distance to inflammable material front/floor
C = Distance to inflammable material side/floor
D = Distance to inflammable material back/wall
E = Distance to inflammable material wall
A B C D E
RAIS Malta/RAIS Bando 900 300 150 150 400
When using smoke outlet at the top and non-insulated tube the distance to flammable wall
must be 400 mm from the tube.
The stove can be installed with smoke outlet at the top or at the back. The vent pipe
socket is mounted using the 3 screws and nuts. These parts are delivered with the stove.

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Assembly instruction RAIS Bando
Assembly instruction for soapstone on RAIS Bando
Disassemble the back-panel
Push back the assembly fittings on the stove.
Mount the holding fittings on the soapstone-panels. Remember to put the screws into the
right holes.
NB ! Do not over-tighten the screws.
Mount the soapstone-panels on the stove and push the assembly fittings forwards, in this
way they lock the soapstone-panels.
Mount the back-panel.
Mount the remaining stones to the stove.

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Chimney
The condition of the chimney and the height is very important. We suggest a minimum of
16 – 20 Pascal, however no less than 10 feet/3 metres. If you do not have the minimum of
16 Pascal, smoke will come out of the door. Special attention should be made to
chimneys with double flues.
The chimney/stove pipe must not be smaller than 6 inches/150 mm in diameter.
If the stove pipe is fitted with a baffle this must be manually worked. It must be easy to
operate and placed so that it is stable and visible. The baffle must not close completely.
This is ensured by cutting away 20 % of the baffle area – minimum 20 cm ². Consult your
chimney expert if you have any questions.
Important ! Make sure that there is easy access to the clean out door.
Operating instructions
First fire
Your new RAIS should be broken in gently for top performance and to prevent paint
damage, cracks in the fire brick, and excessive wear and tear. Start with a small fire (never
overload the firebox) to allow the materials to get accustomed to higher temperatures, and
then gradually increase the intensity.
For the first few fires you may detect a strange smell that comes from “heat Treating” the
paint and materials. This is normal and will soon disappear. – Just see to plenty of fresh air
! Furthermore you should pay attention to the fact that during the heating up and cooling
down some “click-sounds” might arise due to the large differences in temperature which
the material is exposed to.
Never use products such as gasoline, kerosene or lighter fluid to start the fire ! You risk an
explosion !
For wood to burn correctly, the right amount of air has to be supplied at the right places.
RAIS Malta/RAIS Bando is equipped with an air control handle placed on the right side
below the door, when the handle is pulled out all the way to position 1, the primary air and
secondary air are both fully open. When the handle is pushed in a notch to position 2 the
stove gets only full secondary air and if the handle is pushed in further to position = the air
supply is reduced. At position 0 the stove will shut down.
The handle on the left side just below the door serves the shaking grate, it simplifies the
cleaning of the stove – you just shake the ashes through the grate into the ash pan.

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Primary air is defined as the combustion air for burning “the mass of wood” and stipulates
the production of volatile.
Secondary air is used to burn off the volatile at high temperatures (above 1000 degrees
°F/540°C) and to keep the glass free of soot.
Basically, the primary air is used to start the fire, and the secondary air is used to maintain
the fire.
Firewood used should be split wood with an adequate low degree of moisture 15 – 22 %,
length 30 – 34 cm. In order to achieve this wood should be stored in a dry place under roof
with sufficient fresh air for at least one full year for soft tree sorts and minimum two full
years for harder wood sorts.
Building the fire
To start the fire lay 2 or 3 kindling blocks topped with twigs or dry kindling wood at the
back of the firebox (app. 2 kg). Build the wood directly on the stove hearth, and do not use
a grate or elevate the fire.
Pull out the handle for air control out to position 1. Light the fire – and during start up leave
the door slightly cracked (with supervision) about 1-2 inches/10-15 mm, until you have
clear flames. After 3 – 5 minutes close the door completely. After approx. 10 – 20 minutes
of burning, you may add 1 – 2 pieces of split logs. Again after app 10 minutes (or after the
logs have caught fire) the air control handle can be pushed in step by step to dampen the
fire. Never, however, completely reduce the air intake while logs are still burning. This will
cause incomplete combustion and soot up the glass.
Tip. Always leave a few inches of ashes in the firebox for better insulation.
When firing with closed door and correct air intake you do not have to supervise your RAIS
wood-burning stove.
RAIS Malta/RAIS is developed to a nominal thermal output of 7 kW, which corresponds
app 2,0 kg wood/hour with a water content of 18 %. If the fire is fed more than
recommended (exceeding 7 – 9 kW) there is a danger that the stove will be overloaded
and might discolour. Over firing us unnecessary and will void the guarantee.
Firewood
Burn only wood that has been seasoned for at least one full year (2 years is best !). If the
wood has not been “seasoned” or dried, much of the energy of the fire will go into
evaporating the water.

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Air-dried wood has less moisture (15 – 20 %) than freshly-cut timer (40%),and typically
yields 20 % more available heat. Wet wood burns at a lower temperature and causes
incomplete combustion (soot and “creosote” formation, which in extreme cases, can lead
to a chimney fire). The logs should have a length of the width of the firebox less 5-6 cm.
Furthermore condense might arise in the tube or the stove if you burn moist wood.
Burn only the fuel your stove was designed for. Also, trash should not be burned in you
stove. Besides increasing the chance of starting a chimney fire, so plastics and other
trash emit harmful gases, which is unhealthy for you and the environment. Driftwood,
treated wood, and artificial logs should not be burned either.
Burning value of wood
All types of wood heat up equally per kilogram; however, the density of wood is not the
same, as shown in the following table:
Type of wood Kg dry wood per m³ Compared to beech
Beech and oak 580 100 %
Ash 570 98 %
Maple 540 93 %
Birch 510 88 %
Mountain pine 480 83 %
Fir 390 67 %
Poplar 380 65 %
A few reminders
Store your wood cut and split (split logs dry faster).
Keep the wood pile in a dry sunny place, protected from the rain. Don’t cover the pile with
plastic, because that will prevent the wood from drying out properly.
Stack the wood with enough space between the rows to ensure a good air circulation !

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Verification
For a proper burn, the inside of the firebox and the glass panel should be free of soot, and
the ashes in the bottom should be light grey (not black).
Surface temperature
RAIS Malta is a convection stove, which means that the sides and back never get too hot.
Convection means that a circulation of air in the room is created so that the spreading of
the heat becomes more even. The stove is equipped with a “cold” handle – a speciality
from RAIS - which enables you to touch the handle without the use of a glove.
RAIS Bando is a convection stove with accumulating soapstone, the sides can therefore
get rather hot. The stove is equipped with a “cool” handle – a speciality from RAIS - ,
which enables you to touch the handle without the use of a glove.
Care and maintenance
Your RAIS requires very little day to day upkeep. The outer surfaces can be wiped with a
dry soft rag, and if needed, a small amount of mild detergent, but try not to scrub !
Minor scratches and other surface damage can easily be touched up with RAIS paint .
Remove any dirt, tar or rust, and make sure repairs are made only when the stove is cool
(room temperature).
Important: You should have your chimney and stove checked at least once a year by a
professional chimney sweep and cleaned as needed.
Clean the soapstone with regular paint thinner. Should there be any spots that the thinner
might not remove, then grind it very carefully.

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Maintenance smoke outlet:
Remove the baffle plate (2) by pushing it towards the top in one of the sides, into a slanted
position and pull it out carefully.
Push up the smoke leader (1), lift it from the rivets (3) and take it out.
Please notice : The baffle plate is made out of vermiculite slab insulation/skamol. This is a
porous material and must therefore be handled with care.
Sweep the smoke box using an ordinary hand sweeping brush.
Replace everything in reverse order.

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Firebox lining
The firebox bottom lining is made out of firebrick and the side lining is made out of
vermiculite slab insulation/skamol, protecting the outer steel plates against overheating.
With time, small cracks might appear, but this is normal. Should the material, however,
breaks it must be replaced. It is a porous, high-insulation material and must therefore be
handled with care.
Gaskets
The door gaskets should be replaced about every 2 years. Gasket around the ash pan can
also be replaced.
When replacing the door gasket make sure the door glass is not pressed to hard against
the gasket.
Cooking
RAIS Malta/RAIS Bando is equipped with a baking compartment. Use it to keep the tea hot
or to warm up the buns for the coffee. – Remember to protect the soapstone liner with foil.
Trouble shooting:
Smoke coming out of the door – not enough draft in the chimney < 16 Pa.
Soot on the glass – take care that the stove is warmed up sufficiently before closing the
door.
If the stove is burning too quickly, check the door gaskets first. Remember to replace as
recommended. The chimney could also be too high and thus create too much draft > 22
Pa. Installation of a damper could be needed.
If the stove is burning too slowly, it could be due to too little air getting to the stove. Check
to see that you’re not running too many other exhaust fans (kitchen and bath), or chimney
not being tight, or not tight between chimney and tubes or to thermal output being too
small.
At disturbances we recommend you to contact your chimney sweeper or your dealer.
If you should experience a chimney fire – quickly close all doors, dampers, vents, and call
your local fire department. Don’t use water to extinguish the fire.
Important: To ensure a proper and safe combustion, there must be bright and lasting
flames/embers. Don’t let the wood smoulder. Do not completely close the air inlets during
normal usage.

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Guarantee
We grant a 5 year guarantee on your RAIS stove. This guarantee covers any defect in
material or workmanship. It does not cover damage from misuse or neglect. The glass,
gaskets, firebrick and vermiculite are not covered.
E N J O Y Y O U R N E W R A I S !