using wire wool. Operating the stove for a few minutes at high
output will usually burn-off any window deposits left by tarry or wet
fuels. After a period of use tiny hairline cracks may appear on the
window, this is not a fault and will not increase the risk of
breakage but is a characteristic of the toughest and most heat-
resistant material currently available.
OPENING THE DOOR Tiger is designed to be operated only with
the door closed. Open the door slowly when refuelling or de-
ashing to minimise fume emission.
FUELS
There is no 'perfect' fuel, so we strongly recommend that you try a
selection of fuels (or mixtures) to find which suits you best. Do
avoid dusty materials like sawdust, they can burn far to violently.
SMOKE CONTROL: In certain areas special rules apply to reduce
smoke nuisance. Check with your local authority.
WOOD only emits as much carbon to the atmosphere as the tree
took in when growing, so wood is considered the 'carbon neutral'
fuel. When wood is cut down its cells are full of water. Burning
such wet or 'green' wood wastes heat in making steam and
produces flammable, acidic tars which will cling to, and rapidly
damage, your stove and chimney. Split logs will typically take two
years to become reasonably dry, round logs much longer. Cracks
in the ends, a hollow sound when tapped and bark falling away
are all signs that a log may be ready for use. The fine, white
residue produced when wood burns is not ash, but the remains of
cell walls which can burn if kept hot enough, so don't de-ash a fire
until absolutely necessary when using wood.
For best performance, and always for low smoke emission:
●Split logs lengthways for drying
●Use logs no bigger than about 1 mm x 25 mm
●Ensure logs are absolutely dry (less than 15% moisture)
●Fill the stove criss-cross, so air can circulate between
logs.
●Fill 'little and often'
●Always have the airwash control (2) at least a little open.
●When first lighting, or reviving a fire from embers, use
only very small, thin, dry, sticks.
JOINERY WASTE Dry wood offcuts will burn well, but don't expect
softwood waste to burn as cleanly or for as long as hardwood
logs.
PEAT: Sod turf must be thoroughly dry. BNM peat briquettes are
approved for use in Smokeless Zones in the RoI.
LIGNITE (not smokeless) is a natural mineral, between peat and
coal. It lights easily and burns well, but produces much ash
HOUSECOAL or BITUMINOUS COAL (not smokeless) makes
lots of tarry smoke and large volumes of flammable gas which
make it difficult to control and risk explosions. Despite its low cost,
it rarely represents value for money. Don't use housecoal.
ANTHRACITE (Smokeless) is a natural hard, shiny form of coal.
Slow to light, it can burn for very long periods with great heat.
Despite its high price-per-bag it generally works out to be one of
the cheapest of all fuels. Use the 'small nuts' size.
COKE (Smokeless) is coal from which the smoke has been
removed. Sometimes difficult to light, it burns very cleanly.
BRIQUETTES Are compressed blocks of fuel, generally able to
burn for long periods and remarkable for their consistency.
'Homefire' and 'Phurnacite' are smokeless types while other
brands are made from lignite, peat or housecoal.
PETROLEUM COKE sold as 'Petcoke', 'Longbeach' and under
various proprietary names, is made from oil. Easy to light and to
control, its exceptional heat and lack of protective ash mean that it
MUST NOT be used unless mixed with another fuel. Grate and
liner life will be drastically reduced when using petroleum coke
HOUSEHOLD WASTES Some plastics give off toxic fumes when
burned and remember that batteries and aerosols explode! The
stove is not an incinerator, so only ever use the recommended
fuels and NEVER use liquid fuels in any form.
PROBLEMS
Problems like those listed here are usually due to some difficulty
with the installation, chimney or fuels, so please check back
through this leaflet carefully. If necessary seek specialist advice.
SMOKE FROM THE CHIMNEY It is quite normal for a little smoke
to be emitted from the chimney when the fire is cold, so, start the
fire using only a very little fuel. Make sure that the airwash
control is open and use only VERY dry wood or smokeless fuels.
DAMAGED LINERS Your stove gets very, very hot inside, it is
quite usual for the replaceable liners to crack or craze. They need
only be replaced when they have almost completely disintegrated.
Help them last longer by using only very dry fuel.
POOR HEAT OUTPUT: A stove can heat a typical room of about
12m³ volume for each kW of output, so a 5kW model can heat up
to (12 x 5) 63m³, a room of about 5m square. The actual size
depends on the insulation and air-change ratio of the room. To
attempt to heat a larger room will result in excessive fuel
consumption and damaging overheating.
LACK OF CONTROLLABILITY This appliance is designed to
always burn vigorously enough to eliminate smoke - adjust the
heat output by how much fuel you put on, as well as by using the
controls.
DIFFICULTY BURNING FOR EXTENDED PERIODS This stove is
not designed for extended burning but for quick heat-up and
occasional use. Longer burning can be achieved only using very
hard fuels such as anthracite.
CONDENSATION onto cool surfaces inside the stove can be
severe if fuel is in any way damp. Use only very dry fuel.
OVER-FIRING: It is possible to leave the fire too long with the
controls set too high leading to 'over firing', seen as glowing metal
parts, excessive chimney temperature and risk of parts failing or
chimney fires. Always set controls to the lowest practical setting.
SMOKE COMING INTO ROOM Fumes are poisonous- smoke
emission must NEVER be tolerated, causes might be:
NEW STOVE: There is often a smell and sometimes visible fumes
as the paint cures. This normally stops after an hour or so.
INADEQUATE SEALS: Are all flue pipes and connectors
absolutely gas-tight? Even the tiniest crack or gap can spoil the
draught.
BLOCKED THROAT PLATE: Has soot and ash collected on the
'throat plate' above the inner back part of the firebox?
UNSUITABLE, BLOCKED OR UN-SWEPT CHIMNEY: The first
requirement for correct operation is a sound chimney. Check the
requirements earlier in this document and in any case of doubt
engage a professional sweep or chimney engineer.
POOR AIR SUPPLY: Lack of air to the fire is a common cause of
smoking and poor performance. Air supply problems may be
worse in certain wind conditions (often incorrectly ascribed to
'downdraught', which is in fact very rare), where air can be sucked
out of the room. The answer is to fit an air vent, as near to the fire
as possible, facing into the usual wind direction.
DOWNDRAUGHT: Wind can blow down a chimney if there is
something higher nearby such as a tree, hill or high building.
Fitting an anti-downdraught cowl to the chimney top can cure this.
Types which cannot be swept through are not recommended.
POOR CHIMNEY DRAUGHT- Chimney draught in use MUST be
at least 12Pa.
CHIMNEY FIRE: In the rare event of deposits inside the chimney
igniting (roaring sound + dense smoke and sparks from the
chimney) immediately close the door, shut all air controls and call
the fire brigade. Prevent fires by using very dry fuel and having
your chimney swept regularly.
MAINTENANCE
MONTHLY- CLEAN THE THROAT PLATE and CHECK THE DOOR SEALS The throat plate (sometimes called a baffle plate) is the
cast-iron plate inside the roof of the stove, item (9) in the diagram below. It serves to distribute flames towards the sides and top of the
fire and so increase heat output. Remove the plate when the stove is cool to brush off any deposits of soot or ash which might cause a
blocked chimney. Check that the door seals are undamaged, (replacing them if necessary) and that they fully seal against the stove
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