Product Manual

Heat Commander Furnace Installation and Operation Manual
57
9.6.5.3 High output fires for cold weather
When the heat demand is high during cold weather, you will need a fire that burns steadily
and brightly. This is the time to use your biggest pieces of hardwood fuel if you have it. Put
the biggest pieces at the back of the firebox and place the rest of the pieces compactly. A
densely built fire like this will produce the longest burn your furnace is capable of.
9.6.5.4 Maximum burn cycle times
The burn cycle time is the period between loading wood on a coal bed and the consumption
of that wood back to a coal bed of the same size. The flaming phase of the fire lasts for
roughly the first half of the burn cycle and the second half is the coal bed phase during which
there is little or no flame. The length of burn you can expect from your furnace, including
both the flaming and coal bed phases, will be affected by several things, such as:
• firebox size,
• the amount of wood loaded,
• the species of wood you burn,
• the wood moisture content,
• the size of the space to be heated,
• the climate zone you live in, and
• the time of year.
• the time cycle for the thermostat to call for heat.
The table below provides a very general indication of the maximum burn cycle times you are
likely to experience, based on firebox volume.
FIREBOX VOLUME
MAXIMUM
BURN TIME
< 1.5 ft
3
3 to 5 hours
1.5 ft
3
to 2 ft
3
5 to 6 hours
2 ft
3
to 2.5 ft
3
6 to 8 hours
2.5 ft
3
to 3.0 ft
3
8 to 9 hours
>3.0 ft
3
9 to 10 hours
9.7 Additional fresh air supply
When the furnace and the chimney are completely cold, it may be necessary to provide fresh
air by opening a door or a window for a few minutes while lighting the fire.
Take note that a house constructed or renovated to be airtight may lack the volume of fresh
air necessary for the proper combustion of a solid-fuel heating appliance.
In such a case, when starting up the fire, do not operate appliances that evacuate air outside
the house, such as:
• Range hood
• Air exchanger
• Clothes dryer
• Bathroom blower
• Ventilated central vacuum system