Warranty Information

when using your fireplace unless some other means of supplying air is available, such as a forced-air type heating system which uses
an outside air supply.
You should experiment with different settings of both firescreen and flue dampers (if possible) until you find the combination which
works the best for your fireplace. Selecting and storing firewood.
The type of firewood you burn and its moisture content can have a large effect on the amount of heat and enjoyment you are able to
obtain from your fireplace. The following are some general guidelines for selecting and storing firewood.
Most firewood can be categorized as one of two basic types: softwood or hard-wood. Each of these types offers something different in
terms of heat value, flame size, burning duration and aroma.
In general, softwoods are from trees that do not lose their leaves or needles such as pine, fir, hemlock, and spruce. This type of wood
ignites readily, burns rapidly, and produces a crackling blaze. However, softwoods also tend to leave soot and residue in your chimney
and, if used often, may require more frequent cleaning of your chimney (see CREOSOTE-FORMATION AND NEED FOR
REMOVAL). Hard-woods, in general, are from trees that lose their leaves in the fall, such as oak, walnut, maple and cherry. Most
hardwoods burn relatively slowly and quietly, and leave little residue and soot in your chimney. However, most hardwoods are often
difficult to split and ignite. Some types of hardwoods, such as birch, are almost as easy to split and ignite as softwoods, yet are long-
lasting and clean-burning like most hardwoods and are a good, overall choice.
If both hardwoods and softwoods are used for burning, use the softwood to start your fire, then add the hardwood as needed. This will
result in a fire that is both easily started and long-lasting. If just one type of wood is to be used, hardwoods are preferred over
softwoods due to their greater heating and burning efficiency.
In order to obtain the best heating and burning efficiency from your fireplace, only burn wood that has been properly seasoned, with a
moisture content about 22% to 24%. The moisture content of freshly cut wood depends on many factors, such as the type of tree, the
time of year and whether the tree was living or dead, but can usually be assumed to be greater than about 34%. Therefore, in general,
most wood should be dried before attempting to burn it.
The surest way of ensuring that your wood is dry enough is to buy or cut it six to eighteen months before you intend to use it. It should
be cut into lengths about 18 to 20' long and split into pieces with diameters no larger than about 10'. After split-ting, the wood should
be stacked outside, under a roof or with a cover to protect the wood from getting wet, using skids to keep the wood off the ground.
The wood should be stacked in such a manner that air can circulate between the pieces.
It is possible to dry wood too much, as wood with a moisture content below about 18% doesn't give off very much heat when burned.
Also, some wood may need to be dried for a longer period, especially if the wood is waterlogged (soaked in water for a period of
time). Never burn wood that has been treated with creosote, such as pil-ings, telephone poles, fence posts or railroad ties, as the
creosote will burn at a much higher temperature than your fireplace was designed for and could easily start a chimney or roof fire.
Burning creosote gives off large quantities of pollution and the smoke is especially foul-smelling and unpleasant