Vogelzang VG450ELGB - Manual (Page 13)

VGZ-014 / 20120424.0 Vogelzang International Corp. VG450EL FrontiErsman™ / Page 13
SERvICE hINTS
mAINTENANCE continued…
4. Establish a routine for the handling of fuel,
wood burner and firing technique. Check daily
for creosote build-up until experience shows
how often you need to clean for safe operation.
Be aware that the hotter the fire, the less creo-
sote is deposited and weekly cleanings may be
necessary in mild weather even though monthly
cleanings may be enough in colder months.
warnInG: In Case OF ChIMneY FIre
(1) ClOse aIr InleT COnTrOl (2) GeT
OuT OF The hOuse (3) Call The FIre
DeParTMenT.
ChIMneY DraFT
The chimney is critical to the proper operation
of the stove. It is the chimney that creates draft;
tHE stOVE DOEs NOt AND CANNOt CRE-
AtE DRAFt. The chimney provides two vital
functions for proper stove operation. First, it is
the passage to exhaust smoke and hot gases created
in the combustion process. Secondly, it supplies
the draft (or pressure) to bring oxygen to the fire
to sustain combustion. Draft is the natural move-
ment of air or gases through a chimney. Chimney
draft comes from the natural tendency for hot (less
dense) air to rise. As the hot air rises within the
chimney it creates a lower pressure at the bottom of
the chimney to which the stove is connected. The
higher pressure air outside the stove then rushes
into the stove where the lower air pressure level
exists, thus bringing oxygen to the fire. This con-
stant flow of air is referred to as the draft. Many
factors or combination of factors can act together
to build or impede the draft. Without the correct
amount of draft, the stove will not operate properly.
If there is excessive draft, an unsafe condition
will arise with too much air being drawn into the
stove and creating an excessively hot fire. This
could cause over firing which runs the risk of
igniting structural elements around the stove and
chimney.
The most common experience is that of insuf-
ficient draft. Under insufficient draft conditions,
the fire will be starved for oxygen, improper or
incomplete combustion occurs resulting in smoke
spillage into the area around the stove. A fire that
is starved for oxygen will not burn well. Such a
fire will produce excessive smoke that will cool
and condense in the chimney creating creosote.
Excessive amounts of creosote buildup can ignite
causing a chimney fire with the possibility of struc-
tural elements igniting as well.
Correct any draft related issues before using
the stove. The following are some possible causes
of insufficient draft. Please note that one or more
factors may play a role in a draft issue and certain
factors may change over time as conditions vary.
1. Atmospheric Pressure and Air Supply
Atmospheric pressure that affects the draft may
occur from outside the structure, inside the
structure, or both. High pressure weather (clear
and cold) usually produces a better chimney
draft than low pressure (overcast and damp)
conditions. Negative pressure can be created
inside a home by appliances that expel air from
within such as bathroom vents, range hoods,
clothes dryers, and forced air furnaces. Do not
allow such appliances to overcome the natural
draft. Note that newer homes tend to be built
more tightly allowing less make up air to seep
freely in. Negative pressure may be overcome
by opening a nearby door or window. In ex-
treme conditions of negative draft, the airflow
in the chimney will reverse direction. This is
known as “down drafting.”
2. Environmental Factors
Wind or air deflecting off external objects such
as the roof, neighboring structures, trees, or
hills. These can cause a pressure change in the
air surrounding the chimney.
3. Chimney Temperature
The temperature of the chimney is an important
factor in how well it drafts. Warm chimneys
draft better than cold chimneys. This is based
upon the principle that hot air rises while cold
air sinks. Hot gases going up a cold chimney
will cool rapidly. Warm the chimney by allow-
ing a hot fire to burn for the first fifteen to thirty
minutes after starting the fire. Be careful not to
over fire the stove. If any part of the stove or
chimney starts to glow, you are over firing the
stove. Masonry chimneys will take longer to
warm than manufactured chimneys on account
of their greater structural mass. Chimneys
that have a flue diameter larger than the stove
outlet take more heat to warm, thus resulting
in a faster cooling of the hot gases needed to
build or maintain draft.
4. Chimney Installation and Maintenance
Confirm that all four minimum chimney