Drolet DB03505 User Manual

Page 29

fire. Never burn salt wood, beach wood, chemically treated wood, or wood removed from salt water,
since the deposits left will deteriorate the firebox. Damage caused by chemicals or salt is not covered
under warranty.

Seasoned cord wood is recommended. Wood should be air dried in a covered and ventilated area for a
minimum of six months (one year or more is recommended). This reduces the moisture content of the
wood, resulting in a better stove performance. Wood species with moisture content of 20% or less are
ideal. Dry, seasoned cord wood, can be distinguished from green wood by the cracks at each end of the
logs. Wet or green wood will tend to cause the fire to smoulder, producing large amounts of creosote.
Creosote buildup could result in a chimney fire. This wood will also prove difficult to keep burning
properly, and fires will tend to go out. Green wood produces very little heat, and sometimes causes
customers to think that the stove does not work.

Decayed wood or low-density wood has very little energy content or heating value, and will not burn
satisfactorily for long periods of time. An example of the energy values of some common wood fuels
found un North America is given in Table 3.2 below.

Wood species

Energy yield
(millions of BTU/cord)

Oak

Sugar Maple

Beech

Yellow birch

Ash

High energy yield

Elm

Larch (Tamarack)

Red Maple

Douglas red fir

Silver birch

Alder

Poplar

Medium energy yield

Hemlock

Spruce

Pine

Bass

Low energy yield

Fir

Data provided by Energy, Mines and Resources – Canada

TABLE 3.2 Energy yield for wood species

3.2.1 The use of manufactured logs

There are numerous types of manufactured logs sold on the market. You must be very careful with this
type of product. Many brands of manufactured logs contain chemical additives. DO NOT BURN ANY
MANUFACTURED LOGS CONTAINING CHEMICAL ADDITIVES. If you do, you may damage your
stove and void the warranty. Logs containing chemical additives burn a lot hotter and were designed for