Hearth and Home Technologies BIR50-B - Manual (Page 13)

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4
Troubleshooting Guide
Start Fire Problems Possible Cause Solution
Can’t get fire started
Excessive smoke or spillage
Burns too slowly
Smolders, sizzles
Not enough kindling/paper or no
kindling/paper
Use dry kindling, more paper. Arrange kindling & wood for
air movement.
Damper closed/not fully open Open damper.
Not enough air for fire to ignite Check for restricted cap/shroud.
Check for flue blockage.
Pre-warm flue before starting fire (refer to starting fire
section).
Check for adequate vent height (refer to chimney assem-
bly section).
Open window below the fireplace towards the wind.
Wood condition is too wet, too large Use dry, seasoned wood (refer to wood fuel section).
Bed of coals not established before
adding wood
Start with paper & kindling to establish bed of coals (refer
to starting fire section).
Flue blockage such as birds’ nests
or leaves in termination cap
Have chimney inspected for creosote and cleaned by a
certified chimney sweep.
Down draft or negative pressure
Competition with exhaust devices
Do not use exhaust fans during start-up (refer to negative
pressure section).
Open window below the fireplace towards the wind.
Fire burns too fast Extremely dry or soft wood Mix in hardwood.
Mix in less seasoned wood after fire is established (refer
to wood fuel section).
No glass doors Add glass doors to slow down air flow.
Overdrafting Check for correct vent height; too much vertical height
creates overdrafting.
Check location of vent termination (refer to chimney as-
sembly section).
Heatilator • Birmingham BIR50-B • 4059-682D• 9/12