Stove

There is a wood-burning stove installed in the lounge. Please observe the following instructions when operating it.

If you are visiting during the winter months, Cornish Gems will provide you with one bag of firewood together with some kindling. If you intend to purchase your own firewood, burn only seasoned timber with a moisture content of less than 20%. Burning damp wood can lead to a reduction in efficiency, excessive fumes and a build up of tar and dirt inside the stove that will be particularly evident in the window.

The stove will become very hot during operation, use a glove or the tool provided to open the door and adjust the top air vent control. Always open the door slowly to reduce fume emission and prevent hot fuel falling out. The door should remain closed once the fire is established and only opened to refuel and remove residue, in order to prevent fume spillage.

The top vent on the stove can be slid from left to right to control the amount of air that is drawn in; when the valve is slid fully to the right it is open and fully to the left is closed.

To light the fire use a firelighter and kindling, leave the door slightly open whilst fire establishes and then add larger logs. Close the door and keep the top air vent fully open. Once fire is fully established close down the air vent to control the burn rate, for optimum performance it is recommended to keep the top vent at least half open.

Do not over fill the fire box, it is better to add smaller amounts of wood more often. Over filling the stove, or running it for prolonged periods of time with the air vent fully open, can result in over-firing, which entails an excessive build up of heat which can permanently damage the stove.

It is recommended that you add kiln dried beech logs weighing around 1.2kg at approximately 45 minute intervals to achieve optimum efficiency and minimal emissions. Do not overfill the stove; never add more than two logs at a time. Failure to adhere to these recommendations can cause excessive smoke contrary to regulations.

A bed of ash in the stove will aid combustion but ash levels should not be allowed to build up to more than 10mm. Never remove hot ash from the stove, allow it to cool down and remove excess ash with a suitable brush and pan. Hot ashes should not be disposed of in plastic bins or sacks.

If there is insufficient burning material in the firebed to light a new fuel charge, excessive smoke emission can occur. Refuelling must be carried out onto a sufficient quantity of glowing embers and ash that the new fuel charge will ignite in a reasonable period. If there are too few embers in the fire bed, add suitable kindling to prevent excessive smoke. Operation with the air controls or appliance dampers open can cause excess smoke. The appliance must not be operated with air controls, appliance dampers or door left open except as directed in these instructions. Be aware that weather conditions such as wind and rain can affect the performance of the stove, the effects can vary but as an example the fire will often be smokier and take longer to establish on damp and rainy days. Low levels of draw arising due to weather conditions can result in difficulties establishing a fire; excessively high levels of draw can lead to poor fuel economy and noise caused by air being drawn through the stove too rapidly.

If the stove emits smoke into the room continuously you should immediately ventilate the room and close the top valve completely and allow the stove to go out. Do not re-light the stove until the problem has been resolved. Follow the same procedure in the event of any other malfunction (e.g. overheating). In the unlikely event of a chimney fire (roaring sound and dense smoke and sparks from the chimney) shut the top air vent and stove door, evacuate the premises and call the fire brigade.