Bush's Fireplace
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330-538-2367
11216 Gladstone Rd, Warren, OH 44481

Wood & Coal Burning Tips

With the continuing rise of fuel prices, wood and coal burning have become the “in” things once again. While burning wood or coal is a pleasure, there are procedures that should be followed to ensure the best possible experience. We hope these tips help as you learn or relearn the process. Good luck and most of all, be patient!

  1. Read the manual supplied with your unit. It gives invaluable information for operating and maintaining the fireplace, insert, furnace, or stove. You will also find the terms of the manufacturer supplied warranty located here.
  2. Use good quality fuel! What does this mean? Here are some pointers:
    • The best wood is a hardwood such as maple, oak, beech, ash, or hickory.
    • Wood should be split, stacked, and air-dried outside, under cover for at least 12 months.
    • Deadfall and slab wood are NOT considered good seasoned wood.
    • Green wood will burn, but much energy is required to drive off the excess moisture meaning less heat for you, more creosote, and a potentially dangerous situation.
    • If you burn green or wet wood, you may have to clean your chimney on a monthly basis.
    • Wood dried for more than two years is too dry and will reduce burn time.
    • Anthracite coal in the size specified for your coal stove.
  3. Clean, clean, clean!! Wood / coal burning is enjoyable, but it also involves some work. Here are some things you will need to do on a daily basis:
    • Check the level of ashes and empty before they reach the top of the ash pan. This helps keep your grate(s) from warping.
    • Clean any loose items from around the unit – ashes and debris from wood or coal.
  4. Do a visual inspection of the unit itself – do all gaskets look good and seal properly, are the surfaces free of any foreign objects, is the glass intact, do all doors latch properly?
  5. Make sure to go over entire stove during the summer. This is your annual maintenance and will include some or all of the following depending on your individual unit:
    • Thoroughly clean and inspect the chimney.
    • Check gaskets for wear or compression. Replace if needed.
    • Inspect and clean catalyst. Replace if needed.
    • Clean the glass.
    • Make sure all handles are tight.
    • If you have heat shields, make sure all screws are tight.
    • Clean out ash pan. You can put cat litter in it to keep the inside of the stove dry during the summer.
    • Touch up paint.
    • On some units, a physical interior tear down and inspection should be done in the summer months.
    • Clean and lubricate blowers.
  6. Order any needed parts during the summer if possible. This ensures your burning season is not interrupted. Most parts are available in 7-14 business days and some can be shipped directly to you. We try to stock some common parts and gaskets, but it is not possible to stock everything. Remember, most people wait until the last minute to order parts then wait in line to get them – get ahead of the game!!
  7. Things to Remember!
    • Every home / situation is different. What works with you neighbor’s stove may not work with yours.
    • We prefer to look at your installation before you purchase a unit. We have years of expertise under our belt and will give you our honest opinion of what is best for your situation. The choice is still up to you, but it helps to give you direction.
    • A properly sized stove and chimney means better operation. Over-sizing can introduce many problems than can cause unsafe situations.
  8. Glossary of terms – hear are some words that are important to be familiar with
    • Air wash – system by which primary air is rushed over the interior of the glass from top to bottom. This helps to keep the glass cleaner that with no air wash at all. The glass does not stay pristine with the air wash, but it is much better that without. Some smoke, soot, and glazing can be expected.
    • Catalytic Combustor – ceramic honeycomb coated with platinum. Ignites and re-burns smoke to recuperate heat that would otherwise be lost to the outside. The catalyst increases the efficiency of the stove, helps decrease the amount of creosote, and creates less air pollution.
    • Back-puffing – happens when the fire produces smoke faster than the chimney draft pulls it out of the unit. There are several causes including: cool chimney, oversized flue, over dry firewood, and negative pressure. Please ask if you would like additional information on back-puffing.
    • Creosote – organic tar that is a by-product of slow wood burning. Creosote can generate chimney fires if it gets hot enough. Negative pressure – this occurs when the air pressure in the home is less than the air pressure outside of the home. When this happens, air will enter the home through the path of least resistance. Unfortunately, this is often the fireplace or stove flue.
    • Anthracite – the highest rank of coal, hard, brittle, often referred to as hard coal. Contains the highest percent of fixed carbon and the highest heating value of the three types of coal.
    • Bituminous – dense, black coal, often referred to as soft coal. Contains a high percentage of sulfur. This type of coal produces a lot of smoke, soot, and odor.
    • Primary air – the part of the combustion air introduced with the wood.
    • Secondary air – the part of the combustion air introduced over the flame to enhance completeness of combustion.