Now that you have your new fireplace, the anticipation of warmth, coziness, and your first fire is building. However, there are a few not-so-exciting things you need to know before you do.
For those who have never used a closed combustion fireplace before, the trial and error process can be lengthy and tedious. Luckily, for you, we have been around that mulberry bush and we are very happy to share with you how to make the most of your fireplace from Day 1!
Use Well-Seasoned Wood
I cannot express this enough: Well-seasoned wood is your key to a fantastic experience with your fireplace! Blue Gum is the best for closed combustion fireplaces, with Black Wattle a close second. You can click here to learn how to season your wood yourself. Trust me, it will be well worth your time!
Curing the Paint
The paint on your fireplace is brand new. It will cure onto the body of the unit during your first fire. Curing paint requires a high temperature and, if done correctly, should only take about an hour. Just follow these easy steps:
- Firstly, throughout this process, leave the fireplace door(s) slightly open. This will prevent the rope seal from sticking to the body of the unit. If it sticks, it will tear loose when you open the door again. The paint will go tacky before it hardens (cures.)
- Start the fire small. Gradually build up the fire into a very large one.
- At curing temperature, there will be a slight vapour rising from the unit, as well as a rather pungent smell. Leave your doors and windows open to allow the smell to dissipate.
- In some instances, clients are timid with this first. Days later, they make larger, hotter fires than the initial curing fire. This can result in the paint curing again. If you do this right the first time, you will do this ONCE and never have to do it again! Don’t worry about hurting the fireplace. It is robust and can withstand this once-off big-fire process.
Fireplace Air Vent Controls
Every fireplace has an air vent system specific to its brand and model. Most are easy to use. Almost all have a primary vent at the bottom of the door, as well as a secondary “air wash” vent near the top of the door. Some have a tertiary air vent that your salesperson should have told you about. A Standard fire-lighting procedure is as follows:
- When starting your fire, ensure that both air vents are wide open to allow lots of oxygen in to get the fire going. Once you have established a bed of red embers, close the bottom vent!
- You can then start using the top vent to control the burn rate by adjusting the flow of air into the unit. Using the vents correctly causes 2 things to happen: 1) you will be able to control how fast or slow you burn your fuel, and 2) the Air Wash System is engaged. The fire is forced to reach up to the top of the door to get oxygen, and in so doing will burn the glass clean.
- Unseasoned wood will make it difficult to use the air vents properly because of the high sap content. Blackened glass, soot/carbon residue and being forced to keep the bottom vent open are clear signs that your wood is not good quality. Leaving your bottom vent open will create a blowtorch effect on your fireplace’s internal components, resulting in premature replacement of burnt out grates, deflectors and other components on a far more regular basis. We can identify this kind of abuse when we see grate bars bending like a banana, round grates arching into a bubble, and over-firing your fireplace will make your flues darken a lot, and the steel inside the unit will take on a reddish hue… and, unfortunately, this evidence of over-firing your unit will void your unit’s warrantee. And it is here that we get back to our original point: All this trouble can be avoided by simply using well-seasoned wood!
Discolouration of flues
With your new fireplace comes a clean, matt finish, stainless steel flue. Stainless steel, by nature, discolours when it is exposed to the heat from your fire. Various grades of steel discolour to mottled blue, purple, or dark brown.
Our 304 stainless steel flues will don a lovely coppery finish. The closer the flue is to the unit the more pronounced the colour change will be. This can occur unevenly, but this discolouration is an ABSOLUTELY NORMAL occurrence. It is important to remember that fingerprints, air fresheners, bug sprays, oily residues from cleaning products, etc, will cause uneven and often spotty marks. The best way to get rid of these is metal polish and elbow grease! Good practice is to wipe the flue down with methylated spirits on a clean, white cloth before your first fire each season.
So, that’s pretty much all you need to know about working your fireplace like a pro! We are available at Fireplace City should you have other concerns or questions.
Now you’re ready to enjoy a delicious hot chocolate or a glass of wine in front of the fire!
