Manchester new user

[lisa fletcher]

Hi all

Newbie questions:

Should I leave ash in bottom of fire?
How deep?
Fire seems to be making coals which don’t burn. Why?
Should I fill the box with wood (once it’s going) or just keep adding a piece at a time?
The catalyst temp gauge seems to get almost to the “too hot” but not much flames just smouldering
Wood seems to smoulder rather than be flamey
Any tips or help would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[begreen]

Based on the description, the dryness of the wood is suspect. If this was recently purchased firewood, the odds are it's not fully seasoned.

Load at least a few pieces of wood at a time to the fire.

A new catalyst will be quite active. The catalyst thermometer will read high when new but it should settle down after a week of burning.

 

[lisa fletcher]

Thanks! I did wonder about the wood. We bought a cord of it. He said it was seasoned but 🤷🏼‍♂️

 

[wetwood4life]

Hi all

Newbie questions:

Should I leave ash in bottom of fire?
How deep?
Fire seems to be making coals which don’t burn. Why?
Should I fill the box with wood (once it’s going) or just keep adding a piece at a time?
The catalyst temp gauge seems to get almost to the “too hot” but not much flames just smouldering
Wood seems to smoulder rather than be flamey
Any tips or help would be appreciated. Thank you!

I'm no longtime, but here's my 2 cents.

Doesn't matter if you leave ash. I leave ash because it's less work.

The coals aren't burning because you're not waiting long enough, or if they're going cold it's because they're too spread apart. If you scrape them into a mound when the fire is going out, they'll stay hotter longer and burn down better.

You should fill the box based. More wood gives more heat so even half loads are fine for cool (not cold) days.

The catalyst should burn the smolder, as long as you have some flame in the fire box. If the firebox flame goes out, there's too much smolder.

Staying just shy of "too hot" is ideal, it means you're getting maximum heat from the stove, but still operating safely.

 

[lisa fletcher]

Thanks! It’s pumping out plenty of heat but just glowing with little flame. I’ve basically got a fire box full of coals that won’t “flame”, just glow, and the temp gauge is 3/4 of the way to “too hot” so I’m reluctant to open the air controller too much!

 

[begreen]

Experiment a little. Go ahead an open up the air a little more. The cat temp may not change much but don't be afraid to take it a bit hotter. It's ok to open up a window a bit while you are learning the stove's personality.

 

[lisa fletcher]

Ok! 🙃