new pleasant hearth stove

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I just bought a pleasant hearth wood stove and in the firebox at the top there is a board that is laying across some pipes and I was wondering if this is part of the firebox or should it be removed, it doesn't say in the instructions,thanks for any info

 

[Pagey]

That should be the baffle board, and it is a vital part of the stove. The baffle rests in the top of the stove, and it prevents the combustion gases from going straight up the flue as wasted heat/creosote. The baffle board forces the smoke to take sort of an S pattern through the firebox. As the gases reach the baffle board, air is introduced through burn tubes (usually), causing the gases to ignite and burn, thus giving you 1.) more heat and 2.) far, far less creosote.

 

[Pagey]

Here's a cutaway/side view of a modern EPA non-catalytic stove. See how the baffle in the top forces the smoke to curl around the firebox before exiting? Those tubes provide pre-heated "secondary combustion" air at the top of the firebox, causing volatile gases to ignite and "reburn". This is referred to as "secondary combustion," and it produces heat that would otherwise escape up the flue and leave as pollution or be deposited as creosote.

Now, the key to making that work is DRY FUEL. Not "seasoned" as in the guy selling your wood told you it was seasoned. Seasoned generally means that wood has been cut, split, and stacked in the dry for a minimum of one year. Not sitting in the round for 8 months and split 2 weeks ago, especially with the hardwoods we have here in TN.

Welcome to the forums, btw. We love pics. Let's see that stove in action!

http://www.woodheat.org/technology/noncatalytic.gif