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22 Operating Your Appliance
© Travis Industries 100-01177 4060802
Starting a Fire
Since the dawn of time man has debated the best way to start a fire. Some use the boy-scout "tee-pee",
some prefer the "tic-tac-toe" stack. Either way, review the hints and warnings below to ensure proper fire
starting.
• Make sure the air control and by-pass are pulled out. If additional air is needed, open the doors 1/4"
during the first five minutes of start-up.
Open the bypass. Leave it
open until the stove is
HOT (up to 45 minutes).
Pull the air control
all the way out.
ALLOW THE STOVE TO FULLY HEAT PRIOR TO SHUTTING THE BYPASS
We occasionally get calls regarding a smokey stove during start-up. The primary cause is
shutting the bypass prior to the stove becoming hot. If you shut the bypass too early, the
combustor will not work (the combustor must be hot for it to work properly). This in turn will slow
combustion and will lead to a smokey fire.
Never use gasoline, gasoline-type lantern fuel, kerosene, charcoal lighter fluid, or similar liquids to start
or "freshen up" a fire in this stove. Keep all such liquids well away from the stove while it is in use.
If using a firestarter, use only products specifically designed for stoves - follow the manufacturer's
instructions carefully.
If the smoke does not pass up the chimney, ball up one sheet of newspaper, place it in the center of the
firebox and light it. This should start the chimney drafting (this eliminates "cold air blockage").
Use plenty of kindling to ensure the stove reaches a proper temperature. Once the kindling is burning
rapidly, place a few larger pieces of wood onto the fire.
Starting a “Top-Down Fire”
One particularly successful method for starting a fire is to
stack several large pieces of wood in the center of the stove
(see the illustration to the right). Then place a several wads
of newspaper in the center with kindling on top. When you
light the newspaper this “top-down” fire will burn its way to
the center, igniting the larger pieces. With some practice,
this method should work for you.