TECHNICAL - Pre Winter Usage Checks / Check your Fire or Stove

1. Fire Bars or Grate - Designed to hold the fire and riddle the ash.  If your riddler is not working correctly, when fire is cool, clean and check the fire bars and supporting bars. Look for distorted / bent bars which are stopping any riddling of ash. Ash build up in appliances is one main reason bars wear quickly. Not 'riddling' or cleaning the ashes from the grate DAILY will significantly reduce the life of your bars.

 

2. Fire Bricks - Located on the side and rear of the inside fire chamber of the appliance. They are in place to deflect excessive heat from the appliances 'metal structure'. Fire bricks do crack over time. To protect the appliance it is important to replace them when they break / crack.  In the event you have an old appliance and the bricks are no longer available, we sell 'Vemiculite Board' which can be cut to size. 

 

3. Door & Glasses - Check the door closes & seals well against the door frame. If the glass is loose or cracked, it will be sucking air in. Any gaps where air can enter the fire will cause it to 'burn rapidly' and will increase your fuel bills. When changing glass it is important you do so correctly (please read our instructions). Rust build up behind the glass or over tightening of bolts is a common reason for glass cracking. As the rust builds up or / and the metal on the door expands with the heat, the glass is put under pressure and cracks. For TIPS to CHANGE YOUR OWN STOVE GLASS - See our HELP LIBRARY

 

4. Throat Plate - The Throat Plate sits at the top of the fire (directly above the flames) and is designed to deflect as much heat as possible from going up the chimney, back into the room. Over time and with excessive heat they can warp, bend or crack.... This can lose precious heat up the chimney and could cause complications with chimney cleaning or removal of firebricks and / or the plate itself.

 

5. Thermostat & Flap - Stoves with a thermostat and a flap attached may need any ash or coal particles clearing from the flap.  The flap is designed to sit tight against the fire housing (when at temperature) to restrict the air flow into the fire. If there are any objects stopping this seal, the fire will not shut down as it should and burn excessive fuel.  To test this, when the fire is up to temperature, turn the thermostat to 'close off' - the fire flames should reduce and slow down after a few minutes.

 

6. Door Seals / Door Closes Correctly - Door seals can wear over time and are simple to replace. A seal should have a degree of softness so it buffers and seals the door against the fire front tightly and securely, stopping any air flow. If air is being sucked in via the door seals, then this can cause the fire to burn excessively - which will as a result burn at a higher temperature and thus burn out parts more quickly AND burn more fuel (coal / wood).

 

 

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Note: The above are basic checks you can do to manage the health of your fire, we do recommend however if you are in doubt about any of these that you contact a qualified and certified stove engineer.  See www.hetas.co.uk for Engineer near you.