Regularly check the areas close to the chimney - ceiling, roof trusses etc - for colouration or other heat damage. Check after the 1st fire and thereafter at least once a season.

Things to check before your 1st fire

• Unscrew the ceiling plate and check the insulation around the pipe where it goes through the ceiling.

• Has the fire cement been applied on the inside of the pot at the pot/lid join? (must dry for 12 hours)

• Place dry sand in the bottom of the pot up to just below the mouth.

• Clean the the pipe thoroughly with a solvent (NOT Turpentine) - most important in the case of Stainless Steel.

• Dust the pot and wipe clean with a damp cloth - no detergent.

Best way to light a fire

Always use seasoned, dry wood or charcoal to make a fire. Coal or Anthracite needs a secondary airflow for complete combustion - it can be used in an Earthfire, but the fireplace will require frequent cleaning.

The most efficient way to use your Earthfire, is to build a large fire initially. After 20 - 30 min the entire pot will be radiating heat and continue to do so even after the fire has burned low. Add to the fire when necessary.

• Build against the back wall of the pot

• Place 2 pieces of wood a bit apart touching the back wall and pointing to the mouth.

• Put 3 pieces on top at a 90o angle and another 3 on top at 90o

• Put a firelighter on the sand just in front of the wood and light.

Be careful when using newspaper as a fire-starter - it could get sucked up and lodge in the chimney.

Care, maintenance and safety

• Your fireplace will only need cleaning every 25 - 30 fires. When the ash deposit gets too high, simply brush out the excess down to the original level. Also break up the hard crust that forms on top of the sand.

• If you get fingermarks on your Stainless Steel chimney, wipe down with a solvent (NOT Turpentine) and polish with a clean, dry cloth.

• Regularly dust the pot and wipe down with a damp rag if necessary. Foreign particles like dust may cause an acrid smell when hot. Never use detergent

• Never make a fire in a wet pot or a pot with wet sand. If water has leaked down either the inside or outside of the chimney, have it fixed immediately. Take out all the sand and let the pot dry naturally for 2 days, then replace dry sand and make a small, slow fire for the 1st hour of use. See Warranty Card.

• Clean out your chimney flue once a year.

• Should a small chip occur in the glaze, rub a little shoe polish of the closest colour match into the white clay when the firplace is cooling after a fire. Repeat as necessary.

Troubleshooting

• Pipe pulls out of the lid when cooling: If this movement is not excesive, simply pull the pipe down before making a fire. If movement exceeds 20mm it means that the pipe is too tight in the roof - it expands when hot and when it cools there is less resistance on the lid side, so the pipe pulls up. Get the installer to rectify - the pipe MUST be free to move up and down.

• Acrid smell: Dust the pot and wipe thoroughly with a damp rag.

• Smokes while starting a fire: Check the sand level. Build the fire asgainst the back wall of the pot and place the firelighter on the sand in front of the wood/charcoal.

• Smokes all the time: There is a restriction in the chimney or cowl. The chimney must never be smaller than 125mmID anywhere along its length.

• Smoke or ash blows back in strong wind: The outside chimney lengt may be too short - swirls and eddies of the roof structure interferes with draw. Lengthen the chimney or install an extractor.