Frequently Asked Questions
Please click on the links below for information on some frequently asked questions. If the information you are looking for is not included below, please email us at customerservice@vogelzang.com and we will respond with a complete answer within 2 business days.
Add-On Furnace
Cast Iron Stoves
Coal Burning Tips
Creosote
Door Gaskets
Draft
Installation
Manuals
Mobile & Manufactured Homes
Ordering
Shipping
Smoking
Warranty & Returns
Wood Burning Tips
Draft
What is draft?
Why is draft important?
Simply put, stoves work mainly because hot air rises. As the hot air rises within the chimney it creates a lower pressure at the bottom of the chimney to which the stove is connected. The higher pressure air around the outside of the stove then rushes into the stove where a lower air pressure level exists, thus feeding the fire with oxygen. This constant flow of air is referred to as the draft. Many factors or combination of factors can act together to build or impede the draft. Without the correct amount of draft, the stove will not operate properly.
The chimney is critical to the proper operation of the stove because its function is more than just exhausting smoke from the stove. The chimney must create draft. Please note It is the chimney that creates draft; THE STOVE DOES NOT AND CANNOT CREATE DRAFT. Draft is a function of the chimney.
Draft Issues
If there is too much draft, an unsafe condition will arise with too much fresh air drawn into the stove to creating an excessively hot fire.
The most commonly experienced occurrence is that of insufficient draft. Under insufficient draft conditions, the fire will be starved for oxygen and smoke spillage may occur. A fire that is starved for oxygen will not burn well. Such a fire will produce excessive smoke that will cool and condensate in the chimney creating creosote.
Correct any draft related issues before using the stove.
Following are some questions to help locate the cause of insufficient draft. Please note that one or more factors may play a role in a draft issue. Certain factors may change over a period of time as conditions vary.
1) Is your chimney tall enough? For specific requirements for your exact stove model, please refer to the installation instructions (which can be found here). The physics that link chimney height with draft creation are vital to the proper operation of the stove. Failure to meet each of these minimum requirements will have an adverse affect on draft. To function properly, the chimney should 1. Be at least 15 feet in overall height. 2. Where it projects above the roof, the chimney should be at least 3 feet taller than the roofline, and 3. the chimney should be at least 2 feet higher than anything within 10 feet of it-including other buildings, trees, etc. If your stove smokes because your chimney is too short, the problem is usually worse when the wind blows. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will have an adverse affect on draft. You will also want to avoid long horizontal runs and/or multiple elbows. Use stove cement to seal joints in the connector pipe section.
2) Is there negative pressure inside your home? Atmospheric pressure that affects the draft may occur from outside the structure, inside the structure, or both. High pressure weather (clear and cold) usually produces a better chimney draft than low pressure (overcast and damp) conditions. Negative pressure can be created inside a home by appliances that expel air from within such as bathroom vents, range hoods, clothes dryers, and forced air furnaces. Do not allow such appliances to overcome the natural draft. Negative pressure may be overcome by opening a nearby door or window. In extreme conditions of negative draft, the airflow in the chimney will reverse direction. This is known as “down drafting.”
3) Is your chimney cold? The temperature of the chimney is an important factor in how well it drafts. Warm chimneys tend to draft better than cold chimneys. This is based upon the principle that hot air rises while cold air sinks. Hot gases going up a cold chimney will cool rapidly. Warm the chimney by burning a hot fire for the first fifteen to thirty minutes after building the fire. Be careful not to over fire the stove. If any part of the stove or chimney starts to glow, you are over firing the stove. Most often, masonry chimneys will take longer to warm than manufactured chimneys on account of their larger structural mass. Keeping a moderate sized but bright, actively flaming fire can also help this situation.
If you have a large masonry chimney on the outside of the house, and it is cold outside, the air inside of the chimney will also be very cold, and it will want to fall down the chimney instead of rising. This can even happen a day or two after it's warmed up outside. These chimneys may be hard to start and they may smoke as the fire burns low. To help get the fire started many people light some rolled up newspaper and hold it up near the damper to get that cold plug moving upwards.
Remember that as the fire dies down, it will revert back to the original direction of flow. After the fire has burned out, open the air control to full open. This will allow warm room air to enter the chimney and keep it warm as possible until the stove is used again.
4) Is your damper fully open? Everybody eventually forgets to open the damper. Many dampers also cease to fully open because of water damage or soot buildup behind them on the smoke shelf. A good professional cleaning can usually solve this problem.
5) Is your firewood green or wet from rain or snow? Remember the main reason your stove works at all is the heat inside the chimney. If your wood is not dry and well seasoned it makes more smoke than heat and there simply may not be enough heat for the chimney to work properly.
6) Is your chimney dirty? The gradual accumulation of soot can seriously affect the way your chimney performs. Thick layers of soot of course can physically restrict the flue, as little as a 1/4" to 1/2" inch buildup can make more difference than you might think. Consider that a 1/2" buildup will restrict the air flow by 17% for a typical masonry chimney. Birds and small animals also think your chimney looks like a hollow tree in which to set up housekeeping. Chimney sweeps often find chimneys literally packed full of leaves, twigs and baby animals. The solution of course is a good cleaning and a chimney cap. Regularly clean the chimney, connector pipe, rain cap, and spark arrestor screen. Creosote build up can reduce the chimney draw and possibly create a chimney fire.
7) Could there be an environmental factor? Wind or air deflecting off such objects as the roof, neighboring structures, trees, or hills can cause a pressure change in the air surrounding the chimney. This in turn adversely affects the draft.
There must be at least 100 reasons why your stove may not draft properly and there could be more than just one factor involved. These are only the basic problems that could be occurring. Please keep in mind this is a very simplified list of the more common reasons. A true understanding of draft requires extensive knowledge of air flow patterns, pressure differentials, and actual chimney construction techniques. If this information does not help you solve the problem with your chimney and poor draft, consider hiring an experienced, certified chimney sweep or heating and cooling specialist in your area. Often the problem is obvious to someone with enough experience once they can actually look over the entire situation.
For assistance involving chimney draft issues, contact a knowledgeable licensed heating and cooling contractor. For questions regarding manufactured chimney, contact the manufacturer of the chimney.
For more information or to locate a certified chimney sweep in your area please visit www.csia.org. (Used with permission from the Chimney Safety Institute of America, www.csia.org.)
Smoking
Why does my stove smoke?
Creosote
What is Creosote?How do you get rid of creosote?
Tips for Preventing Creosote Buildup:
1. Burn only seasoned wood that has dried for at least one year.
2. Burn hardwood rather than soft wood. Hardwood is denser or heavier wood and burns hotter.
3. Do not attempt to burn (or mix in) green or wet wood. The use of green or wet wood will cause a rapid build up of creosote. Wood that hisses, sizzles and blackens without igniting in five minutes must be considered too wet to burn.
4. Do not attempt to extend the burn time by using wet wood. Not only does burning wet wood rapidly build up creosote, but it reduces the heat output by up to 25 percent.
5. Burn the stove with the air inlet control wide open for 10-25 minutes every time fresh wood is loaded into the stove. Do not load more than ¼ to ½ of the fuel capacity at one time. Loading too much wood at once will cause excessive smoke which contains creosote. Mature fires or coals produce very little creosote-producing smoke.
6. Burn with the control open for several minutes at numerous intervals throughout the day, being careful not to over fire the unit. Following this process will help to warm the chimney and reduce the amount of creosote forming condensation within the chimney.
7. Creosote inevitably will form in your chimney and connector pipe. Following these steps will help reduce the rate of build up.
8. Establish a routine for the handling of fuel, firing, and operating the stove. Check daily for creosote build up until experience shows how often you need to clean for safe operation. Be aware that the hotter the fire, the less creosote is deposited and weekly cleanings may be necessary in mild weather even though monthly cleanings may be enough in the colder months.
Manuals
I've lost my installation manual. How can I get a new one?Our stove manuals are located here. Our replacement parts are located here. Or you can locate your stove on the website and toward the bottom you will find links to the installation instructions (aka. manuals) and the replacement parts.
Mobile & Manufactured Homes
May I install one of your wood stove or coal burning stoves in my mobile home or manufactured home?
Installation
How do I install a wood or coal burning appliance?
Wood Burning Tips
What type of wood should I use?- Seasoned and split hardwood, wood that has been dried for one year in a well-ventilated and sheltered area. Hardwood comes from slow growth trees like Oak and Fir.
- Avoid green unseasoned wood which will only burn at 60% of the fuel value of dry seasoned wood and will deposit creosote on the inside of the stove and chimney.
- No sap!
- Use only DRY wood! (wet or damp wood leads to creosote - creosote also comes from incomplete combustion when a stove is burned too low).
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Coal Burning Tips
What is the correct way to burn coal in my stove?The size of coal fuel is critical; too large and it won't burn well, too small and it will smother the fire creating excessive smoke and gases. Purchase Bituminous coal nuggets that are 1-3/4" to 4" (sometimes referred to as egg or nut sized/shaped coal) diameter and that have been "cleaned" to remove rocks and other minerals. Bituminous coal is recommended for ease of use but produces a greater amount of volatile gases so it is important to build and refresh coal fires properly. Extra maintenance will also be required to remove accumulated soot on heating surfaces and pipes. All fires should be initially started using wood kindling. Hardwood is best as it creates a hotter bed of coals that is necessary to ignite the coal. Once a hot bed of wood coals has been established an initial layer of coal may be placed in the firebox. Due to the high amount of volatile gas produced by coal, the initial flames will be long and of an orange or yellow color accompanied by quite a bit of smoke. As the gas is burned off the flames will become shorter, the color will change and less smoke will be produced. Once the fire is well established, add coal to the center of the firebox in a cone shaped arrangement. The highest part of the fuel should be in the center of the fire box. This allows the heat to drive off the volatile gases and the turbulence created causes a more efficient burn. Remember to allow enough secondary air to enter the fire box and keep the stove pipe damper open to properly burn off the volatile gases. You will have to experiment with your particular setup (fire construction, fuel load, spin draft control, damper and automatic settings) as no two arrangements of furnace/chimney are the same. When refueling a coal fire, use a poker to break up any crust that may have formed being careful not to mix the coal which may increase the chance of forming "clinkers." Banking a Coal Fire
A fire should be banked for extended operation without tending, such as overnight. This is accomplished by heaping the fuel along the sides and back of the fire box so that the fire gradually burns through the fuel. This reduces the intensity of the fire without letting it go out. Use the same procedures as in refueling but without shaking the grates. The layer of ash will help to reduce the intensity of the fire. After loading the fuel in this manner, let the fire establish itself for about 30 minutes then close the damper and adjust the automatic control to a point so that the house does not get too cold. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to bank the fire before leaving or retiring so you can make the necessary adjustments after the fire has become well established. Reviving a Coal Fire
To revive a fire that has almost gone out, increase the draft through the grates by opening the ash door and stove pipe damper and closing the door spin draft control(s). Place a thin layer of new coal over the entire fire but DO NOT SHAKE the fire grates. Doing so may cause the live coals to drop through the grates. Once the fresh layer of coal has ignited you may shake the grates (slightly) and refuel as usual. CAUTION: Do not smother a fire when adding coal. Gases driven off from fresh coal must be burned or they may accumulate and explode. Whenever refueling, open the pipe damper and turn the thermostat damper to high before opening the door to allow any accumulated gases to be burned off. Back to top
Door Gaskets
How is the gasket adhered?The gasket is attached to your stove with a high temperature stove and gasket cement. Should the gasket fail, replacement gasket and adhesive is readily available at your local hardware store. How do I replace a door gasket?
- Ensure appliance is not in operation and is thoroughly cooled.
- Remove old door gasket and clean channel.
- Using an approved, high temperature gasket cement, apply a thin coat in bottom of channel.
- Starting at hinge side of door, work the fiberglass gasket material into channel around door unit, end butt and trim to length to ensure no gaps.
- Close door and allow three to four hours for cement to set before firing appliance.
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Cast Iron Stoves
How can I fill in the seams of my Cast Iron Stove?These stoves are made of cast iron components and do not have welded seams. The seams are gasketed and stove cement is used for cosmetic purposes. This cement can dry out and flake off. Any black stove cement available at a local hardware store can be used to fill in these seams. How do I properly break in a cast iron stove?
To season the cast iron and paints it is imperative to build at least three small fires to help cure the paint. Allow the stove to cool between these small fires. This will ensure that the stove is ready to be used normally. How can I extend the life of a cast iron stove?
It is imperative to have something in bottom of the stove to protect it. This can be sand, firebrick, and/or a grate. Back to top
The following return instructions apply to dealers only: In the case of the damaged or unsellable merchandise, Vogelzang International Corporation requests that the Distributor/Retailer call for disposition of merchandise at (616) 396-1911. At that time we will determine whether to send replacement parts, request the return of the merchandise, or request that the merchandise be field destroyed. If the product does in fact need to be returned we will assign an RGA number and determine who will pay the freight charges. After the RGA number is assigned, please fax a list of the merchandise to be returned with the anticipated ship date and the RGA number to (616) 396-1971. Send the product back to us using an approved freight carrier with a packing list enclosed. Please note that Vogelzang International Corporation will NOT accept and returns without prior notification and the issuance of an RGA. Please call (616) 396-1911 with any questions. 
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- Avoid green unseasoned wood which will only burn at 60% of the fuel value of dry seasoned wood and will deposit creosote on the inside of the stove and chimney.
