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?

    Draft is a current of air moving in an upward or downward direction.

Why is draft important?

    Simply put, stoves work mainly because hot air rises.  When you start a fire, the air inside the chimney becomes warmer and less dense than the air outside the chimney, and consequently it starts to rise.  As the warm air rises, cooler air from the room flows into the stove firebox, fanning the fire, creating more heat in an ongoing cycle.  Please note that stoves and furnaces do NOT create draft.  Draft is a function of the chimney.

My stove doesn't draft correctly.  What do I do?

    1) 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.

    2) 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.

    3) 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.

    4) Is your chimney tall enough?  For specific requirements for your exact stove model, please refer to the installation instructions (which can be found here).  To function properly, the chimney should be at least 12 to 15 feet in overall height.  Where it projects above the roof, the chimney should be at least 3 feet tall, and 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.

    5) Is your chimney on the outside/side of the house?  Remember that warm rising air is the basic engine involved here.  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.  Keeping a moderate sized but bright, actively flaming fire can also help this situation.  Remember that as the fire dies down, it will revert back to the original direction of flow.

    There must be at least 100 reasons why your stove may not draft properly.  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 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.)

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Smoking

Why does my stove smoke?

    A smoking stove is generally a sign of insufficient draft.  Please see the information on draft for more information.

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Creosote

    Creosote is a tar like substance that can build up in a chimney.  When wood or coal is burned slowly, it produces tar and other organic vapors which combine with expelled moisture to form creosote.  The creosote vapors condense in the relatively cool chimney flue of a slow-burning fire.  As a result, creosote residue accumulates on the flue lining.  If ignited, this creosote creates an extremely hot fire which may ignite surrounding materials resulting in a building fire.

    The chimney connector and chimney should be inspected at least twice a month during the heating season to determine if a creosote buildup has occurred.

How do you get rid of creosote?

    If creosote has accumulated, it should be removed.  Failure to remove creosote may result in ignition and may cause a house/building fire.  Creosote may be removed using a chimney brush or other commonly available materials from your local hardware retailer.

    Chimney fires burn very hot.  If the chimney connector should glow red, immediately call the fire department, then reduce the fire by closing the inlet air control and pour a large quantity of coarse salt, baking soda, or cool ashes on top of the fire in the firebox.

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Manuals

    Our manuals include comprehensive installation instructions as well as a lot of other information on the stoves/furnaces and stove/furnace maintenance.

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.

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Mobile & Manufactured Homes

    Our woodstoves are expressly forbidden to be installed in mobile homes, manufactured homes, trailers or tents (NO Exceptions).  Please do NOT order one and proceed with an improper installation.  Here's why: stoves must meet VERY strict and stringent requirements and guidelines set up by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in order to be installed in a mobile home/pre-manufactured home.  OUR WOOD STOVES DO NOT MEET THESE REQUIREMENTS AND/OR GUIDELINES.  In this case, we regret that we cannot meet your need for a wood/coal burning stove or furnace.

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Installation

    If you have ANY installation questions pertaining to one of our wood/coal burning stoves or furnaces, BEYOND the information in our comprehensive installation instructions (linked from each wood stove page); or, if you are not quite sure how to go about properly installing one of our wood/coal burning stoves or furnaces, then we strongly recommend that you contact a qualified, licensed, Heating and Cooling contractor PRIOR to installing one of our stoves or furnaces.

    Please do your due diligence and take NO short cuts in this area.  PLEASE make absolutely sure that your woodstove is plumbed, vented, and installed properly.  You are literally dealing with fire and SAFETY is our number one concern in this regard.

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Wood Burning Tips

    To get the best burn you will want to have wood that meets the following criteria:

1. 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.
       
2. 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.
       
3. No sap!
       
4. 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

    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.

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Door Gaskets

    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?    

1. Ensure appliance is not in operation and is thoroughly cooled.
       
2. Remove old door gasket and clean channel.
       
3. Using an approved, high temperature gasket cement, apply a thin coat in bottom of channel.
       
4. 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.
       
5. Close door and allow three to four hours for cement to set before firing appliance.

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Cast Iron Stoves

    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.

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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.