Installation and Operation Manual Optima US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY PHASE II CERTIFIED WOOD STOVE Safety tested according to ULC S627, UL 737 and UL 1482 Standards by Intertek Testing Services www.drolet.ca Stove Builder International Inc. 250, rue de Copenhague, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures (Quebec) Canada G3A 2H3 Tel: (418) 878-3040 Fax: (418) 878-3001 This manual is available for free download on the manufacturer’s web site. It is a copyrighted document. Re-sale is strictly prohibited.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING THIS DROLET WOOD STOVE As one of North America’s largest and most respected wood stove and fireplace manufacturers, Stove Builder International takes pride in the quality and performance of all its products. We want to help you get maximum satisfaction as you use this product.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Table of content PART A - OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE ................................. 6 1 1.1 2 Safety Information ............................................................................. 6 Summary of Operation and Maintenance Cautions and Warnings ......................... 6 General Information .......................................................................... 7 2.1 Optima Specifications .............................................................
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 5 Maintaining Your Wood Heating System ...................................... 23 5.1 Stove Maintenance............................................................................................... 23 5.1.1 Cleaning Door Glass ......................................................................................... 23 5.1.2 Door adjustment ................................................................................................ 24 5.1.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Appendix 1: Installing the Fresh Air Kit (AC01334) ........................... 39 Appendix 2: Installing the Fire Screen (AC01319) .............................. 40 Appendix 3: Use of the Blower and Optional Thermodisc .................. 41 Appendix 4: Exploded Diagram and Parts List ................................... 42 DROLET LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY .................................
Optima Installation and Operation Manual PART A - OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE Please see Part B for installation instructions. 1 Safety Information 1.1 Summary of Operation and Maintenance Cautions and Warnings • HOT WHILE IN OPERATION, KEEP CHILDREN, CLOTHING AND FURNITURE AWAY. CONTACT MAY CAUSE SKIN BURNS. GLOVES MAY BE NEEDED FOR STOVE OPERATION. • USING A STOVE WITH CRACKED OR BROKEN COMPONENTS, SUCH AS GLASS OR FIREBRICKS OR BAFFLES MAY PRODUCE AN UNSAFE CONDITION AND MAY DAMAGE THE STOVE.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 2 General Information 2.1 Optima Specifications Fuel Type Cordwood Test Standards (safety) ULC S627, UL 737 and UL 1482 Test Standard (emissions) EPA Method 28 (40 CFR Part 60) Heating capacity range* 500 to 1700 sq. ft. (46,5 to 157,9 m2) Maximum heat output** (EPA test fuel) 29 300 BTU/h (8,6 kW/h) Maximum heat output** (natural hardwood fuel) 65 000 BTU/h (19,0 kW/h) Optimum efficiency 77 % Test Standard (efficiency) CSA B415.
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Optima Installation and Operation Manual 2.2 Zone Heating and How to Make it Work for You Your new Optima wood stove is a space heater, which means it is intended to heat the area it is installed in, as well as spaces that connect to that area, although to a lower temperature. This is called zone heating and it is an increasingly popular way to heat homes or spaces within homes.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 2.3 The Benefits of Low Emissions and High Efficiency The low smoke emissions produced by the special features inside the Optima firebox mean that your household will release up to 90 percent less smoke into the outside environment than if you used an older conventional stove. But there is more to the emission control technologies than protecting the environment. The smoke released from wood when it is heated contains about half of the energy content of the fuel.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 3 Fuel 3.1 Materials That Should Not be Burned • GARBAGE OF ANY KIND, • COAL OR CHARCOAL, • TREATED, PAINTED OR COATED WOOD, • PLYWOOD OR PARTICLE BOARD, • FINE PAPER, COLORED PAPER OR CARDBOARD, • SALT WATER DRIFTWOOD • MANUFACTURED LOGS CONTAINING WAX OR CHEMICAL ADDITIVES • RAILROAD TIES • LIQUIDS SUCH AS KEROSENE OR DIESEL FUEL TO START A FIRE 3.2 How to Prepare or Buy Good Firewood 3.2.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual wouldn’t hold a fire overnight unless they were fed large pieces of hardwood. That is no longer true. You can successfully heat your home by using the less desirable tree species and give the forest a break at the same time. 3.2.3 Log Length Logs should be cut about 1” (25 mm) shorter than the firebox so they fit in easily. Pieces that are even slightly too long make loading the stove very difficult. The most common standard length of firewood is 16” (400 mm).
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Wood should be split to a range of sizes, from about 3” to 6” (75 mm to 150 mm) in cross section. Having a range of sizes makes starting and rekindling fires much easier. Often, the firewood purchased from commercial suppliers is not split finely enough for convenient stoking. It is sometimes advisable to resplit the wood before stacking to dry. 3.2.5 How to Dry Firewood Firewood that is not dry enough to burn is the cause of most complaints about wood stoves.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 3.2.6 Where to store wood This stove has been certified to store logs in the pedestal provided that the following requirements are met: • • • The logs must not exceed the inside edge (A) of the pedestal. The heat shield baffle (B) under the firebox must never be removed. No combustible material can be placed above the heat shield baffle. 3.2.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 3.3 Manufactured Logs Do not burn manufactured logs made of wax impregnated sawdust or logs with any chemical additives. Manufactured logs made of 100% compressed sawdust can be burned, but use caution in the number of these logs burned at one time. Start with one manufactured log and see how the stove reacts.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4 Operating Your Stove 4.1 The use of a fire screen This stove has been tested for use with an open door in conjunction with a fire screen (AC01319, sold separately). Make sure the fire screen is properly secured on the stove to avoid any risk of fire. When the fire screen is used, it is important not to leave the stove unattended to respond promptly in the event of smoke spillage into the room.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4.3.1 Conventional Fire Starting The conventional way to build a wood fire is to bunch up 5 to 10 sheets of plain newspaper and place them in the firebox. Next, place 10 or so pieces of fine kindling on the newspaper. This kindling should be very thin; less than 1” (25 mm). Next, place some larger kindling pieces on the fine kindling. Open the air control fully and light the newspaper.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4.3.3 Two Parallel Logs Place two spit logs in the firebox. Place a few sheets of twisted newspaper between the logs. Now place some fine kindling across the two logs and some larger kindling across those, log cabin style. Light the newspaper. 4.3.4 Using Fire Starters Many people like to use commercial fire starters instead of newspaper. Some of these starters are made of sawdust and wax and others are specialized flammable solid chemicals.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual IF YOU MUST OPEN THE DOOR WHILE THE FUEL IS FLAMING, OPEN THE AIR CONTROL FULLY FOR A FEW MINUTES, THEN UNLATCH AND OPEN THE DOOR SLOWLY. 4.4.2 Ash Removal Ash should be removed from the firebox every two or three days of full time heating. Do not let the ash build up in the firebox because it will interfere with proper fire management.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4.4.4 Firing Each New Load Hot Place the new load of wood on and behind the charcoal, and not too close to the glass. Close the door and open the air control fully. Leave the air control fully open until the firebox is full of flames, the wood has charred to black and its edges are glowing red.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4.4.6 Building Different Fires for Different Needs Using the air control is not the only way to match the stove’s heat output to the heat demand. Your house will need far less heat in October than in January to be kept at a comfortable temperature. If you fill the firebox full in fall weather, you will either overheat the space or turn the stove down so much that the fire will be smoky and inefficient.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 4.4.6.4 Maximum Burn Cycle Times The burn cycle time is the period between loading wood on a coal bed and the consumption of that wood back to a coal bed of the same size. The flaming phase of the fire lasts for roughly the first half of the burn cycle and the second half is the coal bed phase during which there is little or no flame.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 5 Maintaining Your Wood Heating System 5.1 Stove Maintenance Your new stove will give many years of reliable service if you use and maintain it correctly. Some of the internal components of the firebox, such as firebricks, baffles and air tubes, will wear over time under intense heat. You should always replace defective parts with original parts (see Appendix 4: Exploded Diagram and Parts List).
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 5.1.2 Door adjustment In order for your stove to burn at its best efficiency, the door must provide a perfect seal with the firebox. Therefore, the gasket should be inspected periodically making sure to obtain an air tight fit. Air tightness can be improved with a simple latch mechanism adjustment. To adjust: 1. Remove the lock pin (spring pin) by pulling and turning it using pliers ("wise grip"). 2. Turn the handle counter clock wise one turn to increase pressure.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual you place it. Leave the gasket about 1/2” long when you cut it and press the end into the groove. Tuck any loose fibres under the gasket and into the silicone. Close the door and do not use the stove for 24 hours. 5.1.4 Replacing the Glass Gasket and/or the Glass It is a good idea to replace the glass gasket when the door gasket is replaced. The gasket is flat, adhesive-backed, woven fibreglass. Remove the glass retaining screws and clips.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 5.2 Chimney and Chimney Connector Maintenance 5.2.1 Why Chimney Cleaning is Necessary Wood smoke can condense inside the chimney connector and chimney, forming a combustible deposit called creosote. If creosote is allowed to build up in the venting system it can ignite when a hot fire is burned in the stove and a very hot fire can progress to the top of the chimney. Severe chimney fires can damage even the best chimneys.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual PART B - INSTALLATION 6 Safety Information 6.1 Summary of Installation Cautions and Warnings • THE INFORMATION GIVEN ON THE CERTIFICATION LABEL AFFIXED TO THE APPLIANCE ALWAYS OVERRIDES THE INFORMATION PUBLISHED, IN ANY OTHER MEDIA (OWNER’S MANUAL, CATALOGUES, FLYERS, MAGAZINES AND/OR WEB SITES). • MIXING OF APPLIANCE COMPONENTS FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES OR MODIFYING COMPONENTS MAY RESULT IN HAZARDOUS CONDTIONS.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 7 Clearances to Combustible Material The clearances shown in this section have been determined by test according to procedures set out in safety standards ULC S627 (Canada), UL1482 (U.S.A.) and UL737 (U.S.A.). When the stove is installed so that its surfaces are at or beyond the minimum clearances specified, combustible surfaces will not overheat under normal and even abnormal operating conditions.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Clearances to combustible materials and floor protection 29
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 7.3 Floor protector If the stove is to be installed on top of a combustible floor, it must be guarded by a non combustible material as shown on figure 1.3 (see the dotted line area).
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 7.4 Reducing Wall and Ceiling Clearances Safely It is often desirable to reduce the minimum installation clearances by placing the stove closer to walls so the installation takes up less floor space. You can safely reduce the minimum clearances by permanently installing a shield between the stove and combustible material. The rules for safe shields can be complicated, so read them carefully and follow them exactly.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 7.4.2 Table of Clearance Reduction Percentages Clearances may be reduced by these percentages Type of shield Sides and rear % Top % (ceiling) 67 50 Ceramic tiles, or equivalent noncombustible material, on noncombustible board spaced out at least 25 mm (1 in)* by noncombustible spacers 50 33 Ceramic tiles, or equivalent noncombustible material, on noncombustible board, with a minimum of 24 gauge (0.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 8 The Venting System 8.1 General The venting system, made up of the chimney and the connecting pipe between the stove and the chimney, acts as the engine that drives your wood heating system. Even the best stove will not function safely and efficiently as intended if it is not connected to a suitable chimney. The heat in the flue gases that pass from the stove and chimney connector into the chimney is not waste heat.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 8.2.2 Masonry Chimneys The stove may also be connected to a masonry chimney, provided the chimney complies with the construction rules found in the building code enforced locally. The chimney must have either a clay liner or a suitably listed stainless steel liner. If the masonry chimney has a square or rectangular liner that is larger in cross sectional area than a round 6” flue, it should be relined with a suitably listed 6” stainless steel liner.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 8.4 The Relationship Between the Chimney and the House Because the venting system is the engine that drives the wood heating system, it must have the right characteristics. The signs of bad system design are cold backdrafting when there is no fire in the stove, slow kindling of new fires, and smoke roll-out when the door is opened for loading. There are two guidelines to follow.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual There are two reasons why the chimney in the house at right will cold backdraft when it is cold outside and there is no fire burning in the stove. First, the chimney runs up the outside of the house, so the air in it is colder and denser than the warm air in the house. And second, the chimney is shorter than the heated space of the house, meaning the negative pressure low in the house will pull outside air down the chimney, through the stove and into the room.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual 8.6 Installing the Chimney Connector The chimney connector is the single or double wall pipe installed between the stove flue collar and the chimney breech. Single wall pipe components are available from most hardware and building supply stores. These components are not usually tested to a particular standard and certified as compliant. Therefore, a list of rules found in solid fuel installation codes apply to the installation of single wall pipe.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual The rules below are based on those found in the CSA B365 installation code. Please carefully follow these installation instruction rules, or those enforced where you live. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Maximum overall length of straight pipe: 3 m (10 ft.) including elbows. Minimum clearance from combustible material: 450 mm (18 in.). The minimum clearance may be reduced by 50 percent to 225 mm (9 in.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Appendix 1: Installing the Fresh Air Kit (AC01334) The installation instructions are provided with the Fresh Air Kit (AC01334), sold separately.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Appendix 2: Installing the Fire Screen (AC01319) Open the door. Hold the fire screen by the two handles and bring it close to the door opening. Lean the upper part of the fire screen against the top door opening making sure to insert the top fire screen brackets behind the primary air deflector as in (Detail A). Lift the fire screen upwards and push the bottom part towards the stove then let the fire screen rest on the bottom of the door opening.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Appendix 3: Use of the Blower and Optional Thermodisc Your Optima comes with a blower on the back of the stove to increase the flow of air past heat exchange surfaces and to help circulate warm air in the room. When used regularly, the blower can provide a small increase in efficiency, up to 2 percent. However, a blower should not be used as a way to gain more output from a stove that is undersized for the space it is intended to heat.
Optima Installation and Operation Manual Appendix 4: Exploded Diagram and Parts List 42
Optima Installation and Operation Manual # # de pièce 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 AC01319 30569 30025 30185 30742 SE24235 AC09196 AC09185 AC06500 SE65275 AC06400 PL65272 PL65270 PL65271 30124 SE65261 PL65290 99999 AC01335 AC01334 SE45570 30129 PL06728 PL65256 30138 26 30060 27 28 29 30 PL65277 30094 30428 SE65253 31 AC02050 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 60013 44073 44080 44087 44085 AC05530 44046 SE16059 29010 PL36027 VP00020 PL36060 PL36021 2901
Optima Installation and Operation Manual DROLET LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY The warranty of the manufacturer extends only to the original consumer purchaser and is not transferable. This warranty covers brand new products only, which have not been altered, modified nor repaired since shipment from factory. Proof of purchase (dated bill of sale), model name and serial number must be supplied when making any warranty claim to your DROLET dealer. This warranty applies to normal residential use only.
