The 6-Point Troubleshooting Check List

Your Unforgettable Fire™ wood stove heaters are simple to operate and have been designed to provide you with many years of trouble-free service. Experience has shown that most user challenges are easily solved when owners follow the 6-point troubleshooting checklist below:

• Check the moisture content of your wood with a moisture meter. Don’t rely upon testing the ends. Split the log and test the interior. In our experience the most common user error is burning wood that is greater than 20% moisture content. You wouldn’t put water in your high performance sports car. Don’t try to burn wet wood.

• Check the chimney for any sign of obstruction, such as a build-up of creosote. If your Unforgettable Fire™ wood stove heater is spilling smoke with the door open, poor chimney performance is usually the cause.

• Kimberly™ Only: Check the grate/ash dump cover. After removing ashes from the firebox, care must be taken to be sure that the grate/ash dump is cleaned out, seated properly, and does not rock back and forth. Any rocking motion is indicative that there is some tiny piece of debris underneath, which is likely causing unwanted air to enter the combustion chamber. The emphasis would be on the word, “tiny” because one would notice a big piece of debris and remove it. Never operate the Kimberly™ wood stove heater without the grate/ash dump cover in polace, as doing so can cause a run-away fire.

• Check the door gasket by performing the “Dollar Bill” test in the owner’s manual appropriate to your model. The door gasket on your Unforgettable Fire™ wood stove heater should form a tight seal when the door is closed against its frame. A loose or damaged door gasket can cause unwanted air to enter the combustion chamber, and interfere with the secondary combustion.

• Kimberly™ Only: Test the draft control handle by moving it from one direction to the other several times. If the draft control handle does not operate properly, there may be debris under the ash dump cover, which may cause the draft control handle to stick and can allow excessive air into the combustion chamber and thus interfere with the secondary combustion. Should this occur, stop the fire and clean the firebox.

• Check the door handle. Except for start-up or reloading, you should operate your Unforgettable Fire™ wood stove heater at all times with the door handle in the fully-closed position. Failure to do so can cause unwanted air to enter the combustion chamber and interfere with the secondary combustion. After a fire has been well established in the combustion chamber, the best indicator that your Unforgettable Fire™ wood stove heater is operating properly is to observe the secondary combustion inside the combustion chamber above the level of the door frame. As well, your chimney should be virtually smokeless. Note that you may need to get on your knees so as to look up. In Kimberly™ this will appear as “Northern Lights”. In Katydid™ and Krikit™ you will likely see flames shooting from the air tubes.

For further information about your Kimberly™ or Katydid™ wood stove heater, download our Unforgettable Fire™ Owner’s Manual appropriate to your model or contact us for personal assistance.