Vermont Casting 2080 Manuel D’Utilisation

11

A WinterWarm Small Insert leaves the factory with the 
combustor installed.
In the United States, it is against the law to operate this 
wood heater in a manner inconsistent with operating 
instructions in this manual, or if the catalytic combustor 
is deactivated or removed.

The components of the catalytic combustion system in 
your WinterWarm Small Insert work together to produce 
optimum conditions for secondary combustion.  
When the damper is closed, smoke is directed through 
the catalytic element, which causes ignition of smoke  
at temperatures of 450°-550°F (230°-290°C), half the 
temperature normally required for unaided secondary 
combustion. 
The catalytic element is a ceramic “honeycomb” coated 
with the catalytic material. The element is located in 
the secondary combustion chamber, molded from a 
special high-temperature insulating refractory mate-
rial. The design of the chamber provides the correct 
environment necessary for secondary combustion of 
the fuel (smoke).
Catalytic combustion is activated  by closing the damp-
er, thereby exposing the smoke to the combustor.  
Closing the stove damper may also reduce the draft, so 
to avoid putting out the fire or deactivating the combus-
tor, close the damper only when a fire is well-estab-
lished.  When starting a fire, wait until the fire is well 
established and there is an ember bed of at least 3-4” 
(76 - 102mm) before closing the damper.
Never kindle a fire with colored paper or paper that 
has colored ink or a glossy surface, and never burn 
treated wood, garbage, solvents, or trash. All of these 
may poison the catalyst and prevent it from operating 
properly.  Never burn cardboard or loose paper except 
for kindling purposes. Never burn coal;  doing so can 
produce soot or large flakes of char or fly ash that can 
coat the combustor and cause smoke to spill into the 
room.  Coal smoke also can poison the catalyst so that 
it won’t operate properly.  
In general, the fire must be sufficiently well-established 
to ensure that catalytic activity is initiated.  When first 
starting a fire, a medium- to high- firing rate must be 
maintained for at least twenty minutes.  This ensures  
the stove, catalyst, and fuel are all stabilized at the 
proper operating temperatures.  
Even though it is possible for the fire to get quite hot 
within a few minutes after a fire is started, the combus-

tor may stop working or the fire may go out if the fire 
is allowed to die down immediately as a result of the 
damper being closed. Once the combustor starts work-
ing, heat generated by burning the smoke will keep it 
working.
To determine whether the combustor is operating, com-
pare the amount of smoke leaving the chimney when 
the damper is open and when it is closed.  This proce-
dure is described on Page 17.

Burn solid wood fuel only in the WinterWarm Small 
Insert, and burn it directly on the grate.  Do not 
elevate the fuel.  Do not burn coal or other fuels. 
Cast iron is a superior  material for solid fuel stoves but 
it must be treated with respect.  It is extremely strong, 
but can be broken with a sharp blow from a hammer 
or from the thermal shock of rapid and extreme tem-
perature changes. It is important to temper the cast iron 
plates with an initial series of 3-4 break-in fires.  The 
plates expand and contract with changes in tempera-
ture.  Minimize thermal stress by allowing the plates to 
adjust gradually during the break-in fires by following 
Steps 1-3 on the following page.
Always be certain the damper is open when starting a 
fire or when re-fueling. To open the damper, lift up on 
the lever and move it to the right. (Fig.12)

FP1102

WWsi

damper controls

4/01

FP1102

Damper Control Lever

Fig. 12  Damper control.