Aftercare and Maintenance

Your New Stove: Aftercare & Maintenance Guide

Congratulations! Your new stove is installed and ready to become the heart of your home. To help you get the very best performance from your investment—and to keep everything running safely—we’ve put together this friendly guide for the days and months ahead.

1. The “Curing” Process (Your First Few Fires)

When you light your stove for the first time, the specialized high-temperature paint needs to “cure.”

  • The First Fire: Keep your first two or three fires small and gentle. This allows the paint to harden slowly.
  • The “New Stove” Smell: You might notice a bit of a chemical smell or even a tiny bit of wispy smoke from the surface of the stove during the first few burns. Don’t worry—this is perfectly normal! Just crack a window open for a little extra ventilation while the paint sets.

2. Choosing the Right Fuel

Your stove is a high-performance machine, and like any machine, it needs the right fuel to run well.

  • Ready to Burn: Please only use wood that is certified as “Ready to Burn” with a moisture content of less than 20%.
  • Why it Matters: Burning “wet” or unseasoned wood creates tar and creosote, which can damage your flue liner, blacken your glass, and—most importantly—greatly increase the risk of a chimney fire. Plus, dry wood gives you much more heat for your money!

3. Keeping It Sparkling

  • The Glass: Most modern stoves have an “Airwash” system to keep the glass clear. If it does get a bit smoky, wait until the stove is completely cold before cleaning it with a soft cloth and a dedicated stove glass cleaner.
  • The Ash: Empty the ash pan regularly. For wood-burning, leaving a thin bed of ash (about 1 inch) on the base can actually help the fire burn more efficiently.

4. Annual Health Checks

To keep your HETAS compliance valid and your manufacturer’s warranty in force, your stove needs a little bit of professional love once a year.

  • The Annual Sweep: Your chimney must be swept by a registered professional at least once every 12 months. This prevents soot buildup and ensures the flue is clear of any obstructions like bird nests.
  • Service: It’s also a good idea to check the door seals (rope) and firebricks annually to ensure they are still in tip-top condition.

5. Your HETAS Certificate

As a reminder, we have registered your installation with HETAS. Their central office will post your physical certificate directly to your home address. This usually takes between 15 and 30 days. Please keep this document in a safe place, as you will need it if you ever decide to sell your property.