Woodford Lowry 5
A little bit of info that the instructions don't specify
The multi-stove burner that came with my house had the worst instructions included with it. I’ll post a link to it, but basically it doesn’t tell you which is the primary air control, or secondary, or what fuel to burn or etc. Since it was really hard for me to find anything on it, I’m hoping you stumble on this blog post giving you info on what does what.
There’s 2 pull handles on the front of the burner. The one on the left is the primary control, and the one on the right is the secondary. So what does that actually mean?
The primary is an air vent, generally at the bottom of the burner. It lets air in from the bottom.
The secondary is an air vent, generally at the top - closer to where the door would be. This can also be called an airwash.
Now for the Lowry, and inline with new regulations, the secondary control - meaning the airwash - doesn’t close fully. This is expected. Where as the primary can be fully closed.
In their instructions, they’ve recommended the following for the type of fuel that you burn:
| Primary Controls | Secondary Controls | |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | Closed partially | Open |
| Coal | Open | Closed |
The reason for the above, have a read through my other fuel burning post.
Tldr: Wood needs a solid base with very little air feeding the bottom of it to burn. Once the fire gets going you can close the control almost all the way, and keep the secondary open or partially close it.
Coal burns with air getting in at the bottom and feeding the fire. The airwash at the top will be partially open even with the controls closed on the lowry, so you can close the control fully.
Now this is important: The above only applies when you’ve got a fire going and etc. If you’re lighting a fire, you should have both controls FULLY OPEN regardless of the fuel. This is to help get it going.
After researching a good bit of it, Multi fuel stoves are most efficient when using coal as fuel. Opt for a smokeless coal because it’s just nicer.
Now I need to give you a PSA warning regarding this. Certain coals burn very hot. While that is what you want from an efficiency point of view, it causes a few issues with the glass in your stove.