a) If you have the Baby Countryside or Winchester AC or DC models you are able to operate the appliance in the manual mode, thermostat mode or fully auto mode. The auto ignition system will be operating in all three of these modes but you can light the fire manually. Simply place a small amount of wood pellet fuel and starter fuel in the firepot and light. The igniter will assist in the lighting process. If the igniter is not operating you can unplug the igniter (leaving the two wires unhooked and not bypassed) and light the fire manually as explained above. If you have a DC model MagnuM appliance, the igniter system will not work if you are on DC only power.

b) The auto igniter system in the Country Flame product works very similar to the MagnuM product line except you do not change from one mode to another. The system does that for you. You still are able to manually light the fire as explained above.

a) The first step is asking yourself “what am I wanting to accomplish”? Do I want to just save money, have ambiance and heating ability, heat an addition or family room or do I need whole house heating.

b) American Energy Systems Inc. has designed a full line of products that can fit your needs. If you have a drafty old fireplace a MagnuM or Country Flame Fireplace Insert will fill your needs. If you have forced-air heating or hot water boiler heating a MagnuM furnace or boiler will take care of whole house heating. A MagnuM or Country Flame free-standing stove will fit any décor and provide supplementary or whole house heating plus give you the ambiance that you desire.

c) With over 60 product model variations and styles you will be able to match your décor and heating needs.

a) American Energy Systems Inc. requires that a fresh air source is brought in from outside of the home and hooked directly to the appliance. It is estimated that 80 percent of the homes in the USA have negative pressure in the home. It is a severe problem especially in lower levels. This means that your appliance may not run correctly, will burn dirty and the safety systems will shut your appliance down.

b) Fresh combustion air is important to make sure that the appliance does not spill smoke back into the home, the venting does not get plugged and the fuel burns clean and efficient. In addition to supplying fresh air to the appliance you need to check the home itself and if needed supply additional fresh makeup air to the home.

a) Each product model is certified for the fuels that are approved for that appliance. Those fuels will be listed in the installation and operations manual. It will also be indicated on the certification label on the appliance itself. It is important to only use premium grade fuels that are approved for the appliance.

b) Choosing the right fuel might be determined by where you are living, how close you are to the fuel source and pricing of the fuel. All fuels approved for the MagnuM or Country Flame appliances will work efficiently for you. Corn is usually the fuel of choice because of lower pricing and constant availability but Wood Pellets and other Flex-fuels might be your choice in some areas.

American Energy Systems Inc. has led the industry in designing products that are environmentally clean and efficient. Typically our appliances are up to 10% more efficient than competitors in the industry and lab tests have shown that MagnuM and Country Flame product produce substantially less emissions than the EPA requires for clean burning. Whether you are using Corn, Wood Pellets or other Flex-fuels you can be sure that it is good for your environment.

a) Many times your fuel costs are determined by where you live rather than the fuel itself. Sometimes corn will be less expensive than wood pellets and then the opposite might be the case. It is best to determine first what the most reliable fuel source is and then negotiate the best price. Corn is usually the best overall bargain and is usually available anywhere in the country. Wood Pellets is normally the most convenient but fuel centers are springing up around the country making all fuels convenient and available.

b) This link is an important tool in finding what the national averages of each fuel cost are and what might be best for you. http://www.pelletheat.org/compare-fuel-costs

c) With skyrocketing oil prices, the cost of heating homes is jumping off the charts. The Department of Energy expects heating bills to be higher this winter for people who heat with oil, propane and natural gas. In cold-winter climates, this number will be higher. The answer has to be renewable heating with MagnuM or Country Flame.

a) MagnuM and Country Flame furnaces, fireplace inserts and stoves can be connected to a low voltage or millivolt wall thermostat. The control boards are not designed however to work with an electronic thermostat that requires power from the appliance.

b) When the wall thermostat calls for heat the appliance will go to the heat setting that has been pre-selected. When the wall thermostat has been satisfied (the room is up to temperature), the appliance will go to a pilot fire that is pre-programmed into the appliance. If you have the auto ignition system and are operating on fully automatic, the appliance will shut down completely until the wall thermostat calls for heat and then it will light the unit and run at the pre-set heat setting.

a) Modern Heating experts agree that running your unit on a lower heat setting for longer periods of time is the best. All MagnuM and Country Flame products come thermostat capable and can also be run on a manual heat setting.

b) If you are using a wall thermostat, it is best to set your appliance on a medium heat setting. When the thermostat calls for heat the unit will change from a pilot fire to the medium setting and bring your home up to the desired temperature. If the unit cycles too often or cannot keep up during extreme cold conditions, change the setting to accommodate longer periods of time between pilot fire and heat setting cycling.

c) Typically, a manual operation setting will give you a more stable temperature in your home. Most units will heat the area needed on a medium heat setting rather than going from a lower to higher setting all of the time. When heating requirements demand a little more or less heat simply turn the appliance to a setting that meets those needs.

a) Your satisfaction is of high importance to American Energy Systems Inc. We have trained service providers across the nation and Canada to take care of your technical needs. The factory is set up to train and instruct the dealers and service providers and they in turn assist their customers.

b) To get information FAST, consult your owner’s installation and operations manual. If you cannot get the answers needed please see our technical and informational bulletins. Only call the factory technical assistance line if you cannot get the right answers through the normal channels. This may take longer than going online so please be patient.

The first step is to go online to our dealer locater and enter your zip code. If there is a new dealer or service provider in the area it will come up. If the factory number comes up contact us and we will direct you to the best place to get service. We will get you in contact with a service provider to assist in the proper installation and service of your MagnuM or Country Flame product. You can order parts and product online. Our E-com store is at www.americanenergysystems.com, or click on the Buy Parts link in the top menu.

a) American Energy Systems Inc. has designed all of its products to be easy to get to. In most cases, you do not even need any additional tools to get to all areas that need cleaning. The high efficiency Tri-level combustion technology re-burns the fuel to assure very little ash and buildup. The self-cleaning technology means less maintenance and problems.

b) Typically you will slide the heat exchanger rod (located conveniently on the front of the unit) 7-10 times once a day, clean the firepot once a day, clean out the firebox every 3-5 days, internal cleanouts every 2 weeks and the ash pan when needed. All of this maintenance typically takes 5-10 minutes per day to perform. The installation and operations manual provided with your appliance gives you step by step information on how to keep your appliance running smoothly. You can get additional information on our Maintenance page.

a) The most common reason for excessive clinkering would be the quality of the fuel, installation errors or maintenance. If the firepot is overflowing check your venting system, make sure that you have fresh air hooked to the appliance, check your home for negative pressure and clean your firepot out more frequently.

b) If the firepot continues to overflow after just a couple hours it probably is fuel quality related. Check your fuel and if it is bad, replace with a quality fuel source. If the fuel is good, then check the firepot for proper fit, make sure the venting is clean and there are no problems with the draft blower system. Check all cleanout ports to make sure that the heat exchangers are not plugged.

c) There is complete maintenance, installation guidelines and troubleshooting in your operations manual which can be found in our Resources area or on the Product pages.