How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and conserve energy. They do require some maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to make sure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire is a welcome addition in any house. It's essential to know how to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you start an fire that can heat your home with minimal effort and with the highest security.

Make sure to check the condition of your coals and logs before you begin the fire. If they are wet they will choke the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting some small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and kindling. Once they start to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the stove's door frequently to check on it.

Be careful not to use too much tinder as it can cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling, start the main flame by placing two large logs of the base on the grill. Next, place a layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This method of creating a fire known as a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that will not completely consume the larger base logs.

Once the fire is established, close the damper and ensure it stays closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for proper air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heat required in large wood burner houses or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the new clean burning stoves that are available today utilize advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds and the second stage supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps to reduce the odors.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood you use and also the dimensions of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you try to burn them, to allow the wood to dry. If the logs are soaked with too much moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted power.

During the burning of the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack at intervals, but not all at one time. Addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flames. This can reduce the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, such as paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be used in wood burning stoves.

If you're installing a wood burning stove in your home, it's crucial to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is working properly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top condition. They will inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. They will also ensure that all residents of the house are aware of and follow the fire evacuation procedure in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls how much heat escapes to the chimney when you aren't using your stove. In addition, it can also help you control the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed, the fire will not burn properly and smoke will erupt into your home. To get the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you have to test different locations and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This lets the fire get going and also helps keep it lit so you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening will also stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and that it has a strong draft. After this, the wood stove damper may be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for an extended period, shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting up the chimney while still allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the best way to keep the fire from getting too hot while keeping it lit. If you close the damper too much, it could block the draft from working, however when it's too open a cold breeze could blow through your home.

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it is probably in the open position.

The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get a sense of the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean up

After an incident, it is important to clean the flue and stove. This can reduce the chance of an ensuing fire in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and can be very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this substance. It can be caused by improperly lit fires.

Regular cleaning helps prevent creosote buildup. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney each year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.

Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will produce less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue that could end up in your home.

It is also essential to clean the glass of the wood burner stoves uk stove on a regular basis. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, so they don't require as much scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.

Some other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it, and opening the door or window to increase the flow of air. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently. The wood stove won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or let them sit on the fire for a long duration. This can cause splits and warping. It is best to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove as the paraffin that is contained in them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.