How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy method to heat a room and save energy. They require some care.

Many modern wood stoves meet EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to make sure your stove doesn't generate lots of harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a woodfire is an enjoyable addition to any home. It's crucial to learn the correct method to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimum effort and ensure your safety.

Check the condition of your logs and coals before you begin a fire. If they're damp they will choke your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done using an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove comes with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove door to maintain it.

Be careful not to use excessive tinder since this will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. When you have a good bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, begin the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grill. Then, add an additional layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will produce an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

When your fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if the user opens the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with central heating or furnace system to provide the extra heat required in large wood burner houses or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available use an advanced combustion principle which is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is accomplished by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases smells.

The amount of heat you will get from a stove depends on the species and moisture content of the wood you use as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be kept in a ventilated location for a few months before burning. If the logs have excessive moisture, they will produce steam that is in essence wasted power.

You should add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at all at. Adding too much wood at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can decrease your stove's efficiency.

Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, like paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they have a completely different chemical and physical properties from real firewood and aren't type-approved for use in wood burning stoves.

If you're installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it's important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure whether your chimney is working properly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in good condition. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and repair any problems found. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home know and follow the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper regulates how much heat is lost up the chimney when you aren't using your stove. In addition to this it can also help you to control the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is closed the fire will not burn properly and smoke will erupt into your home. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different settings.

You should keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get going and also helps keep it lit so you can enjoy it for hours. The proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and will keep it from blowing out smoke.

In order to properly adjust your damper you need to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has good draft. After this, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for some time, you need to close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air in the room from getting into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best method to keep your fire burning and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you shut the damper too much, it may stop the draft from working, however when it's too open a cold breeze could enter your home.

You can determine how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.

The damper's setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will have to keep adjusting until you get the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is crucial to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This reduces the chance of an explosion in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up inside the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also be caused by fires that are not properly lit.

A regular cleaning routine helps keep the buildup of creosote at bay. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is also recommended to get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and examined at least yearly.

It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to use only seasoned wood for burning, as this will produce less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that can be dangerous for the respiratory tract and the air, which could be released into your home.

It is also essential to clean the glass of the wood burning woodburning stove; visit my website, regularly. Most newer 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 not able get the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.

Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent down when you're not using it and cracking a window or door to allow more air flow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it will not need to work as hard to circulate the air. It is recommended to not stack logs or keep them in the flame for long periods of time as this could lead to warping and splitting. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.