How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be a great option to conserve energy and heat the room. However, they require a certain amount of maintenance.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create many harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire is a welcome addition in any home. But it's important to learn how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you create an efficient fire that can heat your home quickly and effectively.

Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start a fire. If they are wet it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small, dry pieces of newspaper in your stove. This will help to ignite the fire. When they begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there is air between each piece of wood.

If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it grows. This will help the fire to burn at a steady pace without having to constantly open the stove door to tend it.

It's important to avoid using too much tinder, as it can cause the fire burning at a high rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as it can. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grill. Then, add a layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.

When your fire is established, close the damper and keep it closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire get smothered and not allow for proper airflow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and save you money. They can be used together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heat in large houses. Many of the latest stoves that burn cleanly available use advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is accomplished by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps reduce the odors.

The amount of heat you will get from your stove depends on the kind of wood used as well as the amount of moisture in it and the size of the logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be kept in a ventilated space for a few months before burning. If the logs are not dry enough they will release plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

It is best to add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at one time. Addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, causing a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into flames. This can reduce the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, such as cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes because they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned in wood burning stoves.

It is important that a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician can examine your stove to make sure it is safe and functional. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can check for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they discover. They will also ensure that the residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost to the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. In addition to this it can also help you control the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living space. To get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you should test different settings and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and it also has an adequate draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

Once the fire has burned slightly, you need to shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent warm air in the room from getting into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best way to prevent the fire from becoming too hot while still keeping it lit. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper to far but a cold wind could be able to enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.

You can check to see how much the damper is open by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a small draft pushing on your hand it's probably in the open position.

The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to the next and even between different types of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you may have to keep adjusting it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is important to clean your chimney and stove after the start of a fire. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the main reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape from the fire. This can also be caused by fires that are not properly lit.

Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year.

Also, it's an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as this will produce less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for the respiratory tract and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.

It is also important to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. The majority of newer cheap wood burning woodburning stoves (http://shinhwaspodium.com/) stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubbing. If you're unable to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like, there are stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.

Other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood burners stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it and cracking a window or door to allow more air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently since it will not need to be as active to circulate air. It is a good idea not to stack logs, or cheap wood burning stoves let them sit on the fire for an extended time. This can cause warping and splits. It is advised to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within them can melt and flow into the flue which could cause damage.