How to Use a Wood Stove

Wood stoves are a great method of heating a home. However, the way you use your stove will impact its performance.

The center of a wood stove is typically the most hot part. Pots can be put here. The stove's bottom typically has a grate through which the ashes can fall.

Choosing the Best Wood

A wood stove is an essential purchase and a long-term investment. Before you make that commitment it is important to understand how the stove operates and how to make use of it. This will help you increase the amount of heat produced, and reduce your heating costs.

The first step in selecting the best stove is to choose the appropriate size for your cabin or home. The size of the area you want to heat and your home's insulation will determine the amount of heat you will require from your stove. The amount of heat required is measured by British thermal units (BTUs). Typically, newer homes use less heat from the stove than older ones since they are more insulated and have energy efficient features like balanced ventilation systems and heat recovery units.

Another important factor is choosing the right wood for your stove. Different types of wood burn differently. Hard, dense hardwoods are the ideal wood for your stove. Softwoods burn fast and produce little heat, while hardwoods burn slowly over a longer period of time producing more heat. Avoid using pressure-treated lumber, painted or varnished wooden products, or driftwood in your fireplace. These materials can damage the chimney and cause creosote build up.

After you have decided on the kind of wood you'd like to use in your stove, it is crucial to season it properly. Ideally, you should season your wood for at least three years prior to burning it. Dry wood will burn more efficiently, generate more heat and produce less harmful byproducts.

Stove Shapes and Door Features

The shape of the stove's firebox can also affect its performance. Stoves that are taller and deeper than others will have less projection in the room, however they may have problems with air flow and smoke production. The front door of the stove is important to think about, as it will affect how easy it is for you to load logs as well as your view.

You should also consider the kind of wood you'll want to burn, if you plan to make use of your stove for daily or long-term use, and how frequently you intend to use it. Some people purchase an appliance that is too big for their needs, and run it constantly at a high heat level. This causes an abundance of smoke which is detrimental to the indoor environment. It also leads to an excessive amount of creosote accumulation in the chimney.

Preparing the Firewood

A well-maintained wood stove can provide warmth and comfort during the winter months. To make it efficient it is essential to properly utilize the stove and prepare it. To ensure that the firewood is burned effectively in your fireplace and to reduce the amount of creosote in your fireplace, you should dry your firewood before using it. The preparation of firewood is not difficult, but it does require a little forethought and sustained effort.

Unseasoned or green firewood could cause smoky flames and poor airflow in your stove. Many people avoid this by cutting their own firewood, or by purchasing a load of wood from the local woodcutter. However the quality of this firewood depends on when it was cut and how much time it has had to dry. A good rule of thumb is to cut the wood in late winter or in the early spring and then let it dry through the summer.

To make sure that the wood is well-seasoned enough for your fireplace or stove to be used, you can use the moisture meter or a simple test-by-fire to test the wood's readiness. When wood is properly seasoned, you'll notice that it feels more light in your hands, and the bark will fall off.

A good flame and easy burning is another indicator that the wood is ready to use. It should also burn more quickly and more hot than green or wetwood, producing an extremely fine dusting of ash.

You should consider investing in a face-cord of dry logs that have been split, which are ready to use when they arrive at your driveway. In general the face cord will contain about 128 cubic feet of wood burning stove (Read the Full Post), and that includes the space between the pieces.

To speed up the process of seasoning it is recommended to cut your logs into a variety of sizes that will work for your stove. It is best to split the logs into rounds or rectangles, not cylinders, as this will allow them to dry faster and evenly. The pieces can be laid out in a row, and exposed to the sun and the sun will evaporate the water.

Lighting the Fire

Wood stoves are the most eco-friendly alternative to heat our homes. They are more efficient at combusting firewood and burn the waste gasses that would otherwise be released into the air (called dioxins). Wood stoves also have an element called a baffle plate, which assists to minimize the amount of smoke produced during a fire.

Stoves come with a variety of built-in features to help you create longer burning fires that require less maintenance than traditional open fireplaces. Modern stoves, for example, have valve controls to regulate the flow of air into the combustion chambers. This ensures that the flame stays at a steady and controlled rate to produce more heat and lessen smoke emissions.

Additionally modern stoves are usually designed to be an efficient heating system. They use a process known as secondary combustion to recycle the gas released by the burning of wood into heat. This process increases the output of heat produced by the stove by a significant amount, and also helps to keep the fire burning for longer.

A properly lit fireplace can make your home more cozy. The warmth and comfort of a fire can be soothing. Many people find sitting in front of it is a relaxing experience. It's a great way spend time with friends and family.

To start a fire, you need the proper kind of kindling. Two tabloid-size pieces of crumpled newspaper laid on the top of tinder is a simple and efficient method of lighting an fire. Some people utilize dry orange peel as a natural tinder to begin their fires.

After the newspaper is placed in the fire, small pieces of wood and three firelighters must be positioned on the top. A well-lit fire should have a flame that is sufficient in brightness to light the newspaper, but not too hot that it causes to burn the newspaper and release smoke.

Include larger pieces of wood to the fire and it will increase the temperature of the room. Depending on the stove you use it might be a good idea to use a chimney blower or fan to help circulate the air in the room and stop heat from escaping into the ceiling.

Cleaning the Firebox

Wood burning stoves produce fumes and toxins that must be eliminated from the hearth. Cleaning up ashes and wood debris is a normal part of running a fireplace, but regular cleaning should be followed by a thorough inspection for damage and degraded conditions to the hearth as well as the chimney and firebox surface. It is best to leave this type of cleaning to professionals who can carry out thorough inspection and cleaning.

Before cleaning your firebox, read the manufacturer's recommendations and warranty to be sure you're not violating any specific cleaning instructions. You could consider laying a large tarp over the floor to collect any dirt or soot that may fall as you clean.

Start with a cool fireplace and take out the andirons the grate and the ash dump (Image 1). Remove the ashes from the firebox to one side and scoop them using an iron spoon into a trashcan for disposal. Vacuum your mantle and hearth and mantle, getting rid of any soot which tends to accumulate in crevices and cracks.

Simple Green is a great way to clean glass doors. Use a scrubber or sponge and Simple Green to remove soot. This will help prevent discoloration. Read the label and use the solution as high as you are able to reach.

Next, prepare a mild cleaner to clean the fireplace bricks. You'll need two buckets one of which is filled with one gallon of warm water. You can also add one tablespoon of dishwashing fluid using grease cutters. To the second bucket mix equal amounts of household ammonia and distilled white vinegar.

Dip a scrub brush or sponge into the soapy solution and begin working it into the walls of your fireplace. Make small circles and let the solution rest for a period of three to five minutes. Then rinse the surface. Continue to scrub the brick's surface and then rinse it until you are satisfied. Repeat the process as needed to remove the soot off of your fireplace bricks. Make sure the room is well-ventilated throughout the entire process. Wear rubber gloves and eye protection if you are employing high-risk chemicals.