How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

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

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The sound and smell of a wood fire could be a pleasant addition to any house. However, it is important to know the correct method to build a fire in your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The tips below will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimal effort and ensure your security.

Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they're wet they will choke your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. After the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove has an automatic combustion control it will automatically supply air to the flame as it grows. This will help the fire to burn at a steady pace without the need to open the stove's door to keep it in check.

It's important to avoid using excessive tinder as this could result in an unburned fire that burns at an extremely high rate and fails to utilize the fuel as efficiently as it can. After you've built a solid base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling begin the main flame by laying two large logs of the base on the grate. On top of these base logs put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This method of constructing an ember known as a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that will not overtake the larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to smother and will not allow for the correct air flow, which will lower the effectiveness of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves are not just beautiful home décor pieces - they can help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used alone or together with central heating or a furnace system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or homes with many rooms. A lot of the clean-burning stoves on the market use a superior combustion principle that separates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second step is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps reduce the smell.

The amount of heat you get from your stove depends on the type of wood and the amount of moisture as well as the size of the logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you try to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are wet, they will produce plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

During the burning of the fire, add more wood to the pile at intervals, not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can reduce your stove's efficiency.

You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, because they are not wood and have very different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes, as they have a very different chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.

If you are installing wood-burning stoves 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 correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good condition. They will look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and fix any issues they discover. They will also ensure that the residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation guidelines in case in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. Additionally, it can help you to control the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is closed, the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will pour into your home. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different locations.

It is important to keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue when a flame is burning. This allows the fire to get going and also helps keep it burning so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening can stop the fire from becoming depleted of air and stop it from blowing smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper you need to first make sure the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove burning stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has an adequate draft. After this the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder slightly, you need to shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot while still keeping it lit. The draft might be stopped if you shut the damper to far however a cold breeze could be able to enter your home if the damper is left open.

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

The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is essential to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This can reduce the risk of a chimney fire which is the primary reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that forms on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. This can also occur when fires are not properly lit.

A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is recommended to have your stove and Wood Stove Burning fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year, too.

It is also recommended to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is best to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue that could end up in your home.

It is also important to clean the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much cleaning. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not capable of getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your 10kw wood burning stove stove.

Other tips to maintain your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to allow more air flow. This will keep the fire burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to perform as hard to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or let them sit on the fire for an extended time. This could cause splits and warping. In addition, it is recommended to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.