How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be an ideal option to conserve energy and heat rooms. However, they require an amount of care.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to make sure your stove won't produce many harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an excellent addition to any home. It's crucial to learn the proper way to make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips can help you create an efficient fire that will warm your home quickly and effectively.

Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they are wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. It is possible to open the chimney to remove any ash that's fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting a handful of small wood burning stove uk, dry pieces of newspaper into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

If you have a wood stove that has an automatic control of combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream that is controlled to your flame as it heats. This allows the fire to burn continuously without the need to open the stove door often to keep it in check.

Be careful not to use too much tinder as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a solid fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grill. Then, add an additional layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger logs from the base.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and ensure it stays closed. The fire could be smothered by opening the damper before it has fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be used by themselves or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or homes with multiple 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 and tar. This is done by providing air at two different stages. The first stage allows for the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces smells.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the species and moisture content of the wood as well as the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them to give the wood a chance to dry out. If the logs are wet they will release a lot of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

While you're burning the fire, it is recommended to add more contemporary wood burning stoves to the stack at intervals, but not all at one time. Addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.

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

If you are installing wood-burning stoves into your home, it is crucial to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure it is safe and functional. They will also check whether your chimney is working properly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top shape. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues that are discovered. They will also make sure that the occupants 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 is lost up the chimney when you're not using your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living area. To ensure that you get the most efficient fire, with the damper properly adjusted, you have to play around with different settings and observe how each affects the flames.

It is important to keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from becoming depleted of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

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

Once the fire has smolder slightly, you need to reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its original position. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting through the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

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 shut the damper to far, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home when the damper is left open.

You can check to see how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pushing against your hand, it's likely to be 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. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you might have to keep adjusting it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean up

After an incident, it is essential to clean the stove and flue. This will help lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the most common reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can accumulate within the stovepipe, can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape from the fire. It can also happen when fires are not properly lit.

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

Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to burn only wood that is well-seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that can be dangerous for the flue and air, and could be released into your home.

The glass that is used on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, so they don't require as much cleaning. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.

Other suggestions to keep your wood stove in good condition include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and slamming doors or windows to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged periods of time as this could lead to warping and splitting. It is also best to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove because the paraffin in them could melt and spill down the flue which could damage it.