How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

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

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create a lot of harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It is essential to understand how to build an effective fire on your woodburner stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently, and produces smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you start an efficient fire that will warm your home quickly and effectively.

Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are too wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. Once these begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there will be air between each piece of wood.

If your wood stove has an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the flame as it grows. This allows the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove door frequently to check on it.

Do not use excessive tinder since it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grill. On the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of building the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger logs from the base.

Close the damper once your fire has been established and kept it shut. The fire can be smothered by opening the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be used by themselves or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or homes with many rooms. A lot of the clean burning stoves that are available use advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is achieved by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows for the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces the odors.

The amount of heat that you can get from your stove is contingent on both the species of wood used and the moisture content, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs should be kept in a ventilated location for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are wet, they will produce plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy.

During the burning of the fire, add more wood to the stack in intervals, and not all at once. Too much wood added at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could 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 different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they have a completely different chemical and physical composition to real firewood and aren't type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.

It is crucial that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can examine your stove to make sure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in good condition. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not using your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue opens but the damper is too closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will pour into your home. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with your damper adjusted properly you have to play around with different locations and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when 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 becoming depleted of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and also that it has an adequate draft. After this, the wood stove damper may be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for a while, you should close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best Woodburners way to stop the fire from becoming too hot while still keeping it lit. If you close the damper too much, it could stop the draft from working, however if it is too open, a cold wind could enter your home.

By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.

The damper settings can vary from one stove to another 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 might have to keep adjusting it until you find the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is crucial to clean your flue and stove after a fire. This reduces the chance of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance that builds up on the stovepipe's interior best Woodburners and can be very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.

Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year, too.

It is also an excellent idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as this will produce less creosote and Best Woodburners ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the air, and could be released into your home.

It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood burning stove regularly. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they do not require as much scrubs. If you're not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like, there are stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.

Other suggestions to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and cracking windows or doors to improve airflow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently since it won't have to exert as much effort to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs, or leave them on the fire for an extended period of time. This can lead to splits and warping. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain could melt and spill into the flue which could cause damage.