How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and also save energy. However, they require a certain amount of maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove doesn't generate many harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any home. It's important to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to the fire not to burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The following tips can aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimum effort and ensure your safety.

Before you start a fire, check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet they will choke your fire and hinder proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by placing some small newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help to ignite the fire. Once the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood.

If you have a wood stove that has an automatic control for combustion it will automatically supply an air stream that is controlled to your fire as it builds. This will enable the fire to burn at a steady pace without the need to open the stove's door to tend it.

Do not use excessive tinder since this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and wood burners Near me not utilize the fuel effectively. Once you've made a solid foundation in your stove that is made of tinder, kindling and embers begin the main flame by laying down two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.

Close the damper when the fire is established, and keep it closed. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire smother and will not allow for proper airflow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the latest stoves that are clean burning available today utilize advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is done by providing air at two different stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.

The amount of heat you can get from your stove is contingent on the type of wood used and the amount of moisture as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be stored in a well ventilated location for a few months prior to burning. If the logs have too much moisture, they'll produce steam which is essentially wasted energy.

It is best to add wood to the pile at intervals and not all at once. Adding too much wood at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which can reduce your stove's efficiency.

Avoid the use of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they differ in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be burned in wood-burning stoves.

It is important to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety, as well as make sure that your chimney is operating properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can check for wood Burners Near me leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also make sure that all residents of the home understand and follow the evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper regulates the amount of heat that is lost to the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue is opened but the damper is too closed, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. To ensure that you get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you must test different positions and observe how each affects the flames.

You should keep your damper open to let air enter and exit the flue when a flame is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for many hours. The right opening will also prevent the fire from starving of air and will keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper, you have to first make sure the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has a good draft. Once these are done the fireplaces wood burning stoves stove damper can be adjusted.

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

This is the best way to prevent the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft might be stopped if you shut the damper to far however a cold breeze could enter your home if the damper is not closed.

You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, the damper is likely to be open.

The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After a fire, it is important to clean the stove and flue. This will help reduce the risk of a chimney fire which is the primary cause of Wood Burners Near Me stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky material which can build up inside the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this substance. This can also be caused by fires that are not lit properly.

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

Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to burn only seasoned wood, as it will produce less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning paper, cardboard or plastic items. These items could release dangerous chemicals into the flue and air, that could end up in your home.

It is also necessary to clean the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much cleaning. You can use stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other ways to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and slamming doors or windows to improve airflow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it won't have to exert as much effort to circulate the air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or leave them in the fire for long periods of time, as this could lead to warping and splitting. Finally, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow into the flue which could damage it.