How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be an ideal option to conserve energy and heat rooms. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.

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

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire can be an excellent addition to any house. It's crucial to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The tips below can help you create a safe fire that will warm your home quickly and efficiently.

Check the condition of your coals and logs before you begin the fire. If they are wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove.

Start by placing some small newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. When the tinder and the kindling have started to burn, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done with a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.

If you own a wood stove with an automatic control of combustion it will automatically supply an air stream controlled to the fire as it builds. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the door of your stove often to keep it in check.

It's important to avoid using too much tinder, since it can cause a fire that burns at a high rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as possible. Once you've got a good bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay small logs parallel to these and on the 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 engulf larger logs from the base.

Close the damper once your fire is established and kept it shut. The fire can be smothered by opening the damper before it is fully established. It can also decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the additional heating required in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the new clean burning stoves that are available on the market use advanced combustion principles that separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is done by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases odors.

The amount of heat you get from your stove will depend on the kind of wood used as well as the moisture content as well as the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for several months prior to when you try to burn them to allow the wood to dry out. If the logs have excessive moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted energy.

It is best to add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at all at. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can decrease your stove's efficiency.

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

If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves into your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician can examine your stove to make sure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and repair any problems found. They will also make sure that the residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation guidelines in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper regulates how much heat escapes to the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to control the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to get the best flames by experimenting with different locations.

It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper, you have to first make sure the fireplace is heated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. Once this is accomplished the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder a bit you should reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its maximum. This will stop warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best way to keep the fire from getting too hot while keeping it lit. If you close the damper too far it may stop the draft from working, however should it be too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has sunk. If you can feel a small draft pushing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper setting can vary slightly from one stove to another and modern wood burning stove even between different types of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may need to adjust it until you find the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After an incident, it is essential to clean the flue and stove. This will help lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that are unable to escape from the fire. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.

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

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

It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much scrubs. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're capable of getting the glass as clean as you want on your indoor wood burner stove stove.

Some other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent down when you're not using it, and opening a window or door to increase air flow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, as it won't need to exert as much effort to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for a long duration. This could cause splits and warping. It is best to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove as the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue, which could cause damage.