How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are an ideal method to reduce energy consumption and warm the room. However, they need some level of maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves meet EPA emissions guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to ensure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It's crucial to learn the proper way to create a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not burning effectively and produces creosote or smoke. The tips below will help you begin a safe fire that can heat your home quickly and effectively.

Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they are wet they could smother the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You may want to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that falls into the stove.

Begin by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in your stove. This will help to ignite the sparks. When they begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of kindling 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 is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove door frequently to check on it.

It is important to not use excessive tinder as this could result in an unburned fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as it could. Once you've got a good bed in your stove of tinder, kindling and embers, start the main flame by laying down two large logs of the base on the grate. On top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't consume larger logs from the base.

Close the damper after the fire is established and kept it shut. If you open the damper too early, it can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the correct air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves are not just beautiful home décor pieces They can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the supplemental heating required in large homes or homes with many rooms. Many of the new stoves that are clean burning available use an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is achieved by supplying air at two different stages. The first stage allows for the burning of volatile compounds and the second provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases smells.

The amount of heat that you can get from your stove will depend on the kind of wood and the amount of moisture in it, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated area for a few months prior to burning. If the logs are not dry enough they will create plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

While you're burning the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, but not all at one time. Addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.

You should avoid the use of any other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have very different physical properties that can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes because they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned in wood burning stoves.

It is important that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can examine your stove to make sure it is safe and functional. They will also check that your chimney works correctly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to keep them in top shape. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. They will also ensure that the residents of the house know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not making use of your stove, a damper regulates the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can help you manage the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living space. To ensure you have the best fire with your damper set correctly, you have to experiment with different locations and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and remain lit for a number of hours. The proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.

To adjust your damper properly, you must first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. After this, the wood stove damper may be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for some time, you need to close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air from the room from venturing into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best way to stop the fire from getting too hot, while also keeping it burning. 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 opened. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your palm, the damper is likely to be open.

The damper settings can vary from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is crucial to clean your flue and stove after an incident. 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 builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and can be very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. The best method to do this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is also recommended that you get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a yearly.

It is also a good idea to clean out the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue which could be released in your home.

The glass that is used on the wood burning stove has to be cleaned frequently as well. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much scrubs. If you're unable to clean the glass cost of wood Burning stove your wood stove as clean as you would like, there are stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.

Other tips to maintain your wood burning stoves for sale stove are to turn the vent down when you are not using it and cracking the door or window to allow more air flow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, since it won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or place them on the fire for a long time. This could cause splitting and warping. It is also a good idea to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could damage it.