How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a space and conserve energy. They require some care.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove won't produce many harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. But it's important to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and produces creosote or smoke. These tips will help you begin a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and effectively.

Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they are wet they will choke your fire and prevent the proper burning. It is also possible to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting a handful of small, dry pieces of newspaper in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. Once these begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done using an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.

If you own a wood stove that has an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to the fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without the need to open the stove door constantly to tend to it.

It is important to not use too much tinder, as this could result in an unburned fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't make use of the fuel as efficiently as it could. Once you've got a good foundation in your stove that is made of sparks, tinder and kindling, start the main flame by placing two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, add an additional layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will produce a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.

Once the fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the correct airflow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be utilized together with central heating systems or furnace to provide additional heat in large homes. Many of the new stoves that are clean-burning employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning process of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second stage is to supply 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 depends on the type of wood and the amount of moisture and the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for a period of time before you attempt to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are soaked with too much moisture, they will create steam that is in essence wasted energy.

While you're burning the fire, add more wood to the stack at intervals, and not all at once. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and creates a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could reduce the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and possess different physical properties that cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes, usa as they have a very different chemical and physical composition to actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.

If you're installing wood-burning stoves into your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will examine your stove to make sure it is safe and functional. They will also ensure that your chimney is functioning properly. They offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and repair any problems discovered. They will also ensure that all occupants of the home understand and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not making use of your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue opens but the damper is closed the fire will not be able to burn as it should and smoke will erupt into your home. To ensure you have the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you should test different positions and observe how each one affects the flames.

It is important to keep your damper open to let air enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for several hours. The right opening will also prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To adjust your damper correctly first, make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and that it has a strong draft. Once this is accomplished the damper for the wood stove can 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 the warm air from the room from going through the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the best 5kw wood burning stove method to prevent the fire from getting too hot while keeping it lit. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper too far however a cold breeze can enter your home if the damper is not closed.

By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to another and 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 will have to keep adjusting until you get the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is essential to clean your flue and stove after an incident. This can to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the most common cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up inside the stovepipe, is very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It can also happen when fires aren't properly lit.

A regular cleaning schedule can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney every year. It is recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year, too.

It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will produce less creosote and ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper plastic, usa and other waste items. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the air and flue, that could end up in your home.

The glass on the wood stove has to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much scrubbing. If you are not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you'd like There are stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window.

Other suggestions to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you're not using it and slamming doors or windows to increase airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning hotter, and more efficiently. The wood stove won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is a good idea not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for a long duration. This can cause warping and splits. It is advised to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove because the paraffin in the logs can melt and leak into the flue, which could cause damage.