How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and save energy. They will require some maintenance.

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

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a woodfire is an excellent addition to any home. But it's important to learn how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause smoke or creosote. The tips below will help you begin a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.

Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you start an fire. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove.

Start by placing a few small, dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on the top. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove has an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the stove door frequently to check on it.

Be careful not to use too much tinder as it can cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not use the fuel effectively. Once you've made a solid bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling, start the main flame by laying down two large base logs on the grate. Then, on the top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This "top-down" method of building the fireplace will create a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.

Close the damper when the fire is established, and keep it shut. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for the correct airflow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Adding 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 in conjunction with central heating systems or furnace to provide additional heat in large wood burning stove houses. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available use advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces smells.

The amount of heat you get from a stove depends on the type and amount of moisture of the wood as well as the size of logs. To let the wood dry, logs should be stored in a well ventilated location for a few months before burning. If the logs are wet they will create a lot of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

You should add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at all at. Addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This could reduce the efficiency of your stove.

You should avoid the use of other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not wood and have very different physical properties that cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they have a very different chemical and physical composition to real firewood and aren't suitable for burning in wood burning stoves.

It is essential that you have 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 is functioning properly. They provide maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top condition. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues found. They will also ensure that the residents of the house understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls how much heat is lost to the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is too closed, the fire won't be able to burn properly and will release smoke into your living space. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by testing different positions.

It is important to keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for several hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from being deprived of air and stop it from blowing smoke.

In order to properly adjust your damper you need to first make sure the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and it also has a strong draft. After that, Stove wood burning the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.

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

This is the best method to stop the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too much, it may stop the draft from working, however when it's too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.

Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a micro small wood burning stove for shed draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper settings can vary from one Stove Wood Burning (Wikidot.Win) to another and even among different types of wood. 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 ideal setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is essential to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This will reduce the risk of a fire in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can be caused by improperly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine helps prevent the buildup of creosote. The best method to do this is by sweeping the chimney every year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year, too.

It is also an excellent idea to clean the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to use only seasoned wood to burn, since it will create less creosote as well as ash. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These can release chemicals that can be dangerous for the flue and air, which could be released into your home.

It is also important to clean the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. Many newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubs. If you're unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like There are stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.

Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition include turning down the vent when you aren't using it, and slamming doors or windows to increase airflow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, since it won't have to be as active to circulate the air. It is advisable not to stack logs, or place them on the fire for a long duration. This could cause splits and warping. In addition, it is best to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.