How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

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

Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to make sure your stove doesn't generate lots of harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It's crucial to learn the proper way to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The following tips can assist you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.

Make sure to check the condition of your coals and logs before you start the fire. If they are too wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting several small wood burner newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. 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 with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

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

Be careful not to use excessive tinder since it will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. When you have a good bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grate. On the top of these base woods lay a layer parallel to them. This method of constructing the fire is called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that will not completely consume the larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it closed. Opening the damper too soon could cause the fire to smother and will not allow for proper air flow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Add small wood burning stove indoor

Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces They can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood Burner stoves for sale heat. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the extra heating required in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest stoves that burn cleanly available today utilize advanced combustion principles that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases odors.

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

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

Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove such as cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes, as they have a very different chemical and physical properties from actual firewood and are not type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.

It is important that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure that your chimney works correctly. They offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good shape. They can check for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney, and fix any issues they discover. They will also make sure that all house occupants know and follow the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not making use of your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. In addition to this it can also help you control the fire. If the flue is opened but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by playing around with different locations.

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 allows the fire to start a fire and helps it stay in good shape so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening will also prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To adjust your damper correctly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and also that it has a good draft. After this the damper on the wood stove may be adjusted.

Once the fire has burned for a while, you can reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting up the chimney while still allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the best way to keep your fire burning and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you shut the damper too tightly, it may stop the draft from working, but should it be too open, a cold wind could blow into your home.

Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper settings can vary from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will need to tweak it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is important to clean your chimney and stove after an incident. This will help reduce the risk of a chimney fire which is the primary reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance which can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that cannot escape the fire. This can also occur when fires are not lit properly.

Regular cleaning helps prevent creosote buildup. This can be accomplished by cleaning your chimney once a year. It is also recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and checked at least year.

It is also an excellent idea to clean out the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is a good idea to only use seasoned wood stove burning to burn, since it will create less creosote and less ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard plastic, and other waste items. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for the flue and atmosphere, which may be released into 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 don't require as much scrubs. If you're unable to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like, there are stove glass cleaners you can use on the window.

Other suggestions to keep your wood stove in good condition include turning down the vent when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to increase airflow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, since it won't need to exert as much effort to circulate the air. It is advisable not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for an extended time. This can lead to warping and splits. Finally, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down the flue which could cause damage to the stove.