How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be a great method to reduce energy consumption and heat rooms. They do require some maintenance.

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

How to start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a woodfire can be an excellent addition to any home. It's essential to understand how to build an effective fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you create a fire that is safe and can heat your home quickly and efficiently.

Before you start a fire, check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're too damp, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. After the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on the top. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

If you have a wood stove wood burning that has an automatic control of combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream that is controlled to your flame as it heats. This will help the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to open the stove door to keep it in check.

Avoid using too much tinder as it can cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel efficiently. Once you've made a solid foundation in your stove that is made of tinder, kindling and embers to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large wood burner base logs on the grill. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

When your fire is established, close the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire get smothered and not allow for proper air flow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be used in conjunction with central heating systems or furnace to provide supplemental heating in large homes. The latest clean-burning stoves on the market use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases smells.

The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the species and moisture content of the wood, and also the size of logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated location for a few months prior to burning. If the logs are wet they will create plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy.

It is best to add wood stove burning to the pile at intervals and not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating an air vortex that draws smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into the flames. This can reduce the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove such as paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be burned in wood burning stoves.

If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves in your home, it is important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure it is safe and functional. They can also make sure whether your chimney is working properly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top condition. They can check for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney, and fix any issues they spot. They will also ensure that all house occupants understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls how much heat escapes through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to control the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is too closed, the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living space. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with your damper set correctly, you must test different settings and observe how each affects the flames.

Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This allows the fire to get a good fire going and also helps keep it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening can stop the fire from being deprived of air and stop it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood burning stoves on sale stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and it also has an adequate draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove can be adjusted.

Once the fire has burned for a while, you can reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its original position. This will prevent warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you shut the damper too tightly, it could stop the draft from working, however when it's too open a cold breeze could enter your home.

You can check to see how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a small draft pushing against your hand, it's probably in the open position.

The damper settings may differ between woodburning stoves and even between different kinds of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you might have to keep adjusting it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean up

It is important to clean your flue and stove after an incident. This can reduce the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by cleaning your chimney once a year. It is also recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.

It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These can release harmful chemicals for respiratory illnesses and the air, and could be released into your home.

It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood stove on a regular basis. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much scrubs. You can use stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't able get the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.

Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and opening doors or windows to improve airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning longer and more efficiently. The wood stove won't have to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged durations of time, since this could lead to splitting and warping. It is best wood burners to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove as the paraffin that is contained in the logs can melt and leak into the flue, which could cause damage.