How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

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

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to ensure that your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a woodfire is an excellent addition to any house. However, it is important to know how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to a fire which does not burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. The following tips can assist you in starting an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and ensure your security.

Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start a fire. If they're damp they will choke your fire and hinder proper burning. You might want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.

Begin by placing several small contemporary wood burning stove newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. When they begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.

If you own a wood stove with an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream controlled to the flame as it heats. This allows the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove's door frequently to check on it.

It's important to avoid using too much tinder, as this can lead to a fire that burns at an extremely high rate and fails to utilize the fuel as efficiently as it can. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling begin the main flame by laying two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, you can lay small logs perpendicular to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

Close the damper when your fire is established, and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it is fully established. This can also affect 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 on their own or in conjunction with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available use advanced combustion principles that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gases and tar. This is done by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second stage supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and helps to reduce the smell.

The amount of heat you will get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood, and also the size of the logs. To allow the wood to dry, logs should be stored in a well ventilated location for a few months prior to burning. If the logs have excessive moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted energy.

While you're burning the fire, add more wood to the stack at intervals, not all at one time. Too much portable wood heater added at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could reduce 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 hottest wood stove and possess different physical properties that can't be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes, as they have a very different physical and chemical composition from actual firewood and are not suitable for use in wood burning woodburner stoves.

It is essential that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure that your chimney is functioning properly. They provide maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They will inspect the areas accessible to your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house are aware of and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not cooking on your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can help you control the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is closed, the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will erupt into your home. To get the best fire with the damper properly adjusted, you have to test different settings and observe how each affects the flames.

You should keep your damper open to allow air to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and keeps it burning so that you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The proper opening will stop the fire from being deprived of air and stop it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper you need to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has good draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove can be adjusted.

After the fire has smolder slightly, you need to shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its original position. This will stop warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best method to stop the fire from becoming too hot while still keeping it lit. If you close the damper too much, it could block the draft from working, however should it be too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home.

By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has opened. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will have to keep adjusting until you get the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean up

After an incident, it is important to clean the flue and stove. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the main reason for 5kw wood burning stove stove-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up inside the stovepipe, is very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It can also be caused by poorly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine can help keep the buildup of creosote at bay. The best way to do this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year.

It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned to burn, since it will create less creosote and ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These items can release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue, that could end up in your home.

The glass in the wood stove has to be cleaned frequently too. Many newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means that they don't require a lot of cleaning. You can apply Stove Wood Burning glass cleaners to the window if you're capable of getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you are not using it and slamming the door or window to allow more air flow. This keeps the fire burning more hot and efficient. 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 an extended period of time. This can cause warping and splits. Finally, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove because the paraffin in them can melt and flow down into the flue, which could damage it.