How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and save energy. However, they require some level of maintenance.

A majority of modern wood burning stove 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 lots of harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any home. However, it is important to know how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips will help you start an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and maximum security.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are wet it will dampen your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting some micro small wood burning stove for shed newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help to ignite the fire. Once the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there will be air between each piece of wood.

If you own wood stoves that have an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream that is controlled to the flame as it heats. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to keep it in check.

Do not use too much tinder as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, on the top of these base woods, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and ensure it stays closed. The fire may be smothered by opening the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large houses. A lot of the stoves that burn clean employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization, while the second step is to provide pre-heated fresh air. This improves the process of combustion and helps to reduce odors.

The amount of heat you get from a stove depends on the type and amount of moisture of the wood you use, and also the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be stored in a well ventilated space for a few months before burning. If the logs contain too much moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted power.

During the burning of the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack in intervals, but not all at one time. Too much wood added at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which could reduce the efficiency of your stove.

It is recommended to stay clear of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove wood burning, since they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes, as they have a very different physical and chemical composition from real firewood and aren't type-approved for use in wood burning stoves.

It is important that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can test your stove to ensure it is safe and reliable. They can also make sure that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney, and fix any issues they spot. They will also make sure that all house occupants know and follow the evacuation procedures for fire in case in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not cooking on your stove, a damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living space. To get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you must test different settings and observe how each one affects the flames.

You should keep your damper open to let air flow into and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. The proper opening will keep the fire from being starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper, you have to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has an adequate draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder slightly, you need to close the damper to about three-quarters of its maximum. This will stop warm air in the room from venting into the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.

This is the most effective way to keep your fire lit and keep it from getting too hot. If you shut the damper too tightly, it could stop the draft from working, however if it is too open, a cold wind could enter your home.

Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a small wood burning fireplaces breeze pushing against your hand the damper is probably in the open position.

The damper settings may differ from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.

Clean up

After an incident, it is essential to clean the stove and flue. This will help reduce the risk of a chimney fire, which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that accumulates on the stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.

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

It is also an excellent idea to clean out the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is best to burn only seasoned wood since it will create less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals to the air and flue which could be released in your home.

It is also important to wash the glass of the wood burning stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means that they don't require a lot of scrubbing. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the glass if you aren't getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.

Other tips to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you aren't using it, and cracking windows or doors to allow more airflow. This will keep the fire burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended period of time. This can lead to splitting and warping. It is recommended to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the logs can melt and leak into the flue and cause damage.