How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and conserve energy. However, they need some level of maintenance. Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants. How to start a Wood Fire The scent and sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any home. It is essential to know how to create a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently, and produces creosote or smoke. The tips below will assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and ensure your safety. Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you begin the fire. If they are wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You might want to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove. Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can put a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood. If you have wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion it will automatically supply an air stream controlled to your fire as it builds. This will help the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove door to maintain it. Be careful not to use too much tinder as it will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not use the fuel efficiently. Once you've made a solid bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying two large base logs on the grate. Next, place an additional layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This top-down method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't consume larger logs from the base. Close the damper when the fire is established and kept it closed. The fire can be smothered if the user opens the damper before it is fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and also save you money. They can be utilized in conjunction with central heating systems or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large houses. A lot of the stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization, while the second step is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors. The amount of heat that you can get from a stove depends on the species and the moisture content of the wood you use and also the dimensions of logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them, to give the wood a chance to dry. If the logs are not dry enough they will create plenty of steam that is basically wasted energy. During the burning of the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack at intervals, not all at one time. Addition of too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, causing an air vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This could reduce the effectiveness of your stove. Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove, like cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they differ in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be burned in wood burning stoves. If you're planning to install a wood burning stove in your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for safe operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is working properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and repair any issues they spot. They will also make sure that all residents of the house understand and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident. Adjusting the Damper When you're not making use of your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is too closed, the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will pour into your home. To ensure that you get the most efficient fire, with your damper set correctly, you have to test different positions and observe how each one affects the flames. 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 will allow the fire to start and stay lit for many hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from being starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke. To adjust your damper correctly first, make sure that the fireplace is preheated and that the wood stove is hot. small wood burner will ensure the chimney is warm and that it has a strong draft. Once this is accomplished, the wood stove damper can be adjusted. After the fire has been burning for an extended period, shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent the warm air from the room from going into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove. This is the best method to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. The draft may be stopped if one closes the damper too far, but a cold wind could enter your home when the damper is not closed. By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight breeze pressing against your hand, it's probably in the open position. The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to the next, and even between different types 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 find the perfect setting for your stove. Clean up It is crucial to clean your flue and stove after a fire. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the main reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape the fire. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires. Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year. It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to burn only seasoned wood, as it will produce less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They can release chemicals that are dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the air, which could be released into your home. The glass in the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means they don't require a lot of cleaning. If you are not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like, there are stove glass cleaners available that you can use on the window. Other ways to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to increase airflow. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently, as it will not need to be as active to circulate the 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 splits and warping. It is also recommended to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin in them can melt and flow into the flue which could damage it.
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