How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves can be an excellent way to save energy and warm a room. However, they need some level of maintenance. Many modern wood stoves are compliant with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to make sure your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants. How to Start a Wood Fire The scent and sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any house. But it's important to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. These tips will aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and ensure your safety. Before you start a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are too wet they will choke the flame and stop it from burning properly. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash that has fallen into the stove. Start by placing some small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the sparks. When the tinder and the kindling have begun to burn, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will enable the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to open the stove door to maintain it. Avoid using excessive tinder since it can cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a solid 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, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of creating the fire is known as a top-down fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that doesn't completely consume the larger base logs. Once the fire is established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper prior to it being fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire. Adding Wood Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be utilized together 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 the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second is to provide pre-heated fresh air. This improves the combustion process and reduces odors. The amount of heat you will get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood you use, and also the size of logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them to give the wood time to dry out. If the logs are not dry enough they will create plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy. When you are burning the fire, add more wood to the pile at intervals, and not all at one time. The addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flames. This could reduce the efficiency of your stove. Avoid using other combustibles in your stove such as paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they are different in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be used in wood burning stoves. It is essential that a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for safe operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is functioning correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they spot. They will also ensure that all house occupants understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in the event in the event of an emergency. Adjusting the Damper If you're not using your stove, a damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney. In addition to this it can also help you to control the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is too closed, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living area. You can adjust the damper to achieve the most effective flames by testing different positions. Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and remain lit for a number of hours. The right opening will also stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke. To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has a good draft. Once best woodburners are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted. After the fire has been burning for some time, you need to close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air from the room from venturing into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape. This is the best method to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper too far, but a cold wind could enter your home when the damper is left open. You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hand on the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your hand, the damper is likely in an open position. The damper settings can differ slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove. Clean Up It is essential to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire which is the primary cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires. A regular cleaning schedule can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year, too. It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper, plastic and other trash items. These can release harmful chemicals for the respiratory tract and the air, which could be released into your home. It is also important to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much cleaning. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the glass if you aren't able get the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove. Other suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it and slamming windows or doors to allow more air flow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, as it won't need to exert as much effort to circulate air. It is a good idea not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended duration. This can cause splits and warping. It is also best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could cause damage to the stove.
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