The Best Tips Youll Ever Receive On Stove Wood Burning

How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a space and conserve energy. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to ensure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any home. But it's important to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. The tips below will help you start the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and maximum security.

Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you start an 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's fallen into the stove.

Begin by putting a handful of small dry pieces of newspaper in your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. After the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can put the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood.

If your wood stove has an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the flame as it grows. This allows the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove's door frequently to check on it.

Avoid using excessive tinder since this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. Once you've got a good base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling, start the main flame by laying down two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, on the top of these base logs, 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 consume larger base logs.

Close the damper once your fire is established and keep it closed. Doing this too soon could cause the fire to smother and will not allow for proper air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and also save you money. They can be used alone or in conjunction with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or homes with many rooms. Many of the new stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds, while the second step offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and reduces the smell.





The amount of heat you get from a stove depends on the type and amount of moisture of the wood used as well as the size of the logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated area for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them, to give the wood a chance to dry. If the logs have too much moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted power.

It is best to add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can decrease your stove's efficiency.

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

It is important to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is operating properly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good shape. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they discover. They will also make sure 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

When you're not making use of your stove, a damper regulates the amount of heat lost through the chimney. It can also be used to control the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by playing around with different locations.

It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to be able to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This lets the fire get going and keeps it lit so you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening will also keep the fire from being starved of air and will keep it from blowing out smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper, you need to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and that it has a good draft. After that, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.

After the fire has burned for some time, you need to close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop warm room air from escaping through the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape from the wood stove.

This is the best way to keep your fire lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you close the damper too far it may stop the draft from working, however if it is too open a cold breeze could enter your home.

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

The damper settings can vary from one stove to another and even between different kinds 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 perfect setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After a fire, it is important to clean the flue and stove. This will help reduce the risk of a chimney fire, which is the most common cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky material which can build up within the stovepipe, can be extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this chemical. This can also be caused when fires aren't lit properly.

Regular cleaning helps prevent creosote buildup. 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 yearly.

Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will produce less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for respiratory illnesses and the air, and could be released into your home.

The glass in the wood stove has to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they don't require as much scrubbing. If you are not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners you can use on the window.

Other tips to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to improve airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficient. The wood stove won't have to work as hard in order to circulate air. wood burning stove small is recommended not to stack logs or place them on the fire for an extended period of time. This could cause warping and splits. Finally, it is a good idea to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could damage it.