How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and conserve energy. They do require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate many harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a woodfire is an enjoyable addition to any house. However, it is important to know the proper way to make a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not burning effectively and produces creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you create a fire that is safe and can heat your home quickly and efficiently.
Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start a fire. If they are too wet, they will smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing some small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. Once the tinder and kindling have begun to ignite, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.
If you own a wood stove that has an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to the flame as it heats. This allows the fire to burn continuously without having to open the stove door often to keep it in check.
It's important to avoid using too much tinder, since this could result in the fire burning at an extremely high rate and fails to utilize the fuel as efficiently as possible. Once you've got a good bed in your stove of sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large base logs on the grill. Then, on top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This method of building a fire known as a "top-down" fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that will not completely consume the larger base logs.
Once your fire is well established Close the damper and keep it shut. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper before it is fully established. It can also decrease the efficiency of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves are not only beautiful pieces of home decor they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the additional heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. A lot of the stoves that are clean burning available use advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is done by supplying air at two different stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds and the second stage supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces smells.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove depends on the species and moisture content of the wood, and also the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a well ventilated space for a few months before burning. If the logs are not dry enough, they will produce a lot of steam that is essentially wasted energy.
While you're burning the fire, add more wood to the stack at intervals, but not all at once. Addition of too much wood at once can cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating an air vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, such as cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they are different in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned in wood-burning stoves.
If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves into your home, it is important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician can test your stove to ensure it is safe and functional. They will also check that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good shape. They will look for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney, and fix any issues they discover. They will also make sure that the occupants of the house understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not using your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by testing different locations.
You should keep your damper open to allow air to be able to enter and exit the flue when a flame is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. A proper opening will keep the fire from being starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.
In order to properly adjust your damper you need to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm and it also has a good draft. After that, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.
Once the fire has smolder a bit you should reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its original position. This will stop the warm room air from escaping through the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the best way to keep your fire lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper to far however a cold breeze could enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.
You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.
The damper settings may differ between stoves and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get a sense of the most suitable setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is essential to clean your flue and stove after the start of a fire. This will help lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can accumulate inside the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.
Regular cleaning helps keep away the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney at least once a year. wood stoves for sale near me is also recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and checked at least every year.
It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as this will result in less creosote and less ash. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper, plastic and other trash items. These can release chemicals that are dangerous for the flue and air, which could be released into your home.
It is also essential to clean the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much cleaning. If you're not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like, there are stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.
Other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent down when you're not using it and slamming the door or window to allow more air flow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficient. The wood stove won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for a long duration. This could cause splitting and warping. In addition, it is recommended to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could damage it.