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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be an excellent way to save energy and also heat a room. However, they need an amount of care.

Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or underneath it to ensure that your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful feature in any house. It's essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. The following tips can help you start the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and ensure your safety.

Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they're damp, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by placing a handful of small dry pieces of newspaper in the stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once these begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there is air between each piece of wood.

If your wood stove has an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn at a steady pace without having to open the stove's door to tend it.

Do not 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 foundation in your stove that is made of sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay small logs perpendicular to these and on the top of the base logs. This method of building a fire known as a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.

Close the damper when your fire has been established and kept it shut. The fire could be smothered by opening the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the efficiency of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves aren't just beautiful home décor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be used by themselves or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or homes with many rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available today utilize an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization and the second step is to supply fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces smells.

The amount of heat you will get from a stove is contingent upon the type and amount of moisture of the wood used, and also the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them to allow the wood to dry. If the logs have excessive moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy.

You should add wood to the pile in intervals and not all at one time. The addition of too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing a vortex which draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove.

Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, like paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they differ in physical and wood burning stoves chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be burned in wood burning stoves.

If you are installing a wood burning stove in your home, it is important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is working correctly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good shape. They will inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. They will also ensure that the residents of the house know and follow the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls how much heat escapes through the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. In addition to this it can help you to control the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is closed too much 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 get the best flames by experimenting with different settings.

You should keep your damper open to let air enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for hours. A proper opening will prevent the fire from starving 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 that the chimney is warm, and it also has a strong draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove can be adjusted.

After the fire has been burning for a while, you should close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.

This is the best way to keep the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too tightly, it could stop the draft from working, however if it is too open, a cold wind could blow into your home.

You can determine how much the damper is open by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a small draft pushing 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. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove.

Clean up

After the fire, it's crucial to clean the stove and flue. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney which is the main reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It can also happen when fires are not properly lit.

Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney every year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year.

It is also recommended to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning paper, cardboard plastic, and Wood burning stoves other waste items. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue, which could be released in your home.

The glass in the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned frequently as well. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they don't require as much cleaning. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the glass if you aren't capable of getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition 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 hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to perform as hard to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or place them on the fire for a long duration. This can cause warping and splits. Finally, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove burning stove because the paraffin in them can melt and then flow into the flue which could cause damage.