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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

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

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove won't produce lots of harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire made from wood can be a welcome feature in any house. It's important to understand how to build a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. These tips will help you start a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and with the highest safety.

Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they are too wet they could smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. You may also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove.

Start by placing a few small, dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. After the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can add a layer of larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will help the fire to burn at a steady rate without the need to open the stove door to keep it in check.

It is important to not use excessive tinder as this can lead to the fire burning at an excessive rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as it could. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large base logs on the grill. Then, on the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will produce a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

Close the damper after the fire is established and keep it shut. Opening the damper too soon can cause the fire be smothered, and it will not allow for the proper airflow, wood burning stoves which will lower the effectiveness of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heating in large wood burning stove houses. Many of the new stoves that are clean-burning use a superior combustion principle that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage permits the combustion of volatile compounds and the second offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.

The amount of heat that you get from your stove is contingent on the type of wood used and the moisture content, as well as the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a well ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are not dry enough they will release a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy.

When you are burning the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack in intervals, not all at all at. Addition of too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating an air vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This can reduce the efficiency of your stove.

Avoid burning 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 causing dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes since they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be used in wood burning stoves.

If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves into your home, it's crucial to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure safe operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is functioning correctly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in tip-top shape. They can check for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they spot. They will also make sure that all residents of the house understand and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper regulates the amount of heat that is lost to the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to regulate the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust the damper to achieve the most effective flames by experimenting with different settings.

It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to be able to enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and helps it stay burning so that you can enjoy it for hours. The right opening can stop the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper, you need to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has a good draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder a bit you should reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting through the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape from the wood stove.

This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too tightly, it could stop the draft from working, however if it is too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.

You can determine how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, the damper is likely in an open position.

The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may have to keep adjusting until you get the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is essential to clean your chimney and stove after a fire. This will help to reduce the chance of a chimney fire which is the most common reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can accumulate inside 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 happen when fires aren't properly lit.

Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. The best way to do this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.

It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned to burn, since this will produce less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals for the air and flue, that could end up in your home.

It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means they don't require a lot of scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't capable of getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other suggestions to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and opening doors or windows to improve airflow. This keeps the fire burning longer and more efficient. The wood stove will not have to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or place them in the flame for long periods of time, as this could cause splitting and warping. In addition, wood Burning stoves it is a good idea 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.