How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and heat a room. They will require some maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check 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 smell and the sound of a woodfire can be an excellent addition to any home. It's important to know how to create a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to a fire which does not burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. These tips will aid you in starting an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and ensure your safety.
Check the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they are wet they will choke the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. It is possible to open the chimney to remove any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in the stove. This will help ignite the fire. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there is air between each piece of wood.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control it will automatically feed air to the fire as it expands. This allows the fire to burn continuously without having to open the door of your stove constantly to tend to it.
Do not use too much tinder, as it can cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. If you have a solid fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, begin the main fire by placing two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay a layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This method of building the fire is called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that does not completely consume the larger base logs.
When your fire is established, close the damper and keep it shut. Doing this too soon could cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for proper air flow, which can decrease the efficiency of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used on their own or together with a furnace or central heating system to provide the extra heat needed in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the latest clean burning stoves that are available today utilize advanced combustion principles that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is accomplished by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the burning of volatile compounds and the second stage provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases odors.
The amount of heat that you can get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood, and also the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, logs must be kept in a ventilated space for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are wet they will create plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.
During the burning of the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise within the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that pulls smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into the flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove.
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 producing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to real firewood, and are not approved for burning in wood burning stoves.
It is crucial to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is operating correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues that are found. They will also ensure that the residents of the house know and follow the fire evacuation procedures in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper controls how much heat is lost up the chimney when you're not cooking on your stove. Fireplaces And Stove can also be used to control the flame. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire will not ignite properly and smoke will billow into your home. To ensure that you get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you should test different locations and observe how each one affects the flames.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. The right opening can stop the fire from being deprived of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly first, make sure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. After these steps are completed, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for an extended period, shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will stop warm air from the room from going into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft could be stopped if one closes the damper too tightly, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home if the damper is left open.
Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it's probably in the open position.
The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may need to adjust until you get the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is essential to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney, which is the primary reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the flame are the reason for this chemical. This can also be caused by fires that are not properly lit.
A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney each year. It is also recommended to get your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.
It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These items could release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue, that could end up in your home.
The glass that is used on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require any scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't able get the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Other suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you are not using it and cracking a window or door to increase air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it won't need to work as hard to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for an extended duration. This can lead to splits and warping. It is recommended to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue, which could cause damage.