How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be an excellent way to save energy and warm rooms. They require some care.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate to make sure your stove doesn’t generate many harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It’s important to know how to create an effective fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques may lead to an unburned fire that doesn’t burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimum effort and with the highest safety.

Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and kindling. After the tinder and kindling are beginning to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on 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 combustion control, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove’s door constantly to tend to it.

It’s important to avoid using excessive tinder as it can cause the fire burning at a high rate and doesn’t make use of the fuel as efficiently as possible. After you’ve built a solid base in your stove with tinder, kindling and embers to start the main flame, you can do this by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on the top of the base logs. This “top-down” method of creating a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn’t engulf larger logs from the base.

Close the damper after the fire is established and keep it shut. If you open the damper too early, it could cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the proper air flow, which can lower the effectiveness of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the extra heating required in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. A lot of the stoves that are clean burning available on the market use advanced combustion technology that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is achieved by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second stage is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and reduces the smell.

The amount of heat you get from your stove depends on both the species of wood used as well as the moisture content, as well as the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months before you try to burn them to give the wood a chance to dry. If the logs are not dry enough they will release plenty of steam that is basically wasted energy.

During the burning of the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack in intervals, not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and creates a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which could reduce your stove’s efficiency.

It is recommended to stay clear of any other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. You should also not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes as they have a distinct chemical and physical properties from actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.

If you are installing a wood burning stove in your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. modern wood burning stoves certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and repair any issues they spot. They will also ensure that the occupants of the home understand and follow the evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

When you’re not using your stove, a damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney. In addition to this it can also help you manage the fire. If the flue opens but the damper is too closed the fire won’t burn properly and smoke will erupt into your home. To ensure you have the best fire with the damper properly adjusted, you must experiment with different settings and observe how each one affects the flames.

Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for hours. The right opening will also prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.

To properly 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 that it has a good draft. Once this is done the damper on the wood stove may be adjusted.

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

This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft may be stopped if you shut the damper too far but a cold wind can enter your home in the event that the damper is not closed.

By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it is probably in the open position.

The damper settings can differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you may need to tweak it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After an incident, it is important to clean the flue and stove. This will help to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the main reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the stovepipe’s interior and can be extremely hazardous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this substance. It could also be caused by improperly lit fires.

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

Also, it’s a good idea for you to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to burn only wood that is well-seasoned since it will create less creosote. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the air and flue, that could end up in your home.

The glass in the wood stove has to be regularly cleaned as well. Many newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, which means that they don’t require a lot of scrubs. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you’re not getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it, and opening a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, since it won’t have to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs or place them on the fire for a long time. This can lead to splitting and warping. It is advised to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the logs can melt and leak into the flue, which could cause damage.