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How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and save energy. They do require some maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to ensure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a woodfire can be a welcome addition in any home. It's essential to understand how to build an effective fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. The tips below will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.

Before you start an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet they could smother the fire and prevent it from burning properly. You may also want to open the flue to let any ash that has been deposited into the stove.

Begin by putting several small, dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help to ignite the fire. Once the tinder and kindling have started to ignite, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.

If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control it will automatically pump air into the flame as it grows. This will help the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove door to keep it in check.

Do not use too much tinder as it can cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grill. Then, add a layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.

Once your fire is well established, close the damper and keep it closed. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper prior to it being fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating in large houses. Many of the new clean burning stoves that are available use an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is done by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the vaporization of the volatile compounds, while the second step supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and reduces the odors.

The amount of heat you will get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood as well as the size of logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you try to burn them to give the wood time to dry out. If the logs have excessive moisture, they'll produce steam, which is basically wasted power.

While you're burning the fire, you should add more wood to the stack at intervals, and not all at all at. Too much wood added at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which could reduce your stove's efficiency.

Avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, since they are not wood and possess different physical properties that can't be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they differ in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be burned in wood-burning stoves.

If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves in your home, it's important to have it properly installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety, and also ensure that your chimney is operating correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good shape. They will look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney, and fix any issues they discover. They will also make sure that all residents of the home understand and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost to the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is open but the damper is not closed the fire will not burn properly and smoke will pour into your home. You can adjust your damper to get the best flames by playing around with different locations.

Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for several hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from being starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper you need to first make sure the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and that it has a strong draft. After that, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

After the fire has burned for modern wood Burner an extended period, close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop the warm room air from escaping up the chimney while still allowing smoke to escape from the wood stove.

This is the most effective way to keep the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. The draft could be stopped if one closes the damper too tightly however a cold breeze can enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.

You can test how much the damper is open by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your palm the damper is probably in an open position.

The damper's setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you may need to adjust it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is essential to clean your chimney and stove after the start of a fire. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance that can accumulate within the stovepipe, can be extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this substance. This can also be caused by fires that are not lit properly.

Regular cleaning can help stop the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year as well.

Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is best to burn only outdoor wood burning stove that is well-seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that can be dangerous for the respiratory tract and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.

It is also important to wash the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. The majority of newer wood outdoor woodburning stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they don't require a lot of scrubbing. If you are not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like There are stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window.

Some other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent down when you are not using it and slamming a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it will not need to work as hard to circulate air. It is recommended not to stack logs, or place them on the fire for an extended time. This can cause warping and splits. It is advised to avoid using compressed combustible cheap wood burners in your wood stove because the paraffin contained within them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.