How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a great option to conserve energy and heat rooms. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate lots of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a woodfire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It is essential to know how to build a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to the fire not to burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start a safe fire that will warm your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might want to open the chimney to remove any ash that's fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing a handful of small dry pieces of newspaper in your stove. This will help ignite the fire. When they begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood.
If you have a wood stove that has an automatic combustion control that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to your flame as it heats. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without the need to open the stove door often to keep it in check.
Avoid using excessive tinder since it can cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. When you have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grate. Then, on the top of these base woods put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This method of creating an ember called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.
Close the damper once your fire is established and keep it shut. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to smother and will not allow for the proper airflow, which will lower the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves aren't only beautiful pieces of home decor - they can help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be used alone or together with central heating or furnace system to provide the supplemental heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest stoves that burn cleanly available today utilize an advanced combustion principle which separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar. This is achieved by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows for the vaporization of the volatile compounds, while the second step supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and reduces the smell.
The amount of heat you will get from your stove will depend on both the species of wood used and the moisture content as well as the size of the logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are wet they will create plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.
While you're burning the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the pile at intervals, not all at one time. Too much wood added at once causes the temperature in the firebox to increase and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can reduce your stove's efficiency.
Avoid using other combustibles inside 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 also not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they have a very different physical and chemical composition from actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.
It is important to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for safe operation and safety, as well as make sure that your chimney is working correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also make sure that the occupants of the house are aware of and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes through the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to control the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living space. You can adjust the damper to achieve the most effective flames by playing around with different settings.
Typically, you should 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 get going and helps it stay in good shape so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening will prevent the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly, you must first ensure that the fireplace has been preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and that it has an adequate draft. Once these are done the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for a while, you should close the damper approximately 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 stop the fire from getting too hot while keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too far it could block 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 inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it is probably in the open position.
The damper settings can differ from one stove to another and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get a sense of the best setting for your stove.
Clean Up
It is important to clean your chimney and stove after an incident. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. wood burning stoves , a sticky substance that can accumulate in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine can help prevent the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least year.
It is also an excellent idea to clean the Ash tray and grate frequently. It is recommended to burn only wood that is well-seasoned, as it will produce less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper, plastic and other trash items. These items can release dangerous chemicals to the air and flue, which can be released into your home.
The glass that is used on the wood stove has to be regularly cleaned as well. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, which means they don't require as much cleaning. If you're unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.
Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you are not using it and slamming a window or door to allow more air flow. This will ensure that the fire is burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood stove will not need to be as active to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or keep them in the fire for long periods of time, as this could cause warping and splitting. It is also best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down into the flue, which could cause damage to the stove.