How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a great way to save energy and also heat the room. However, they require an amount of care.

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

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and the sound of a fire can be an excellent addition to any home. However, it is important to know the correct method to create a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning effectively and produces creosote or smoke. The following tips can assist you in starting an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and maximum safety.

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

Begin by putting a few small, dry pieces of newspaper into your stove. This will help to spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once they start to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure 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 enable the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to constantly open the stove's doors to maintain it.

Do not use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grate. Then, add small logs perpendicular to these and on top of the base logs. This method of building an ember called a "top-down" fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that will not overtake the larger base logs.

Close the damper once your fire is established and kept it shut. The fire may be smothered by opening the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire.

Adding Wood

Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be utilized in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heating for large wood burning stove homes. The latest stoves that are clean-burning use a superior combustion principle that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second stage is to supply fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and reduces the smell.

The amount of heat that you can get from a stove is contingent upon the species and moisture content of the wood you use, and also the size of logs. The logs should be stored in a ventilated area for a period of time before you try to burn them, to allow the wood to dry. If the logs are wet they will create plenty of steam that is essentially wasted energy.

When you are burning the fire, add more wood to the pile at intervals, and not all at one time. Too much wood added at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which could reduce your stove's efficiency.

Avoid the use of other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and have very different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. You should not burn compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned 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 stove for proper operation and safety and also ensure that your chimney is operating correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They will look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home are aware of and adhere to the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

If you're not making use of your stove, a damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can help you manage the fire. 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 experimenting with different settings.

Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for several hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from becoming depleted of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper it is important to 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 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 stop warm air from the room from going into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape from the wood stove.

This is the best way to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you shut the damper too far it could stop the draft from working, but if it is too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home.

You can determine how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight draft pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.

The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you might need to tweak it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

After the fire, it's essential to clean the flue and stove. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that accumulates on the stovepipe's interior and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape from the fire. It can also be caused by improperly lit fires.

A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by cleaning your chimney once a year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally inspected and cleaned at least once a year, too.

Also, it's an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is best to only burn wood that has been seasoned since it will create less creosote. It is also a good idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper plastic, and other waste items. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue, stove wood burning which could be released in your home.

The glass on the wood burning stove needs to be regularly cleaned too. Many newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require much scrubbing. If you're not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like, there are stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.

Other ways to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and opening doors or windows to increase airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and efficient. The wood stove won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for long periods of time as this can lead to warping and splitting. It is also recommended 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.