How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are an ideal method to reduce energy consumption and also heat a room. They require some care.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate many harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a fire can be a welcome addition in any home. But it's important to learn the correct method to make a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and with the highest security.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're damp, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might want to open the chimney to eliminate 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 tinder and ignite the kindling. After the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can add the larger kindling pieces on the top. 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 feed air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn at a steady rate without the need to open the stove's door to maintain it.
It is essential to avoid using excessive tinder as this can lead to the fire burning at an excessive rate and doesn't use the fuel as efficiently as it could. When Fireplaces & Stove have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grate. Next, place a layer of smaller logs perpendicular to these and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf larger logs from the base.
Close the damper once your fire has been established, and keep it shut. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect the efficiency of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and save you money. They can be used by themselves or in conjunction with central heating or a furnace system to provide the extra heat needed in large homes or homes with many rooms. Many of the new stoves that burn clean use a superior combustion principle that separates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two distinct stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second step is to supply fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors.
The amount of heat you get from your stove is contingent on both the species of wood used and the amount of moisture in it, 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 produce plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile in intervals and not all at all at. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which can reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, like paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes as they have a very different chemical and physical properties from real firewood, and are not type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.
It is essential that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure whether your chimney is working properly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They will look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also ensure that all residents of the home understand and follow the fire evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not making use of your stove, a damper can control how much heat is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to regulate the flame. If the flue opens but the damper is closed the fire will not burn properly and smoke will pour into your home. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by playing around with different positions.
Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air enter and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This allows the fire to start a fire and also helps keep it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for 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 ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has an adequate draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its original position. This will prevent the warm air from the room from going into the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape from the wood stove.
This is the best method to prevent the fire from becoming too hot while still keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too tightly, it may stop the draft from working, but if it is too open, a cold wind could blow through your home.
Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a breeze rubbing against your hand the damper is probably to be open.
The damper's setting can vary a little from one stove to the next, and even between different types of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get an idea of the most suitable setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is crucial to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This reduces the chance of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the most common cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up inside the stovepipe, is very dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that cannot escape the fire. It could also be caused by improperly lit fires.
Regular cleaning helps to stop the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year, too.
It is also recommended to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned because it produces less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper, plastic and other trash items. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue that could end up in your home.
The glass in the wood stove has to be cleaned frequently too. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much cleaning. If you are not able to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like you can use stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.
Other tips to keep your wood stove in good condition include turning down the vent when you're not using it, and slamming doors or windows to improve airflow. This will keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it will not need to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged periods of time as this can lead to splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove since the paraffin that is contained in the wood can melt and then flow into the flue which could cause damage.