How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a comfortable method to heat a room and also save energy. They will require some maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to make sure your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful addition to any house. It's essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to the fire not burning effectively and can cause creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you create a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you start an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're too damp they could smother the flame and stop it from burning efficiently. You may also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a handful of small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder. After the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.
If you have wood stoves that have an automatic combustion control, it will automatically feed a controlled stream of air to the fire as it builds. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without you having to open the stove door frequently to check on it.
Do not use too much tinder as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel effectively. If you have a nice pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, begin the main fire by placing two large base logs across the grate. Then, on the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.
Close the damper once your fire has been established, and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if you open the damper before it is fully established. It can also decrease 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 heating. They can be used in conjunction with a central heating system or furnace to provide supplemental heat in large houses. Many of the new stoves that are clean-burning utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage permits the burning of volatile compounds, while the second step supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps reduce the odors.
The amount of heat that you can get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood, and also the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be kept in a ventilated area for a few months prior to burning. If the logs have excessive moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted power.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at one time. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature inside the firebox to increase and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which could reduce your stove's efficiency.
Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove, like cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be used in wood-burning stoves.
It is essential that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can examine your stove to make sure that it is safe and efficient. They will also check that your chimney is functioning properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues that are found. They will also make sure that all residents of the house understand and follow the evacuation procedure in the event of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
When you're not using your stove, a damper regulates how much heat is lost through the chimney. Additionally, it can help you to control the flame. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed, the fire will not burn properly and smoke will erupt into your home. You can adjust the damper to get the best flames by playing around with different positions.
It is important to keep your damper open to allow air to flow into and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and keeps it in good shape so that you can enjoy it for hours. fireplaces wood burning stoves will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and will keep it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and that it has an adequate draft. After that, the damper on the wood stove can be adjusted.
After the fire has been burning for a while, you should shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air in the room from getting into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the best way to keep 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, however should it be too open, a cold wind could blow into your home.
You can check to see how much the damper is open by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand the damper is probably in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is crucial to clean your stove and flue after the start of a fire. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the most common cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that forms on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also occur when fires aren't properly lit.
Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. The best method to do this is to sweep the chimney each year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year, too.
It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is recommended to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as this will result in less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals to the air and flue which could be released in your home.
It is also necessary to wash the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they don't require a lot of scrubs. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the glass if you aren't getting the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.
Other tips to maintain your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're not using it and cracking the door or window to increase the flow of air. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently. The wood stove will not need to perform as hard to circulate air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for prolonged durations of time, since this could cause warping and splitting. It is best to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove since the paraffin contained within the wood can melt and then flow into the flue and cause damage.