How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a warm method to heat a room and also save energy. They do require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't generate many harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a fire made from wood can be a pleasant feature in any home. It's crucial to learn the correct method to create a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. The tips below will assist you in starting the fire that will warm your home with the least effort and ensure your safety.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are too wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove.
Start by placing some small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. When they begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done using an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn at a steady pace without the need to open the stove's door to tend it.
Do not use excessive tinder since it will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not utilize the fuel effectively. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with igniters, tinder, and embers to start the main flame, you can do this by laying two large base logs on the grill. Then, on the top of these base logs, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of building an ember called a "top-down" fire can result in a successful and long-lasting fire that will not overtake the larger base logs.
Once your fire is well established Close the damper and ensure it stays closed. Doing this too soon could cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for the correct air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heat in large houses. The latest clean-burning stoves on the market utilize a superior combustion method that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds and the second offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces 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 dimensions of the logs. The logs should be stacked in a well-ventilated space for several months before you try to burn them to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are soaked with excessive moisture, they will produce steam, which is basically wasted power.
You should add wood to the pile in intervals and not all at once. Too much wood added at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which could reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, like paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes, as they have a completely different physical and chemical composition from real firewood and aren't approved for burning in wood burning stoves.
It is important to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is operating correctly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They can check for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and fix any issues they spot. They will also ensure that all residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not making use of your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat 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 ignite properly and smoke will billow into your home. To get the most effective fire using your damper set correctly, you should play around with different locations and observe how each affects the flames.
woodburning stoves should keep your damper open to let air enter and exit the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and remain lit for a number of hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming depleted of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly, you must first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has a good draft. After these steps are completed, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has smolder a bit you should close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting through the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too tightly, it may stop the draft from working, however when it's too open, a cold wind could blow into your home.
You can check to see how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.
The damper settings can differ 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 adjust it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.
Clean up
After an incident, it is important to clean the stove and flue. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the main reason for wood stove fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this chemical. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine can help keep the buildup of creosote at bay. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.
It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood for burning, as this will result in less creosote and less ash. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These items can release dangerous chemicals for the flue and air, which could be released in your home.
The glass in the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned frequently too. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much scrubbing. If you're unable to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you'd like There are stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.
Other tips to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it, and slamming doors or windows to improve airflow. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently, as it will not need to work as hard to circulate the air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the flame for long periods of time, as this could cause warping and splitting. In addition, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, because the paraffin in them can melt and then flow into the flue which could damage it.