How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a room and conserve energy. They require some care.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emissions guidelines. You can look for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to ensure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and the sound of a woodfire can be an excellent addition to any house. It's essential to understand how to build a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The tips below will assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and ensure your security.
Before you start a fire, check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're too damp, they will smother the flame and stop it from burning properly. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can add the larger kindling pieces on the top. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If you have wood stoves that have an automatic control of combustion that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to the fire as it grows. This will help the fire to burn at a steady rate without having to constantly open the stove door to tend it.
It is important to not use too much tinder, as this can lead to an unburned fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't use the fuel as efficiently as possible. If you have a nice pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, begin the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grill. Then, add small logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will produce a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.
When your fire is established shut off the damper and ensure it stays closed. The fire may be smothered if the user opens the damper prior to it being fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves aren't only beautiful pieces of home decor They can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the supplemental heating required in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. A lot of the clean burning stoves that are available today utilize advanced combustion technology that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gasses as well as tar. This is accomplished by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows the combustion of volatile compounds, while the second step provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases odors.
The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood used and also the dimensions of the logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them, to allow the
wood burning fireplace to dry. If the logs are wet they will release lots of steam, which is basically wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals and
Stove wood Burning not all at one time. In addition, adding too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that pulls smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into flames. This could reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, such as paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should 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 that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test your stove to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also ensure whether your chimney is working properly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in good condition. They can check for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney and repair any issues they discover. They will also make sure that the occupants of your home understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue is opened but the damper is closed too much the fire will not burn as efficiently and it will release smoke into your living space. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with the damper properly adjusted, you have to play around with different locations and observe how each one affects the flames.
It is important to keep your damper open to let air be able to enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. A proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing out smoke.
To properly adjust your damper, you have to first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and that it has a good draft. After this the damper on the wood stove may be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned a bit you should close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will stop warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney,
Stove Wood Burning while still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best method to ensure that your fire is lit and keep it from getting too hot. The draft may be stopped if you shut the damper to far, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home when the damper is not closed.
Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has opened. If you feel a breeze pushing against your palm the damper is probably to be open.
The damper settings can vary 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 to look for, but you may need to adjust it until you have found the perfect setting for your
Stove Wood Burning.
Clean Up
After a fire, 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-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up within the stovepipe, can be extremely dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape from the fire. It can also happen when fires aren't lit properly.
Regular cleaning can help prevent creosote buildup. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year, too.
Also, it's an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as it will create less creosote and less ash. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning cardboard, paper plastic, and other waste items. These items could release dangerous chemicals into the air and flue that could end up in your home.
It is also important to clean the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis.
