How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be a great way to save energy and heat a room. They will require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to ensure that your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a wood fire could be a pleasant feature in any home. It is essential to know how to build a fire in your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to a fire which does not burn effectively, and can produce creosote or smoke. These tips can help you start a safe fire that can heat your home quickly and efficiently.
Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you begin a fire. If they're too damp they could smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You may also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry pieces of newspaper in the stove. This will help ignite the fire. When they begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood.
If you own a wood stove that has an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver a controlled stream of air to the fire as it builds. This allows the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the stove door frequently to check on it.
Do not use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a nice bed of tinder and kindling in your stove, begin the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on the top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of building a fireplace will produce a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.
Close the damper after your fire is established, and keep it shut. Doing this too soon could cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the proper air flow, which can reduce its efficiency.
Add Wood
Stoves can be
used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used alone or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the new stoves that are clean-burning employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning process of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage permits the combustion of volatile compounds and the second stage offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases smells.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove depends on the type and amount of moisture of the wood used and also the dimensions of logs. The logs should be stacked in a ventilated area for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them to give the wood time to dry out. If the logs are wet they will create lots of steam, which is basically wasted energy.
When you are burning the fire, add more wood to the stack in intervals, but not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which can reduce your stove's efficiency.
Avoid the use of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not
wood burner fireplace ideas and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. It is not recommended to burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes because they are different in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned in wood-burning stoves.
It is crucial that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety as well as ensure that your chimney is working correctly. These professionals can also offer maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in good condition. They can check for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney, and fix any issues they spot. They will also make sure that the occupants of the house are aware of and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
If you're not using your stove, a damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney. It can also be used to manage the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will billow out smoke into your living space. To get the most effective fire using your damper adjusted properly you must test different locations and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for several hours. A proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.
To properly adjust your damper, you must first ensure that the fireplace has been preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has good draft. Once this is accomplished the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for a while, you should close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. This will prevent the warm air in the room from venting into the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape from the wood stove.
This is the best method to prevent the fire from getting too hot while keeping it lit. If you close the damper too far it could stop the draft from working, however when it's too open, a cold wind could blow through your home.
You can test how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight draft pressing against your hand,
used it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper settings can differ slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different kinds of wood. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will have to keep adjusting it until you find the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After a fire, it is important to clean the flue and stove. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape from the fire. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires.
A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing 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.
It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate it 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 cardboard, paper and plastic. They can release harmful chemicals for respiratory illnesses and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.
It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood stove regularly. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much cleaning.