How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a warm way to heat a room and conserve energy. However, they require an amount of care.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to make sure your stove won't produce a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and the sound of a fire can be an excellent addition to any house. It's essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce creosote or smoke. The tips below will assist you in starting an fire that can heat your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.
Examine the condition of your logs and coals before you start an fire. If they are wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by placing some small, dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder. After the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can add an additional layer of larger pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there will be air between each piece of wood.
If you have wood stoves that have an automatic combustion control it will automatically supply an air stream that is controlled to your flame as it heats. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove door to tend it.
It is essential to avoid using too much tinder, as this could result in the fire burning at an excessive rate and doesn't use the fuel as efficiently as it could. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large logs of the base on the grill. Then, on the top of these base woods, place a layer perpendicularly to them. This method of building an ember called a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that will not overtake the larger base logs.
When your fire is established, close the damper and ensure it stays closed. fireplacesandstove may be smothered if the user opens the damper before it is fully established. This can also affect the efficiency of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves are not just beautiful home décor pieces They can also help you save money by supplying efficient wood heat. They can be utilized together with central heating systems or furnace to provide supplemental heating in large houses. A lot of the stoves that burn clean utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization, while the second is to provide pre-heated fresh air. This improves the combustion process and reduces the odors.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove depends on the species and moisture content of the wood, and also the size of logs. To allow the wood to dry, the logs should be stored in a ventilated location for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are not dry enough, they will produce a lot of steam that is in essence wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at once. In addition, adding too much wood at once can cause the temperature of the firebox to increase and creates a vortex, which draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could reduce your stove's efficiency.
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 creating dangerously high temperatures. It is not recommended to burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes since they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be used in wood burning stoves.
It is crucial 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 working correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leaks, and repair any problems found. They will also ensure that all house occupants are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation guidelines in case in the event of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. Additionally, it can help you manage the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is too closed, the fire will not burn as efficiently and it will release smoke into your living space. You can adjust the damper to get the best flames by playing around with different locations.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and stay lit for many hours. The right opening can stop the fire from being starved of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.
To properly adjust your damper, you need to first make sure the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and it also has a good draft. Once this is accomplished, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has been burning for an extended period, close the damper about three quarters of the way. This will stop the warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, but still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best way to keep your fire burning and keep it from getting too hot. If you close the damper too tightly, it could block the draft from working, however if it is too wide, a cold breeze could blow into your home.
You can check to see how much the damper is opened by placing your hand on the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you can feel a slight draft pushing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.
The damper setting can vary a little from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you will need to adjust it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
After an incident, it is crucial to clean the stove and flue. This will lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the most common reason for wood stove-related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that are unable to escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is by sweeping the chimney every year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year.
It is also recommended to clean out the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned to burn, since this will produce less creosote as well as ash. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These materials can release harmful chemicals for the air and flue which could be released in your home.
The glass on the wood stove has to be cleaned frequently too. Many newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means that they do not require much cleaning. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're not getting the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.
Other suggestions for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent down when you are not using it, and opening the door or window to increase the flow of air. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently since it will not need to exert as much effort to circulate the air. It is recommended not to stack logs, or let them sit on the fire for an extended duration. 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 them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.