How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and conserve energy. They require some care. A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check 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 scent and sound of a woodfire is an enjoyable addition to any house. But it's important to learn how to properly build a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in a fire that doesn't burn effectively and can cause creosote or smoke. These tips will help you begin a safe fire that can heat your home quickly and efficiently. Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you start a fire. If they're wet they will choke your fire and hinder proper burning. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove. Begin by putting a few small newspaper pieces that are dry into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. When the tinder and the kindling are beginning to ignite, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done in a crosshatch fashion so that there will be air between each piece of wood. If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control it will automatically pump air into the fire as it expands. This allows the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove door constantly to tend to it. It is important to not use excessive tinder as this could result in a fire that burns at a high rate and doesn't make use of the fuel as efficiently as it could. Once you've made a solid base in your stove with igniters, tinder, and embers, start the main flame by laying down two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, add an additional layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on the top of the base logs. This top-down method of creating a fireplace will produce a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger base logs. Once the fire is established shut off the damper and keep it shut. modern wood burning stoves may be smothered if the user opens the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire. Add Wood Stoves aren't just beautiful home décor pieces - they can help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used on their own or together with central heating or a furnace system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or houses with a lot of rooms. Many of the latest stoves that burn cleanly available use advanced combustion principles that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is accomplished by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces the odors. The amount of heat you can get from your stove depends on the kind of wood used as well as the amount of moisture and the size 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 not dry enough they will create lots of steam, which is in essence wasted energy. It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at one time. Too much wood added at once can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which can decrease your stove's efficiency. You should avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, as they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes since they differ in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be burned in wood-burning stoves. It is important that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the stove for proper operation and safety as well as make sure that your chimney is functioning properly. They offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they remain in top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney, and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that the occupants of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in case of an accident. Adjusting the Damper A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost to the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to control the flame. If the flue opens but the damper is not closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will billow into your home. You can adjust the damper to achieve the most effective flames by testing different settings. You should keep your damper open to let air enter and exit the flue when a fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. The right opening will also prevent the fire from starving of air, and also prevent it from blowing out smoke. To properly adjust your damper, you have to first make sure the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and also that it has a strong draft. After these steps are completed, the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted. After the fire has been burning for a while, you should close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. This will stop the warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape. This is the most effective way to prevent the fire from getting too hot, while also keeping it burning. If you close the damper too tightly, it could block the draft from working, but when it's too wide, a cold breeze could enter your home. Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a breeze pushing against your palm, the damper is likely to be open. The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to another 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 essential to clean your chimney and stove after the start of a fire. This will reduce the risk of an explosion in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and can be very dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also occur when fires are not properly lit. A regular cleaning routine helps to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney once a year. It is recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year as well. It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is recommended to only use seasoned wood to burn, since this will produce less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They could release chemicals that are dangerous for the respiratory tract and the air, and could be released into your home. It is also necessary to wash the glass of the wood stove regularly. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, which means they do not require as much scrubbing. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're capable of getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove. Other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent off when you're not using it, and opening windows or doors to increase air flow. This will help keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, since it won't need to be as active to circulate the air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or keep them in the fire for prolonged periods of time, as this could cause splitting and warping. It is best to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove because the paraffin in the logs can melt and leak into the flue and cause damage.
modern wood burning stoves
