How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a warm 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 check for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to ensure your stove doesn't release harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful addition to any home. It's crucial to learn how to properly create a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in the fire not to burn effectively, and can produce smoke or creosote. The tips below can help you start a fire that is safe and will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're damp, it will smother your fire and hinder proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that's fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. After the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can put a layer of 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 you own a wood stove that has an automatic combustion control that will automatically deliver an air stream controlled to the fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove door often to keep it in check.
Avoid using excessive tinder since it can cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. After you've built a solid foundation in your stove that is made of igniters, tinder, and embers begin the main flame by placing two large logs of the base on the grill. Then, add a layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This method of building an ember known as a "top-down" fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that does not completely consume the larger base logs.
Close the damper after the fire is established, and keep it closed. The fire could be smothered if the user opens the damper prior to it being fully established. It can also decrease the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces - they can 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 heat needed in large homes or homes with many rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn cleanly available today utilize advanced combustion technology that is able to separate the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is accomplished by supplying air in two distinct stages. The first stage permits the burning of volatile compounds, while the second step provides fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors.
The amount of heat that you can get from a stove is contingent upon the species and moisture content of the wood and also the dimensions of the logs. To let the wood dry, the logs should be stored in a ventilated space for a few months before burning. If the logs have too much moisture, they will create steam which is essentially wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile at intervals, not all at one time. In addition, adding too much wood all at once can cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing a vortex which pulls smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into flames. This could decrease the effectiveness of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove such as cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures. You should not burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes as they differ in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not type-approved to be used in wood-burning stoves.
It is important that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure it is safe and reliable. They will also check whether your chimney is working properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in tip-top shape. They can check the accessible areas of your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. 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
A damper controls how much heat is lost through the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. In addition to this it can also help manage the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire won't burn properly and smoke will pour into your home. To get the best fire with your damper adjusted properly you must test different locations and observe how each one affects the flames.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for several hours. The right opening will prevent the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper properly it is important to first make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has an adequate draft. After these steps are completed, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has smolder slightly, you need to reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its maximum. This will stop warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best method to stop the fire from getting too hot while still keeping it lit. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper too tightly however a cold breeze could enter your home when the damper is left open.
You can determine how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a small draft pressing against your hand, it's probably in the open position.
The damper's setting can vary slightly from one stove to the next, and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get an idea of the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
After the fire, it's crucial to clean the flue and stove. This will to reduce the chance of a chimney fire, which is the most common cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote, a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is extremely hazardous. wood burning stove near me and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the flame are the reason for this substance. It can be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine helps to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally inspected and cleaned at least once per year.
Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned since it will create less creosote. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper or plastic items. These items could release dangerous chemicals to the flue and air, that could end up in your home.
It is also important to wash the glass of the wood stove on a regular basis. A lot of modern wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, which means they do not require much scrubbing. If you're not able to clean the glass of your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners that you can use on the window.
Other ways to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you aren't using it, and slamming doors or windows to improve airflow. This will keep the fire burning hotter and more efficiently, as it won't need to be as active to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or place them in the fire for prolonged periods of time, as this could cause warping and splitting. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove because the paraffin in them can melt and flow down the flue which could cause damage to the stove.