How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a warm way to heat a space and save energy. However, they need some level of maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to make sure your stove won't produce lots of harmful pollutants.
How to start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a wood fire can be a pleasant addition to any house. It's important to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The following tips will help you begin a fire that is safe and will warm your home quickly and efficiently.
Before you start a fire, check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're wet they will choke your fire and hinder proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to remove any ash that's fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing a handful of small dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the sparks. After the tinder and kindling have started to burn, you can put an additional layer of larger pieces on the top. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If you have a wood stove with an automatic control of combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream that is controlled to the fire as it grows. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the stove door to keep it in check.
Do not use excessive tinder since this will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not use the fuel efficiently. After you've built a solid bed in your stove of tinder, kindling and embers to start the main flame, you can do this by laying down two large base logs on the grate. Then, add 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 the fireplace will create an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.
Close the damper once your fire has been established and kept it shut. If you open the damper too early, it can cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for proper airflow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves can be used to heat your home efficiently and help you save money. They can be used together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heat in large homes. Many of the new clean burning stoves that are available on the market use advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization and the second is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and reduces the smell.
The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood you use, and also the size of the logs. To let the wood dry, logs must be stored in a well ventilated area for a few months before burning. If the logs contain excessive moisture, they will produce steam that is in essence wasted energy.
When you are burning the fire, you should add more wood to the pile at intervals, not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at once causes the temperature in the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which could reduce your stove's efficiency.
Avoid burning other combustibles in your stove such as paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they have a distinct physical and chemical composition from real firewood and aren't approved for use in wood burning stoves.
If you are installing a wood burning stove in your home, it is important to have it properly installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety and also ensure that your chimney is functioning correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they are in good condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues found. They will also ensure that the residents of the house are aware of and adhere to the fire evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes up the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is closed too much the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living space. You can adjust your damper to get the best flames by experimenting with different locations.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get going and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for a long time. garden wood burner will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly first, make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. After this, the wood stove damper 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 warm air from the room from going through the chimney, while allowing smoke to escape from the wood stove.
This is the best way to stop the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft could be stopped if you shut the damper too far but a cold wind could enter your home when the damper is not closed.
By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you can feel a slight breeze pressing against your hand, it's likely to be in the open position.
The damper settings may differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. You can play around with different settings to get a sense of the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
It is important to clean your flue and stove after a fire. This will reduce the risk of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky substance which can build up inside the stovepipe, is extremely dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this substance. It could also be caused by poorly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine helps to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is also recommended that you have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and checked at least yearly.
It is also an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to only burn wood that has been seasoned because it produces less creosote. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These items could release dangerous chemicals for the air and flue, that could end up in your home.
It is also important to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove regularly. A lot of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, which means they don't require a lot of scrubbing. If you're not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like, there are stove glass cleaners available that can be used on the window.
Other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're 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, as it will not need to be as active to circulate the air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or leave them in the fire for long periods of time, as this could lead to warping and splitting. It is advised to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove because the paraffin that is contained in the wood can melt and then flow into the flue and cause damage.