How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a comfortable 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 look for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a woodfire can be a welcome addition in any house. It's crucial to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to a fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates creosote or smoke. The following tips can help you start a safe fire that will heat up your home quickly and efficiently.
Examine the condition of your coals and logs before you start the fire. If they're wet they will choke your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that falls into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help to spark the tinder and ignite your kindling. Once they start to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there is air between each piece of wood.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without you having to open the stove door frequently to check on it.
Be careful not to use too much tinder, as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and will not be able to use the fuel effectively. If you have a solid fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs across the grate. Then, on top of these base logs lay a layer parallel to them. This "top-down" method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger base logs.
Close the damper after the fire is established, and keep it closed. The fire may be smothered if you open the damper prior to it being fully established. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the fire.
old wood burning stove can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used alone or together with central heating or a furnace system to provide the supplemental heat needed in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that burn clean employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization process, and the second is to supply pre-heated fresh air. This improves combustion and reduces the odors.
The amount of heat you will get from your stove will depend on the kind of wood and the moisture content, as well as the size of the logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated space for a period of time before you attempt to burn them to allow the wood to dry out. If the logs are not dry enough they will create lots of steam, which is in essence wasted energy.
You should add wood to the pile in intervals and not all at all at. The addition of too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing the formation of a vortex that pulls smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into the flames. This could decrease the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove, like paper or cardboard, as they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. You should also not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes, as they have a completely different physical and chemical composition from actual firewood and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.
If you are installing wood-burning stoves in your home, it's essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure it is safe and functional. They will also check that your chimney is functioning properly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They will inspect the accessible areas of your chimney for leaks, and fix any issues found. They will also ensure that the occupants of the house understand and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper controls how much heat is lost up the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. It can also be used to regulate the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is too closed the fire will not be able to burn as it should and smoke will billow into your home. You can adjust the damper to ensure the best flames by testing different settings.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for many hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming depleted of air and stop it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly, you must first ensure that the fireplace has been preheated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and also that it has a strong draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove can be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for some time, you need to shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the best method to keep the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. If you close the damper too much, it could stop the draft from working, but if it is too wide, a cold breeze could blow into your home.
You can test how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze rubbing against your hand the damper is 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. Playing around with different settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you may have to keep adjusting until you get the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After the fire, it's essential to clean the stove and flue. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the primary cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and is extremely dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that are unable to escape the flame are the reason for this chemical. This can also be caused by fires that are not properly lit.
A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by cleaning your chimney once a year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least yearly.
It is also recommended to clean the ash tray and grate it regularly. It is recommended to use only seasoned wood for burning, as this will result in less creosote and ash. It is also recommended to avoid burning cardboard, paper plastic, and other waste items. These items can release dangerous chemicals into the air and flue, that could end up in your home.
It is also important to wash the glass of the wood-burning stove on a regular basis. The majority of newer wood stoves have self-cleaning glass, meaning that they don't require a lot of scrubbing. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're not capable of getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.
Other suggestions to maintain your wood stove include turning down the vent when you're not using it and cracking windows or doors to improve airflow. This keeps the fire burning hotter, and more efficiently. The wood stove will not need to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or let them sit on the fire for an extended period of time. This could cause splits and warping. It is best to avoid using compressed combustible wood in your wood stove because the paraffin contained within them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.