How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an excellent option to conserve energy and warm the room. They do require some maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate, to ensure that your stove doesn't create many harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a wood fire can be a pleasant addition to any home. It's essential to understand how to build a fire in your stove. Incorrect techniques can lead to a fire that doesn't burn effectively and produces smoke or creosote. The following tips will help you begin a safe fire that will warm your home quickly and effectively.
Make sure to check the condition of your logs and coals before you start the fire. If they are too wet they could smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by putting a handful of small dry newspaper pieces into your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once the tinder and kindling have begun to burn, you can add the larger kindling pieces on top. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the flame as it grows. This will enable the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to maintain it.
It is essential to avoid using too much tinder, as it can cause the fire burning at a high rate and doesn't use the fuel as efficiently as possible. Once wood burning stoves uk got a good bed in your stove of tinder, kindling and embers begin the main flame by laying down two large logs of the base on the grate. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This method of constructing the fire is known as a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that will not engulf the larger base logs.
When your fire is established Close the damper and keep it shut. The fire may be smothered by opening the damper before it is fully established. It will also reduce the effectiveness of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and also save you money. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the supplemental heating required in large homes or homes with multiple rooms. A lot of the stoves that are clean-burning employ a superior combustion process that separates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by supplying air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization and the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and helps reduce odors.
The amount of heat you get from a stove is contingent upon the species and moisture content of the wood and also the dimensions of logs. The logs should be stored in a well-ventilated space for several months before you try to burn them, to allow the wood to dry out. If the logs are too wet they will release a lot of steam that is basically wasted energy.
While you're burning the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack at intervals, not all at all at. Addition of too much wood at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, creating the formation of a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that are not burned back into the flames. This could reduce the effectiveness of your stove.
It is recommended to stay clear of other combustibles like cardboard or paper in your stove, because they are not wood and possess different physical properties that cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and excessive emissions. It is not recommended to burn combustibles that are compressed, such as wood briquettes as they are different in chemical and physical composition from firewood. They are also not approved by the type to be burned in wood burning stoves.
It is essential that you have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for safe operation and safety, and also ensure that your chimney is working correctly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They can look for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney and repair any problems they find. They will also ensure that all occupants of the house are aware of and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes to the chimney when you're not using your stove. Additionally, it can also help you control the fire. If the flue is open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't burn properly and will release smoke into your living space. You can adjust the damper to get the best flames by testing different positions.
You want to keep your damper open to let air be able to enter and exit the flue when a flame is burning. This lets the fire start a fire and also helps keep it burning so that you can enjoy it for hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and will keep it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly, you must first ensure that the fireplace has been heated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure the chimney is warm, and it also has an adequate draft. After this the damper for the wood stove may be adjusted.
Once the fire has smolder for a while, you can reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its full position. This will stop the warm room air from escaping up the chimney while still allowing smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
This is the best way to ensure that your fire is lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. The draft may be stopped if you close the damper to far, but a cold wind could enter your home if the damper is left open.
You can test 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 breeze pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to another and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get a sense of the most suitable setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After an incident, it is essential to clean the flue and stove. This can reduce the chance of a fire in the chimney, which is the primary cause of fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up in the stovepipe, is very dangerous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that are unable to escape from the fire. It could be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine helps keep the buildup of creosote at bay. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year, too.
It is also an excellent idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to only use seasoned wood to burn, since it will create less creosote as well as ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. They could release harmful chemicals for the flue and air, and could be released into your home.
The glass that is used on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned regularly too. The majority of newer wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they do not require much cleaning. If you're unable to get the glass on your wood stove as clean as you'd like, there are stove glass cleaners that can be used on the window.
Some other helpful tips for maintaining your wood stove are to turn the vent off when you're not using it, and opening a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will keep the fire burning longer and more efficiently, as it will not need to be as active to circulate the air. It is a good idea not to stack logs or place them on the fire for an extended duration. This could cause warping and splits. It is also recommended to not use compressed combustible logs in your wood stove because the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.