How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a cozy way to heat a room and conserve energy. They will require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves meet EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove won't produce many harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and the sound of a woodfire can be a welcome addition in any home. It is essential to know how to build an effective fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. The tips below will help you start an fire that can heat your home with the least effort and with the highest safety.
Check the condition of your logs and coals before you begin an fire. If they're wet it will dampen your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry pieces of newspaper in your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. When they begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done using the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically feed air to the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn continuously without having to open the door of your stove constantly to tend to it.
Do not use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at an extremely fast rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a solid pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large base logs on the grill. On the top of these base woods lay a layer parallel to them. This method of creating a fire known as a "top-down" fire will result in a powerful and long-lasting fire that doesn't completely consume the larger base logs.
Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and keep it closed. The fire could be smothered if you open the damper prior to it being fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves aren't just beautiful home decor pieces they can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heat. They can be used together with central heating systems or furnace to provide additional heat in large houses. Many of the new stoves that burn cleanly available use an advanced combustion principle which can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two distinct stages. The first stage allows the vaporization of the volatile compounds and the second stage supplies fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and reduces the odors.
The amount of heat that you can get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood and also the dimensions of logs. The logs should be stacked in a ventilated area for several months prior to when you attempt to burn them, to give the wood a chance to dry out. If the logs are soaked with too much moisture, they will create steam, which is basically wasted power.
It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at all at. In addition, adding too much wood at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame, which could reduce the efficiency of your stove.
You should avoid the use of other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, since they are not wood and have very different physical properties that can't be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. It is not recommended to burn compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they differ in physical and chemical composition from firewood. They are also not approved to be used in wood burning stoves.
It is crucial that you have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can test your stove to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They can also make sure that your chimney is functioning properly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your chimney and stove to keep them in top condition. They will look for leaks in the areas connected 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 regulates how much heat escapes to the chimney when you're not using your stove. In addition, it can also help to control the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is not closed enough, the fire will not burn as efficiently and it will billow out smoke into your living space. To get the best fire with your damper set correctly, you should test different positions and observe how each affects the flames.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and remain lit for a number of hours. A proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.
In order to properly adjust your damper, you need to first ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney stays warm and has an adequate draft. Once this is done the damper for the wood stove can be adjusted.
After the fire has been burning for some time, you need to close the damper approximately three quarters of the way. wood burning fireplace will prevent the warm room air from escaping into the chimney, while allowing the smoke to escape from the wood stove.
This is the most effective way to prevent the fire from becoming too hot while keeping it lit. If you shut the damper too much, it could stop the draft from working, but if it is too open a cold breeze could blow through your home.
You can determine how much the damper is opened by holding your hand near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a breeze pushing against your palm the damper is probably in an open position.
The damper settings can differ a little from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what to look for, but you will need to tweak it until you find the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
After a fire, it is crucial to clean the flue and stove. This will lower the risk of a chimney fire, which is the main cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky material that accumulates on the inside of the stovepipe and can be extremely hazardous. It is caused by moisture and unburned wood particles that cannot escape the fire. It can also be caused by poorly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once every year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year, too.
It is also an excellent idea to clean out 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. It is also an excellent idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard plastic, and other waste items. They can release harmful chemicals for the respiratory tract and the air, and could be released into your home.
The glass in the wood stove has to be cleaned regularly as well. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, which means they don't require as much scrubbing. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Other suggestions to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it and opening doors or windows to increase airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate 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 lead to warping and splitting. Finally, it is best to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and flow into the flue which could damage it.