How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves are a great way to save energy and also heat a room. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.
A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker under or beside the grate to ensure your stove won't produce a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The sound and smell of a wood fire can be a wonderful addition to any home. But it's important to learn the proper way to create a fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to a fire which does not burn efficiently, and produces smoke or creosote. These tips will assist you in starting an fire that can heat your home with minimum effort and ensure your safety.
Before you begin a fire, you should check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're damp they will choke your fire and prevent the proper burning. You might also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting a few small dry newspaper pieces in your stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once these begin to burn, add another layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. used wood stoves for sale should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove has an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically pump air into the fire as it expands. This will allow the fire to burn steadily without having to open the stove door constantly to tend to it.
It's important to avoid using too much tinder, as this could result in the fire burning at an extremely high rate and fails to make use of the fuel as efficiently as it could. If you have a nice fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by laying two large base logs on the grate. Then, add small logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will result in a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't completely engulf larger base logs.
Once the fire is established Close the damper and keep it closed. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to be smothered, and it will not allow for the correct airflow, which will decrease the efficiency of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves are not just beautiful home decor pieces They can also help you save money by providing efficient wood heating. They can be used alone or in conjunction with central heating or furnace system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. Many of the new stoves that burn cleanly available on the market use advanced combustion technology that can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization and the second stage is to supply fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and reduces odors.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove is contingent upon the species and the moisture content of the wood used and also the dimensions 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 give the wood a chance to dry out. If the logs contain too much moisture, they will produce steam that is in essence wasted power.
You should add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at one time. Adding too much wood at once can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which can reduce the efficiency of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles in your stove, like cardboard or paper, because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and are unable to be burned without producing dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles such as wood briquettes because they have a completely different chemical and physical properties from real firewood and aren't type-approved for burning in wood-burning stoves.
It is essential that a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician can test your installation to ensure it is safe and reliable. They can also make sure that your chimney is functioning properly. They also provide maintenance services to keep your stove and chimney in top condition. They will inspect the areas accessible to your chimney for leakage, and fix any issues discovered. They will also make sure 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 to the chimney when you're not using your stove. It can also be used to manage the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is closed the fire won't be able to burn as it should and smoke will billow into your home. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best flames by experimenting with different settings.
You want to keep your damper open to allow air to flow into and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to start and remain lit for a number of hours. The right opening will also keep the fire from being starved of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.
To adjust your damper correctly, you must first ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and has a good draft. After hyperlink are completed, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
After the fire has burned for a while, you should shut the damper around three quarters of the way. This will prevent warm air from the room from escaping into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the best method to keep your fire burning and keep it from getting too hot. The draft might be stopped if you close the damper too tightly however a cold breeze could be able to enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.
You can check to see how much the damper is opened by placing your hands near the top of the of the flue pipe. If you feel a small breeze rubbing against your hand the damper is probably to be open.
The damper settings may differ between stoves and even among different types of wood. The process of experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you might need to adjust it until you have found the perfect setting for your stove.
Clean up
After an incident, it is crucial to clean the flue and stove. This will reduce the risk of a fire in the chimney which is the main reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material that can build up in the stovepipe, 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 occur by fires that are not properly lit.
Regular cleaning helps to prevent creosote buildup. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a year.
Also, it's recommended to clean the ash tray and the grates regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned since it will create less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals into the air and flue that could end up in your home.
It is also essential to wash the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. A lot of modern wood stoves are designed with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they do not require much scrubs. If you're not able to make the glass on your wood stove as clean as you would like you can use stove glass cleaners available that you can use on the window.
Other suggestions to keep your wood stove in good condition include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and slamming doors or windows to allow more airflow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficient. The wood stove will not have to perform as hard to circulate air. It is also a good idea to not stack logs or leave them in the fire for long periods of time, as this can lead to splitting and warping. In addition, it is recommended to avoid using compressed combustible wood logs in your wood stove, as the paraffin they contain can melt and then flow down the flue which could cause damage to the stove.