How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an ideal option to conserve energy and warm rooms. However, they require an amount of care.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker either under or on the grate to ensure your stove doesn't create a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a fire made from wood can be a welcome feature in any home. It's important to understand how to build an effective fire on your stove. Unintentional methods can lead to an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently, and produces smoke or creosote. These tips will assist you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.
Before you start an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they're too damp they could smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. It is also possible to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by putting several small, dry newspaper pieces in the stove. This will help to ignite the tinder. Once these begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done with an arc pattern so that there is air between each piece.
If you own a wood stove with an automatic control for combustion that will automatically deliver an air stream controlled to your fire as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to open the stove's doors to tend it.
It is important to not use too much tinder, since this can lead to an unburned fire that burns at an excessive rate and doesn't utilize the fuel as efficiently as possible. When you have a good fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, start the main fire by placing two large base logs across the grill. Then, you can lay an additional layer of smaller logs parallel to these and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will produce a long-lasting and effective fire that doesn't completely engulf larger logs from the base.
Close the damper once your fire is established and kept it shut. The fire can be smothered if the user opens the damper before it has fully established. This can also affect the effectiveness of the fire.
Adding Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used together with central heating systems or furnace to provide additional heating for large homes. Many of the new stoves that are clean burning available use an advanced combustion principle which can separate the burning volatile substances from combustible gasses and tar. This is done by supplying air at two distinct stages. The first stage is for the vaporization and the second stage is to supply fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves the combustion process and helps to reduce odors.
The amount of heat you can get from your stove depends on the kind of wood and the moisture content, as well as the size of the logs. To allow the wood to dry, logs must be stored in a ventilated location for a couple of months prior to burning. If the logs are soaked with excessive moisture, they'll produce steam which is essentially wasted power.
It is best to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at one time. Adding too much wood at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame, which can decrease the efficiency of your stove.
It is recommended to stay clear of any other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not wood and have very different physical properties that cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes because they have a very different chemical and physical composition to real firewood, and are not approved for use in wood burning stoves.
It is crucial to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for proper operation and safety, as well as make sure that your chimney is functioning correctly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to keep them in top shape. They will inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney to determine if there is leakage and fix any issues discovered. They will also make sure that all house occupants know and follow the fire evacuation guidelines in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
When you're not using your stove, a damper can control the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney. In addition to this it can also help you manage the fire. If the flue is not open but the damper is too closed, the fire won't burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. To ensure you have the most efficient fire, with the damper properly adjusted, you have to experiment with different locations and observe how each one affects the flames.
Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue while a fire is burning. This will allow the fire to begin and stay lit for several hours. A proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air, and also prevent it from blowing smoke.
To be able to adjust your damper, you have to ensure that the fireplace is preheated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and it also has a strong draft. After this, the wood stove damper may be adjusted.
Once the fire has smolder for a while, you can close the damper to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent warm air in the room from escaping into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.
This is the best method to keep your fire lit and to prevent it from becoming too hot. If you close the damper too much, it may stop the draft from working, however when it's too wide, a cold breeze could blow through your home.
By placing your hands on the top of the flue pipe will tell you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, it's probably in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with various settings to get a sense of the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After the fire, it's important to clean the stove and flue. This reduces the chance of an explosion in the chimney which is the most common reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote, a sticky material which can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this substance. This can also occur by fires that are not lit properly.
A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be done by cleaning your chimney once every year. It is also recommended to have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least yearly.
It is also an excellent idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to use only wood that is seasoned for burning, as this will produce less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. These items could release dangerous chemicals to the flue and air, that could end up in your home.
The glass that is used on the wood stove has to be cleaned regularly as well. The majority of newer wood stoves are made with self-cleaning glass, meaning that they don't require a lot of scrubs. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the window if you're able get the glass as clean as you want on your wood stove.
Other ways to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you're not using it and opening doors or windows to increase airflow. cast iron wood burning stove keeps the fire burning longer and more efficiently. The wood stove will not have to be as active to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or leave them in the fire for long durations of time, since this could cause warping and splitting. It is best to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove because the paraffin that is contained in them can melt and flow into the flue, which could cause damage.