How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be a great way to save energy and heat a room. They will require some maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves conform to EPA emissions guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to ensure your stove won't produce a lot of harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The smell and sound of a woodfire is a welcome addition in any house. It's crucial to learn the correct method to make a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn well, and may produce smoke or creosote. outdoor wood burning stove can help you start an efficient fire that can heat your home quickly and effectively.
Check the condition of your coals and logs before you start an fire. If they're wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may want to open the chimney to get rid of any ash that has fallen into the stove.
Begin by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean into your stove. This will help ignite the tinder. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of tinder to the top of the pile. This should be done with the crosshatch pattern to ensure that there is air between each piece.
If your wood stove is equipped with an automatic combustion control, it will automatically supply air to the fire as it grows. This allows the fire to burn for a long time without having to open the stove's door constantly to tend to it.
It is essential to avoid using too much tinder, as it can cause an unburned fire that burns at an extremely high rate and fails to make use of the fuel as efficiently as it can. Once you've got a good base in your stove with igniters, tinder, and embers to start the main flame, you can do this by placing two large logs of the base on the grill. Then, on the top of these base logs put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This "top-down" method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't engulf larger logs from the base.
Close the damper after the fire is established and keep it closed. The fire can be smothered if the user opens the damper prior to it being fully established. It will also reduce the efficiency of the fire.
Add Wood
Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and help you save money. They can be used on their own or in conjunction with a furnace or central heating system to provide the extra heat required in large houses or homes with multiple rooms. The latest stoves that are clean-burning utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from the combustion of combustible gases and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage permits the vaporization of the volatile compounds, while the second step offers fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.
The amount of heat you will get from a stove will depend on the species and the moisture content of the wood you use as well as the size of logs. The logs should be stored in a ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them, to give the wood time to dry. If the logs are wet they will release plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy.
During the burning of the fire, add more wood to the pile at intervals, but not all at once. Adding too much wood at one time can cause the temperature of the firebox to rise, and creates a vortex that draws smoke and unburnt volatile compounds back into the flame which can decrease your stove's efficiency.
Avoid the use of other combustibles, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, because they are not wood and have very different physical properties that cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles like wood briquettes because they have a very different physical and chemical composition from real firewood and aren't suitable for use in wood burning stoves.
If you're installing wood-burning stoves into your home, it is essential to have it installed and tested by a professional. A certified WETT technician will test the installation for safe operation and safety, as well as make sure that your chimney is working correctly. They offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to keep them in top condition. They can inspect the areas that are accessible to your chimney for leakage, and repair any problems found. They will also make sure that all house occupants understand and comply with the fire evacuation guidelines in case of an emergency.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney when you aren't cooking on your stove. Additionally, it can help you to control the flame. If the flue is not open but the damper is not closed enough, the fire won't be able to burn properly and it will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to achieve the most effective flames by experimenting with different locations.
Typically, you'll want to keep the damper open enough to let air in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This will let the fire start and stay lit for many hours. The proper opening will prevent the fire from starving of air and prevent it from blowing smoke.
To properly adjust your damper you need to ensure that the fireplace is heated and the wood stove is warm. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and also that it has a good draft. Once this is accomplished, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its maximum. This will prevent warm air in the room from getting into the chimney, while still allowing smoke to escape.
This is the best way to keep the fire from becoming too hot, while also keeping it burning. The draft may be stopped if you shut the damper to far, but a cold wind could be able to enter your home when the damper is left open.
Placing your hand on the top of the flue pipe will inform you how much the damper has sunk. If you can feel a slight breeze pushing on your hand it's probably in the open position.
The damper settings can vary from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. You can play around with different settings to get an idea of the best setting for your stove.
Clean Up
After a fire, it is crucial to clean the stove and flue. This can lower the risk of a chimney fire which is the most common cause of wood stove related fires in homes. Creosote is a sticky substance that can build up within the stovepipe, can be very dangerous. Unburned and moist particles of wood that are unable to escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. It could also be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine can help prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney at least once a year. It is recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once per year as well.
It is also a good idea to clean the ash tray and grate regularly. It is best to burn only wood that is well-seasoned because it produces less creosote. Avoid burning paper, cardboard and plastic. They can release chemicals that can be dangerous for the respiratory tract and the atmosphere, which may be released into your home.
It is also essential to clean the glass of the wood stove regularly. The majority of modern wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they do not require as much cleaning. You can apply stove glass cleaners to the window if you're capable of getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.
Other ways to maintain your wood stove include lowering the vent when you aren't using it, and cracking windows or doors to increase airflow. This will help keep the fire burning more hot and more efficiently, since it won't need to be as active to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or leave them in the flame for long periods of time as this could cause warping and splitting. It is best to avoid using combustible compressed wood in your wood stove as the paraffin that is contained in the wood can melt and then flow into the flue, which could cause damage.