How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves can be an excellent option to conserve energy and also heat the room. They do require some maintenance.

A majority of modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or under it to make sure your stove doesn't emit harmful pollutants.

How to Start a Wood Fire

The smell and sound of a fire made from wood can be a wonderful addition to any house. But it's important to learn how to properly make a fire on your stove. Improper techniques can result in a fire which does not burn efficiently, and produces smoke or creosote. The tips below can help you create an efficient fire that will warm your home quickly and efficiently.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your logs and coals. If they are wet, it will smother your fire and prevent the proper burning. You may also want to open the flue to let out any ash that has fallen into the stove.

Begin by placing a handful of small outdoor wood stove dry pieces of newspaper in the stove. This will help ignite the sparks. Once these begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done using a crosshatch design so that there is air between each piece.

If you have a wood stove that has an automatic control of combustion, it will automatically feed an air stream that is controlled to your fire as it builds. This will help the fire to burn at a consistent pace without having to constantly open the defra stove's doors to tend it.

Do not use too much tinder as it will cause the fire to burn at a rapid rate and not utilize the fuel efficiently. If you have a nice fire and a bed of tinder in your stove, you can start the main fire by laying two large logs of the base across the grate. Next, place small modern wood burning stoves logs that are perpendicular to them and on top of the base logs. This "top-down" method of creating the fireplace will create a long-lasting, efficient fire that doesn't consume larger logs from the base.

Close the damper when your fire is established, and keep it closed. If you open the damper too early, it could cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for proper 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 heat. They can be used alone or together with a furnace or central heating system to provide the supplemental heat needed in large homes or houses with a lot of rooms. The latest stoves that burn clean utilize a superior combustion method that differentiates the burning of volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization process, and the second is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This improves combustion and decreases the odors.

The amount of heat that you can get from your stove will depend on both the species of wood used and the amount of moisture and the size of the logs. The logs must be stored in a well-ventilated area for several months before you attempt to burn them to give the wood time to dry out. If the logs contain too much moisture, they will produce steam that is in essence wasted energy.

It is best wood burning backpacking stove to add wood to the pile in intervals, not all at one time. Adding too much wood at one time causes the temperature in the firebox to rise, and produces a vortex that sucks smoke and volatile compounds that have not been burned back into the flame which could reduce the efficiency of your stove.

It is recommended to stay clear of other combustibles, like cardboard or paper in your stove, as they are not wood and have different physical properties and cannot be burned safely without creating dangerously high temperatures and a lot of emissions. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes as they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to real firewood and aren't approved for burning in wood burning stoves.

If you're planning to install wood-burning stoves into your home, it's important to have it properly installed and tested by a qualified. A certified WETT technician will test the installation to ensure proper operation and safety as well as ensure that your chimney is working correctly. They provide maintenance services for your chimney and stove to ensure they are in good condition. They can check for leaks in the areas accessible to your chimney, and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that the residents of the house understand and comply with the evacuation procedures for fire in the event of an emergency.

Adjusting the Damper

When you're not using your stove, a damper controls the amount of heat lost through the chimney. In addition, it can also help you manage the fire. If the flue opens, but the damper is not closed the fire will not be able to burn as it should and smoke will billow into your home. To get the most effective fire using the damper properly adjusted, you should experiment with different settings and observe how each affects the flames.

You want to keep your damper open to allow air to flow into and out of the flue when a fire is burning. This allows the fire to get a good fire going and helps it stay lit so you can enjoy it for long periods of time. The right opening can stop the fire from being starved of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To be able to adjust your damper, you need to first make sure the fireplace is heated and the stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm and it also has an adequate draft. After these steps are completed, the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

After the fire has smolder for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will stop warm air from the room from getting into the chimney, but still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best way to ensure that your fire is lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft might be stopped if you close the damper too far however a cold breeze can enter your home in the event that the damper is left open.

You can test how much the damper is open by holding your hand near the top of the inside of the flue pipe. If you feel a slight breeze pressing against your hand, it is probably in the open position.

The damper settings may differ from one stove to another and even between different kinds of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get a sense of the best wood burning backpacking stove setting for your stove.

Clean up

After the fire, it's important to clean the stove and flue. This reduces the chance of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the main cause of fires that are caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the inside of the stovepipe and can be very dangerous. It is caused by the moisture and wood particles that are not burned that cannot escape the fire. This can also occur by fires that are not properly lit.

Regular cleaning helps stop the buildup of creosote. The most effective method for doing this is to sweep the chimney every year. It is also recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and checked at least every year.

Also, it's an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is a good idea to only use seasoned wood for burning, as it will create less creosote and less ash. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. They can release harmful chemicals for the respiratory tract and the air, which could be released into your home.

It is also necessary to wash the glass of the wood burning stove on a regular basis. Most newer wood stoves have self-cleaning windows so they don't require as much cleaning. You can use stove glass cleaners on the window if you're not capable of getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.

Other tips for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent down when you're not using it and cracking the door or window to increase the flow of air. This keeps the fire burning hotter, and more efficient. The wood bruner (Linkvault's website) stove won't have to be as active to circulate air. It is advisable not to stack logs or leave them on the fire for a long period of time. This can lead to splits and warping. In addition, it is a good idea to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove because the paraffin they contain can melt and flow down into the flue, which could cause damage.