The 10 Scariest Things About Stove Wood Burning

How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove

Wood stoves are a comfortable way to heat a space and save energy. They do require some maintenance.

Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. Look for an EPA sticker on the underside or next to the grate to ensure your stove doesn't generate a lot of harmful pollutants.

How to start a Wood Fire

The scent and sound of a fire made from wood can be a pleasant feature in any house. It's important to understand how to build a fire on your stove. Incorrect methods can result in a fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. These tips will aid you in starting a fire that will heat your home with minimum effort and with the highest safety.

Before you begin an fire, make sure you check the condition of your coals and logs. If they're damp it will dampen your fire and hinder proper burning. It is possible to open the chimney to eliminate any ash that falls into the stove.

Begin by putting some small newspaper pieces that are dry and clean in your stove. This will help ignite the tinder and ignite the kindling. When they begin to ignite, add a layer of larger pieces of kindling to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern, so that there will be air between each piece of wood.

If you have a wood stove with an automatic control of combustion it will automatically supply an air stream controlled to the flame as it heats. This allows the fire to burn steadily without the need to open the door of your stove often to keep it in check.

It is important to not use 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. When you have a good pile of tinder and some kindling in your stove, you can start the main fire by placing two large logs of the base across the grate. Then, on the top of these base woods put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This "top-down" method of creating a fireplace will produce an effective and long-lasting fire that doesn't consume larger base logs.

Close the damper once your fire has been established, and keep it shut. Doing this too soon can cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the proper air flow, which will reduce its efficiency.

Add Wood

Stoves can be used to efficiently heat your home and save you money. They can be utilized together with a central heating system or furnace to provide additional heating in large houses. A lot of the clean burning stoves that are available today utilize advanced combustion technology that separates the burning volatile compounds from combustible gases and tar. This is achieved by providing air at two different stages. The first stage is for the vaporization and the second step is to provide fresh air that has been pre-heated. This enhances the combustion process and helps reduce the smell.

The amount of heat that you can get from a stove depends on the species and the moisture content of the wood used as well as the size of logs. The logs must be stored in a ventilated area for a period of time before you attempt to burn them to give the wood a chance to dry. If the logs are not dry enough they will release plenty of steam that is in essence wasted energy.

While you're burning the fire, you should add more wood to the stack at intervals, not all at once. Too much wood added at once causes the temperature inside the firebox to rise and produces a vortex that sucks 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, such as paper or cardboard in your stove, since they are not wood and possess different physical properties and cannot be burned without causing dangerously high temperatures and exorbitant emissions. Also, avoid using compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes as they have a distinct chemical and physical composition to real firewood, and are not suitable for burning in wood-burning stoves.

It is important to have a professional install and test your wood stove. A certified WETT technician will test the stove for proper operation and safety, as well as ensure that your chimney is functioning correctly. These professionals offer maintenance services for your stove and chimney to ensure they remain in top shape. They can look for leaks in the areas that are accessible to your chimney, and fix any problems they find. They will also make sure that all occupants of the house are aware of and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.

Adjusting the Damper

A damper controls the amount of heat that is lost through the chimney when you aren't using your stove. It can also be used to manage the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is closed too much the fire will not burn as efficiently and it will release smoke into your living space. You can adjust your damper to ensure the best small wood burning stoves flames by playing around with different positions.

Typically, you should keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This allows the fire to get going and helps it stay burning so that you can enjoy it for a long time. The right opening will prevent the fire from becoming depleted of air and keep it from blowing smoke.

To properly adjust your damper first, make sure that the fireplace has been preheated and that the wood stove is hot. This will ensure that the chimney is warm, and that it has a strong draft. Once these are done the wood stove damper can be adjusted.

Once the fire has smolder a bit you should reduce the damper to around three-quarters of its full position. This will stop the warm air in the room from venturing into the chimney, while still permitting smoke to escape.

This is the best method to ensure that your fire is lit and prevent it from getting too hot. The draft may be stopped if one closes the damper to far but a cold wind could enter your home when the damper is left open.

Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a small breeze pushing against your palm The damper is most likely in an open position.

The damper settings can vary between stoves and even between different kinds of wood. Experimenting with the various settings will give you an idea of what you should look for, but you will need to tweak it until you have found the ideal setting for your stove.

Clean Up

It is important to clean your stove and flue after an incident. This can reduce the chance of an ensuing fire in the chimney which is the most common reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky substance that forms on the stovepipe's interior and can be very dangerous. The moisture and the unburned parts of wood that cannot escape the fire are responsible for this chemical. This can also be caused by fires that are not properly lit.

A regular cleaning schedule can help prevent the buildup of creosote. The best way to do this is by sweeping the chimney each year. It is also recommended to have your fireplace and stove professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year.

Also, it is an excellent idea to clean the ash tray and grates regularly. It is recommended to burn only seasoned wood since it will create less creosote. Avoid burning cardboard, paper and plastic. These materials can release harmful chemicals into the air and flue, which can be released into your home.

The glass on the wood burning stove needs to be cleaned frequently too. Many modern wood burning stove small stoves come with self-cleaning windows, so they do not require as much scrubs. You can use stove Wood burning glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't capable of getting the glass as clean as you would like on your wood stove.

Other helpful suggestions for maintaining your wood stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it and slamming a window or door to increase the flow of air. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficient. The fireplaces wood burning stoves stove won't have to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is recommended to not stack logs or leave them in the flame for long periods of time, as this could lead to splitting and warping. It is advised to avoid using combustible wood that has been compressed in your wood stove because the paraffin that is contained in the wood can melt and then flow into the flue which could cause damage.