How to Properly Start a Wood Burning Stove
Wood stoves can be an excellent way to save energy and also heat a room. However, they need a certain amount of maintenance.
Many modern wood stoves comply with EPA emission guidelines. You can check for an EPA sticker on the grate or beneath it to make sure your stove isn't releasing harmful pollutants.
How to Start a Wood Fire
The scent and sound of a fire can be an enjoyable addition to any house. It's important to know how to create a fire in your stove. Incorrect methods can result in an unburned fire that doesn't burn efficiently and creates smoke or creosote. The following tips can aid you in starting the fire that will warm your home with minimal effort and ensure your safety.
Before you begin a fire, check the condition of your coals and logs. If they are wet, they will smother the fire and prevent it from burning efficiently. It is also possible to open the flue to let any ash out that has been deposited into the stove.
Start by placing several small newspaper pieces that are dry in the stove. This will help ignite the sparks. When they begin to burn, add a layer of larger pieces to the top of the pile. This should be done in a crosshatch pattern so there is air between each piece of wood.
If your wood stove comes with an automatic control for combustion, it will automatically feed air to the flame as it grows. This will allow the fire to burn for a long time without you having to open the door of your stove often to keep it in check.
Do not use too much tinder, as this will cause the fire to burn at a fast rate and will not be able to use the fuel efficiently. Once you've got a good base in your stove with sparks, tinder and kindling to start the main flame, you can do this by placing two large base logs on the grate. Then, on the top of these base woods put a layer of wood perpendicular to them. This method of constructing a fire known as a "top-down" fire will result in an effective and long-lasting fire that does not engulf the larger base logs.
Once your fire is well established shut off the damper and ensure it stays closed. Doing this too soon could cause the fire to get smothered and not allow for the proper air flow, which will lower the effectiveness 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 central heating or a furnace system to provide the additional heat needed in large homes or homes with many rooms. A lot of the clean-burning stoves on the market employ a superior combustion process that differentiates the burning process of volatile compounds from combustible gasses and tar by providing air in two different stages. The first stage is to aid in the vaporization, while the second step is to provide fresh air that is pre-heated. This improves the process of combustion and helps reduce odors.
The amount of heat you get from a stove will depend on the type and amount of moisture of the wood used as well as the size of the logs. To allow the wood to dry, logs must be kept in a ventilated space for a few months prior to burning. If the logs are not dry enough they will create lots of steam, which is in essence wasted energy.
While you're burning the fire, it is recommended to add more wood to the stack in intervals, but not all at one time. Addition of too much wood all at once could cause the temperature to rise in the firebox, causing a vortex which draws smoke and unburned volatile compounds back into flames. This could reduce the effectiveness of your stove.
Avoid using other combustibles inside your stove, like paper or cardboard because they are not wood. They have different physical properties and cannot be burned without creating dangerously high temperatures. Also, you should not use compressed combustibles, such as wood briquettes because they have a completely different physical and chemical composition from real firewood, and are not suitable for use in wood burning stoves.
It is essential to have a professional install and test your wood burning stove. A certified WETT technician will test your installation to ensure that it is safe and efficient. They will also ensure that your chimney works correctly. These experts can also provide maintenance services to keep your chimney and stove in tip-top shape. They will look for leaks in the areas connected to your chimney and repair any issues they spot. They will also ensure that all occupants of the house understand and follow the evacuation procedure in case of an accident.
Adjusting the Damper
A damper regulates how much heat escapes through the chimney when you're not using your stove. In addition to this it can also help to control the flame. If the flue is opened but the damper is too closed, the fire will not burn as efficiently and will release smoke into your living area. You can adjust your damper to get the best flames by playing around with different locations.
Typically, you want to keep the damper open enough to let air flow in and out of the flue when the fire is burning. This will let the fire start and remain lit for a number of hours. The proper opening will stop the fire from becoming starved of air and prevent it from blowing out smoke.
To adjust your damper properly, you must first ensure that the fireplace is heated and that the wood stove is hot. exterior wood stove will ensure that the chimney is warm and that it has a strong draft. After these steps are completed, the damper for wood stoves can be adjusted.
Once the fire has burned for a while, you can shut the damper down to about three-quarters of its full position. This will prevent the warm room air from escaping up the chimney while still allowing the smoke to escape out of the wood stove.
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 not closed.
Holding your hand at the top of the flue pipe will show you how much the damper has sunk. If you feel a slight breeze pushing against your hand, the damper is likely in the open position.
The damper settings may differ from one stove to the next and even among different types of wood. You can experiment with different settings to get a sense of the ideal setting for your stove.
Clean up
It is important to clean your flue and stove after the start of a fire. This reduces the chance of a fire in the chimney which is the main reason for fires caused by wood stoves. Creosote is a sticky material that builds up on the stovepipe's interior and is extremely dangerous. Moisture and unburned particles of wood that cannot escape the fire are the cause for this chemical. It could also be caused by improperly lit fires.
A regular cleaning routine can help to prevent the buildup of creosote. This can be accomplished by sweeping your chimney once every year. It is also recommended that you have your stove and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected at least once a every year.
It is also a good idea to clean out the ash tray and grate regularly. It is a good idea to use only seasoned wood to burn, since this will result in less creosote and ash. It is also a good idea to avoid burning paper, cardboard, plastic and other trash items. These items could release dangerous chemicals into the air and flue which could be released in your home.
It is also necessary to clean the glass of the wood stove on a regular basis. Many modern wood stoves come with self-cleaning windows, so they don't require as much scrubbing. You can make use of stove glass cleaners on the glass if you aren't getting the glass as clean as you'd like on your wood stove.
Other tips to maintain your wood stove include turning the vent off when you are not using it and cracking a window or door to allow more air flow. This will ensure that the fire is burning more hot and efficiently. The wood stove won't have to work as hard in order to circulate air. It is also a good idea not stack logs or keep them in the flame for long periods of time as this can lead to splitting and warping. Finally, it is recommended to avoid using compressed combustible logs in your wood stove because the paraffin in them could melt and spill down into the flue, which could cause damage.